Marvel Flipside

CBRunway: The Star-Lost

 

It's FASHION WEEK on the Comic Book Runway! Yes, I made it to the final round, how about that? It was a pretty crazy week to try to draw FIVE new character designs, but I hope I pulled it off. I went in a pretty bold direction in terms of colors, which might throw off my game here, but I wanted to do something bold in my final hurrah.

Here's the Challenge:

Inspired by seven decades of comic books, your challenge for CBR Fashion Week is to create five variations of the same original character, each from a different genre:

• Superhero
• Horror
• Western
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy / Sword & Sorcery

Each character must visually represent their genre while also evoking their own individual personalities. Thematically, all five characters must share similar themes (colors, shapes, symbols, or other design elements) so that it's clear they are variations of each other. Your five characters and your line will share the same name.

Oh, crap. I read this challenge, then went away to do some thinks and some sketches. After several fits and starts, I thought I came up with a great idea to have the common element be a "star," but each would interpret the idea of star a bit differently. And now that I'm here to post the designs, I just realized I went a bit far afield and forgot they must share the same name! Ulp! Well, here they are, and we'll tweak that whole name thing at the end of the post!

and individually:

Nightcrawler and Bush-Baby Bamf

Comic Book Runway month continues with another week, and another win! Wow! I never even made it past Challenge #3 the last time I tried this, so obviously I'm riding high, here! Of course, it's now higher stakes, since there is no immunity from getting cut. If I don't get enough votes next time... (makes slicing motion with my thumb against my neck and a slurping sound)

Next up! Challenge #6! "We'd Make Great Pets!"

Krypto. Redwing. Zabu. Gleek. Pets and animal sidekicks are a comic book mainstay.

For your sixth challenge you must choose your own pet character (a comic book character that you love more than any other) and give them a make-over inspired by your own personal tastes.

Then you must give your pet character their own pet. An animal that complements your pet character and can even accompany them on their adventures.

Your make-over should be appropriate for your pet character's role in their respective universe. For instance, if you choose to make over Superman you would give him a new superhero look; or if you choose Dakota North you'd give her a new design for her investigative work. Similarly, your animal pet should reflect the tone of your pet character. If your character is generally serious your pet should probably be more real-world or reflect the charater's themes. If your character is seen as comedic or outlandish then your pet could be more absurd.

My choice for pet character is Nightcrawler. (I know! You'd expect Iceman or Iron Fist or Misty Knight or Ms. Marvel, etc. etc. But I really think if there's one character that summarizes the X-Men best, it's Nightcrawler!)

Nightcrawler's updated look is a fitted lycra-cotton tee with a custom leather jacket accented by red shoulder lapels and a white collar. His three-quarter pants allow him to have freedom of movement, and his insulated shoes patterned after Chuck Martens do not hinder his wall-crawling powers.

"Bamf" is his pet bush baby, an animal perfectly suited to Nightcrawler's noctural adventures and acrobatics, with superb night vision and an insane jumping ability. When a spike of mutant activity in Africa revealed it was animals that were mutating, Nightcrawler adopted little Bamf, beleiving the mutant "X" marks on his tails to be a sign.

Doctor Bones

Once again, I bow in gratitude for everyone voting for me on Comic Book Runway! Last week-- I won again! But that was last week, and this week is this week. Who knows what will happen! And what's on the docket for the new theme?

PRIME TIME CRIME!
Who's behind the mask? You never know who a costumed crimefighter's secret identity might be.

For your fifth challenge you must create a costumed crimefighting identity for a character from a prime time television series having to do with justice. The series may be current or from the past, and characters can include policemen, detectives, lawyers, sherrifs, deputies, marshalls, etc. so long as they don't already have a costumed identity. Characters may only have their existing skills and abilities; you may not give them powers.

I went through a lot of thinking... I started with Dragnet (some black and white guy with a fedora and a net-like weapon), moved onto Murder She Wrote (elderly Angela Lansberry in a 50s' style glamor-hero with a pencil-firing crossbow,) played with the idea of Magnum P.I. (featuring the famous moustache and curly chest hair of Tom Selleck in a Hawaiian-themed costume), but even CHIPs (but then I would have to draw a motorcycle!) What I settled on was something a bit more modern... so why not go for the more current BONES... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgULs6Z77s4

 
DR. BONES -- her name is already perfect for a superhero detective. Taking inspiration from her name, TV show logo, and her character (known for being distant and impersonable), Dr. Bones wears a costume of an insulated lycra bodysuit. She has a variety of gear to help her investigate crime scenes, including a portable version of the holographic projector typically used on her show.

 

Iron Colonial

Here we go! Round Four in Comic Book Runway!

I want to thank everyone for voting for me in CBRunway last week, (if anyone here actually votes on there), SINCE I WON!! Whoo-hoo! I can finish the rest of the competition with ... well, I dunno. Aplomb? That doesn't sound right. Hm.

Anyway, a VERY difficult challenge this week... doing a Marvel-comics Elseworlds kind-of thing.

Time travel and historic periods are a favorite of comic artists because it gives them a chance to flex their creativity and draw something out of the ordinary.

In the vein of Revolutionay War Captain America, for your fourth challenge you must reimagine a founding or 1960s-recruit Avenger as a character during the colonial period of the United States (which we'll define at 1607-1776).

Your character must visually represent the era and should be immediately identifiable. If voters can't identify your character just by looking at your design, then you don't meet the challenge.

And I got ... (drum roll!) a choice of two Avengers to re-work-- Iron Man or the Wasp.

Here was some Waspy designs, but I just couldn't feel it.

 
It just felt too much like I was I would be designing a period costume and just "painting" it differently. But for Iron Man? It would be able to incorporate a lot of interesting visual elements that could be unique enough to stand alone on their own and also be able to be tweaked to be reminiscent of the time period in question.

It's the IRON COLONIAL!

The Iron Colonial armor contains intricate clockwork encased within a specialized galvanized iron and garnished with iron plates. His lower extreminites and joints are protected by rubber. Like any modern gentleman, he maintains his dignity with an appropriate powerded wig and tri-corn hat. 

Mr. Anthony Stark is a inventor "years" ahead of his time-- employing such wonderous devices as Magnetics! Induction Coils and Capaticance Plates! Clockwork! and most wonderous of all ... Rubber!

 

Parícutin Man

Well, this was certainly an interesting challenge.

For your third challenge you must design a superhero inspired by one of the seven natural wonders of the world (as compiled by CNN).
Your character must visually represent the wonder you choose. If voters can't identify your natural wonder just by looking at your design, then you don't meet the challenge. You must provide the three-sentence write-up described in the submission requirements, and you may also name your character and add a one sentence description of any powers/abilities (which should also relate to their associated wonder).

I received... Parícutin, a.k.a. Volcán de Parícutin, a cinder cone volcano in Mexico. Not really sure about my topic, so I got to research a little bit. I'm not quite sure why this made the list of Seven Wonders, really. I mean, volcanos are AWESOME, but there are quite a lot of them around.

So, basically, all I have to do is design a volcano-based hero with a Mexican motif? Sure, that's all! Maybe I could take influence from the fact that it grew so rapidly? I'm guessing this is why it became a natural Wonder. So naturally my volcano-man gets growth powers! He can spew gasses and ash from his mouth, and his lava-rock body can expand upwards of 45 feet! (I mean, we have to have some scale, here. It can't be as tall as the 9,000 foot original!)  

The Parícutin Man's body has completely turned into pyroclasic material similar to cinder cone mountains. The helmet is composed of a mystical metal similar to burnished copper (a speciality of the native P'urhépecha) and trimmed with fabric and a shortened poncho of coarsely woven natural wool, mystically protected by the magic of Parícutin.

When the Parícutin Volcano erupted in 1943, it wasn't just lava and cinder ash that was brought to the surface. Recently, a strange, domed, mystical helmet was uncovered by a simple, poor school boy, and when he put it on, he became the Parícutin Man-- capable of enlarging his body upwards of 45 feet in height and of spewing gale force gasses or hurricanes of ash from his mouth. The P'urhépecha people had never been conquered by the Aztecs in ancient times, and perhaps the gods have favored a new champion for a new era!

Sakura Ryuu-Hime

 桜龍姫 a.k.a. Sakura Ryuu-Hime, the Sakrua Dragon Princess

Dragon Maiden of the Cherry Blossom

For Comic Book Runway Challenge #2:

Good evening, designers. Welcome back to the runway.

For your second challenge you must create an original supernatural character...inspired by nature. The great outdoors! Trees, plants, earth, wind, water, bugs, wild animals. Nature.

This one's all about the look. You must evoke the supernatural and nature in your character/costume design. If voters can't tell your character is supernatural and that they're inspired by nature just by looking at your design, then you're in trouble. In this challenge you're limited to naming your character...you will not be able to rely on a biography to make your character interesting.

Here in Japan, it is Sakura season, time for cherry blossoms after a quite stark winter. The trees grow from skeletons to beautiful clouds of pink and white. It's amazing how restorative spring really is! So to commemorate, a super-natural version!

(BTW, I would like to point out that the first version I painted of this was actually nude. Not sure if it works better that way or not!)

Binary Mary

For this week's CBRunway challenge, it's all about the sidekicks!

"For your first challenge you must create and design an original sidekick for an existing solo hero. In the tradition of sidekicks, your character should be younger than their mentor. While your sidekick's costume and color scheme do not need to match their mentor's, your character should visually and conceptually complement them."

So after some thought and initial designs, here is the long-lost sidekick for Ms. Marvel-- Binary Mary!

Carol Danvers has gone by many names-- Ms. Marvel, Warbird, ... and Binary! She had thought her Binary-powers, fueled by a white star, had disappeared, but secret Kree scientists were secretly siphoning bits of power from her with their Reverse-Magnatron! Plucky youngster and number-one fangirl Mary Vickers uncovered the conspiracy, and a kidnapping, a daring rescue, and an inadvertant last-minute explosion later, she's now Ms. Marvel's right-hand sidekick, Binary Mary!

Binary Mary's costume is retro chic, with a high collar ending in two long sashes and a cotton lycra one-piece dress with stars and a lightning swish pattern-- both reminiscent of her mentor. I wanted something that might fit Ms. Marvel's original costume just as much as her current one, but the dated look is spunky and cute for a young girl. The blues are muted versions of Ms. Marvel's own, but her skin glows pink like Carol's Binary days.

 

CBRunway: The Audition

I know I was absent last week-- hey, it was spring break!

Usually around this time, the good folks at Comic Book Resources' message boards have an annual contest featuring superheroic-type folks and fashion. Yes, it's Comic Book Runway! I didn't get a chance to participate last year, and the year before that I had to rush an entry and was eliminated that round (coincidence?! I wonder!). I blame Spring Break, which usually occurs right in the middle of the whole thing. Well, this year, it's different, and I might actually hit the ground running. (I feel like I want to put all my sour grapes up front-- it's all a popularity contest, I never really post that much on the boards, yadda yadda... but I'm just too competitive at heart I take things too seriously.)

So the "audition" is to use templates to create some character designs-- this time based on the handles various participants on the boards have chosen for themselves. So here's my lot, based on the signatures Expletive Deleted and Gadfly. 

I imagine Expletive Deleted is some kind of champion for censorship. I used the motif of the @#?!&! (there has to be a name for that, hasn't there?) throughout the costume, and ran with the idea of both dialogue (balloons) and covering it up (bandages/strips, that Japanese thing where you put a scroll over someone's face.)

Gadfly is taken not from the actual bug but from its metaphor (metonymy?) for being someone whose "stings" challenge a social moree. That obviously made his weapon some kind of prod/spear and also a gallant type of retro-costume, similar to V for Vendetta by way of Guy Fawkes. At first, the colors were a bit too much like the Joker's signature look, so I swapped a few swatches to make it less obvious but still vaguely reminiscent.

Here's hoping I make it past round four!

Thanks, Daredevil

What is Daredevil thankful for? His tailor!

(He'll never live down those hideous color choices he made in the beginning of his crime-fighting career.)

Above: Daredevil #1 (1964) by Bill Everett; Below: Daredevil #7 by Wally Wood

 

Falcon Redesign

The Falcon, a recurring featured character here on the blog, is set to co-star in a new superhero team as  Heroes for Hire is revamped as a slick new series. Marvel.com talks about it here.

It's not exactly the headlining I would prefer, as I still hold out some love to see Falcon break out on his own, but it's great to see him branch out of Captain America's corner of the world. I look forward to seeing how he can react with other characters that he hasn't normally shared panel-time with, such as Moon Knight (Falcon would be a down to earth realist versus such a "crazy guy," and, yes, that's meant to be ironic for a hero with flight powers) and Misty Knight/Iron Fist (all three represent different approaches to being heroes dedicated to urban crime-fighting.) 

Another foregone conclusion (but one I would really like to see) is to push Falcon into more of a traditionally "heroic" mode, including costume and m.o. I would love to see Falcon standing tall on a darkened building, listening intently into the night, with a dramatic cape fluttering in the night air. He is kind of a Superman at heart with a Batman powerset in a Spider-Man setting. If that ain't intriguing enough, you gotta read more comic books! 

And with such a focus, a different costume might be needed. Here's a quick sketch with a splash of color, but I didn't have enough time to really the cape as I would have liked.

In other words, the cape doubles as wings by overlaying electricity/hard light over them, and his usually-open mask now has bird-of-prey googles in the design.

I figure, if you're going to go superhero, then go big. The days of paramilitary fatigues and padded jackets/jumpsuits are over. Let's go back to sleek, iconic, and sporty, appropriate for an idealistic do-gooder like Falcon!