Welcome back to Artistic License, this time around, I thought Id hop over the Marvel
Universe and play with some of their characters for a bit. Also, rather than reworking heroes, I
thought Id do something with a few villains.
First, lets take a classic, Doctor Doom. For over thirty years this guy has been wearing
the same clunky suit of armor, I dont even want to think what it must smell like. I tried a few
different designs but always came back to the medieval style, in armor. Somehow, modern, "hi-
tech" looking armor just doesnt seem to have the same regal look.
Now, I happen to be fascinated by medieval armor, especially the intricate plate armor
suits of the late 1400s and 1500s. When it comes to fabrication, the armorers were absolute
geniuses. When you think of the tools they had to work with, the work they turned out is nothing
short of amazing. One suit of armor, made for King Charles the V, I believe, has segmented
joints that fit together so closely that you couldnt fit a pin between the segments. I chose a
simpler model for Doctor Doom, similar to Jack Kirbys original almost generic design. In place of
the short tunic, I used a longer tabard, the cloth-covering knights used to protect their armor
from the elements, as well as display their coat-of-arms. The coat-of-arms is the direct precursor
to that staple of the super-hero costume, the chest-emblem.
Doctor Dooms trademark is not a stylized emblem, but his frightening iron mask. One
problem with redesigning Dooms armor is the mask, as much as you want to "update" the look
of it, it seems that anything I did with it made it unrecognizable. In the end, I simply decided on
a more "finished" design of the original mask. Rather than the hastily assembled mask of his
origin, I rounded the top of the faceplate to make it part of a helmet that remains concealed by
the hood. The hood itself, I made part of the tabard, so that when he hangs up the cloak, he
doesnt look so "naked". The large roundels that hold the cape to the breastplate are integral to
the armor attaching the shoulder epaulets. Overall, I think I came up with a design that suits
both the old-school Fantastic Four fans, and enhances Dooms appearance, without discarding
the essentials. Doom is an aristocrat, his manner and bearing is that of a king, and so he should
look like a reflection of the absolute monarch of old.
If Doctor Doom is an old-fashioned conquering king, Magneto is a modern-day
revolutionary. In both cases, heredity thrust each man into a position of power. In Dooms case,
a hereditary monarchy, in Magnetos, it was a strange quirk of genetics that gave him awesome
power.
I have always liked Magnetos costume. Even with the goofy coloring flaw that led
everyone to color it red and purple, now red and violet, in most instances. I have had the good
fortune to have read a vintage copy of X-men #1 and its obvious that what was intended, in
coloring Magnetos costume, was to use the same colors used on toy magnets available to
children. These little horseshoe magnets were deep gray, with the poles painted red. So,
Magnetos colors should have always been red and gray, and the gray parts were mistaken for
purple, because of that dingy purple they used to use for gray.
For my design, I went through several preliminaries, all evoking the basic style of
Magnetos classic look, but in the end, I decided to go with something a bit more radical.
Especially since I couldnt bring myself to change very much in Doctor Dooms armor.
At first, I tried reworking Magnetos helmet. Since it is based on a classical Corinthian
helmet style, I tried that, but it looked too "old", and mutants represent the mysteries and
unknowable dangers of the future. So, I switched from restyling the old helmet to chopping the
top off of it and smoothing out the curlicues for a sleeker, more "techno" style.
Magneto is a Holocaust survivor and it is obvious that his experiences in Auschwitz have
colored his view of humanity. How liberating it must have been, that day when he realized that
he was something other-than-human. How painful it would be, should he ever realize that he
has taken on the attributes of the very humans whose cruelty scarred his life so deeply.
