'Very Strange Things' - Expanded Character Profile: Dan Clancy (17/1/2015)

So, when progress on the recording and submissions is a tad on the slow side for my manic tastes, I decided to expand on an earlier element discussed in past posts. I decided to do some expanded character bios and conception for the core cast of the series, and who better to open with then, well, the main man, Dan Clancy.

Age: 30
Gender: Male.
Species: Fox, Green.
Description: ´Very Strange Things´´ protagonist, Dan is a self-styled, energetic and spirited man of action, fancying himself the ‘coolest guy in the room’ type. Sporting a wide brim hat and a flowing leather coat, he is clearly a hero cut from mold of Eastwood, but with a bit more in way of spark to be expected from a cartoon action star. Underneath his cockiness, though, lies a strong and deep concern for those around him, and an intense desire to see right be done, whatever it takes. And in his line of work, combating the incredible and the impossible, that´s not always the easiest of tasks.

He has served the ´Bureau´ for a good decade, an enigmatic division of the British government that is charged with investigating phenomena. Unlike however, your standard paranormal organization however, it is very much a one man show, and Dan sees no issue with that, despite having partners forced onto him from other branches of the Secret Service. However, all this hides a dark and disturbing secret that even Dan himself is not aware of, and one that will permanently change the dynamic between him, Risa and Heidi as it forces him to re-evaluate who he is and what he stands for, and comes to terms with a tragic event that made him the man he is now.

Conception: Naturally, what´s a good mystery show, especially aimed at children, without a charismatic lead? In this case, I wanted a strong and fun figure for the children to enjoy and get behind, assured that no matter how bad things are, Dan will ultimately triumph. However, I also wanted to give him more depth and a little more of an edge than your typical animated hero, and with a backstory whose full ramifications are the foundation of the show. I really wanted to give him a humanity and vulnerability you often don´t see from your typical catch phrase spouting main character in this type of series, and thus make him stick more with the audience as they grow.

In him, to loosely paraphrase Doc Savage creator Lester Dent, I combined the looks of a classic Western/pulp hero, the passionate drive of heroes like The Doctor, and the goodness of classic children´s icons like Willy Fog or Scrooge McDuck, who though they may not show it at first, ultimately will do the right thing in the end, and see to it that those around them get the best outcome possible.