Whilst on record Gorillaz operate a largely revolving door policy of collaborators and musicians, their "original" line-up of cartoon characters hasn't changed much since the group's inception in 1998, with fictional bassist Murdoc, vocalist 2D, drummer Russell Hobbs and guitarist Noodle all remaining part of the group's visual representation in one form or other.
However, following a fan competition, the project's illustrator
Jamie Hewlett is ready to bring another character to life, with
The Evangelist set to join the ranks. Gorillaz had earlier offered some clues as to the character's background on their website, claiming that it would be the antithesis to the
Boogieman - a character who appeared in several singles videos for last year's "
Plastic Beach" campaign. On it they claimed the Evangelist was "
the light to his awful shade ... [it] is a similar entity, but the flip-side of the Boogieman. He/she may even be revealed as the Boogieman's avenger. His/her outer appearance is yet to be defined. Many rumours fly around of his/her description."
Both the competition submission and Jamie Hewlett's edit of it can be seen here; the character has a skinny, vein-bulging frame and is clad in rolled up jeans and a white t-shirt. It also has a fish bowl for a head, from which some form of kraken is attempting to escape - naturally.
It's not clear when "the new character will make its debut, though with the recent Christmas Day release of the iPad-created album 'The Fall,' it isn't expected to be far away."
Thanks for the report to Spinner.com.
