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It's been a strange couple of months, for me. First the
holidays put me so far behind I couldn't get anything done, then my
day job had me filling in for other workers out on vacation. And on
the heels of that, I was required to pick up and move across town,
which really threw me off. As a result, I don't have any new work to
show, right now, so I thought I'd use these pieces done a few months
back as part of a "challenge" to create "Ultimates" versions of
various characters, especially DC characters.
My first was the "Ultimate" Wonder Woman you see here.
I had seen the version done in Wizard and found nothing
appealing in the design, so I tried to cleave nearer to Bryan Hitch's
"Ultimates" costume designs with some of mine. Mine tend to be more
colorful than the "Ultimates" costumes in the comics, but that's okay.
Next came this Black Canary design, which, while fitting into
the "Ultimates" style, seems too generic, now that I look back on it.
While I was in this mode of thinking, I realized that there
already existed an "Ultimate" version of Hawkman, Timothy Truman's
"Hawkworld" revamp of the Silver Age Hawkman's origin presented what
appears to be the first "Ultimate" style costume and character. So,
taking that as my inspiration and adding a bit of color . . .
And that got me to thinking....what would the "Ultimate"
Justice Society of America look like? So far, I've only got this
Starman. I based the helmet on the padded "tanker" helmet, with
integral hearing protectors and goggles attached. The suit is simply
an insulated coverall, and he's got heavily insulated boots and
gloves. The "gravity rod" is larger and clumsier, and I've got it
attached to his belt by a retractable cable. In a fight, he's bound to
get it knocked out of his hands, once in awhile, the cable would be a
lifesaver in that case.
From there, it wasn't far to the Marvel Family. I figure their
costumes are created magically, so they're not bound by the same
costuming conventions as the rest of the "Ultimates". Of course, in
Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spider-Man, the costumes aren't all that
"real world", anyway. First, I lost the capes, then worked some piping
into the seams of the jacket, extending down the legs.
In the Wizard article that spawned all this activity, they had
a Green Lantern, but it was John Stewart, so I thought I'd work with
Hal Jordan for this project. At the same time, I thought I'd work up
an "alien" look for Abin Sur and Katma Tui, since they are far too
humanoid in the traditional DC universe. For the GL uniform, I went
with a sleek, skin-tight design, since the ring generates the costume.
The emblem I made into a "relief" ornament, rather than a flat design.
Not to leave out Marvel, I have done one potential "Ultimate"
Marvel costume. For my victim, I chose Spiderwoman (Jessica Drew),
since I always liked that costume. One of the things that always
bothered me about Spiderwoman's costume was her glider wings. I like
the idea of the things and the look of them, but I never liked how
they seemed to attach to her costume at different places, depending on
which angle she was shot from. This bugs me, because I tend to design
costumes with a bit of "wraparound" in the design. I used this
aesthetic in designing my "Ultimate" Spiderwoman, having the black
piping bordering the yellow panels continue up the back of the
costume, providing an attachment point for the glider vanes.
I haven't thought much about her origin or anything, but I'd
make her about Peter's age (hey, if he can be Spider-MAN, a girl his
age can be SpiderWOMAN, right) and maybe make her a temporary rival
for Peter's affections.
Well, that's all I have, this time around. See you next month!
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