Northern Iron - Writing Female characters - character influence - Tank Girl

A prominent influence on the characters I am creating for my game world is Tank Girl. Created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin in the 90's, the comic follows the eponymous Tank Girl, a young mercenary woman and tank pilot living in the anarchic Australian outback.

The anarchic attitude of the series has many stylistic similarities to my own world in Northern Iron, mostly concerning a female central protagonist in an environment overrun by anarchy, leading to me drawing influence from the comic.

The punk-military aesthetics of the tank and Tank Girl's mode of dress have been a massive inspiration for the protagonist Northern Resistance faction. Combining military uniforms and combat boots with heavy customisations and punk hair styles, the resistance strikes a balance between the aesthetics of the two enemy factions.

Tank Girl and her supporting cast's attitudes and personality also provided an influence for the leader of the Marauders and one of the primary antagonists of the game, Anita el Draque. Much of the humour in Tank Girl comes from her crude speech and fondness for alcohol, leading to a wild child personality.

This same personality is reflected not only through Anita herself, but the attitude of the entire Marauder faction, with their erratic behaviour, poor building skills and the reliance of their empire on the production and consumption of alcohol, leading to humorous and unpredictable antagonists.