NuPerspective: HAIRBAG

Peace peeps. Hopefully everyone is as good as can be during these crazy times. Fabian and I are back with another sanitized, safe-distance edition of NuPerspective. 

What IS Nu-Perspective you ask? Well I'm glad you asked. This the column where me and my writing collaborator Fabian Wood revamp and update various underdeveloped, underutilized, cheesy and/or all-but-forgotten Nubian (black) comic book and pop culture characters. We stay within continuity for the characters as best we can and then take the stories and art to places we think will showcase them in cool, fresh, contemporary and exciting ways both visually and story-wise.  

Seems we got an animal theme this month...last post was Gamecock and now we're back with Marvel's HAIRBAG!!

Hairbag appearance in X-Factor drawn by Larry Stroman

And now, the NuPerspective revamp...

NuPerspective Hairbag design by Shawn Alleyne

Real Name: Michael Suggs
Current Alias: Hairbag
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Agent for Mr Sinister
Place of Birth: Krakoa
Base of Operations: Krakoa
Affiliations: Nasty Boys
First Appearance: X-Factor #75 (1992)
Original Creators: Peter David & Larry Stroman

Story: Not much of Michael Sugg’s past is known prior to him being part of Mr. Sinister’s “Nasty Boys” – a personal strike force in direct opposition to the government-funded mutant team called X-Factor. No match for their X-Factor counterparts however, Hairbag eventually found himself in league with the Mutant Liberation Front – a small anarchistic cell of disillusioned young mutants – before returning to the Nasty Boys ranks. After the cataclysmic “de-mutation” of M-Day, Hairbag was fortunate to retain his powers. Unfortunately, he was hunted down and brainwashed by a cybernetically-enhanced anti-mutant zealot William Stryker. Freed by Sabretooth’s iteration of the X-Force, Hairbag wound up on the opposite side of where he started, becoming a reluctant crusader for mutants. Tragically, this was short-lived, as he perished at the hands of a clandestine mutant gang known as the Upstarts. This however would not be the end of Hairbag; as once the thrall of mad mutant geneticist Mr. Sinister, Hairbag’s DNA has always been part of his repository. With the recent events of “House of X” and “Powers of X” (the latest gambit to save the mutant race involving a draconian takeover by the triumvirate of Magneto, Professor X and Moira X) Mr. Sinister finds himself elevated to the nascent Krakoa government’s auspicious Quiet Council – both an overt and covert hand of authority and law on the budding mutant nation. This leads to Sinister being tasked with leading a new group of mutants under the name Hellions. However, knowing full well he cannot truly trust his benign benefactors and duplicitous colleagues, and always having his own personal agenda, Mr. Sinister has cloned, and ostensibly resurrected, his Nasty Boys with some slight improvements. Used as his private espionage team to spy on the Krakoa oligarchy and harvest new mutant samples in secret, Mr. Sinister plans to usurp the control of Krakoa and dominate an entire empire of mutants!

Powers/Abilities: Hairbag has feral wolf-like characteristics, such as fur, fangs and claws. He innately has strength, speed, stamina, senses and a healing factor significantly above normal human limit. Of particular note, he has nocturnal vision and is an exceptional tracker. His hair follicles are particularly sharp like a porcupine’s and he has demonstrated a degree of control over them. Since his re-cloning, Hairbag’s DNA has been enhanced, greatly increasing his previous powers by a factor of five. This has also granted Hairbag a high resistance to diseases, poisons, toxins, venoms and lethal gases (he is still vulnerable to powerful narcotics). He also now possesses a heightened resilience to extreme temperatures and his denser physiology makes him more durable to harm or injury. In addition, his claws have been tipped in adamantium as well as his fangs, making them both virtually indestructible and able to slice/sever any material. An added augmentation to his genetic makeup also makes him both immune and invisible to telepaths. The only drawback to his new spliced DNA is that prolonged adrenaline in his system can cause him to enter a berserk state of mind

Paraphernalia: None

******
And there you have it. Check out Hairbag's original look and story in those X-Factor issues (great stuff) and let us know if you like what we did with this revamp. Then see ya sooner than later for another Nu-Perspective. But wait, before you go, check out this Q&A with yours truly as I dive deeper into my process, complete with bonus sketches.

 

Costume design and pose sketches by Shawn Alleyne

 

 

What do you like most about the character?
Unfortunately Hairbag was never a fav of mine, but if I had to pick something I would say his weird design. He was different. I like the fact that he was this little ball of fur and didn't have to look "cool".

Did the character pose a challenge to update and if so what was the hardest part of the redesign? 

The hardest parts were self-imposed artistic challenges. Such as trying to capture Larry Stroman's amazing insane energy. Also drawing the close-up face in the pic; just could get it for some reason. I also wanted to make sure I retained that short unique stature. Last, I wanted to make his facial feature more dog-like but I don't think I'm satisfied with what I did. 

 

In hindsight is there anything you would do differently now? 
I wish I had come up with a pose that showcased his costume more. I had a fun "Guilty Gear" influenced design that I would like to see highlighted. I also wish I had contacted Larry Stroman about his memories and thoughts on designing Hairbag.

 

What was the most fun part to redesign?

I like were-wolfs so this was a nice close challenge.

 

In regards to the story aspect of the update, what was your main inspiration for the direction?

Well, despite what I said above I wanted to see how I could push the canine aspects of him but not make him look too much like a werewolf.

 

Is there something in particular you want to point out? 

Just the fact that Hairbag is Jamaican. We need more Caribbean representation. 

 

 

Fine print: All characters are copyrights and trademarks of the respective publishers and creators. This column is used solely for artistic enjoyment. We aim to showcase Nubian characters in fresh, contemporary and exciting ways both visually and story-wise.


NP

******