The Making of Destiny's Hand:
Sketch Pad #13 - Michel Langrisse
Written by DeFilippis & Weir • Art by Buckethead
The last character is Michel Langrisse. He is Captain of the defense fleet of the port of Valroux. Unlike St. Vickensberg, Valroux is a very pirate-friendly port. Pirates who respect laws while in port can come and go freely. Blaine's crew is particularly welcome because they never hurt innocents and try to avoid killing anyone.
Valroux is our "French" port. It has a more fun-loving side than the "British" port of St. Vickensberg, and anything goes there. Langrisse is well groomed and respectable, so he doesn't typify that aspect of the city. But he has a certain flexibility that allows such a port to exist and not fall into chaos. He respects the people's rights to do what they like, but knows when to put his foot down and restore order.
Langrisse cuts Destiny's Hand a lot of slack for a couple of reasons. One, as we said, they are the decent side of piracy, and he wants their ways to have rewards. The other is Olivia. Michel has a history with Olivia that will be explored. He can offer her a certain respectability to her life, if ever she wanted to settle down. Unfortunately for him, settling down is hardly on Olivia's agenda.
Our only concern with Langrisse's original design (the full design) was that he seemed a bit older than we wanted. We envisioned him just having become Captain, at maybe 20 years old or so. It was vital he not be too much older than Olivia because he needed to be a viable romantic option and not just a creepy older guy who was into teenage girls. The face designs were Buckethead's second go, and all make him seem younger. We particularly like the one in the upper right and also the laughing one in the bottom left.
