Category: Costas on Comics

The Freaks – My 90s Superhero Team Inspired by Greek Mythology

In the late 1990s, I created a superhero team called the Freaks — five heroes inspired by felines, canines, fish, insects, and goats. Drawing from Ancient Greek mythology helped me avoid American superhero stereotypes. Here’s the final character design and the story behind them.

The following sketches show the final character design of five heroes I developed in the late 1990s. They are members of a team called the Freaks.

Inspired by the superhero comics I read, I started to draw my own heroes. By using and assimilating elements from Ancient Greek mythology, I tried to avoid — as much as possible — similarities to American superhero stereotypes. I just hope I was successful.

The heroes I designed represent:

  • Felines
  • Canines
  • Fish
  • Insects
  • Goats
Cerberus
Sphynx
Triton
Satyr
Iris

I am thinking of adding two more characters that will represent reptiles and birds.

Cerberus – The Werewolf‑Like Hero

One of my characters is called Cerberus, named after the beast that guarded the gates of the Underworld in Greek myth. He is the one who looks like a werewolf.

I initially placed Cerberus on another team. You can see part of his origin in several pages in my next post.

What’s Next

Hopefully, I will use all these heroes in a present project someday.

Stay tuned!

My First Published Comic – Nightcrawlers (A 3‑Page Story)

Years ago, I published my first comic as an amateur artist — a three‑page story called Nightcrawlers, set in the late‑90s dance music scene. It appeared in a Greek fanzine. Here’s the story behind it, and why the collaboration ended after just one issue.

I’m posting my first published work as an amateur artist. I’m certain that some of you have already seen it — either online or as a sample from my physical portfolio.

This three‑page story was published in a fanzine. The theme of that issue was music from the late‑90s dance scene: jazz, techno, house, progressive trance, and so on. The fanzine was in Greek.

My aim was to show the evening adventures of these characters while they were out at a party or a nightclub — hence the title Nightcrawlers.

The Story of the First Issue

The story follows two young men, both around 21 years old, who are roommates.

Manos asks Giannis if he wants to go clubbing. Giannis refuses rudely — but when Manos mentions that Tonia (a mutual friend that Giannis likes) will be there, Giannis changes his mind.

All three go out, and they end up in a funny situation that escalates into a brawl. In the end, Giannis regrets ever going out.

What Happened After

Unfortunately, the collaboration did not go beyond that first issue. The guy who self‑published the fanzine had to do his military service, and I didn’t try to publish the rest of my ideas on my own.

I hope I make the time in the future to turn those ideas into comic book pages that I can post here. Maybe I will change the title and not focus so much on late‑night adventures in nightclubs. I’ll see.