Sephilina the NAUTI GIRL

In the years that I’ve played around creating my own characters I’ve had quite a few instances where despite my best efforst to be original, I’ve come up with something that someone else comes up with at almost the same time. Sometimes the similarities are in the concepts, but more often it is in the names, which is the disadvantage of choosing names with alliteration or based on puns; someone else is bound to think of them too…

Sephilina was originally to be called SQUID GIRL, a name that cracked me up when I thought of it. The character actually grew out of the name rather than vice versa; I tried to visualise a character that would combine the cute ‘n’ slimey aspects of the name. At that time (early 2001) I did an internet search and found nothing else with that name out there, so she appeared as a minor character in my first ever self-published book NERVE BOMB issue #0 (which came out in July 2001). Then I got cracking (in my slow fashion) on drawing her first comicbook story.


So I was bummed out to discover that JUST as I was getting ready to publish her first story (mid 2002), someone else had beaten me to it…

hence her new name is SEPHILINA the NAUTI-GIRL. So, the moral of the story is:

A) think of TRULY unique names, not puns, or combinations of words where one of the words is “girl”, “boy” or “man” (think of how many characters are “somethingMAN” or “whateverGIRL”), and:

B) Once you have an idea, move on as quickly as you can. Dont leave it only in your head or sketchbook, because once it’s floating around out there in the ether SOMEONE is going to pick it up…

3 thoughts on “Sephilina the NAUTI GIRL”

  1. Sound advice mate, sound advice. I am now officially spooked out of my socks.

    Think I better get cracking on that book I’ve had to put off.

    cheers

    Reply
  2. Sound advice Jamie,

    I came up with so many ideas that other people thought of eventually! I don’t feel like I got ripped off or anything, but more like we all drink from the same creative pool of comics, movies and overall geekdom.

    Great sketches of Sephilina! She’s an original in my book!

    Reply

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