Doug: Second half of the first round, fans -- new polls are posted on the sidebar. I took the ones we just completed down immediately due to space considerations on the sidebar; however, I've included the raw vote numbers on the scanned brackets, below. Use this space to discuss the battles going on, and any thoughts on the polls just concluded. Another interesting line of commenting that has run through our nominations process is -- who were those artists who were can't-miss costume designers?
We'll be back on Sunday with updated brackets, and the first series of second round polls. Remember -- we're voting for the best costumes, not the best characters or favorite storylines in which these characters were featured. Whose costumes best fit their name/powers/personality? And thanks for playing!
30 comments:
Doc Strange vs Titania = 100% Doc Strange. Superb.
That's some eclectic team of Avengers there, Doug. Did that team ever actually exist?
Richard
Richard --
It's a swipe from another blogger's site. There was a triptych of images John Byrne drew commemorating the different eras of the Avengers. This one obviously overlaps the late Silver into Bronze Ages
Glad you liked it!
Doug
OK, I'd not previously checked out the Zatanna get-up that's on the table.
Wow -- looks like Super Woman ran head on into Nekra and that was the result. Not sure how that beats the original fish-net version, nor Perez's update. Fashion Disaster, I say!!
I'm curious that as of now the Vision is mopping the floor with the Falcon's red/white costume (which is pretty sharp by my untrained eye's estimations). Question -- did anyone like the Vision costume c. the bomber jacket era when the yellow became more prominent than the green?
Doug
Seriously, Red Sonja beating Hawkeye..??
Oh.. Come.. On.. People.
Aside from the obvious lack of 'va-va' when compared with ol' Red, but Clint's layered outfit of dark blues and purple's always been an awesome Bronze outfit.
Even with her curves.., how can anyone tell me a brief bikini-like costume of scale mail beats Clint's outfit for style.
"Precisely which head are we thinking with here, gentlemen..?"
As for Vision vs. Sam Wilson, that's a toughie.. You love 'em both for different reasons. I hated the white and dominate-yellow costume phases. The classic was the best.
Last reference was regarding Vision's costume changes..
I happen to love both of Sam's color schemes, the original green/yellow, and the red/white.
Doug, I'm not surprised Falcon's red & white is losing, but I'm a bit downcast, because it was one of my suggestions.
As for Zatanna, I'm not a big fan of any of her costumes, but I do prefer the one in the bracket over the updated version.
Turning to the question you posed about costume designers, I think nobody beats Kirby and Ditko here. They created the iconic visual identities of so many characters during Marvel's Silver Age. Ditko especially designed some timeless costumes that may have been tinkered with but were never essentially changed (or were but then restored): Spider-man, Dr. Strange and Iron Man's red & gold armor. Kirby, meanwhile, gets the hats off for the sheer volume of costume designs, from the Golden Age through Marvel's Silver Age to his stint at DC and then return to Marvel, as well as his later work. And as I mentioned in a recent comment, Kirby had this singular talent for using odd color combinations and unusual headgear and other accessories that should have just been ridiculous but somehow always worked.
As for artists more firmly tied to the Bronze Age, I don't think any were as good at designing eye-catching costumes as Dave Cockrum. Despite his penchant for hip-boots, Cockrum just rocked at designing costumes for super-types: the Legion, the new X-men, the Imperial Guard, Ms. Marvel, the Futurians...
By the way, I totally dig the original White Tiger costume and schtick, as he appeared in Peter Parker #9. Following in the tradition of the Sons of the Tiger, this was at the end of the kung fu craze, but a favorite of young Doug nonetheless.
Doug
Edo – great post. I had forgotten it was Ditko that redesigned Iron Man away from the grey clunky suit (although there is controversy, isn’t there, because if the TOS 48 cover came first, then it was Kirby’s redesign, but if the comic was drawn first, then it was Ditko). Bearing in mind that Spidey was taken from Kirby and given to Ditko because Jack made him too muscular and stocky, and Steve made him more slim and agile, it seems likely, when you look from the original armour to the red and gold armour, that it was Ditko’s handiwork.
I also agree about Dave Cockrum, but actually based purely on the new Xmen...Thunderbird and Storm were great costumes (though I guess Banshee, Wolverine and Sunfire all pre-existed). The re-vamped Ms Marvel was good too.
David- regarding Sonja, well, yes, you’re right, although Doug did introduce the key concept that the costume has to suit their name, powers and personality. And let’s face it, what else would you put her in? After a hard day’s sword and sorcery, you need something easily washable and if you’re trying to keep Conan interested, turtle necks are probably out.
Doug – that Avengers pic looks kind of like an Englehart dream team plus the Black Knight.
Richard
Speaking again of artists, I wonder if in regard to the Torch's red costume if any non-fan's of Buckler's Kirby-clone era would be prejudiced?
Doug
Edo, before I even read today's post, I just happened to be thinking to myself that the three best designers of all time are (in no particular order) Ditko, Lee and Cockrum (well, maybe in that order). Cockrum might not rank quite as highly as the other two, but I do vastly prefer his artwork, especially over Ditko, who is actually one of my al time least favorite artists in terms of drawing. I actually agree with most of the voting in this round. B the way, while I voted for the Vision (that look for the Vision is one of the central images in my mind when I think of the Avengers) I really do like that Falcon's costume as well, and that was one of the tougher calls for me.
Guys. GUYS! I mean, fellas, REALLY??
(And cuh-learly it's the "guys" that should be receiving the stern raised-eyebrow, here-) I've totally gotta echoe DavidB, here. I mean, sure, Frank Thorne's Red Sonja made my hands shake and my eyeballs vibrate back in my adolescence-- but even then, much as I totally appreciated it hormonally, I recognized that it was an inane design. Either choose the bikini (for. . . mobility??) or choose armor (for protection). But an armored bikini is the truest example of fashion oxymoron there could possibly be. Sheesh! Truly, in her first appearance in Conan she wore a sort of light-mail, long-sleeve shirt that Barry Smith looked to have somehow painted onto her. That, and a red loin-cloth, I believe. Stylistically? Much stronger, IMO.
But, c'mon-- Hawkeye? Every time someone tries to do a costume make-over on him, it always ultimately reverts back to a close variation of his original duds. It's a great combination of showy (circus-based, right?) and practicality (lots of leather padding in vulnerable spots, for instance). And I, too, am very fond of the unusual dark-blue/purple color scheme.
Say, who would have designed Hawkeye's outfit? Would it have been Don Heck, y'think?
HB
A couple of surprises here, like Vision over Falcon and I'm kind of surprised that Havok is beating Quicksilver (even though I voted for Havok myself).
I'm also stunned that Red Sonja has the lead on Hawkeye. She didn't even really wear much of a costu… Oh wait, now I get it.
A couple of the match-ups are kind of a bummer to me. Like the choice between a Zatanna (who's never really had a definitive look) and and Alan Scott. The man was called Green Lantern and he wore a red shirt and a purple cape. A purple cape! Do we really need to choose between these two? Come on! Meanwhile, I have to pick between two of my favorite costumes, the White Tiger and the Flash. Sucks! I am assuming this is the original White Tiger and the Silver Age Flash. (I chose White Tiger BTW).
As for who is the best costume designer? That is a tough one. I would personally have to go with Steve Ditko and Wally Wood, as they each designed one of my two all-time favorite super-hero costumes, Spider-Man and Daredevil (red suit).
Ok, GUYS.
You actually did it.., by preferring Red over Clint.
You made ol' Vish cry.
Hope you're all happy with yourselves.
Love it, David!!
But seriously, if I'm going to be peppered with arrows shot by a purple-clad (PURPLE-CLAD!!) archer or run through by a chick in a chain-mail bikini, what do you think I'm going to choose?
Duh...
Doug
Ah, intellectual cross-discussion on artists renditions of our heroes and nuances.
Whittled down to locker room hormones.
Gotcha.
"Here, Vish, here's a hankie. Go have a real big cry. I'm disappointed too."
You don't think TMZ would love that cause of death?
But in other Hawkeye news, I wondered if I should have noted on the brackets that we're dealing with his traditional garb and not that crazy get-up that Barry Smith put him in. Talk about Fashion Disaster!
Doug
Yes, truly, there was NO greater indication of Clint's rock-solid (*ahem*) security in his masculinity than the fact that it wouldn't even occur to him that wearing a purple headband, purple mini-skirt, and purple open-to-the-waist sleeveless blouse could possibly be construed as making him look less than 100%, rarin'-to-go, hot-blooded, Chick Magnet on the Prowl. . .
HB
Well, Titania has ONE vote now...from me! Yeah, I know Doc Strange's outfit is iconic (and it's obviously going to win that bracket), but Titania's leather spiked outfit fits her personality and powers perfectly, so I had to vote for her. (Okay, she's also one of my favourite villains, but that had nothing to do with it...I swear!)
Mike
HB and DavidB, I agree with you regarding Red Sonja (one of the few votes consensuses here I disagree with) so I voted for Hawkeye as the lesser of two evils, though I do like the flap Hawkeye has coming down in front of his man zone.
Dillin's Zatanna outfit is awesome! Best of her 3 outfits--sleek and sexy, with the big cape for sorcery look, elf boots for something more unique than heels, and the jewelry like a gypsy, and hair in long ponytail waving around! I think you meant awesomely sexy and magical, Doug! ; ) Her "magician's assistant" look is good but standard and too much like Zatara, and if we're talking fishnet stockings I think Black Canary is the winner! Where is she in this contest? Perez's Zatanna is too superheroey, the blue/white/black and the style aren't mystical, and what's with the red shell thing on her head?
Having her against Green Lantern is tough because I nominated them both. Green Lantern's multicolored look is great, unexpected. It's all about contrasts.
Red Sonja's outfit isn't practical, but it makes great sense. She'll not be with a man unless he defeats her in battle, so symbolically she covers those strategic parts with chain mail. It's all about the symbolism!
Vision/Falcon is a tough one, both are pretty good. I went with Vision, as Falcon's outfit isn't as good as Hawkman, while Vision's is better than Red Tornado. Make sense? Vision's red face contrasting with the outfit is what makes it.
Yay for Rocketeer and Shazam winning tight races to make the second round!
Great comments all.. Frankly, I never understood Zatanna's 'magician's assistant' look, but stopped collecting JLA long before that.
dbutler, LOVE the comment on Hawkeye's flap. As Jerry Seinfeld would comment, 'the boys need protection..'
Totally agreeing on Smith's terrible fashion idea, I seriously doubt ANYONE liked Clint's headband/barechested look.
It was just PLAIN UGLY.
Speaking of Clint, it seems like a lot of Bronze Age giants sported the bare chested look for a while. Between him, the other two Goliaths, and Colossal Boy, I think three out of the four bared their chast at one point, but my memory could be betraying me.
Hey Mike, the spiked outfit on Titania is pretty cool. Tough round against Dr Strange.
Speaking of Dr Strange and women... ; )
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/17016/MeganFoxDrStrange.jpg
I wasn't aware that Ditko was responsible for Iron Man's red'n'golds. Steve's designs for spiderman and his rogues' gallery alone would qualify him for heroic fashion's Hall of Fame. Add Dr. Strange, Clea, Nightmare, Blue Beetle, etc.; the man obviously has great design sense.
And this doesn't even begin to address hair styles(another topic,granted)....
Interesting image, Garett...but she'd look better in the Titania outfit :)
Mike W.
Funny, I was just re-reading a Kirby issue of Cap (Cap fights Arnim Zola's creation Primus alongside Donna Maria) and thinking "Dang, that Falcon costume is dope!". There is a full page spread with Falcon soaring up to face a bird-monster and he just looked sooo cool! And so, because of that, I HAD to vote for Falc over Vizh, though I am a fan of his costume as well.
I voted for Red Sonja -- yeah possibly for the wrong reasons. But y'know I never loved Hawkeye's duds. Really.
Doc Strange is a winner for me, but in my eyes he is incomplete without his black-dotted gloves! Ditko drew them the best. Also as sacrilegious as it may be, I am also a fan of his black-masked super-hero look!
Golden age GL? Oy.
Best costume designer? Cockrum for me is #1. I give Mike Grell a strong vote as well for such classics as the Cosmic Boy man-corset, and all of Warlord's various outfits.
Hmm... wasn't any multiple voting to catch Hawkeye up at all, was there? Seems like he's picked up pretty quick.?
ATTENTION: Anyone who likes Power Girl, AND HER COSTUME... I'm sure she'll have a difficult time going up against Batman; very unfair. Batman's iconic and all... his uniform is a good one, but I think he really varies on who draws him (and his color combo), and he always doesn't look that great. He really is colored by his personality I think.
I'd like to ask that people consider the costume first. Yes, Batman has a DARK costume, and I think people sometimes go for this with the mystery, and it being more 'serious'. Black- or dark- is cool, but it's too easy to see the sophisticated black, and not really examine what it is about the clothes besides this.
I know Batman has more to his outfit than just dark(er) colors... blue, dark blue, grey, darker grey, and actually- yes- black. Yet, think people see all this dark, and go- "Oh, mystery, danger, seriousness, etc."
That's why I think that Moon Knight- for instance- you could say "All white- is that it?" but he has more going on with the costume than a single color; it really is cool.
I hope people get behind Power Girl, (hah- realize how that might sound if you think about it) and give her some support!
Yes, I know- BATMAN... but POWER GIRL has a great and identifiable look.
Feel the same on PowerGirl, and I'm thinkin' Vish's doing better..
See, there's our happy Vision..
(Eh, I prefer him brooding, to be honest.. Just too creepy with a smile.)
David --
Red Sonja or Power Girl any day over that creepy Vision picture that is your new avatar.
Make it stop!!
Have a great weekend,
Doug
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