The Eden Military Corps was a late addition to the Neo-Man lore. I thought there needed to be a good reason for Neo-Man to take the law in his own hands. Unlike most superhero stories in which the police don't do enough, the police in Neo-Man do too much. With the rise of real-world reports of police brutality and malpractice, this felt relevant. And because of Neo-Man's already-established kindness-based themes and powers, it makes him stand out even more in a society overruled by corrupt and barbaric law enforcement.

The Eden Military Corps is a task force operating as the city of Eden's oppressive law enforcement in response to the city's excessive criminal activity. By resorting to only the death penalty, the EMC strimes fear into the minds of innocent citizens and criminals alike. Because of the Corps's extreme military training and state-of-the-art technology, the people of Eden are taxed heavily so that the limited money and resources they already have go towards funding it - therefore damaging the city's economy even further.

Despite the efforts to maintain stability in the city, the EMC ahas dones quite the opposite; further building the world of Neo-Man as a dystopian, not-so-distant future.

The EMC are aesthetically the only truly futuristic element in Neo-Man (other than its titular character) while the rest of the atmosphere looks very present-day, either in stable conditions or much more run-down like Keith's rugged neighborhood in the Prologue. This illustrates a blatant visual disparity between the rich side of the city and the poorer side.

From left to right in the above image:

Officer: serves as contemporary police and security

Recon: heavily trained in sniping and close-quarters combat; used only to handle the greatest threats

Trooper: poses as Eden's riot control/SWAT team; makes up the majority of the EMC

I always wanted a big futuristic tank to be featured in Neo-Man at some point. Even though I spent a lot of time and effort into designing this thing, I decided to feature it only in flashbacks. The reasons were one: because they're very laborious to draw; and two: because it aligns with the notion that the earlier days of Eden's crisis war were much more brutal. If we look at the real world, war machines have become a lot less smaller and less clunkier over time. So the EMC Hover Tank became the visual representation of a rougher time in Eden's life. Now that the EMC has successfully entered their Second Phase in taking full control of Eden, the need for tanks is much less. Besides, I have no idea how to pit Neo-Man against one of these things.

Mason Maguire was part of the OG cast in my first take on the Neo-Man story. His appearance, story, and personality remain pretty much unchanged. Mason was always supposed to be a burly rival to Neo-Man that holds a grudge against Mr. Husher and all vigilantes after going rogue from his training due to a conflict of interest: being merciful vs being merciless. Yes, I know, he looks a lot like the Rock, but this was not intentional. I just felt like he needed some racial diversity (he's not Samoan like the Rock, but I don't know what ethnicity he should be), and tanner skin helps emphasize a person's muscularity - which is why competitive bodybuilders spray tan themselves before stepping onstage. But, if Neo-Man ever gets popular, and popular enough to get a live-action adaptiation, I wouldn't be against the Rock playing Mason's character...but as of now it's perhaps too late because of the Rock's age and dramatic downsize.

Mel, on the other hand, is one of the later additions to the cast. I thought his dynamic with Mason worked quite well and his lore was just too good for me to not include him in Neo-Man. That lore, however, I probably will never tell. It's just too much for the relatively grounded story I've already established. Expanding it any further with Mel's backstory may break the barriers I've set. That's all I'll say about that. Mel is not supposed to be any particular ethnicity. His tiny eyes are not supposed to be a racial stereotype. They were intenionally drawn small to give his oddly harmless appearance an even greater level of uncanniness. Even though he is supposed to be perceived as a good guy, I still want the characters and readers alike to think there's something off about him. The more you read, the more you might notice- not just in his appearance, but what he does...Despite being a detective who solves mysteries, he is quite the enigma himself.

Ashley Cain is shaping up to be quite a prominent villain in the series. She may not have any superpowers, but she has the most classic supervillain personality out of the entire roster hands down. She's unhinged, authoritarian, impulsive, greedy, and manipulative. She has no filter, but does express a sort of erotic pleasure from gunfire and explosions. She treats everything like a game - and presents herself as if she's always winning.

While Cain is not the story's main antagonist, I'd have to say her level of mailice puts her threat-level right up there with the Archemist...but her story closes before his.

Cain is my wild card, making her one of the most fun characters to write and draw. And I'm sure plenty of readers will love to hate her...or just plain love her - to each their own (though I would be very concerned about those people).