This week’s Superhero Spotlight is Guillermo Roberto del Zorro Rodriguez (or Hyper Rob for short!)
“He is the coolest fox around- with his rugged charm and bad boy background he is not someone you want to mess with!” – Gizzy Linnell, Promo campaigner and no.1 fan
Background:
Hyper Rob is a crucial part of the Reynard City story. His father Dante Rodriguez was a gangster on the planet Animal Kingdom and it was he who created the evil villain Mega Fox (more details will come in another blog!)
Influences:
Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid– Click the link for a great scene! Basically this illustrates what I was going for with Hyper Rob- on the one hand he’s a strong character, but there is also a layer of vulnerability as well.
Wolverine and Gambit– Yeah I think everyone kind of detects the theme here (and is probably humming the theme tune). While there is an element of Wolverine’s toughness there is also an interesting relationship that Guillermo has with Sal. On the one hand it’s playful, on the other it can be destructive. Which leads us to…
Brad Pitt– Mr and Mrs Smith is one comparison for Guillermo and Sal’s relationship, although the difference is that the secrets are more on one side than the other. However there are also elements of obsessiveness in his pursuit of Sal, something that is reflected in his jittery performance in Twelve Monkeys.
Tails– Not to be mean but as a kid I was not a fan of Tails (in cartoon form). Sonic Boom has partially redeemed this, making him more of a Gadget-like character rather than an annoying kid sidekick. Therefore my childish mind decided to create in some respects an anti-Tails (Sliat?) Over time he has developed more in his own right.
Police Academy: The Animated Series– Bit of a random one, but that was where a character had a bazooka that fired hooks (hence his hook gun).
Key issues:
1) The Origin of Mega Fox– As we stated before his origin is tied in with it!
2) Issue 5– A noir style tribute issue that explores his obsessive side.
3) Issue 13– Guillermo protects a small child from gangsters, but all is not as it seems.
4) Issue 16– Big twist with this one, ties in with Sal’s big character arc (Spoilers!)
5) Issue 21
Q and A:
Q. Where did you get the hook gun (Van Hikari, forum)?
A. Rotecol made it for me- Not a fan of guns but this allows me to take people down in a non-lethal way.
Q. Who’s the best fighter out of you, Sal and Vibes (Dan Wright, Pan Dragon Publishing)?
A. Ooh this is a tough one! On balance I’d say Sal- Vibes may think she’s the best fighter but her mouth gets her into trouble and I tend to get suckered in. Sal is the calm one who can think a fight through but she can also smash her way out if she has to!
Q. What do you like most about Sal? What do you least like about her? (Louis Yamato, Forum)
A. Are you trying to get in me in trouble?! Seriously Sal is my world- she works hard, she’s driven, she cares. Of course sometimes that means she also gets stressed out and doesn’t know when to relax. But then that’s something I can work on too, so we’re about even on that!
OK, the answer that is likely to get me in trouble is the honest one- she really needs to know when to ask for help and sometimes she seems to be a bit jealous of Vibes, something I try to stay out of!