Name: Fiona Truitt
Age: 11
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown
Description: Fiona has just traveled from the orphanage she usually stays at in the summer to stay with her Second-Cousin-Edgar. She is very clever for a girl of her age, and can be quite talkative once she feels comfortable in a situation.
Quote: “I’m not entirely used to being hugged, sir. But… I think I can get used to it.”

Artists Notes: Fiona, or ‘Fifi’ as I sometimes call her, was originally to have glasses. But, it made her face too cluttered, and a friend pointed out she looked too Potterish. When I was writing the book GBD, the specs were a great device, she’d clean them when she got nervous, and do other physical things with them. But, alas, what works in print doesn’t always work in pictures.

Name: Mrs. Mercy Musto
Age: 62
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Graying brown
Description: Mrs. Musto is one of the two widows at the Grand Blue Door, serving as the head cook. She is overwhelmingly cheery and optimistic. She also has a love for automobiles, and all the new mechanical technology that’s been invented lately.
Quote: “Oh!! Would you look at that, isn’t that just the most wonderful thing?!”

Artists Notes: Mrs. Musto is one of my favorites. She is Mrs. Germaine’s exact opposite. Chubby and rosy, short and squat, her hair is often messy, while Mrs. Germaine never has a hair out of place.

Name: Mrs. Vivian Germaine
Age: 61
Eyes: Gray
Hair: Gray
Description: The other of the two widows, Mrs. Germaine is Mrs. Musto’s polar opposite. She thrills in finding things to complain about, always finding the worst in any given situation. Despite her snide attitude, she does have a heart of gold.
Quote: “Your hair looks as though it had witches clawing at it in a hurricane.”

Artists Notes: I’m still not totally happy with Mrs. Germaine’s design, and it’s still evolving as the comic progresses. She’s supposed to look tall, skinny, cold, and cruel, but with the ability to be warm. She’s not bad, really, she’s just an icy pessimist.

Name: Lucas
Age: 11
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Description: A boy who lives and works at the hotel, and an orphan like Fiona. He’s usually quite mean to everyone around him, but has something of a protectiveness for Fiona.
Quote: “I hate everything about you. Everything.”

Artists Notes: Lucas went through quite an evolution before this finished product. He was originally a brunette, but that was scrapped because he’d look too much like Fiona. Then he was a blonde, but another character, Penelope, is blonde. Finally, he got a messy black hairstyle, and it really suits him.

Name: Edgar Truitt, aka Second-Cousin-Edgar
Age: 26
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown
Description: The owner of the Grand Blue Door Hotel, and Fiona’s second cousin. At times he seems very cheerful and almost childish, but underneath that exterior is a deeply wise man.
Quote: “Now, I want you to remember… this place, and all the people in it are special. Both human and otherwise.”

Artists Notes: Edgar is supposed to have a slight resemblance to Fiona. He wasn’t too hard to design, but it’s his history that came hard. First he was Fiona’s mother’s cousin, but now, for certain secret reasons, he’s her father’s. Stay tuned.

Name: Archduke Uriah Coe
Age: ??
Eyes: Blue
Hair: White
Description: The most controversial guest at the Grand Blue Door Hotel, for the sole reason he is a vampire! Why is he vacationing there?
Quote: “Blue doors keep demons away. Or so it is said. As if it’s the demons you need to worry about.”

Artists Notes: Ah, the Archduke. He is fun to draw, but didn’t come easy. That sharp jutting cheekbone there was actually a happy accident, but that nose was always in the design. His look was always in my head, but it didn’t really gel for a long while.

Name: The Ratsby’s
Ages: Between 2 and 40
Eyes: Brown, red, blue, and black
Fur: Gray, black, and white
Description: The Ratsby’s are a family of giant, mildly intelligent rats that work at the hotel. Mr. Ratsby is the gardener, Mrs. Ratsby (pictured) is the maid, and their eight children cause general havoc.
Quote: “Right, ma’am. Sorry ma’am. No smokin’.”

Artists Notes: Love the Ratsby’s. There was always the idea of a rat janitor, and the kids came out of the need for more antagonists. They are just nasty! The design came out of a sketch of a squirrel done years ago. They’re named after Mrs. Frisby, of the Rats of Nimh. Their role has diminished in the story, however, as the comic has progressed.

Name: Nathaniel Hattigan
Age: 52
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Gray with white at the temples
Description: Hattigan is an old partner of Fiona’s fathers. Now, he works as the head of security at the hotel, having been hired on by Edgar’s late father.
Quote: “This reminds me of the time I was in a battle to the death with the infamous Yeti…”

Artists Notes: Hattigan is another one that was hard to design. He’s sort of a combination of a few Disney characters, and Michael Douglas from the cover of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea DVD.

Name: Salar
Age: 59
Eyes: Black
Hair: None
Description: The personal assistant to Lady Joshipura, Salar a the gruff and impatient being from an elephant race called the Gajadhipati.
Quote: “My lady grows impatient.”

Artists Notes: Salar wasn’t going to have a turban straight off, but after researching Indian costumes, I tried one on him and really liked it! Salar also has one broken tusk, just like the Hindu god Ganesha, which is the inspiration for the Gajadhipati.

Name: Lady Joshipura
Age: 30
Eyes: Brown
Hair: None
Description: Joshipura is the wise, calm, and peaceful leader of her tribe of Gajadhipati. She possesses a scepter inlaid with the magic Syamantaka Jewel.
Quote: “I do trust you. I have endless faith in what you can accomplish.”

Artists Notes: Joshipura actually is the Gajadhipati (Lord of the Elephants) herself, but her royal title has become a general term for all members of her race. Those few silly English speaking folks who know the elephant people exist needed something to call them!

Name: Bartie
Age: 9
Eyes: Black
Hair: Gray
Description: Bartie lives on the moon, and his family is currently holidaying at the hotel. He’s a terribly shy and timid optimist.
Quote: “Yeah, I don’t want to, but Dinah said I have to, so… ”

Artists Notes: Sailor suits were hugely popular at the turn of the century. I’m also probably going to stick Bartie in a Little Lord Flaunteroy outfit, a horrifically frilly and popular outfit that doting mothers loved to put on their perfect little boys. Bartie was originally going to be called Arthur!

Name: Dinah
Age: 9
Eyes: Black
Hair: Gray
Description: Being Bartie’s twin, Dinah is the polar opposite. She’s an outgoing and sarcastic pessimist.
Quote: “Shut up a sec and listen, okay?”

Artists Notes: I am getting the feeling that the twin’s rolls are going to be diminished. They grew out of the need for more kids, and the trouble-causing troop was going to be the four of them. But as I said before, comics need to move faster than novels, so things will need to be trimmed.

Name: Penelope Hildreth
Age:10
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Blonde
Description: As the daughter of Cape May, New Jersey’s mayor, Penelope is as bratty, spoiled, and stuck up as they come.
Quote: “I can’t even begin to imagine what sort of loathesome rabble stay up there.”

Artists Notes: Originally, Fiona was going to meet Penelope in a shop, and the girls would actually exchange some dialogue. But in the interest of getting to the good bits, that scene was cut. Now I’m not really sure if Penelope will ever appear again.

Name: Stadibaba
Age: 71
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Description: This old fortune teller is as eccentric as they come. No one is quite sure if she’s a fake, or really has some sort of psychic powers.
Quote: “Jes, jes! Sweet child, chee come to see ze Stadibaba, jes?”

Artists Notes: “Stadibaba” is bastardized Polish for “old lady,” something my father often called my late great grandma Stella. This old lady, however, could be from Poland. Or Russia. Or South Jersey. I want her accent to never make you quite sure. I hope I have a chance to put her in the story again.