SubscribeNote: The good folks over at the CBR blog Comics Should Be Good recently had a fun art challenge where artists were tasked with redesigning a comic book character from the vantage point of a popular science fiction writer or artist. Elephantmen artist Axel Medellin jumped in with both feet as he re-interpreted DC’s Catwoman through the vantage point of H.R. Giger. While the Batman Forever-esque nipples is a downer for me it is reminscient of what Giger might do, and the design of the helmet, hands and glove is positively inspired. – Chris A.
greywulf
/ June 21, 2012YES!
Dedpool
/ June 21, 2012Interesting. i could easily see something like that being the Batman Beyond version of Catwoman.
Karl Savage
/ June 21, 2012The nipples are basically right in line with Giger’s work on the Species film starring Natasha Henstridge. I hear ya, tho.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
/ June 21, 2012Not phallic enough but the design is incredible just the same. I love it.
Jay
/ June 21, 2012While this is a stunning piece, it’s disturbing in a way I can’t describe…maybe in the same way that I’m weirded out by those beauty pageant toddlers …
Jim Gitman
/ June 21, 2012I don’t want to get into a lengthy discussion of nipples, but I don’t think those in the drawing are reminiscent of Giger’s work. The Giger designs that Karl is referring to above feature spiny, almost weaponized, nipples. In decidedly-less-than-sharp (hoho) contrast, those in Alex Medellin’s are blunt and swollen, and appear to be influenced by the Japanese fetish art featuring women incapacitated by pregnancy (I wish I wasn’t aware of the existence of such, but it’s surprisingly pervasive; I see it all the time on DeviantArt and Google image search). Though both looks are probably inspired by male chauvinism, I find the “maneater” look much to be much less distasteful than what we see above.
Thomas Fummo
/ June 21, 2012Most of this design for me – regardless of my admiration for Giger – is a massive no-no. But I do agree that the helmet is at least interesting and different.
Chris A.
/ June 21, 2012Jim: As a commentator said earlier, it seems heavily reminsicent of Giger’s designs for the alien in SPECIES. What do you think?
Jim Gitman
/ June 21, 2012Those are the designs I’m referring to in the second sentence of my original comment. I don’t think they’re too similar, but maybe it’s subjective.
Edwin Latorre Jr.
/ June 21, 2012This IS a Geiger-eque piece. which makes this disturbing piece pretty close. Not necessarily a good costume, but holy crap it’s awesome artwork.
Arsnof
/ June 21, 2012Would Giger have given her the requisite number of cat-boobs? And the ‘tail’ could have been more phallic.
Itlas
/ June 21, 2012THIS IS FREAKIN’ COOL!!!She is definitively Catwoman Beyond!Maybe a mutated human or a lab experiment rebelled against her creators.
But…I have to say it would be better without mentioning Giger,I don’t see many references,it would be better if the author would have used some characteristic Giger patterns on her costume like this
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PfWMHmzH8MA/Tb1fx252gAI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/lBdbhM1WDgI/s1600/hr_giger_necronom_I.jpg
this
http://lovecraft1890.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/hr_giger_anonib_high_resolution_desktop_1054x1200_wallpaper-241272.jpg
or this
http://www.hrgiger.com/missing/WorkNo509.jpg
aoibhel
/ June 21, 2012I really don’t like to criticize anyone’s art, regardless of whether it is to my taste or not, however, I have to say I find this abhorrent.
lavern
/ June 22, 2012If that had anything to do with Giger’s design aesthetic there’d be a lot more penises and vaginas, I’m afraid. This is more like “Catwoman As If Designed by Masamune Shirow”
Mario Silva
/ June 23, 2012First time i see Shirow mentioned in this Design site, and it’s to talk about his boob illustration…sigh… Masamune already has cat ladies (UNI and ANA Puma), if he were to tackle the concept of cat burglar, he would come up with a bunch of proprietary gear. He draws hentai, but Design wise he comes up with the most extensive mechanical designs of our time.
Quite the opposite from this here, which is clearly something fun to draw and to look at, but has little depth in design or functionality.
Itlas
/ June 24, 2012I don’t think that the deep plot of Ghost in the Shell can be considered an hentai,even if there are some erotic scene,and in mangas like Orion there are nothing.
Saying that Masamune Shirow is an hentai drawer is very reductive for his work
Chris A.
/ June 24, 2012Itlas: Shirow has done alot of hentai over the years. Yes, GHOST IN THE SHELL and ORION were not hentai, but alot of his other work is.
Itlas
/ June 24, 2012Chris,Shirow has drawed SOME hentai like the series of Galgrease but the majority of his works like Orion,Ghost in the shell and Appleseed are not hentai even if there is a lot of fanservice.
He don’t draws hentai,he draws ALSO hentai,the concept and the meaning are totally different.
Mario Silva
/ June 25, 2012Talk about missing the point Itlas, since i was originally defending Masamune Shirow’s equipment DESIGN work…
Since you seem so bent on nitpicking, the right terminology would be senjin manga, which encompasses both political and philosophical heavy plots and the casual tentacular scene. Note that i don’t really care for such boxed divisions. After all, you are the one assuming that you can’t have plot heavy pornography.
xanxus
/ June 26, 2012This actually does looks a lot like the Catwoman in the Batman Beyond comics, except more mutate
lavern
/ June 28, 2012Who said anything about his boob illustrations? Actually I had his work on Black Magic 66 in mind when I wrote that.
Hugo
/ July 4, 2012This really captures the look of his work but still definitely is Catwoman. Really dig is piece.