{"id":106344,"date":"2016-04-08T01:50:38","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T01:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/04\/08\/prettyarbitrary-cephiedvariable\/"},"modified":"2016-04-08T01:50:38","modified_gmt":"2016-04-08T01:50:38","slug":"prettyarbitrary-cephiedvariable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/04\/08\/prettyarbitrary-cephiedvariable\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

prettyarbitrary<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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cephiedvariable<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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coelasquid<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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rosalarian<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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dresdencodak<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Seeing as how I\u2019ve done both the top ten for best and worst superhero costume redesigns, I feel obligated to put my money where my artistic mouth is and take a stab at fixing or updating some of these costumes. \u00a0I\u2019ve picked five here based on:\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It\u2019s a particularly awful outfit that doesn\u2019t fit the character, or<\/li>\n
  2. It\u2019s a solid character who just needs some updating or tweaking<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I\u2019ll list these in order of \u201creboot depth:\u201d<\/p>\n

    5. Starfire<\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n


    <\/b><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s wrong:<\/b> In the wake of DC\u2019s \u201cnew 52\u201d this felt like a no-brainer. \u00a0Starfire is a decent character who\u2019s always, in my opinion, gotten the short end of the costume stick. \u00a0I get that she\u2019s supposed to be sexually liberated and somewhat polyamorous, and that\u2019s fine, but dressing like a John Carter\u2019s Princess of Mars<\/i>-themed stripper doesn\u2019t cut it. \u00a0Really, up until the Teen Titans<\/i> cartoon she\u2019s always been in the most awkward and impractical getups for someone fighting crime.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Fix:<\/b>\u00a0I went for the simple route and took some notes from the cartoon (notably the skirt). I wanted to make sure it kept the bubbly, innocent feeling of the character while also hinting at some power (with the exposed arms here). \u00a0The overall effect is meant to convey someone who\u2019s tough, cheerful and comfortable flying around in the air.<\/p>\n

    4. Dr. Strange<\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n


    <\/b><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s wrong:<\/b> I love Dr. Strange, but he\u2019s always had the worst outfits. \u00a0For a guy who basically hangs out in his house in the West Village, he seems to always wear the most ostentatious getups. \u00a0He\u2019s not an alien from another planet or from some culture that would dress that way, he\u2019s a grown man who became a wizard well into adulthood. \u00a0Nothing wrong with having some style while you\u2019re maintaining the balance of the mystic planes.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Fix:<\/b> Two parts Vincent Price, one part Christopher Lee and one part Dr. Orpheus, this Dr. Strange is still magical, but with a more coherent design direction.<\/p>\n

    3. Ms. Marvel<\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n


    <\/b><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s Wrong:<\/b> Simply put, I think it\u2019s embarrassing for Marvel to showcase a prominent character like Ms. Marvel and have her wearing that outfit. \u00a0It\u2019s just so tacky, and tells us nothing about the character. \u00a0Basically they just changed the colors of Jean Grey\u2019s Phoenix costume and exposed more skin. \u00a0Come on, guys.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Fix:<\/b>\u00a0Since her origins are ostensibly tied with Captain<\/i>\u00a0Marvel, I decided to go a route that\u2019s more along the lines of the Ultimate Marvel version of that character, where her abilities come from alien technology rather than vague space magic. \u00a0The notion that she\u2019s, for example, permanently bound with this technology that she doesn\u2019t fully understand can make for some interesting stories. \u00a0There can be some potential with this character again with just a little bit of tweaking.<\/p>\n

    2. Wonder Woman<\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n


    <\/b><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s Wrong: <\/b>Wonder Woman, in my opinion, is a character that\u2019s always been on the cusp of being really neat but never quite making it like Superman or Batman. \u00a0Although a feminist pop icon, her origins are too tied up with creator WIlliam Marston\u2019s obsession with bondage. \u00a0Because of this (and an all-too-frequent parade of poor or sexist writing), she\u2019s never had a solid, progressive design. \u00a0The 21st century can update this character.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Fix: <\/b>One part Thor, three parts Xena.\u00a0I\u2019d push the mythological angle further. \u00a0Just as nobody thinks of Thor as \u201cSuperman with a hammer\u201d I don\u2019t want Wonder Woman to be \u201cgirl Superman,\u201d as she\u2019s sometimes seen. \u00a0I\u2019ve also tweaked her origin slightly, making her a more literal \u201cstatue come to life.\u201d This isn\u2019t as extreme as it seems: in regular canon, Wonder Woman\u2019s origin was that she was formed out of clay by the queen of the Amazons, and imbued with the powers of the Greek Gods. \u00a0This, I think offers more story possibilities if she\u2019s less literally human, physically. \u00a0Her personality would remain the same (nothing more fun than the perspective of an Amazon in the modern world), but we now have an added Pinnochio-style layer.<\/p>\n

    The costume change is mostly conservative. \u00a0Because of the strong fetish associations (and overall impracticality for a fighting Amazon), I\u2019ve removed the lasso in favor of more traditional Greek weapons. \u00a0The overall effect is intended to push Wonder Woman\u2019s core themes further while making her also stand out as more than just \u201cthe female superhero.\u201d<\/p>\n

    1. Superman<\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n


    <\/b><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s Wrong: <\/b>Since his creation, Superman\u2019s drifted from being a progressive champion for the common man to a patriotic middle-America boyscout who represents the establishment and traditional values. When he was developed in the 30s, Superman was very much a Depression-era hero, mostly going after villains like crooked money lenders and saving people who were being abused by the system. \u00a0His superpowers came from the fact that he was from a more advanced society, and his morals too were because he was simply a brainier, more sophisticated guy. \u00a0During and following WW2 and into the Cold War, though, he became an official symbol for American values in particular (it was originally \u201cTruth and Justice,\u201d without \u201cthe American Way\u201d). \u00a0He was now not just an alien, but an alien raised by simple Kansas farmers and his abilities had a more generic \u201csuperpower\u201d explanation. \u00a0This is all fine, really, but I think the original concept is more compelling these days.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Fix:<\/b>\u00a0\u201dSuperman: the Man of Tomorrow, Strange Visitor from Another World.\u201d I really want to push that. \u00a0First off, Kryptonians should actually look like aliens and not white people. Here I have Kal-El from a race of beings who are essentially post-human (in that they\u2019ve long since merged with technology). \u00a0They\u2019re strange to our mortal eyes but mean well. \u00a0I\u2019d keep the \u201cdestroyed planet\u201d origin but more heavily emphasize the \u201cnon-interference\u201d part of Superman\u2019s mission statement. \u00a0<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019ll remember from the 70s movie, his father Jor-El told him he was forbidden to interfere with the course of human history, but when you think about it, that\u2019s kind of vague. \u00a0What I\u2019ve done is added a Star Trek or Uatu the Watcher kind of prime directive to all advanced species: \u00a0Kal-El can\u2019t let people know that he\u2019s an alien, nor can he openly interact with them using advanced technology. \u00a0Still, he\u2019s a compassionate guy and wants to help, so he takes the form of \u201cSuperman\u201d to inspire the mortals in a constructive way. \u00a0Also, the notion that he can take on different forms means that the Clark Kent secret identity need not be as bad as it currently is.<\/p>\n

    The costume redesign holds to the basic themes but makes it a little more working class. \u00a0The buttons at the top are meant to invoke overalls, and the sleeves are cut a little higher for someone working with their hands. \u00a0I\u2019ve removed the spandex and gone with looser fitting slacks, while keeping a short cape and boots, since he\u2019s still an adventurer.<\/p>\n

    Overall I want to evoke a classic Superman feel while making it a little more modern in its exploration of the sci fi themes. \u00a0He\u2019s still basically the same guy: \u00a0an alien from another world looking to fight injustice, but without the overt patriotism and a quirkier execution of the secret identity.<\/p>\n

    *********************<\/p>\n

    So there you have it. \u00a0I\u2019ve hope you\u2019ve enjoyed my superhero costume trilogy!<\/p>\n

    Part 1: The Best Superhero\/Villain Redesigns<\/a><\/p>\n

    Part 2: The Worst Superhero\/Villain Redesigns<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    That Superman is\u2026 probably the best redo of Superman I have ever seen, both in looks and backstory. Bravo!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    cool stuffff<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    The Starfire is a no brainer, the Dr. Strange is my new unrequited fictional crush, the Wonder Woman is breath-taking and that take on Superman is one thousand degrees of shit I didn\u2019t know I wanted but I would be so comfortable if they uprooted over 70 years of comic book history to change him into this<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    That\u2019s basically Martian Manhunter though, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 We\u2019ve already got that guy.<\/p>\n

    Poor J\u2019onn.\u00a0 Never gets the love.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    prettyarbitrary: cephiedvariable: coelasquid: rosalarian: dresdencodak: Seeing as how I\u2019ve done both the top ten for best and worst superhero costume redesigns, I feel obligated to put my money where my artistic mouth is and take a stab at fixing or updating some of these costumes. \u00a0I\u2019ve picked five here based on:\u00a0 It\u2019s a particularly awful … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[13063,5870,4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106344"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106344\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}