In this week’s ROCKETEER I’m talking about a character from the “Captain Future” pulp stories, the android—Otho. More people today know him from the Captain Future anime from the 1970’s than the original stories. The anime takes some liberties with the character’s original design. In my post I talk about those changes and how Otho was originally conceptualized. You can read “Reconstructing Otho” on Substack.
I’ve been noodling around with some Otho drawings using the original design from the 1940’s. Because he’s supposed to be a master of disguise and dead white in color, he makes me think of a Kabuki artist putting on make-up. Here’s a new drawing of Otho, in the process of changing his appearance. I don’t think he was ever illustrated making up before.
The structure seen behind his head is part of the original design. It’s unclear whether it was part of his harness or attached to his back. It’s clearly meant to differentiate him from a human. I’ve always thought it was very cool.
