SubscribeNote: After ranking high in our recent Spider-Man: Webhead 2.0 contest, artist Anjin Anhut returns with a startling re-imagination of Marvel’s classic mutants, the X-Men. Reminding me of some of the best of the Millenial Visions books Marvel put out at the turn of the century, Anjin has taken Xavier’s kids and made them as visually startling as their powers are. – Chris A.
Here’s what Anjin had to say about the work:
Mutants are outcasts of society finding solace, company and purpose in Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. So my goal was to make their mutations not only very visible, but to a certain degree disfiguring. Something that renders them to be freaks on the surface, so that they can show their humanity in their deeds.
Cyclops doesn’t wear the cool as hell glasses, but has his face tissue damaged by the force of his eye blasts and his head is illuminated from within, rendering his skull visible.
Marvel Girl’s telepathic and telekinetic powers manifest in a deformed head containing an oversized mutated brain. She is shown as a young and fragile girl to illustrate the non-physical aspects of her power.
Beast always was one of the most disfigured xmen anyway, so there wasn’t much to change. I upgraded his hands, giving him 2 opposable thumbs, so it goes along with his hand-like feet.
Iceman, since he can create any shape from water particles in the air, I felt like he could have any form he likes.
Angel always confused me. He was often used to illustrate the desire of becoming normal, in the movie,in the comics. He always was the one wanting to look normal, while being the one xmen, who actually mutated into something that many people would worship and find beautiful. So I made him appear more bird like, and turned his name “Angel” into less of an accurate description and more into a nickname.
Regarding costumes. All characters only have small badges or marks with the X-logo, if anything. They identify with the team and the X but still hold to their own preferences and expression of self, when picking their colthing and gear.
Crowley
/ September 21, 2011this guy is just amazing!
Jay
/ September 21, 2011This is a brutal re-imagining of my beloved X-men, it seems more horror story than super hero. As for the redesigns and the ideas behind each, I love them all, especially Scott and Jean. Beast’s tattoo – it’s already kind of dated, just loose that tribal junk.
Questions-
1. Angel couldn’t be of much help as his hands and arms would constantly be occupied with keeping him in flight…unless he has talon-like feet. Does he?
2. Need more info on Iceman, is he horribly frost bitten under there? Or maybe he’s so cold that he can’t be touched by others or they would get frost bite? He has to somehow be more of a freak like the others, right?
3. What the heck does Professor X look like? I bet he’s a giant fetus with an exposed brain in a rolling jar who mentally projects a guy in a wheelchair.
I would love to read a story with these guys doing battle with equally disturbing visions of Blob, Toad and Magneto (who I imagine has all sorts of jagged shrapnel, forks and saw blades sticking out of him) … Great stuff Anjin!
Darktouch
/ September 21, 2011I’ve followed Project Rooftop for a long time and have enjoyed many pictures and redesigns. This is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen. It makes sense, is cool yet horrific. I would totally read this book just based on the concept.
Lanc Godwin
/ September 21, 2011Absolutely wonderful!
Dedpool
/ September 21, 2011A very inspired take. I too am reminded of the Millenial Visions works. You guys should do a Millenial visions type contest.
Emma
/ September 21, 2011Holy crow.
This is amazing
DoctorSmashy
/ September 21, 2011I’ve always thought that the mutations should actually be quite disturbing and freakish, or at least cause serious problems for the mutant so we sympathise more with cause (why would someone like Colossus for example be persecuted by humans, or ever feel like a freak?)
Virgil
/ September 21, 2011Colossus is an artist. He’d feel that way regardless. :)
Paul Bonzulac
/ September 21, 2011This strikes me as particularly appropriate: if you look at the very early Marvel superhero comics, they tend to resemble the monster comics Lee and Kirby collaborated upon more than other superhero comics of the day; this is just a slightly more monstrous modernization in that vein.
I think Beast should be re-named Bear, though.
Karl
/ September 21, 2011Love it! I agree it’s quite a horrific vision of the X-Men, without being all 90s gritty.
Beast’s tattoo needs some work, but what a stunning concept. Iceman could be even more monstrous. Lets see more!
dnwilliams
/ September 21, 2011Looks great! I really like this as an alt-universe type of thing, though the interpretations of the characters are quite different. I’ve always liked the was Cyclops’ mutation manifests itself, it’s something he can’t control that disables him in a major way but it also extremely powerful – and yeah, cool looking. It’s easy to forget, because we base a lot of our prejudices on appearances, that mutation is well used as a metaphor for prejudice. And it also makes sense to have a team like the X-Men, who are (or at least were) intended to bridge the gap between mankind and mutants to be the acceptable faces of mutation.
Stephen Andrade
/ September 21, 2011Great work– I, too, am sick of all the persecuted mutants looking like movie stars and supermodels. Bring on the freaks!
Mike
/ September 21, 2011Incredibly strong redesigns that are well thought out. The looseness of “mutant” always bothered me in the comics. I mean–how is controlling the weather a “mutation”? My dream team was the team members more physically disfigured–and white hair eon an African goddess doesn’t really count. So this is wonderful to take the original team in this direction. I doubt ANYONE has ever thought to make Jean Grey so un-sexy and Scott Summer so un-pretty boy. My one and only gripe (cause I just have to have one, right?) is that I always want Iceman to be lanky and brittle looking, not muscular and huge. I want to see more. Figure out a way to make some of the X-Women more mutanty besides white, purple, and green hair.
ross
/ September 21, 2011awesome!!
krakit
/ September 21, 2011Wow! cool redesign, Anjin!
Having Cyclops’ inner skull lit up by his eyes
is my favorite aspect of your work. Other things
I like is Iceman’s appearance and that you made
Marvel Girl so young that everyone would
naturally call her a girl.
I’m not sure what’s going on in Iceman’s hand
with the really bright .. snowball?
atro
/ September 21, 2011Awesomee art!!! wonder what wolverine, mystique gonna looks like…
Virgil
/ September 22, 2011Really neat concept with Cyclops. I bet his skull would be somewhat visible. Like when you put a flashlight in your mouth and you can see your veins…am I the only one? Still, really great. I can’t help but contrast him with early 90′s cartoon Cyclops. It totally makes up for all the Cosby sweaters.
tbolt
/ September 22, 2011cool stuff, loose some of the trendy-ness like Beast’s tattoo and Scott’s untied shoes (seriously bad idea for an action hero TRIP!!) and it’d be perfect. Would like to see the Prof and the Brotherhood.
Graeme
/ September 22, 2011These are for the most part excellent. Really like it. I always thought the x-men should be a little more like the “special class” and less like the pretty boys and girls that they generally are nowadays.
For those who like their mutants to be properly mutanty, I highly recommend the British comic Strontium Dog, which ran for a long time, and always emphasised the freak-ness of the mutants. Some of them were utterly bizarre or grotesque. In particular, the spin-off series, Feral, emphasised this a lot, while making the mutants totally human.
Itlas
/ September 22, 2011GREAT!this is an incredible redesign.I love them all,the idea to make them more ugly give perfectly the idea of their hated and outcast condition,they looks like more mutants,anormalities to the eye and not the next generation on the evolution road
I love them all,expecially Angel and Iceman,i like the idea he can assume every form(i totally loved his “Age of Apocalypse” version).
The Beast with his beard reminds me a bit Zangief from Street Fighter II lol
Stephen B.
/ September 22, 2011I love these. The only thing I would lose is the tribal tat on Beast — just never a fan. It would be interesting to see what kind of relationship develops with Marvel Girl and Cyclops, if any, in these depictions.
Thomas Fummo
/ September 23, 2011Very very nice. I’m with the majority here, mutations should be visibly recognizable. I love the Cyclops and Marvel Girl redesigns. Angel is a step in the right direction though the presence of the crucifix puts me off (I get the connection Anjin wanted to make). Beast’s tattoo is off-putting as well and I agree that perhaps Iceman should show some kind of ‘damage’ like the rest of the team. All in all, I love the art and I love the idea.
Jethro
/ September 23, 2011“wonder what wolverine…gonna looks like…”
I’ve often thought that a more realistic depiction of Wolverine’s power would cause him to resemble Deadpool. Scars result from the body trying to fix itself fast instead of perfectly. If Wolverine has an accelerated healing factor, he should just be a mass of scar tissue. And consequently not have sweat glands either…
Or another way to go would be that his healing factor is perfect and he doesn’t age, so he looks baby faced. And he’s still short, so he always looks like he is a beefy 15 years old boy.
Bruin Piel
/ September 23, 2011But technically, Scott can’t use the codename Cyclops anymore because he doesn’t have a cyclopian visor anymore.
Mario silva
/ September 23, 2011metal teeth would make him nasty enough.
tbolt
/ September 23, 2011Maybe it can be because the beam still comes out in one big blast like its from one eye.
Anjin Anhut
/ September 24, 2011Hey Gang!
Thanks for kind feedback. Glad it sparks so much ideas.
Regarding Beasts tattoo. Yeah, he was drunk when he got this and regrets it too. ;)
Sum Feller
/ September 24, 2011Though I can’t see them as new X-Men, they’d be pretty much perfect for an Ultimate Universe version, or maybe the Marvel equivalent of Earth-3. They’re great designs on their own, but in comparison to the original, they seem more parallel than interchangeable. I could definitely see this as a Doom Patrol-type book. I’d love to see their Professor X.
If I have any problem, it’s that Beast seems less monstrous than his basis. That hair does go a long way – doesn’t have to be blue or covering his whole body, just enough that he looks a little fuzzy around the edges.
Pablo A.
/ September 25, 2011My first ever comment on this blog goes for this one, absolutely amazing, great!!!
avantsweater
/ September 27, 2011Nice job! I’d like to see your take on the Giant Size X-men team too!
Sam
/ September 27, 2011This is amazing! I love it so much! Please tell me you’ll turn this into a print or something because I would love to hang this on my wall!
tsfogg
/ September 28, 2011Love it. Love everything about it. Especially Cyclops — so haunting.
Beb R
/ September 29, 2011The character design of angel reminds me the character of Lamprey who was due to replace Diablo.
Scott B
/ October 9, 2011Is it just me, or does Cyclops looks like a young Dr. Doom?
Dirk
/ February 16, 2012I like these designs, but it really feels like the Cyclops design is basically ripping off the concept of the “Chamber” character from Generation X. Debilitating mutation that physically damages the person who has it in such a way that they don”t look entirely human any more? Yup, that’s never been done before :-/
Zachariah
/ March 12, 2012I actually like it a lot. Much less superhero, but still very cool. I DO kinda wish you’d made it so that Cyclops’ code-name made sense. Obviously the glasses don’t make much sense, but maybe if one of his eyes was just gone, leaving only burned tissue (I was gonna suggest an eyepatch, but with this redesign NOT having an eyepatch would fit better).