Note: Thomas Fummo returns to the site today, taking on an overlooked character from Marvel lore — Frog-Man. Originally designed by the monster artist Kerry Gammill, Frog-Man was typecast as a joke due to his costume looking too much like a frog but Fummo has updated the character into something that — while still a bit wacky — looks a bit more functional. Marvel, Frog-Man is ready for his moment in the sun. – Chris A.
Note: After winning us over back in June with her Power Girl design, Rose McClain is back once again to take on another DC heroine: Starfire. In this piece, McClain keeps the inherent sexiness of this Tamaranean princess while making it a little less revealing. And I also dig the accents with her hair! – Chris A.
Note: Although they may not be getting the love they deserve in comics these days, Birds of Prey alums Black Canary and the Huntress are getting their due in this redesign by Johan. The Black Canary in particular is some great work, taking her trademark fishnets and reworking the rest in a sleek but stylish outfit that would look great in a superhero fight and in a nightclub — or even a superhero fight in a nightclub! That hair is something too, bringing to mind Jamie McKelvie’s epic hairstyle pullback on his Captain Marvel redesign. – Chris A.
Note: As classic as that Wally Wood design from 1964 is, this Daredevil redesign by Tom Martin is very enticing. I like how Martin didn’t mess with what works, and instead just amped up the costume by giving it two red tones and making the mask more of a helmet. Almost wanted to see it be a helmet with no eye-holes since Matt Murdock can’t see, but then again — his villains don’t know that! – Chris A.
Note: The Fantastic Four are really living up to that description in this great redesign by P:R first-timer Domenic Neziti. This Italian artist really lit up our inbox when this came in, taking the Richards clan and giving them a working-class retrofit over their stereotypical skintight duds. The standout to this is the use of the roman numeral “IV” on this — done to excellent effect on the Thing particularly — but there’s a lot to like about Domenic’s work, and we hope to see more of it. – Chris A.
Note: As the extraterrestial lord and dictator of the planet Apokolips, Darkseid has to look the part. And P:R first-timer Chris Friend has given him that in this ornate new design for the Kirby creation. Taking a page from Kirby, Friend has decorated this wear with intricate designs patterned after Darkseid’s Omega beam and went a step further by using it as the basis for an “enraged” version where they light up. Check after the art for complete thoughts from the artist. – Chris A.
From Chris Friend:
As portrayed on Superman: The Animated Series and voiced by Michael Ironside, Darkseid is my favorite DC villain of all time. I noticed there were relatively few takes on this amazing character in the Project: Rooftop archives so I just had to take a crack at him. He’s always worn a relatively simple outfit: a dark blue tunic/skirt-thing, elbow-length gloves, and some high boots, and helmet. I tried putting him and pants or some kind of bodysuit and capes and for whatever reason it never quite looked right. Perhaps my imagination was failing me here, but if the goal here was to improve his outfit, I felt his simple ensemble was already working pretty well for him so maybe I should stop trying to mess with it. I did try to beef up the “skirt” part by giving it a more armored appearance, but obviously the biggest change was really more of a surface detail. One of Darkseid’s signature attacks are his omega beams, and I wanted the patterns in his armor to resemble the jagged, meandering paths those deadly eye beams take when someone’s about to get fried. I also gave him some jagged fissures/scars around his eyes, from lifetimes of punishing foolish mortals.So when I envision Darkseid enraged (you know, more so than his usual grumpiness) his anger manifests itself as heat radiating from within the depths of his dark being, causing the the metal bands inlaid in his armor to glow red hot. His countenance darkens, while his eyes begin to glow white-hot. When Darkseid reaches this level of displeasure, it’s gonna be a bad day for everyone on Apokolips (you know, more so than usual).
Note: Marvel’s Scorpion never looked so good. P:R newcomer Kerwin Siméus has taken Steve Ditko’s 1965 design and made it even better, changing the nondescript horizontal banding and made it a more cohesive design based on the animal form which the character takes his name. I particularly love the new logo on the chest, giving Mac Gargan an even more identifiable visual. And that stinger, oh man. – Chris A.
Note: It seems a lot of people spend a lot of time thinking about the clothes Wonder Woman wears — and I’m not complaining. Artist Allen Holt recently submitted to us this redesign of DC’s warrior woman and armors up this Themysciran the way. While armoring up Wonder Woman isn’t a new idea, Holt’s decisions here really stand out. – Chris A.
Here’s what Allen said to us about the design:
Note: Supergirl is one of those cult-favorite characters that is more than just a female derivative of her more popular Superman counterpart, but someone who’s never quite had a comic series to match it. Artist Ben Hatke has given us not one but two great Supergirl redesigns; one showing a costume that would work great inside existing DCU continuity, and another more kid-oriented design showing spunk and imagination. Look below the art to read Hatke’s ideas for if he had the chance to do a Supergirl series. – Chris A.
Here’s Hatke’s ideas:
There’s one in every family.
Kara Zor-El was the daughter of Jor-El’s wealthy-yet-disreputable brother, making her the cousin of the infant Kal-El. On Krypton, Kara was doted on and spoiled, and she loved nothing better than sneaking into places where she wasn’t supposed to go.
That’s why she was in Jor-El’s laboratory on Krypton’s last day, watching her father and his brother, the eminent scientist and the sleazy politician, having their last fraternal argument. To avoid being caught, she hid herself in a prototype ship, a ship very much like the one she watched her little cousin being placed inside. And as the tremors began, Kara fell against the control panel activating the prototype ship’s launch sequence.
Due to the mysterious tricks of space travel, relativity and stasis, Kara’s ship arrived on earth 25 years behind Kal-El’s ship.
If I were writing a Supergirl miniseries it would begin with Clark Kent being about 25, a young superhero just starting his career, when suddenly he finds himself responsible for a very spoiled, very powerful 9-year-old.
Since she doesn’t arrive on earth as an infant, Kara would start out being much more of an alien, and having a harder time adjusting to life on Earth. And due to the mysterious tricks of Kryptonian biology, her powers develop much more quickly, but to a lesser extent than Superman’s.
The series would cover 10 years, up to the point when Kara is 19 and Clark is 35. It would end with the arrival of Brainiac, which threatens the whole Earth, and is the impetus for Kara to finally learn the self-sacrifice that marks a true hero.
Note: Thomas Fummo returns to P:R today dusting off the forgotten Centaur character of Magician From Mars. Fummo takes this WW2-era heroine and creates a new look that he describes as “more sleek and alien” while keeping that wizard flair. – Chris Arrant
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