#32 = Week 1: Baby Face Finlayson

September 24, 2020

#32 = Week 1: Baby Face Finlayson

I was considering choosing between Amazing Mr X, Biffo the Bear and Baby Face Finlayson. I am picking up the third one as it seems to be the one I am more enjoyable to work with.

Here is the conclusion I found from the Beano site and a few copies of previous comics. From his debut to the lastest time it shows on Beano, he did not have a huge change on his appearance. His stroller is his main transportation tool, he wears a bib and has a cowboy custom. He has a signature mouth with two or three teeth and has a round, egg-shaped body. BFF first appears by cameoed in Little Plum strip, already as a villain, stole away Little Plum's wigwam. Also, defined as an outlaw or gangster. Then he started showing up on Beano Annual.

On the other hand, BFF does have changes in his behaviour through these few decades. He is childish but creative, always have various plans (but none of them is well-planned, at least none of them will success)on tricking others. However, all of them are not physically harmful. In the Beano 2009 annual, he was redefined as a more aggressive character. A strong, violence mafia (or the meanest gangster in history). He can gather villains together and capable to present a well-developed plan, also trying to kill two of the main character as revenge. In 2009 Beano annual's story Pluggy Love, from the behaviour of other characters, it is obvious he is notorious and hated by all main character.

Research sheet

I made a few attempts on the character re-imagine. The first one is more Japanese style, which I am capable of. He has a cooler appearance, more intelligent on making his plan, instead of being an actual baby, "baby-face" will be his nickname in this style. His hat now partially gone and mixed with his hair like Jotaro from Jojo. However, consider the target audience, I would like him to look more cartoony. Moving to the next one, he only has an egg-shaped body, with flowing hands and foot... and this one is too cartoony for me, its body shape also limited my ability to animating him so here comes the third one. A real baby gangster. Instead of round body shape, more curvy and fluid shape was added on his custom, like he is surrounded by bubbles. His personality will still similar to the first one, he will be a highly intelligent baby, like the one in Asobi Asobase but not that evil, his plans will also less harmful.

The baby from Asobi Asobase.

The fourth one is just a re-skin of the third but just have a cartoony looking. The fifth one is the current one I am working with. With the personality of the first one, but will keep most of the elements of the current BFF, including his custom and signature mouth. I reference quite a lot from the characters of Cartoon Network and Panty&Stockings from GAINAX, to get a balance of the cartoony style and the anime style which I am familiar with.

Panty&Stockings

I decided to give a partner to him, a teddy bear backpack, which able to fight with him and also act as BFF's storage solution. I would also like to rework on his race car. The character will still need some fine-tuning but that all for this week.

Also, I made a rough storyboard but not added any text description yet so it might be a little bit difficult to understand...