Ok, so last time, I told you that Maria was one of the first characters I designed for the comic… But Bandit was the very first. Not surprising, as he’s our crew’s fearless leader. Here is the first sketch ever, drawn even before the script was written…

Pretty recognizable as the Captain Bandit we know and love, eh? A little bit squattier, slightly puppyish, maybe. The uniform is a little different… but pretty close to how he ended up!
However, I took a little journey to return to this design. I’m not usually one to second-guess my first instinct when it comes to creative ideas, but when I do, I typically come back around to that first thing I came up with in the end. Sometimes, though, it’s a good idea to explore other options in order to feel really great about the final piece.
After the script was in process, and I began designing all the characters, I came back to Bandit. I decided to try out some different dog breeds, not sure exactly what type of dog Bandit should be… here is my first round:


There were definitely some of these designs that I liked. I polled some friends, and there didn’t seem to be any, in particular that rose to the top. Every person had very different favorites. To me, that was a sign that I hadn’t yet arrived at the right one. So I drew some more:

But still, no consensus on a collective favorite. I thought and thought, and after I had finished designing almost all the rest of the characters, I realized that how I was imagining Bandit looking in my head, was basically the way I had drew him at the very beginning. So I went back and found that sketch, made some adjustments, and that’s how Bandit’s look came to be! I don’t know exactly what kind of dog he is… a mix of a few loyal breeds for sure. A mutt – an every-dog if you will. I think it’s fitting for the leader of such a diverse crew.
