Character: Connor Hawke / Green Arrow
Publisher: DC Comics
Artist: Jemma Salume
Reviewers: P:R Staff
(Larger Version)

Dean: Connor Hawke, son and fellow vigilante archer of Oliver Queen, the original Green Arrow, is looking quite spiffy in Jemma Salume’s redesign. This costume takes cues from Connor’s original G.A. costume, incorporating monkish elements, but going a step further with a nice half cloak and prayer beads. The arrow emblems are styling and the thigh-quiver is cool enough to beat possible impracticality concerns for me. Jemma’s also done a nice job of conveying Connor’s diverse heritage, which is good to see, especially since she’s foregone the usual domino mask. Connor Hawke is his real identity anyway, in my opinion, so there’s no need for masks and codenames. My only suggestion would be giving him long pants or tights rather than the shorts.

Rachel: If we learned anything from the Robin special, it’s that you can’t separate Jemma and the short pants! Back then, I commented on how much I like the way Jemma uses color cues to convey continuity, and I’ll say it here again, as she combines Green Arrow’s classic, well, green with saffron-dyed orange that immediately brings Conner’s monastic background to the forefront. In terms of both his physical heritage and life thus far, Conner is all about the blending of eclectic and diverse traditions, and Jemma has conveyed that beautifully here.

Chris: This is perhaps one of the best ideas for Connor Hawke that I’ve seen. Being a second-generation superhero has a lot of things weighing on a person, and this costume is a tip of the hat to his father while still not be chained to Green Arrow’s hip. The hip arrow quiver could pose some problems, but it’s an interesting visual accoutrement that could work.

Jess: As far as the costume itself goes, I think it’s wonderfully charming and eccentric. I am not that into the shorts here, and I wonder about the practicality of even a half-cape for an archer, but I love the boots, the color palette, and the arrow trailing up his right side. That said, I’m a little hard-put to imagine the character donning this on a whim. Perhaps Mia forced him into it? In which case, you go, girl! In other words, I love the costume and think it suits him, but I need a writer to provide a little narrative explanation of where it came from along with Jemma’s fantastic design.

Vito: I think this is a great combination of Buddhist monk meets Robin Hood. I can’t speak too adeptly on the colors, but I have to point out all the arrows on his costume. I especially like the green one going up his side. I think Jemma is really conscious of these elements when she gets a piece ready for submission…I think she goes out of her way to take all that you know about a character and really bring it to life in the outfit, and that’s what a costume designer on movie sets does.

P:R contributor Patricio Oliver drew an interesting Rogue costume this week, based on a the work of his friends at fashion design group, KOSTUME.

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Characters: Black Widow & Nick Fury
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Artist: Daniel Krall
Reviewers: P:R Staff
(Larger Version)

Dean: This drawing is a big blast of awesome as far as I’m concerned. These dressed down versions Nick Fury and Black Widow would play perfectly in a comic, cartoon, or film. The red hourglass corset in inspired, and the spider-like mechanical sleeve holsters add a great Cold War element of spytime fun. Great job pairing up the U.S. and Soviet iconography, also. The familiar odd couple pairing works perfectly. I love Nick’s leather jacket and Natasha’s grey turtleneck.

Vito: I think that there is no better compliment to be paid…no review that can be written better…than to say that just looking at this, as a writer, I can write a year’s worth of stories. Black Widow alone is such a strong piece, that it can be a What If? story or an Ultimate story or just plain ol’ Marvel U. Nick Fury here reminds me of Darwyn Cooke’s King Faraday…Cold War remnant in a modern world. Fantastic!

Rachel: Absolutely. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and attention have gone into designing these costumes, and behind that lies a wealth of contexts and stories. As Dean mentioned, too, the iconography’s there, but it’s subtle enough not to get in the way of the style. Instead, it’s worked seamlessly into the costume elements.

Chris: Daniel’s really done his homework here. Not just a visual update, but this has heavy context that fits with the character’s history and his wardrobe of the past. And I’d fight Vito to write this.

Vito: It’s really the streamlining of the characters to the essential elements that does it for me here. Cold War spy. World War 2 vet. If Marvel did something like The New Frontier, Daniel should very well be considered for the art.

Joel: I really like that this Nick Fury is showing his years. I think it’s very boring when an artist makes everyone in the comic look like a twenty-something hottie. And if there’s any hero that works as a faded warhorse who just doesn’t truck with .mp3s and arugula, it’s Nick Fury. And this is not the acrobatic Widow who flips off of flagpoles with Daredevil. This is a Cold War Mademoiselle Marie, ready to slog through the mud and storm the compound of her choice. I agree with Dean that the corset is a fun way to bring in the widow’s mark, but it might not translate into a less graphic style. I love her hair, her palette of grays, and that jaunty hat.

Character: Big Barda
Publisher: DC Comics
Artist: Ming Doyle
Reviewers: P:R Staff
(Larger Version)

Dean: Like most characters granted fictional life by the mythical hand of Jack Kirby, Big Barda is a powerhouse not just in physical strength, but of depth of character. Raised by Granny Goodness as a pro-Darkseid warrior, Barda’s life and mission took a great big turn towards superherodom when she met Darkseid’s adopted son, Scott Free, AKA Mister Miracle. Together, they battled evil and protected innocents on Earth and elsewhere, often as members of the Justice League of America. Barda was recently killed, and in honor of her memory (and in anticipation of her resurrection), Ming Doyle sent in this excellent redesign of her costume. The primary-colored headgear, mail armor, and gold framework all give this Barda that magical otherworldly feel that best suits the New Gods.

Vito: I think the thing that stands out the most about this is that it’s as far from Kirby as you can get without being so unfamiliar that you forget she is a Kirby character. To backtrack just a second, you have to know that in terms of character/costume design, Kirby was unmatched. He was innovative, he was colorful and he was in a league of his own. Ming took her own artistic ability and combined it with Kirby’s design to make what might be a sleeker design than the original. If you look closely, it looks like her original costume is under Ming’s additions, which is one of the things I like so much about this. I love those chap-like pants! She looks ready to kick tail! I’d love to see what the back of the costume looks like but if it’s as good as the front, this is an awesome functional costume for an awesome warrior.

Chris: Ditto what Vito said. This is far and away from the Kirby style in so many ways, but not in a derisive way. In a way, Ming just took Kirby’s work and went a step further with her own sensibilities. The hexagons Kirby used have been replaced with the circular motif, and the boots are all kids of awesome. The headpiece is less helmet than the Kirby original, but I’d like to see more on how Ming’s design plays out.

Rachel: Honestly, much of what I have to say will be echoing previous comments. Ming does a great job of taking Kirby’s initial design and adapting it to her own style without compromising what made it such a great costume to begin with. This is a Barda who’s immediately recognizable as a powerful warrior - and whose costume is still distinctly otherworldly. The regal collar and headgear may be my favorite part of the design: they’re where Ming strays furthest from Kirby’s design, but they’re still Barda to a tee.

Joel: Ming has really tapped into what makes Barda iconic. Here she is, Queen of the Brawl: strong and beautiful, dignified and brutal, fierce and loving. People who remember Ming’s earlier designs will surely agree that DC should hire her to make-over everyone’s hair in the DCU. Although I have a little trouble telling where Barda’s hair begins and ends. There are black armor plates in there, right? Perhaps a slight shift in color is called for. Despite that confusion, the headgear is brilliant. As others have observed, it’s a beautiful blending of Kirby and Ming’s individual approaches to ornament. The forehead piece under her bangs emphasizes Barda’s level gaze, and makes her look intimidating as all get-out. It’s interesting that Vito sees the circular motif as a departure from Kirby. I thought they were a reference to The King’s most famous visual conceit, the Kirby Dot. If that’s the case, I think the three circular cut-aways are clever, but I’m not entirely sure they work. Although it may not be the cut-aways as much as the bodysuit they cut away from. It looks a little standard spandex superheroey. It would be nice to see more of the armored elements seen from around the neck and back carried through the rest of the outfit.