Backstory From My Old Comics: No one in the world of Phainein is better at making enemies than Honen Calzoun. This diminutive fellow has pissed off literally everyone who's crossed his path at one point or another, and is quite possibly the most arrogant character around - beating out even Bazil and Chance. (Bazil and Honen DESPISE each other greatly.) It's mostly because he has an unusual talent for creating robots and other mechanical contraptions and he wants his "genius" to be recognized. He was once a member of Desiree's pirate gang, and he was the one mostly responsible for creating their giant robot, but he eventually left after too many arguments with Desiree and Cody and the realization that working with them was getting him nowhere. He now works only with his partner Zumo (a giant talking worm), and is still determined to conquer the world with his inventions. Honen's race was unknown for years, and it was speculated that he was either a synthetic lifeform or a member of a species created by an unknown elemental spirit. Later, it was revealed that he is a member of the super-reclusive Oni race from an island that came under attack and was nearly wiped out long ago. Honen speaks in a strange accent that makes him difficult to understand at times, and it's almost impossible to pinpoint because he swears in multiple languages.

A major issue that concerns Honen is the reawakening of magic in the world - people without magic powers, such as himself, are at an immediate disadvantage to those who possess them. Honen feels the world needs to re-embrace technology to combat the situation, and his dire concern over the matter has caused him to become contemptuous of anyone who has magic powers. It's strange, because he respects Professor McRaven's intellect, for example, but hates him anyway because he has magic in his blood. It's also ironic that, unlike most RAU characters who harbor a hatred of something, Honen's is based entirely on that instead of species. How else to explain that he's willing to be friends with a giant worm? Eventually, Honen put aside his differences with Professor McRaven to help fight against Droma and Zimosa. This change of heart occurred after Nucleo helped save Honen from dying of a rare bronchial disease that he contracted on his secret island. (Not to be confused with Oni Island - Honen retreated to a smaller secret island where he had his laboratory set up.)

Honen uses many different kinds of weapons, including robot battle armor, but he is most notable for using a laser blaster or bombs. He is also an accomplished blackbelt in martial arts, and carries a sword made by Dante Razeena, the most famous and skilled Oni swordsman in the world. His exact age is unknown, but believed to be in his 30's.

Character Design Notes: Dr. Honen Calzoun is another very early character concept and design who was the main villain of the Image Arcane preliminary episodes and a recurring (though not the main) villain of the normal IA series. He is one of my favorite characters. Since I couldn't draw very well and my free time was limited back then, I wanted a villain that could be drawn quickly and easily multiple times for many scenes. I sketched up a short character with spherical body parts that kind of looked like a snowman (he was no doubt Muppets-influenced, too.) I've improved his design somewhat over the years while still remaining true to the original version. I wouldn't want to change him too much because I feel the way he looks is an integral part of his character - his insatiable demand to be taken seriously is undermined by his bizarre appearance, yet it doesn't deter him. Several changes and inconsistencies in earlier versions of the character include:

1. The oldest version of Honen is a lot "fatter" around the midsection than the new, more streamlined version. His hair is all completely tucked under his hat so he arguably looks bald. His hat is also missing the horn in some old drawings.

2. I changed Honen's clothing slightly after awhile. Sometimes he's wearing a karate gi that doesn't look quite the same as his normal Oni monk clothing. In that outfit, he doesn't usually wear the hat. His modern clothing is a cross between both of these outfits.

3. I've noticed that some old drawings of Honen have a horn on his head, but I think that's a mistake and it was really supposed to be on his hat. Unless the hat had a hole in it for the horn to poke through. In any case, the modern version only has a horn on his hat.

4. Honen's skin and hair color changes quite frequently in the old drawings because I had a hard time deciding on a palette for him. Sometimes he's white, and sometimes he's green or blue. Sometimes his hair is blonde, and other times it's black.

5. Honen normally has two toes and wears sandals, but some of the oldest drawings depict him with what appears to be either "rabbit" feet with no visible toes, or wearing shoes that I have no idea how feet as big as his would fit into.

Honen in the RAU Gallery: Honen has been making a diligent attempt to settle down and fit in at the Grimmora University, but he remains one of the most conflicted characters. He does not know if he could ever truly let go of his desire to conquer the world and his past hatred towards magical-blooded people. And he is worried that even if he did, others still might not completely accept him or appreciate his work. Complicating matters is that Deuce Koma, a former arch-nemesis of his (though Honen does have many), has fallen in love with him. Although he realizes they have much in common, their past bitterness as enemies and his uncertainty about his future cause him to doubt that a relationship between them would never work.

First RAU Gallery Appearance: Fixing the Table

Honen, from the inside of one of his giant mechancial creations, belts out orders to his underlings outside via a microphone. It's also possible he could be talking to his enemies, because he did that quite frequently and no one could ever understand what the hell he was saying due to his unidentifiable accent.

Honen on his motorscooter. He drove that thing around all the time until it got stolen and blown apart in one episode.

Another bomb picture. I think it's possible that all these pictures of him holding that bomb were from one long series of panels in which he held onto it too long and it eventually exploded on him.