Professor Utonium - Tumblr Posts
I just read the leaked script to CW's live-action Powerpuff Girls pilot and...yikes, total disrespect to it's source material. If you guys want to read an edgier yet faithful take on the PPG, check out @rossowinch "Reimagined" comic on WebToon.
In this story, the Powerpuff Girls aren't born by accident but are actually the biological unborn daughters of Professor Utonium who he revived back to life after his late wife was murdered during pregnancy.
While the comic is admittingly better than the script that I had the unfortunate time hurting my brain with, it contains mature & graphic content which would be too disturbing to adapt into live-action even by CW's standards since Blossom, Bubbles, & Buttercup are still children in this.
Since it's universally accepted that the pilot script of CW's live-action Powerpuff Girls show is hot garbage, may I recommend a grittier yet faithful retelling of the beloved cartoon. Check out "The Powerpuff Girls Reimagined" by @rossowinch on WebToons/Deviantart.
The fan comic retells the origins of how the three titular girls came to be. ⚠️Mature & graphic content ahead, scroll at your own risk.⚠️
In this version, Blossom, Bubbles, & Buttercup are Professor Utonium's biological unborn triplets who he revived back to life after his expecting wife got brutally murdered by a deranged psychopath (Two of them are established PPG characters, you have to read the comic yourself to find out who they are cause I ain't spoiling it here).
As the pages above already suggest, this is NOT suitable for kids, While this comic is 💯 times better than that script written by ACTUAL screenwriters, elements such as depression, attempted suicide, mental illness, gore, & nudity would make it difficult to adapt into live-action even by CW's standards especially since the girls are still canonically kids here and not adults.
Powerpuff Girls Meets Sultry Virgin
Professor utonium
I really like how distinct you made the designs, particularly the silhouettes and I like the integration of colour into their designs, as opposed to just being clothing.
The greater emphasis on their bodies is also great, it feels like it allows for more expressive poses (like blossom and buttercup in the top right) while still being simple enough to allow for punchy action during fight scenes. It really feels like a good mix. I also like how you’ve blended fingers with the classic “nub” hand designs (specifically with Bubbles in the bottom left). And of course the varied skin tones are a welcome addition (Personally, I’m always particularly fond of that on robots or other forms of engineered life, because it’s such an easy thing to justify not having, so having it anyway is just lovely).
I also really like the design of Professor Utonium but I’m not really sure why. I think it’s because both the original and this one are Dad-coded, but whereas the original is more “standard, clean, respectable” this one’s more “battered, flawed and human but trying his very best”. I assume that’s the Dr Tenma influence (especially with the implications of the robot hand), but it’s a wonderful take nonetheless.
Also, since you decided to draw these as explicitly robotic, I’m curious as to what the Powerpuff girls are in the original series. I don’t think the series makes a big thing out of it but I wonder if they count as Androids? (Following the old logic of Android = A robot that was created chemically)
Also hey, if you wanted to take Inspiration from a different one of Osamu Tezuka’s works, might I suggest Pinoko, from the excellent Black Jack? (Though it can be a little grisly)
Was inspired by @wolfsvile's (twt) ppg iteration and decided to draw around its concept with my own take of how they came to be :)
tried to stay loyal to their og shape language while straying further from the simplicity of the style, and picked up a few things from astroboy and my life as a teenage robot
