Client: Personal

 

As a lifelong fan of comics, I often find myself coming up with redesigns of my favorite characters. Below is a small sampling of a few characters I've tackled over the last couple of years.

 

Villains and a supporting character from the Superman series

 

A pair of characters who arguably are in no need of a redesign - the original Plastic Man (by Jack Cole) and Metamorpho (by Ramona Fradon) designs remain two of my favorites in the annals of comicdom. However, it's not much of a challenge to come up with a new take on a lackluster or imperfect design, whereas it's a real trial of one's skills to find a new take on a beloved favorite.

 

Above, Super-Squirrel, a funny-animal version of the Man of Steel which made a handful of appearances in the early Eighties and hasn't been seen again since, to the best of my knowledge.

 

Below, Beast Boy/Changeling and Robotman of The Doom Patrol, one of my all-time favorite teams in comics.

 

Another distinct challenge is finding a new way to interpret the work of Jack Kirby, such as with Machine Man (left). His powerful shapes and bold linestroke leave little room for competition, so I backed off and went the other direction, softening the figure's lines and making him less sleek and powerful. To the right, another Metamorpho - there's endless possibitilies with that design, hope you won't mind seeing another one a few inches further down!

 

Risking utter obscurity, I've illustrated two villains who bedeviled the superhero Daredevil as far back as the 1970s: Leap-Frog and Angar the Screamer! Leap-Frog's power and motif are obvious, although the heavy backpack/air compressor is my own invention. Angar was capable of creating psychedelic illusions with the power of his voice, which I've renedered with a light hand, so as not to freak the norms!

 

Leap-Frog and Angar the Screamer ©Marvel Comics 

Accompanying another Metamorpho redesign is Brother Power the Geek, a mannequin superhero affiliated with the hippie movement and originally designed by Jerry Grandenetti. 

 

Another obscure Daredevil villain is The Mandrill, a mutant possesed of mind-controlling peheremones and an unfortunate resemblance to a baboon.