Fortunately, his Australian accent coupled with his physical presence means he is not easily forgotten. He even has a loyal fan base steadily building who have presented him with hand-crafted gifts including an authentic metal shield complete with bullet dents in a throw-back to his admiration for the Captain America and his creator Kirby.

While you’d certainly never know it to look at him, Paul says his weight was a contentious issue when he was a child and meant he was often overlooked when it came to sports like football. It was this, united with his awe for superheros that prompted him to consider martial arts as a release instead.

He then spent years learning Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Karate, Kick Boxing and eventually went into competition fighting in 2002, attended three world championships (where he won bronze) and ran his own martial arts school.

“As well as the obvious fitness to be achieved there is a genuine discipline required and the ability to utilise mind and body to overcome adversity, which really appealed to my sensibilities,” he says.

“It’s this aspect that I also like to weave into my work – a true sense of inner strength is important for any character.”

Paul completed a Bachelor of Animation with Honours at the Griffith Film School and is now undertaking a Doctor of Visual Arts degree.

He will take part in a panel discussion on Sunday 2 September as part of the Griffith Film School’s 25th anniversary of Animation Graduates celebration and his work will also feature in the exhibition running from 28 August to 8 September in the Queensland College of Art Webb Gallery in South Brisbane. The school remains one of the only institutions in Australia to offer a purely animation focused degree.

Issue five of "The Soldier Legacy" is due out in November to coincide with the Supernova Pop Culture Expo in Brisbane, Australia.

Source: Griffith University