Strikerpunk
For as long as I've made my Clowns, they never really fit the general 'Clown' mould. They're bright and colorful for sure, but otherwise...they could not be any more opposite from being Clown-like. Especially back in the early days, unlike now where I'm leaning more into the silliness for some characters to some amazing results
Regardless, I never felt like my Clown characters for H-S should be lumped into Clowncore type aesthetics. It just doesn't fit. So what's a guy to do when a label doesn't fit him? He Makes his own~!
Presenting…
STRIKERPUNK: CLOWNCORE FOR THE FIGHTING GENERATION
Strikerpunk is the winning combination of dynamic fighting game character design, the hot blooded nature that comes with battle manga and the innate whimsy of Clowns. Some might say it's an unholy union that should never work and that I'm crazy for trying to make it a thing.
But to those who've nay-sayed me over the years, I say you're scared to try something new! You'll never get anywhere with such a closed mindset like that!
Alright enough being defensive. It's time to tell YOU dear reader on how you can make your own Strikerpunk Clown! Or at least give you an idea of how I do it, so you can make your own and be the envy of Absolutely No One!
And I'll tell you straight up: Looks Are Important.
A Strikerpunk's gotta look sharp, suave, stylish, swish, sophisticated, sexy even! A Strikerpunk needs to look ready for ANYTHING at ANYTIME. A Strikerpunk's gotta be dripping so hard that they're flooding with so much style and class that they can fill a metaphorical lake. A Strikerpunk...just has to look cool! Big floppy shoes and baggy clothing aren't on the menu!
Another important aspect is the color pallet. Clowns are already colorful as is, but for Strikerpunks, I like to stick to a (mostly) three color pallet. A primary, a secondary and an accent for either or. Usually the secondary and accents are either lighter or darker tones of the primary, like how Ace's main color is a slightly dark hot pink and the rest of his color set hover around that one main color.
Might seem a touch limiting, but I'm of the school that thinks limitations breeds creativity. Forces you to think outside the box!
And lastly, the fighting factor.
It's not a secret that a large swath of Strikerpunks both current and coming down the pipeline are fighters, but I want to stress that a Strikerpunk doesn't need to be a fighter. They can just be a regular average Joe in their world who just dresses nicely. They could even be just a regular ass Clown.
But if you want to abide by the vibes and want to make them a fighter, I gotta come clean...I kind of wing it when it comes to giving a character a fighting style? I either make a choice that just makes sense for the character, such as making Ace a Boxer or his father Jackie a big brawling brute who incorporates Aussie Football into his kit. Other times I'll try and go for something that's Clown adjacent, such as Lucien LuBelle and his artificial balloon arm which lets him make all kinds of combat tools from his Diamond Rubber and balloons or giving a pro wrestling style to someone since that did come from the Carnies.
Honestly...Just go with whatever you think works. That's literally it!
While most of this has been a loose guideline of sorts, I should mention that I have two hard line rules that MUST be upheld at all times: No Rainbows And No Long Clown Shoes.
But I'm a fair man. I will allow for Rainbows if integrated into the design tastefully and the most I'll allow for shoes is a big toe bump. Not HUGE OR WIDE, but big. After all, you can't really do good footwork if you're constantly tripping over yourself in the middle of a fight!
And there you have it! Strikerpunk in a nutshell! Now go and make you some powerful Clowns! Show em' to your friends and make them feel indifferent! But if you still don't know where to begin, don't you worry!
Study these following comics n' video games to get those creative juices flowing! You'll have some HARD AS FUCK Clowns in no time!