The Making of a Hero

"The Creation of Zyra Zanr"

1991

Birth of a Cosmic Bounty Hunter

It was a typical high school day for me. I was doodling away in art class impatiently waiting for the end of the period when I had the idea to draw a "cosmic bounty hunter" who would be the equivalent of Clint Eastwood ruthlessly hunting down criminals in space (it's important to note that this moment of inspiration preceded the arrival of Xena, the popular television show that single-handedly ushered in the female action-hero genre). In the midst of a growth spurt spawned by my raging hormones, I was always looking for an excuse to draw female characters. Not surprisingly, I decided my bounty hunter should be a woman and that it would be fun to make her blonde. Her name was Shiva Reese.

Though I was a big fan of the game Metroid, its star character, Samus Aran, wasn't officially blonde at the time. In fact, it wasn't until three years later after the release of the sequel to Metroid in 1994 that Samus was reintroduced to the world as a blonde. So for the record, Shiva Reese, the character who would one day become Zyra Zanr, was a blonde bombshell long before Samus had a makeover.

Sadly, I didn't have a story for my new female bounty hunter and filed my illustration of Shiva Reese in my dusty sock drawer. I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't bother drawing any more illustrations of Shiva until I came up with a cool story line for her. I had no idea that it would be more than a decade before I did.

2002

I've got a bad feeling about this.

May 16, 2002. I had just left the theater after watching Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones. I had gone to the movie's premier, waiting in line for over three hours, nearly foaming at the mouth in anticipation of seeing George Lucas's epic masterpiece. After spending years reading about how AOTC was going to feature epic duels between Jedi Knights and the feared bounty hunters known as Mandalorians, I was on cloud nine knowing that the long wait was finally over. A couple hours later, on my way out of the theater, I felt as though I had just left a funeral. The film was a complete dud and it rocked me to my core as if I had just lost a loved one.

What had happened to the promised epic showdown between the Jedi and the bounty hunters? The duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jango Fett was hardly epic. I seethed in anger at this movie for the next two years until I decided to take matters into my own hand.

2004

Renamed Shiva Reese to Zyra Zanr
Wrote Rogue Hunter 

It was growing heavily on my mind that with the arrival of Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith that the Star Wars movies were at an end. Despite the hiccups of the prequels, Star Wars was, and still is, the greatest film series I've ever seen. Ever since I was a kid, I've had Star Wars on the brain. I couldn't fathom that not only were the last two Star Wars films lackluster, but  even if George Lucas pulled off the miracle of the century and delivered a great closer, there wouldn't be any more Star Wars films to watch. For me, there was little need to get excited about movies anymore. No superhero, boy-wizard, or pointy-eared elf can get me as excited as a guy or gal wielding a lightsaber.

There was only one thing I could do. Create my own epic space opera to give me the same thrill that the Star Wars films did. My solution was to kill two birds with one stone. Wipe the bad taste of AOTC from my mouth by spinning my own yarn about futuristic bounty hunters and lay the foundation for a series that would give me my needed space opera fix. So I opened up the vaults, dusted off my ancient illustration of Shiva Reese, renamed her Zyra Zanr, and the rest, as they say, is history.
  

Zyra Zanr and Captain Jack encounter the Space Whale (2009)
Art by Gábor Molnár

2005

Wrote Treatment for Rogue Hunter Film
Wrote unpublished sequel to Rogue Hunter

Hot on the heels of completing Zyra's first novel, entitled Rogue Hunter, I knew I needed to write the sequel. The story was too big to be told in one offering and the race to write a proper sequel was on. The challenge of creating a sequel that was superior to the original story was no easy task. Rogue Hunter was a fast-paced, rock-em, sock-em space adventure that paid homage to the video games, comic books, films and myths I loved. I had only scratched the surface of what Zyra's saga was about and each subsequent attempt to tell her story added more layers of complexity which only made maintaining order in such a vast story increasingly difficulty. I wrote no less than a half dozen failed sequels, including the treatment for a feature film. They are all wonderful stories in their own right and superior to the first novel. But they ended up requiring more back story and were too far removed timeline wise to be used as the direct sequel to Rogue Hunter. So I decided there was only one way to bridge the gap. Cease work on the sequels, and go back and establish the events that lead to the first novel and its future sequels. This would require major effort on my part. It also entails a process that will require a substantial amount of time to create. So, like Zyra, my own epic quest to complete the series continues.

2009

Published Rogue Hunter
Renamed Rogue Hunter: Quest of the Hunter
Published Rogue Hunter: Gaia: Into the Abyss

Zyra's trademark look inspired by the sci-fi babes of yesteryear.
Rogue Hunter ebook cover by Ryan Hawkins  (2009) (left)
Barberella (1968) (right)

2010

Published Rogue Hunter: Gaia: Intruder
Published Rogue Hunter: Gaia: Legacy

2011

Wrote Rogue Hunter: Alliance
Wrote Rogue Hunter: Blood Work

WIP of Zyra in her black outfit (2011)
Art by Totsmoartsstudio

2012

Zyra's evolution continues into 2012 and beyond.  So far, Zyra's past has been shrouded in mystery. A few clues were given in Quest of the Hunter and Gaia hinting at her secrets. For the first time, fans will get a glimpse into Zyra's origins in the upcoming novels beginning with Alliance. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be blown away! The future is bright for Rogue Hunter. I hope you will continue to join me on this epic adventure!

Zyra Zanr

Art by Shannon Allen

Publication information

First appearance:





Created by 

Rogue Hunter: Quest of the Hunter (May 2009)


Kevis Hendrickson

In-story information

Birth Name

Alias





Species

Team Affiliation





Partnerships












Abilities

Zyra Zanr

Lucilla Lightstarr

Susan Jaster



Human

Black Lotus, Human 
Liberation Order



Shadow

Boris "Widow Maker" Skringler

Molly Black

Magnos

Avalon



Genius-level intellect

Peak human physical condition

Expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant

Highly trained in armed and unarmed combat

Tactical expert

Demolitions expert

To date, there are over 30 different Rogue Hunter stories currently in the works!