The Design Evolution of Sword Master

Sword Master Evolution Feature Image

Written by Alisa Beagley

Alisa is the author of The Origin of Sword Master series. Her hobbies include writing and illustrating superhero stories, playing film score music on the piano, running her YouTube channel, making comics and graphic novels, composing dramatic music, reading, photography and videography.

March 23, 2023

Find out just how much Sword Master has changed since his creation in 2016. 

{Warning. Spoilers may be present in this article. If this concerns you, you can read this article after reading the first three Origin of Sword Master books.} 

Below you can see the evolution of Sword Master’s outfits in images, and discover how I developed his character. It’s been quite the journey, but I’ve loved it!

Sword Master December 2016

Sword Master Design 1

This was the first design I ever made of Sword Master, which I created when I was 12. After my brother told me it looked too much like Marvel’s Hawkeye, I immediately changed the colours. Unfortunately, when I started using the next design, I lost the original picture, which was the only illustration I had of him (The one above is a remake from memory).

Sword Master January 2017

Sword Master Design 2

This was the next design, after I changed the first one’s colours. Where the first one didn’t have any information other than his superhero name, this version gained a ‘temporary’ alter ego of Rifle. I was so sure I’d be changing his name again that I didn’t bother coming up with a more usual name for him. All he could do was sword fight, as I hadn’t developed any other facts about him.

Sword Master February 2017

Sword Master Design 3

This was the version that I wrote my first Sword Master story about. The story, called ‘The Ladder of Certain Doom’, featured the villain Mr Mo. Rifle, at this stage, lived alone in a huge mansion surrounded by Moreton Bay Fig trees. He had a surname of ‘Longshot’ [I cringe even thinking of it now]. His only parental guidance came from a robot he built, called Service-on-the-go. In this story, he had a crippling fear of fire, which prompted me to begin thinking, ‘What would have caused him to develop this fear?’

Sword Master Later 2017

Sword Master Design 4

This version of Sword Master was where the designs began to look a lot closer to his current design. I created a few comic strips with this one, exploring an origin story (which included DC Comics’ Batman being his adopted dad. Of course, I couldn’t keep that! But it gave me more of an idea as to Sword Master’s past). This stage of design was where his twin brother, Tyler, showed up. Tyler loved annoying Rifle, even back then.

Sword Master 2018

Sword Master Design 5

I only used this version in a calendar I was making for the months 2018. I drew the pictures for the calendar by hand and didn’t finish due to discouragement and the fact that 2018 was about halfway through!

Sword Master 2019-2021

Sword Master Design 6

I didn’t create any really different designs for Sword Master during this point in time. The designs mostly just varied with the way the cape attached, the lens type in the mask, utility belt pouch size and shape and the length of his hair. 

At around this time, I already had created a billionaire called James Power, and [SPOILER ALERT] Killer Kaine’s other identity was Kaine Young. [END OF SPOILER] Then, the idea just came to me one day. Why not make Rifle’s biological family’s surname ‘Young’, and have James Power adopt Rifle and Tyler? I created parents for Rifle, gave him Kaine as an older brother and James as his adopted dad. Hey presto! His family situation was all sorted out.

Sword Master 2022-

Sword Master Design 7

This final design is introduced in The Origin of Sword Master: Clash of the Powers. I took the opportunity that he would’ve grown out of his other suit to make a couple of minor changes to it. (Namely the black strips up the sides of his body) It’s a bit of a spot-the-difference for this change!

Sword Master has been through a lot of changes in the years since his creation. And I’m sure he’ll make more changes in the years to come! Now you know what the journey looked like that made Sword Master who he is.

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