Pro Comicbook Artist Fixes Concord Character Design Part 4: BAZZ

[@longtsun8286]

One alternative theme for this character's redesign, is vampirism. She wields knives, and the original design has a long coat. Cut scallops into the coat hems, so they'll flare out and resemble a vampire bat's wings when she jumps and performs acrobatics. Reshape her pigtails (or whatever you call the twin buns her hair is styled into) to resemble a bat's ears. Add in-jokes to the in-game dialogue, describing her "transitioning" as from human to vampire, from mortal to immortal, and not necessarily from male to female. That should make her distinct.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Wow! great idea! where were you when I was re-designing her? lol

[@PhycoKrusk]

Dang, that would've been interesting.

[@chie970]

The twin buns is called puffs around here. It can be cute, it can be a hindrance, and it can be a weaponised annoyance in a public train

[@JohnGlocktober]

Wow. That's an idea 🤔

[@StrangeCreed]

She honestly reminded me of a fusion of two anime characters, namely Alucard (Hellsing) and Mephisto (Demon City Shinjuku,) just as a confused black charisma vacuum.

[@spub1031]

Now that I think about it. A roller dirby character rolling through the map and throwing knives is a cool concept.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

could have been cool!

[@littlemods140]

I believe another artist described Bazz as "Thugnificent's Aunt who hunted Draculas" or something like that.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Uhhhhh... okay? lolol

[@RanDAss]

Its crazy how a ugly game can bring the whole art community together just to dabb on it. 😂

[@BlacklistUniverse]

It is quite the accomplishment. lol Welcome to the channel!

[@lukeMac]

Roller derby is a pretty solid direction and still hits the retro theme... plus it would actually be pretty dope if she literally had blades on in the game, like a speedy slidy character.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I should have put her in blades. That's a great point. Welcome to the channel!

[@Miraihi]

I liked her hair and makeup from the very beginning so it's nice that you've preserved the best parts. Still it confuses me what the original character designer was thinking when he or she ended up with a futuristic pedestrian instead of an agile assassin Bazz supposedly is. Another angle I think would be transforming her into a Blade-like character, since she already has these shades and the coat.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

@@Miraihi maybe that was their intention all along.

[@rutyqutykandi1361]

I still don't get why they made her an agile assassin character when her outfit screamed strategic area denial, hide in the shadows, and use the large outfit to conceal weak points. She looks like some sort of entertainer for a casino, I would have expected her to throw not just knifes but deadly playing cards.

[@johnnylight0]

"It's a man's face" Well...

[@andrewj7281]

Getting Bob Ross vibes watching this redesign series 👍

[@daCATgraphics]

Lol yeah. It's mesmerising watching Mike work

[@BlacklistUniverse]

There's no such thing as a mistake. Only happy little accidents.

[@amylester6958]

🤭

[@andrewj7281]

@@BlacklistUniverse Concord: Sony's happy little accident.

[@LetMeFLY649]

@@andrewj7281 evidently not so happy no more xD

[@gowzahr]

The endings where you show off the different color combinations always remind me of cycling through special weapons in Mega Man X.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Awe, snap! I just realized I didn't do that in my latest video! Gah! Thanks for reminding me. Welcome to the channel!

[@daCATgraphics]

Wow the original character was bad. Great improvement

[@amylester6958]

Roller-derby girl! It is amazing how some kind of theme has to be assigned to the designs since they don't really seem to exists on their own🤔

[@TorQueMoD]

I was actually liking the 60s design. Would have liked to see that finished. Oh, well. The final color scheme reminds me a bit of Fisto from MOTU. Purple and grey works well on dark skinned characters too!

[@thegodofsoapkekcario1970]

It’s gonna be insane when you redesign the fat guy in the blue coat.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

hahaha... yes, coming soon!

[@gayanudugampola8973]

Fat characters can work. Look at Heavy from TF2. Unfortunately same cannot be said for Concord.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

@@gayanudugampola8973 TRUE. I might use that when I redo fat guy in blue coat... haha

[@longtsun8286]

The fat guy is the medic. He should be physically fit- his job is EXTREMELY physically demanding, frequently requiring him to move injured teammates to safety, so they can be treated- but it's probably okay to give him a uniform that makes him look fat, e.g., lots of pouches full of bandages and other medical supplies. Just remember to give him a distinct silhouette, so he won't be mistaken for the vacuum cleaner robot.

[@gemgem-hl7ii]

@@longtsun8286 tbf, that level of realism is not necessary for this genre where characters have impractical clothing and skinny characters can run around carrying huge weapons.

[@richardhaw9757]

It looks like she's going to dance in Soul Train

[@zalybrainlessgenius503]

Subscribing. Came for the Concord mockery, stayed for the smooth shading. Definitely taking notes on that 😋

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Happy to have you here! Welcome to the channel!

[@tostitochumpy]

These are cool, but can you throw in a side-by-side comparison at the end? By the time you're done with the work I can't remember what the original bland designs looked like.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

You really want to look at that again? lol. Not a bad idea. Thanks for the input. Welcome to the channel!

[@dalegna87]

A roller derby frieza army

[@pacihu962]

Soo much better, it’s crazy! I really like the black and white as well. But red shoulderpads and black suit would go even harder for my taste. But really, amazing work!

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Wow, thank you!

[@melissalester5140]

Roller Derby! PERFECT!!!🛼

[@puffer_frog]

For a character that is trans, she sure does go out of her way to herself appear as masculine as possible. Her morpheus glasses makes her face small, which makes her head larger in comparison. Her hairstyle does make her forehead appear wider with stuff pulling it apart from both sides. She wears those huge ass thriller shoulder pads giving her a very wide upper body appearance. Her coat almost covers her entire body, hiding her entire physique rather than emphasizing any feminine qualities.

[@chie970]

Maybe because she doesn't have feminine body in the original design. If she had one like in the redesign, she would have dressed openly and show off her acquired assets proudly, or at least let people she/them tiddies

[@BlacklistUniverse]

And it's in the future, where if you really wanted to become the other sex, they could probably alter your appearance so you actually look the part. lol Welcome to the channel!

[@jordanalmady2145]

One thing u could have added was more knives. She is a knife thrower so she has to keep them somewhere

[@0nepotential]

My God, your line art skills are immaculate.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thank you! welcome to the channel!

[@sparrowilan7418]

Pls do the rest of the concord characters ❤

[@adamaxt]

Seriously, what the hell were they thinking when the designs those characters?? oh wait... of cos... woke. Its has to be a little ugly to fit

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thinking? You give them too much credit. 😆 welcome to the channel!

[@GreiH]

How they hide the feminine form reads very "Christian shame" and prudish. They really came full circle with it 😂

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Maybe they're Muslim extremists, and wanted everyone in burkas but they couldn't get that past corporate? Welcome aboard!

[@zorindvoid2265]

Ended up with black woman Vegita 🤣

[@BlacklistUniverse]

All women have vegitas. Oh... wait, that's not right... Welcome to the channel!

[@zorindvoid2265]

@@BlacklistUniverse na this days u just have to feel like your a woman 🤣

[@drakkarlogan9070]

Nice work. Subbed 👍

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thanks for the sub!

[@amirhosseinmaghsoodi388]

When the bad first attempt is leagues ahead of you it really shows. Also lovely colour work there.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thank you. And welcome to the channel!

[@OhTheHermanity]

Came out great Mike! Different skins def work too!!

[@motive-li1do]

Watching how quickly and effortlessly you put down very lovely line consistencies alone proved your veterancy, amazing

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thank you! 😊 Although it is sped up... lol

[@motive-li1do]

@@BlacklistUniverse even at that, the control over the lines was incredible

[@OBSDCC7]

That one commenter is correct, the game’s only real art direction is “vaguely inspired by 60’s/70’s pulp sci-fi”

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I'm getting conflicting reports about that. Either way, it's terrible. But welcome to the channel anyway!

[@gowzahr]

An odd choice, given the very small intersect between people who would recognize the 60's/70's aesthetics and people who have the time to devote to live service games.

[@kaylemain2006]

It has a man's face because it was based on a real man who thinks he's a woman. They thought people wanted to play this, btw.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

shakes head...

[@tasiashiraori]

​@@BlacklistUniverse They should learn from Togashi to make a real men, but pretty 😂

[@ryanc5572]

She looks so cool. Love this

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thanks! Glad I helped! Welcome to the channel!

[@VitharPL]

I like the final version, but I also liked the first design with the dress. It might not be perfect, but was good (even if kinda heavy, what for some reason suits this character dunno why).

[@ODGtheToyman1974]

That's pretty damn good.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Appreciated, Welcome to the channel!

[@animaniacman8385]

The other problem that the Concord characters lack is attributes that communicate what that hero does gameplay-wise. Though, you dont demonstrate this in your redesigns and i wouldnt expect you to, you at least create some kind of appeal that they initially lack. Good stuff.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

True, I might have to do a bit more research on future videos. Welcome to the channel 😀

[@caiolucena6397]

Even if the gameplay was subpar, i would be 100% interested in a game with these character designs. Great videos, you just got yourself a new subscriber.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Let's gooooo!!!

[@jlawsl]

The character looks off balace because the model used for the female character is a man. Its why something always seemed off or not feminine about the original.

[@Bustaperizm]

This is an interesting series. I dig it

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thank you! Stay tuned for more! Welcome to the channel!

[@BtZealot]

What year did Raquel Welch become the KC Bomber?🤔 Mike, you may need to do a roller derby heroine.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

It must have been in her prime... :D

[@BtZealot]

@@BlacklistUniverse That it was.😍

[@MobileTech296]

1972. 😉

[@rutyqutykandi1361]

When I saw Bazz's initial design I thought she was some sort of area denial character who uses slight of hand to keep opponents from getting to close. Not necessarily speedy but fast enough to step out of the way when needed. Otherwise she relies on stealth and her large outfit to conceal her weak points.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thanks, hope you subbed and checked out the rest!

[@lucymiau5700]

The 60's-70's SciFi look was supposed to be inspired by Moebius, which explains the pastelly colors and some of the round silhuettes. And interrestingly, some of the 2D Drawings are looking really good. However, in translation to 3D a lot of these good aspects went lost and became an improvised appearance like made from trash and kitchen tools.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

The 2D illustrations that I've seen also weren't followed very well.

[@lucymiau5700]

@@BlacklistUniverse Yes, sadly.

[@theotehoart]

Hello, are u using procreate? What brush do you use to ink lining and what r the setting? Thank youu love ur video 2:05

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Yes, correct, I'm using the base Gesinki Ink brush for inking. I've found it behaves closest to a brush or even a nib if you're using it small enough. Welcome to the channel!

[@Dumbledork_Prime]

I like your redesigns of the Concorde characters. If you want to do something really challenging, how about you redesign Cyberfrog? I'd really like to see your version of the character.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I may get around to it. ;)

[@Muerte_Anunciada]

These redesign videos are great. Won't be surprised if a certain someone copies you.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

He who has no original ideas of his own, you mean? lolol

[@stevechapin990]

She Hulk colors 😅

[@amylester6958]

Green and purple make a good combination👍💚💜

[@ab-gail]

Much better! Love this one.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Glad you like it!

[@DmnHd81]

i appreciate the effort but i have to say while this looks nice (and definitely more attractive than the original) it's a bit samey to the previous redesign at least silhouette wise. she's supposed to be an athletic knife thrower back stabber kind of deal that the original didn't convey at all. i would have kept the coat and the shoulder pads but shortened it to be a short sleeved crop jacket for more mobility (think Chun Li iconic bubble sleeve dress but in jacket form). i do like the bodysuit you did so she could wear it under that. the small glasses are just ugly (Morpheus from Matrix barely got away with it) i would change it to sunglasses for style or even googles to convey speed.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

The fact that she had some sort of recognizable silhouette at all was a miracle of this game. I wanted to try and keep that. Had I been designing from scratch, it would look nothing like this. lol. Welcome to the channel!

[@DacatStudios]

Another great lesson in design. 🎉

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thanks again!

[@JohnGlocktober]

I agree with the aggressive stance. All the female characters in the flowing gowns/scantilly dress even unto Flash Gordon in the 80's were leaned back, confident and unbothered, exuding confidence, not pre-aggression.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Yeah, she's not really 'space princess' material... Welcome to the channel!

[@trashboat910]

Can you redesidn a character in Cocord named Daw? He's suppose to be hispanic but he looks like a hispanic version of the comic book guy from The Simpsons.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Hahaha... He's on the list! I might have to bump him up though, you're like the 5th person to ask.

[@dimitros1981]

Wow I wish you were the Concord designer that game it might have a shot to be fair. I really like your first design. I would love to see your first design you did complete.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thank you, I just wasn't feeling it, particularly for that character. Welcome to the channel!

[@dimitros1981]

Thank you for welcoming me to the channel happy to be here love your videos keep up with the good work!!

[@treyeaves1576]

I really wish to see what you could due with Teo. Who is the definition of these characters looking like NPCs.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I'll get to all of them as long as people keep watching! Welcome to the channel!

[@Macronaso]

You're so good though. And your stuff on injustice.. some of those panels are now iconic.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thank you, that is my most well known work.

[@MegamanZero410]

Super Saiyan Rollar derby

[@PurrfectBlinky]

As someone who practices rollerderby, those kneepads are NOT BULKY ENOUGH :D Great design glow up however ;)

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Fair enough! I didn't research you got me! Welcome to the channel!

[@JeyDotC]

Just... Avoid using brown for the center part, it looks... Inappropriate 😏

[@Yeet-ing]

Amazing! Literal night and day difference!

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Glad you like!

[@draketungsten74]

Looks good again!

[@cygnusstarscream]

Bazz = Homes on the sidelines of the Emmys . . . HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@Spacen1213]

See what I like to do for pop colorwise for characters is a dark with a light and then go opposites on the color wheel one color to either side. I think it's called split complementary. So like a sky blue with a blood-red or bright gold and purple. Not seeing you should or need to do this, just an Idea to play around with if you want to. Sad the dress didn't work out with the pose, but the end result was still great, keep up the good work.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Complimentary colors always work. Thanks! Welcome to the channel!

[@lonleybeer]

Solid work but i do think you probably should've kept the red trench coat they gave her

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Thanks, that's a thought. :) welcome to the channel!

[@0Defensor0]

I have 2 suggestions: Vale, the sniper girl. I think her design was decent enough for her archetype, so fixing her shouldn't be too difficult. The other one is Lark, the mushroom/coral thing... In my headcanon, I would go with a sentient mushroom colony, that is able to use spores both to heal allies (slowly, over time) and to poison enemies. Being a plural entity composed of several different species, the they/them pronouns would unironically fit, which must be a good point for Sony!

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Okay, I'm going to get to all of them, I promise! Stay tuned for more! Hit that subscribe and 'all notifications' bell so you don't miss it!

[@MrSongib]

Idk about you guys but his design feels like Concord 2. XD

[@grimly105]

Honestly, this character needs to be redesigned from the ground up. Complete change to the personality and overall vibe of the character.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I hear you. If these videos keep getting views, I was thinking about doing another series with them where i take the basic idea of the character and do my own spin from scratch.

[@AgentMercer]

She’s lookin like she could be one of Freeza’a minions 😂 still a massive improvement over the original, at least she looks like a fighter now and isn’t androgynous

[@thechosenone3852]

The comment (that I've read) said 80s tho, not 60s (unless you read a different comment). I didn't even know that Concord is based on 80s era because it didn't look like it, LOL.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I have no idea what it looks like, other than ugly and uninspired. lol. Welcome to the channel!

[@Receipt]

I've seen people say it's supposed to be 70s inspired, so at this point I'm leaning toward not inspired at all.

[@DaShonuff]

More like 1960s sci fi. The color pallet they used matched that era. 80s was a bit different, its definetly 1960.

[@brightcrazystar93]

fantastic Updo!

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I try! Welcome to the channel!

[@adrian_shepherd1997]

Do you use photoshop for these drawings

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I used procreate on the ipad.

[@adrian_shepherd1997]

@@BlacklistUniverse can you recommend something windows or other tablets that aren't iPad

[@kharijordan6426]

Mmm. I was hoping for some futuristic stuff but this looks ok.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Well, from the idea of '60's sci-fi', it was generally 'what will the year 2000 look like? lol. Welcome to the channel!

[@longtsun8286]

It's incredible how EPIC FAIL the character designer for 'Concord' is. The game is set in the future? Then claim medical technology advanced enough to change a transgender person's facial profile to look more or less masculine, as appropriate for this person's gender identity! Excellent work on the redesign.

[@SentinalhMC]

That's one of the things I don't get either. The sci-fi game Techno Babylon did this with the female secondary protagonist. Half way through the game they're chatting and the topic comes up that she used to be male. She describes the tech like its no big deal in this world and that she can even have children if she wants to. The protagonist says he had no idea and that she looks good, she thanks him and they move on, it was a sweet bonding moment.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

You know, that's an excellent point I hadn't even thought of! Welcome to the channel!

[@mugen3603]

This is 100x better than the original design, but tbh, I wouldn't want to play as this character either. It doesn't look very heroic. It doesn't have a distinct identity or personality. You can't tell what this character does with a look. She looks more like a background npc than a hero character you'd want to play as. I think you did your best, but the base design was just too awful to salvage. This is one of those cases where it's better to scrape the whole thing and start from scratch. I think my favorite redesign of yours is still the trash robot. Now that's a heroic design. One look and I wanted to play as him immediately.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I'll try harder on the next ones. :) Welcome to the channel!

[@Faby07aleixo]

BTW if Concord ahd the intent to eb inspired by 60's design they failed miserably.

[@sindragore8566]

i liked the first 3 installments, this time tho your design is an improvement over Concord's "original", but it is still not a character i would like to play. But it is alright, just a matter of taste, unlike Concord failing to deliver to anyone at all :)

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Can't win 'em all!!!

[@ForgorenWolf]

Do IT-Z next

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Done!

[@gemgem-hl7ii]

I don't believe that it's supposed to be 60's scifi style. Most of the original designs don't give that vibe to me. Actually none of them do.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Someone trying to critique my work told me that's what it was, so I took him at his word. Clearly he was wrong. lol. Thank you.

[@mups4016]

should've kept the jacket and made it cover all of her arms so she'd have a place to store her knives. Like a high cut thing like dbz trunks. Not everything needs to be skintight spandex capeshit, you CAN play around with different clothing styles. Like for the tank woman you could have gone all in on the doom/quake aesthetic but you made her look like a green and purple jack kirby thing.

[@vithepiltoverenforcer8778]

Maybe you should take a crack at redesigning the character? You can't do any worse than the Concord devs.

[@lucaspoli6109]

Nah man, that's not it either. It's def cooler as a concept, but from a game perspective it's a no. In a good design for Hero Shooters you first gotta think about the Weapon (which indicates the Role they are playing in the game), then you imagine a backstory from there, then you start sketching the clothes design. The most important thing is to signalize well their Role and Source of damage (power) first, then look cool/pretty. To give example: if you went the "roller" rout, it should have rollers on the boots, maybe gloves or Head protective gear, to signalize that this is an Agile character (low health pool and fast movement). Then try to attach something related to the weapon, so the power source is more visible, a belt or arm belt with knives maybe. Only after deciding what elements are important to convey information, you try to mix them together in a way for it to look cool with a backstory. Maybe she is a space roller jam star who also works as an assassin? Idk, this is just an example.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Good points, all!

[@kennypoulsen6639]

Just draw Minnie/Mickey Mouse

[@lordfreezer9550]

i mean, you improved greatly a really bad character design, but i feel being bound by the design elements already there on the bad choice really turns down this whole character. Its not that you didnt do a good job, in fact, i think this is the best this character could look but it still being bad really speaks volumes on the bad design choices concord made (the googles, the pompoms, the shoulder pads, the knee and elbow pads...), there is just no way to mix all these things and end up with an artistic piece worth to look at

[@danielsalinas3153]

original was so bad, even with his miracle work it's still ugly... what were they thinking? LOL :v

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Ummm... Thanks? Welcome to the channel!

[@realmoftheouroboros8313]

I have seen a few of her redesigns but i personly wished people went to the other dirrection as al made her younger.. what if people aged her up grey hairs, hunched over, grandma vibes

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Maybe when/if I do the total redesign series, I'll handle her that way. Welcome aboard!

[@NanjiGames]

You did your best but it feels like the original design was so bad you had nothing to work with.

[@BlacklistUniverse]

I admit I had a hard time with this one. Trying to keep the character recognizable and still make her cool was a challenge. Welcome to the channel!

[@CrossExaminations]

FIRST!!!!

[@amylester6958]

Wow, I feel like I hit a time warp😵‍💫 Anyway, congrats🥳

[@CrossExaminations]

@@amylester6958 Previous video only partially uploaded.

[@misskingii]

Why in every single one of these designs they get rid of her trenchcoat? :(

[@BlacklistUniverse]

Because it sucks?

[@Ilyak1986]

Ehhhh...not sure about "teal and purple" as that doesn't really scream "speed" to me as neither of them are bright, primary colors--I.E. consider Overwatch's Tracer for basically a masterclass in designing a character whose design is meant to scream "speed"--her orange getup really nails it. Roller Derby I suppose, looks speedy if someone's more familiar with 60s/70s scifi, which...most of us are too young to be >_

[@BlacklistUniverse]

lol, appreciate your honesty. Welcome aboard!

[@gerardyimdesign]

4:43 I think the words you were looking for are “this character was modeled after a man” see it’s that easy to say the facts 🫡👍🏽

[@BlacklistUniverse]

True. Welcome to the channel!

[@gerardyimdesign]

My pleasure. You do great work. Looking forward to the next character breakdown. I can’t believe it was so easy to design actual compelling characters and they dropped the ball this bad 🤦🏽‍♂️