Cape Critiques

To any of my followers and fans, I would like to inform you that I’ll be going on hiatus. Classes are about to start back up, and I need to set my focus there. I’ll be less active on this blog, though I will try to upload posts every now and then. 

I just want to thank everyone who has come across my posts, and gave them a like/reblog. While not the run away success I was hoping for, any sign of interest in my discussions was greatly appreciated. So again, thank you.

(All images used are not my own, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. As of this post, Suicide Squad was finally released here in the states. So to build off of that hype, I’ll be taking a look at a character from that movie. So today, we’ll be looking at Joker’s right hand gal, Harley Quinn.

Source Material:

Created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini for Batman: the Animated Series, The original Harley Quinn costume is simply a form fitting court jester costume with white face makeup and domino mask. The costume has an alternating black and red pattern. She also has red and black diamonds to help breakup the simplicity of the costume. While an iconic design, I’ve always felt it seemed a little off juxtaposed next to the Joker. What I mean is that Joker, like most of the villains in Batman TAS, wore a nice suit that helped emphasize his gangster portrayal. But then Harley just looked like a typical costumed character. She would almost fit better alongside the Flash villain the Trickster (who was also played by Mark Hamill in all appearances). But they made it work, so why am I complaining.

As the New 52 rolled around, Harley received a new look like many other characters. To the left is her initial Suicide Squad design, and to the right is the design created by Amanda Conner for her solo series. If I’m honest, I’m not a huge fan of these designs. I like the SS design least mainly because of the black eye pieces (can’t tell if that’s makeup or a broken up domino mask) and the indigo replacing the black. I like Amanda Conner design a little more, but I’m not a fan of the shoulder, knee, and elbow pads (though I will give it credit for practicality). My overall issue with New 52 Harley is the two-toned hair to replace the jester cap, and the bleached white skin.

Now that we’ve established the source material, let’s take a look at Harley’s film debut and see how it fares.

Thoughts:

Harley Quinn’s outfit in the Suicide Squad film is definitely something we haven’t seen before for her character. Gone is any semblance of a clown outfit many people know and love. Instead we get a torn baseball tee-like shirt, a satin jacket, booty shorts, fishnet stockings, and lace-up high heels. Instead of the traditional red and black, we get red and blue. Like her New 52 counterpart, her skin is bleached white with various tattoos all over her body (though not as distracting as the Joker). Yet instead of having her New 52 styled hair, the red and blue is just on the tips of her pigtails while the rest is bleach blonde (similar to the Arkham games). Finally instead of her trademark mallet, she gets a baseball bat.

While I criticized Doctor Doom and Green Goblin for not being accurate to the source, I’m willing to give Harley Quinn an exception. The reason is that while not comic accurate, the design at least evokes the characters personality. It’s chaotic with the stitching and tattoos, yet also fun with the bright colors and jewelry. I also like the little Easter Eggs throughout, such as the “Puddin” choker and the red and black diamond tattoos.

Even the minor changes they made really worked for the design. While I’ve stated before that I love red and black color schemes, I feel the red and blue works well. Plus since Deadshot is primarily red and black, the change to blue helps distinguish the two and helps her stand out. I also feel the change in weapon works, since a mallet would be too unwieldy for the character and a baseball bat is something she could believably swing with ease. While I’ve said I don’t like Harley with Joker white skin, it works in the movie since she looks pale than stark white like in the comics.

The only complaint I have with the movie design is the sexualization, especially with the booty shorts and heels. However I feel that this is less of the movies fault and more with modern designs of Harley emphasizing her sexuality. I could see the movie costume designers following suit because that’s just how Harley looks now. Plus comparatively to other designs, it’s the least conspicuous in my eyes (I’m looking at you Injustice Harley).

Possible Fixes:

While I like this design, I think it could be more comic-like in execution. So in future appearances, I would like to see something similar to her Insurgency costume from Injustice.

Maybe keep the “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirt underneath the jacket. Also take away the domino mask, make the red a shade lighter, and keep the Suicide Squad movie hair style (so it looks less like Sailor Moon buns).

Alternatively for that extra comic book look, we could get something that’s a cross between her appearances in Assault on Arkham and Arkham City.

Closing Remarks:

Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad is one of those rare cases where an inaccurate costume works. It’s drastically different, but screams “Harley Quinn”. In my eyes, it has the opposite effect Doctor Doom from Fant4stic had. While I would like something more comic book inspired, this design does the job.

Thank you for leaving a message. I’m sorry if killing Richard Rider off offended you. That was not my intent. I was just thinking of a way to introduce Sam Alexander into the MCU after Rider. I based this off of typical legacy characters (i.e. Hal Jordan Green Lantern, Barry Allen Flash, Ted Kord Blue Beetle) who died and had their titles passed on to other characters. 

(All images used are not my own, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques Special. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand across film and television, more and more characters from the comics are integrated in one form or another. As a fan, it’s always fun to see who gets brought in and placed where. So today, I’ll be doing a top 10 for future characters I want to see in the MCU.

The only caveat I have for this list is that there will be no Spider-man characters. The only reason for that is because I could probably do an entire list for them and they would take up a majority of the spots. Also I would like to remind everyone that these are my own opinions, and will be characters that I am familiar with. With that out of the way, let’s begin.

10. Bullseye

Bullseye is one of Daredevil’s greatest adversaries, responsible for the deaths of Karen Page and Elektra. Sure he dresses like a typical costume villain, but beneath that is a truly terrifying psychopath. His ability to use anything as a deadly weapon and always hitting his mark, makes him one of the best assassins in Marvel. The only reason why he’s number 10 and not higher is because I feel his appearance in the Netflix series is a forgone conclusion. We’ll probably get his official announcement the closer we get to season 3 or the Defenders.

9. A.I.M.

Advanced Idea Mechanics (or A.I.M.) is one of those terrorist organizations in the Marvel universe. As the name implies, A.I.M is all about creating scientific breakthroughs and using them for nefarious plans. What’s interesting about A.I.M. is they will sell their high-tech weapons to other groups on the black market. While already introduced in Iron Man 3, I felt that they were underutilized and never mentioned again. Since Hydra is done once and for all, I could see A.I.M. taking their place as primary antagonists for S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus I would really love to see their take on the A.I.M. soldier costumes (silly beekeeper mask and all).

8. Amora the Enchantress

Marvel’s Enchantress is one of Thor’s most memorable villains. Similar to Loki, Amora fights using various forms of magic to defeat her enemies. She alongside her partner/bodyguard/lover? (Skurge the Executioner) have proved to be formidable foes for the God of Thunder. Occasionally portrayed as a crazy ex-girlfriend type character, the Enchantress isn’t necessarily evil but will do whatever it takes to make Thor hers. Similar to Bullseye, I put her low on the list because I believe her appearance in the MCU is guaranteed (especially since Skurge has already been announced to appear in Thor: Ragnarok). However the reason why she’s higher than Bullseye, is that since DC already introduced their Enchantress in Suicide Squad. Marvel might decide to hold off on Amora’s appearance to avoid confusion. Though I could be wrong since we did get two versions of Quicksilver in two consecutive summers.

7. Mandroid

Admittedly this really isn’t a character, rather a suit of armor. However I’m a sucker for robots, so I added it to the list. Mandroids are high-tech suits of armor designed for S.H.I.E.L.D. They are basically knockoff versions of Iron Man as they are very bulky, less sophisticated, and mass produced. I would love to see at least one of these in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maybe have it be a secret project Fitz is working on for the entire season (using spare parts from the Quinjets), then reveal it in the last episode. The only real problem with this is budget. While AoS is capable of doing really good special effects on a tv budget, I think having a giant robot would push them over. However we are getting Ghost Rider in the upcoming season, so who knows.

6. Black Goliath

Bill Foster was originally a lab assistant to Hank Pym, who at the time was Giant-Man. Bill would eventually take the Pym Particles to turn him into Black Goliath. As the name implies, Goliath can increase his size and mass to gigantic proportions. Now I can easily see them introduce Bill in the upcoming Ant-man and Wasp movie, as an assistant to Hank Pym to help rebuild Pym Technologies to its former glory. He could also be the person to perfect the growth formula, to put less strain on Scott’s body. Now whether we get to see him suit up is debatable. The reason I say this is because as of now, I believe Goliath is still dead in the comics. It’s been a decade since the original Civil War, and the character has still yet to comeback. But his inclusion in a movie could be the thing to bring Bill back. Overall, I think the inclusion of Black Goliath in the MCU would be good to add more diversity.

5. Nova (Richard Rider/Sam Alexander)

Richard Rider was the first character to take the name of Nova. Similar to DC’s Green Lantern, Richard is a member of the Nova Corps and draws his powers from the Nova Force. This grants him the ability of flight, enhanced strength, and energy absorption/projection. Now we’ve already been introduced to the Nova Corps in Guardians of the Galaxy, where they are just space cops without super powers. I would like to see Richard Rider appear in a future sequel to GotG, serving as an experimental super soldier for the Corps. Maybe he could be assigned to the team by the Nova Corps to keep an eye on the Guardians, as well as serving as a straight-man to their shenanigans. Also have Rider die in the film, and his helmet traveling to earth to find Sam Alexander (the current Nova). The only problem with Rider is that the director of Guardians, James Gunn, has stated he doesn’t like the character.

4. The Wrecking Crew

You know what’s worse than street thugs? Street thugs with super powers. The Wrecking Crew (consisting of Wrecker, Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball) are a team of four supervillains each with the power of super strength and durability. While most supervillains have loftier plans, like taking over the world, the Wrecking Crew have simpler plans. Whether it’s robbing banks, or acting as hired muscle, the Crew is just in it for the cash. While considered lower tier villains, I have a soft spot for these four idiots. I can easily see these characters in any of the Marvel TV shows. Personally, I would like to see them as antagonist in the Defenders. They could be hired by the Kingpin to take out the Defenders, and we could get some sweet 4 vs. 4 team battle action.

3. Thundra/Titania

Thundra and Titania are two of Marvel’s female powerhouses. Thundra is a Femizon warrior (yes that is a real thing) from the future, while Titania was just a normal person given powers by Doctor Doom during the original Secret Wars event. Both are known for their incredible strength, and being able to go toe to toe with heroes like Hulk and Spider-man. I put these two together because I couldn’t decide which one I liked better. While we are getting Captain Marvel down the line, I think we need more physically strong women in the MCU. Plus they could fill that female villain roster. I could see either of these two ladies as minor villains in the movies, or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (after all Titania’s husband Absorbing Man is already a minor character there).

2. Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)

Probably the most recent character on this list, the Kamala Khan version of Ms. Marvel has become a runaway hit. Kamala is a Muslim teenage Inhuman, who has the ability to shapeshift and alter her proportions. Being a huge fan of Carol Danvers, Kamala takes the title of Ms. Marvel for herself to honor Carol. Being a huge success in the comics, it only seems natural that she would get the MCU treatment sometime in the future. I would like to see her get a small cameo appearance in Captain Marvel, maybe get rescued by Danvers in a scene. Then perhaps she could get her own series on Netflix or Freeform since her comic series deals with high school.

1. Taskmaster

Tony Masters is a mercenary who will take on any job, as long as it pays. He’s a master combatant as well as weapon specialist, like most comic book mercs. But what makes him special is his “photographic reflexes”. This ability allows him to study someone’s fight pattern and copy it perfectly. This has helped him take on even the best fighters in the Marvel Universe, like Captain America. The reason why he’s my number one is for two reasons. One, is that I can see him placed anywhere in the MCU and fit in perfectly. Whether it’s in a Captain America/Avengers movie, AoS, or even Netflix, you can easily place him there and it would feel organic. The second reason is that I love both his comic design and his Udon/Ultimate Spider-man tv series designs. It’s such as cool and memorable look, that I would love to see it translate into live action.

Final Thoughts:

(All images used are not my own, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. This one I’ve been holding back on for a while now, and I figured now is the time to discuss it. I’ve made several mentions to it in my previous posts, but now it’s time for this character design to face my judgement. So let’s finally take a look at Deadpool from X-men Origins: Wolverine.

Source Material:

The Deadpool costume is primarily a red bodysuit with black pattern on the sides of his torso, shoulders, and upper thighs. He has his trademark full-face mask with black spots around eyes (the size of which varies from artist to artist). Over his costume he has various pouches, holsters, and sheaths for his guns, katanas, and other weapons. To top things off he has his signature Deadpool belt buckle.

Overall the comic book costume is solid. It’s one of the few 90’s Xtreme characters that has stood the test of time, with very few alterations done to the costume (now with less pouches). Plus it also helps that red and black is one of my favorite color schemes. But enough about his comic appearance, let’s move onto Deadpool’s first live action appearance.

Thoughts:

There’s no sugar coating this, this design is bad! In lieu of his costume, we instead get a bald shirtless man with red pants and black markings all over his upper torso. Instead of the traditional katanas stored on his back, they are embedded into his arms like Baraka from Mortal Kombat. Similar to Doctor Doom from Fant4stic, nothing about this design screams the character that many fans have grown to love. I could just end it there and move onto the next category, but let’s further dissect this abomination (not to be confused with the Hulk villain Abomination).

Probably the biggest point of contention for many fans is what they did with his head. Instead of having a mask to cover up his disfigurement, the designers thought it was better to fuse those two aspects. Now we get a slightly disfigured face with no mouth (taking away his one defining feature people love) and having weird patches around his eyes to mimic the spots around his eyes from the comics (seen below).

I don’t understand why this was done. I get it that the X-men Cinematic Universe is very minimal when it comes to costumes, but at least many of the characters have defining visual attributes that tie back to their comic counterparts. Magneto has his helmet, Cyclops has his visor, Storm has her cape that connects to her arms, and Wolverine has his signature hair style and mutton chops. But Deadpool here has none of that. Sure he has the markings around his eyes, but they are barely noticeable until they become black after using Cyclops’ power. And even then they look awful in contrast with his pale skin, whereas the red from the mask helped compliment the black.

Now let’s talk about his arm blades. For starters, when they are fully extended, the blades look to be about the same length of his entire arm (seen here).

That means when they retract back into his arms, Deadpool won’t be able to bend his elbows. That seems like a serious design flaw for your ultimate weapon there Stryker. What if he needs to perform a non-lethal take down on a target? How will he punch someone if the mission calls for it?

I understand that I’m probably looking way too much into this, considering it’s a series about super powered individuals. Yet the first X-men movie took time to explain that Wolverine’s claws store inside his forearm, so I think it’s only fair (though how Logan is able to move is wrists is another question).

But what makes this design so bad in my eyes is that it looks like not much thought went into it. I know that I’ve complained in the past about bad costumes that had too much effort put into them and failing (see Green Lantern and Green Goblin). Yet at least there was “effort” involved in those. This looks like someone’s last minute Halloween costume, not something meant for a major motion picture. I think they put more effort into his Wade Wilson look than they did for his actual Deadpool look.

In fact I think it would’ve been okay if they kept this look and just added a mask. Sure it would’ve also looked cheap, but at least it would be more evocative of the character.

Anyways I think I’ve made my point clear, so let’s move on.

Possible Fixes:

Thank goodness Deadpool was given another chance, because the costume in his feature film is perfect.

It’s like the costume designers realized how bad the original was, so to make up for it they made a costume that was exactly like the comics. Everything iconic about the costume is there and spot on. It’s almost a direct adaptation of the suit with additional layering and lining. They even included the belt buckle and animated the eyes to be expressive. I honestly don’t know what to say next, I can’t even think of anything I would add or change. It’s that good!

Closing Remarks:

Deadpool from X-men Origins: Wolverine is probably one the worst costume designs I’ve ever seen. There’s nothing about that screams the character from the comics, and overall it’s just lazy. I also can’t think of any redeeming qualities about it.

Thankfully we finally have the Deadpool we’ve always wanted on the big screen, so we can just ignore Origins Deadpool completely. I also feel that Deadpool and X-men: Apocalypse are good indicators of more comic inspired costume designs for the franchise. I look forward to see how they handle future designs from now on.

(All images used are not my own, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. Now typically before any hero gets their iconic costumes, they go through several early designs. These early costumes are very minimal, and look very thrown together at the last minute. You also see what elements from the early suit are later incorporated into the final design. That is why I wanted to do a top 5 prototype costumes from tv/movies. 

Now before we start I want to establish one caveat to this list. Costumes that change between movies or seasons will not be on this list. For example the change in suit from the Amazing Spider-man to the Amazing Spider-man 2. While different and may contain one or more additional features, it’s still a complete suit. So with that being said, let’s get started.

5. Batman (Batman Begins)

I was debating on whether or not to include this one on the list since we only see it briefly. However, what I think makes this suit work is that we get to see it evolve into the final costume. Through a montage we see the addition of the arm guards he gets from the League of Shadows, the alterations to the grappling harness to just include the utility belt, the creation of the bat mask, and many more. It’s something that other movies would later mimic, such as Iron Man and the Amazing Spider-man. For that, It earns its spot at number 5.

4. Captain America (Captain America: the First Avenger)

This one is fairly simple is design with the only real costume aspects of it being the undershirt, helmet, and shield. That being said, it makes sense in the context of the movie as he literally throws it together at the last minute before heading out on his first mission. And while not as eye popping as the final costume, it works well for stealth. I would definitely consider this one a middle of the road design; not too flashy yet no too dull. 

3. Spider-man (Sam Raimi Spider-man)

Probably one of the earliest proto-costumes on this list, the wrestling costume Spider-man has a lot of appeal to me. I love how cheap it looks, as it realistically feels like something a person on a tight budget could afford. Plus the inverted sprayed on spider stencil is a nice touch. Also I always loved the “expectation vs. reality” moment this costume brought when we compare it to his initial concept art. This would be higher on the list, if it wasn’t for two other entries.

2. Daredevil (Netflix Daredevil)

Unlike most prototype suits, which are worn for a short amount of time, we become well acquainted with this one over 13 episodes. Taking inspiration from the early Daredevil costume created by Frank Miller, this one suits the character well by taking a very ninja-like design. Like Spider-man, it’s fairly simple and looks like something anyone could easily make. Once the season was over and he got his official costumes, many fans were sad to see it go. If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m a little biased towards number 1, then this most certainly would’ve taken 1st.

1. Iron Man Mark 1 (Iron Man)

I almost feel like I’m cheating by including this entry on the list since it has a lot more features than the others, but since it’s a literal prototype I feel that it’s fair to include it. They took the original Iron Man suit from his first appearance and brought it to life with additional details. I love the asymmetric look it has as well as the welding lines throughout. As a fan of robotics and suits of armor, how could I not put this as my number 1.

Closing Remarks:

(All images used are not my own, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. For today’s installment, I decided to be a little topical regarding the subject matter. As of this post, last weekend at San Diego Comic Con Marvel announced that the 4th season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will feature the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider. So with that announcement I decided what better opportunity to discuss the previous iterations of Ghost Rider in film.

Now for this one, I’ve decided to do things a little different. Instead of picking either the original Ghost Rider movie design or the Spirit of Vengeance design, I will be discussing both. Then in the “Possible Fixes” section, I will talk about what I think the AoS design will look like. So with that said let’s get started.

Source Material:

The original Johnny Blaze design is fairly simple. The majority of the costume is just his dark blue (occasionally black) stunt suit with the additions of his signature burning skull and chains. Honestly I kind of like the dark blue for the suit over the more popular black, as it serves as a good contrast with the flames of the skull (however black is always a good complimentary color).

After Johnny, there was the Danny Ketch design. Probably the most popular design for Ghost Rider, this one opted to replace the stunt suit with a black leather jacket. For that extra 90’s edge factor, metal spikes protrude from various places on the jacket and boots (though thankfully not too gratuitous as it could’ve been). While less of an actual costume compared to its predecessor, this design works because it takes the typical biker look and just gives it a demonic spin.

Now let’s take a look at the previous attempts to bring Ghost Rider into live action, and see how they fared.

Thoughts:

The appearance of Ghost Rider in his first movie is surprisingly accurate. Obviously basing the design off of the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider (even though the character in the movie is Johnny Blaze). The costume design is almost 1 for 1, with maybe very slight alterations to accommodate reality. I think the only thing I dislike about this costume is that the skull isn’t as intimidating as I would like it in the actual movie. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but I think the CG artist could’ve rendered a scarier looking skull.

Now moving onto the Spirit of Vengeance, this version of Ghost Rider underwent a more drastic redesign. Gone is the spiked-leather jacket and traditional white skull, and instead a more simple burnt look. While not the typical GR design most people expect, I personally like this one more than the first. The burnt leather jacket and the charred skull give it a much grittier look. Plus on closer examination the leather actually bubbles like tar, which I think is a nice touch. And while I usually complain about monochromatic color schemes (see my Apocalypse post) I feel that the flames help highlight the skull’s features pretty well.

Now that we’ve seen how previous interpretations for Ghost Rider went, let move onto what I expect from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Possible Fixes:

Obviously I think the bases for the design will take inspiration from his comic counterpart, created by Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore.

Probably the reason why they went with the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider is because the skull looks more like a helmet, so they could easily create a physical helmet for the actor to wear and just digitally add the fire in post. Also maybe add yellowing and other weathering effects to the skull.

For the suit, I can see them using a modified racer/stunt driver suit (maybe with added shoulder and knee pads). Maybe also add burnt details around the wrists and pant legs. Another feature could be exhaust ports on the suit that could shoot out flames (though that might be a little too much).

Closing Remarks:

While the films they come from aren’t good, the overall adaptation of the Ghost Rider look is solid. Whether you like the traditional look from the first film or the unique charred look from the second, they are both evocative of the character. Maybe when the official Robbie Reyes design comes out this fall, I’ll come back and discuss that and compare it to its predecessors.

(All images used are not my own, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. Today I decided to step into the tv side of superhero costumes and see how well they translate on the smaller screen. So without further ado let’s take a look at Deathstroke from Arrow season 2.

Source Material:

The traditional color scheme is orange, black, and dark blue. The suit also has scale-mail similar to Captain America or Aquaman. For added military flare, Deathstroke has ammo belts, pouches, and holsters for his weapons (though not to the degree of Rob Liefeld characters like Cable or Deadpool). And let’s not forget the iconic orange and black half mask, originally being a cloth-like mask with later redesigns opting for a ballistic mask-like helmet instead.

When the New 52 rolled around, Deathstroke received a redesign like most character. Honestly I’m not a huge fan of this design. Primarily the scale-mail torso section which looks out of place and kind of distracting (at least the original design incorporated it better throughout). Also the red eye looks weird to me, and I would much preferred the tradition whited out eye instead.

With that out of the way, let’s move onto the subject of today.

Thoughts:

I gotta say I really, really, like this costume! Obviously it’s going for a more military look with the straps, buckles, and holsters. Yet it still knows that its a comic book costume with the presence of color. The orange and black is present, and surprisingly so is the navy blue/indigo on some of the padding. I even liked that they kept the ammo belt across the chest like his comic book counterpart (though this time carrying grenade rounds instead of bullets).

Now probably the biggest draw for this outfit is the helmet. I like the matte black right side juxtaposed with the glossy orange left. Plus as a fan of the original Teen Titans animated series, the addition of the black eye makeup and mouth vents are a nice touch.

I think the only problem I have with this costume is that it’s a little bulky, which would limit mobility. Also at times the helmet looks a little big. I would’ve preferred a helmet like Crossbones from Captain America: Civil War, which was very form fitting and snug.

However I can over look these gripes, because realistically these thing would be bigger for the suit to carry all of that gear and for the helmet to be put on/removed with ease.

Possible Fixes:

Honestly I’m content with this design, however if Slade Wilson were to make an appearance in the DCEU then I would like the see a design similar to his Arkham Origins appearance (seen below).

All i want is to maintain this level of detail, while being very sleek.

Closing Remarks:

I think Deathstroke from season 2 of Arrow is a good example of what TV budgets can accomplish now. It’s something that doesn’t look cheap and almost looks like something you would see in a movie. Besides the complaints I listed earlier, this costume satisfies most of the things I look for when creating these posts (sense of realism, accuracy, additional details).

(Images used are not mine, and belong to their respective owners)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. Today we’ll be looking at the legendary First Mutant of the Marvel universe (if we elect to ignore Selene like most people do) in his first live action appearance. So let’s get started and see if Apocalypse from X-men: Apocalypse translates well into the X-men Cinematic Universe.

Source Material:

The general design of Apocalypse (seen above) is a high tech suit of armor with boots and gauntlets. Some of the more iconic parts of the design are the metallic hoses that attach from his back to his gauntlets, his signature neck guard, and “A” belt buckle, his grey skin complexion, and his big blue lips (not to be confused with DC’s Apokolips). The colorization of his armor is typically blue, with the secondary color being either black, a darker blue, or in the case of the 90′s cartoon purple. 

The first major redesign for the character outside of comics was in X-men: Evolution (seen above). I generally like redesign with the glowing blue markings on his body and the scarab replacing the “A” buckle. Though the blue skin and lack of body armor might turn off some. 

Anyways, let’s move on and see how he fairs on the big screen.

Thoughts:

Now this design has definitely split a lot of fans, with many comparing it to Ivan Ooze from Power Rangers: the Movie. Honestly, I actually like this design for the character. I feel that enough of the iconic elements are incorporated into the costume that I can easily tell that it’s Apocalypse. He has the neck guard with addition details, and the hoses on the gauntlets that now wrap around his upper arm. Heck they even incorporated the “A” belt buckle now with an ankh underneath the arches. And speaking of the ankh, one thing I really like about this design is the additional Egyptian details that help emphasize the characters origins. 

However one of the complaints I have regarding this character design is the colorization. For example if you look closely on Apocalypse’s face, you can barely see that the lines on his cheeks do connect to his lips (similar to his comic counterpart).

The problem is that since a majority of his body is just various shades of blue, some of the details become muddled and hard to define. I almost didn’t notice the hoses around the arms mentioned earlier because of how it just blends in with the rest of the bicep. I think the designers should have either made the lines much darker or make the skin grey like the comics to help that detail stand out. 

Now one thing I do appreciate is about this design is it’s practical instead of a CG character. While I don’t want to sound like I’m crapping on CG characters (especially when it’s necessary for guys like Hulk or Ultron), I have a soft spot for when practical makeup and prosthetic are used. That being said, one of the biggest complaints against this design that I agree with is his size. 

When standing next to his Horsemen, he’s just as tall or slightly taller then them. I’m not saying that he needs to be a looming giant (like he is in the astral plane), but I think he should at least be foot taller then most characters. I feel that would help emphasize his superiority complex, as he could literally “look down on” others. This is one reason why I think they should’ve used CG to size him up. Or if they wanted to stay practical, use camera tricks to make him look taller.

Possible Fixes:

After the movies release, official concept art was made available to view online. One piece of concept art was for Apocalypse created by Jerad Marantz (which you can find at his blog jeradsmarantz.blogspot.com).

I think this design would have been perfect for the movie. Maybe change the shade of blue between the armor panels to stick out more, and that would be fine. Also perhaps incorporating more of the Egyptian design elements into the suit like the official design.

Closing Remarks:

As stated earlier I don’t hate this design. There are enough iconic elements there to satisfy me, but things such as use of color and scale are what holds it back from being good. While I always appreciate the use of practical makeup and prosthetic, there are cases where that just won’t cut it to bring these characters to life.

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. Today's subject faces a similar dilemma to Doctor Doom from Fant4stic. Today I’ll be looking at the Green Goblin form the Amazing Spider-man 2.

Source Material:

The general design for Green Goblin is a green under-suit (with a scale-like pattern) with purple gloves, boots, cap, and one piece. He rides on his signature goblin glider for transportation and carries his pumpkin bombs inside a satchel (or man purse if you prefer). 

One reason I think this character design is so hard to nail in film is that the costume outside of comics looks ridiculous (though this can be said about most superhero costumes). Outside of the goblin mask I don’t think it would necessarily strike fear and intimidation into people. 

Speaking of the mask, the mask is another reason why the costume is hard to adapt. Unlike most masks, it has a moving mouthpiece and facial features to allow for emoting. Trying to pull off a mask that can accommodate this feature while still being able to be taken off like a latex mask is very difficult. 

The first attempt to bring Spider-man’s arch nemesis to theaters was in Spider-man from 2002. Infamously dubbed the “Green Ranger” by fans, this suit left many disappointed. Personally I didn’t mind this suit (though that could be due to the fact that I’m a fan of Power Rangers) but I do agree that it could have been better. I would have liked at least some purple on the suit, maybe highlighting sections between the armor panels to prevent it from just being green (though the glider is a metallic purple, so I think that’s fair). The biggest point of contention for fans would be the mask, opting for a static helmet instead. Interestingly enough there were plans for an animatronic mask (seen in the video below) that would emote. I don’t know why it was never used, but I would like to believe that it was either too expensive or that it would interfere with fighting.

Anyways let’s move on to the real meat and potatoes of this discussion.

Thoughts:

So like the previous incarnation of the character the majority of the suit is high tech armor. Instead of having a goblin mask they opted for a physical transformation (in a similar vain to Ultimate Green Goblin, though not as drastic), so they don’t have to worry about the mask situation.  

I guess I’ll start off by talking about his face. While I’ll give them credit for trying to find a work around for the mask, I don’t think the end result works. I think the designers were trying too hard to make him look scary with the jagged teeth, visible veins, and scars/bruises. I’m more afraid of catching a disease from him then the character himself (which I guess makes sense in the context of the film). Also the pointed ear pieces are drilled into the sides of his head because... its edgy? Anyway I look at it the face is just a mess.

The right half of the armor is decent and I like the olive green used for the panels. I think the talons on the right hand are a nice touch, and brings a little character to the suit (though why military grade armor needs talons is beyond me). 

One thing I did notice on the right gauntlet is that there is a pumpkin bomb launcher attached to it (seen in the image above). Something like that is actually cool and clever, though we never get to see him actually use it in the film.

Now the left half on the other hand (pun not intended) is just awful. I understand that the suit was a prototype and Harry just put it on, but why would he go into battle with an unprotected left arm? Spider-man could easily use something to stab Harry’s exposed arm to incapacitate him (though admittedly that might be out of character for Spidey). 

Then I noticed this:

Why? Why would a piece of the suit fuse to his skin? I guess that’s how it heals the person wearing the suit, but it looks like it’s doing more harm then help. No wonder the military never picked up the suit. In order to heal you, it has to drill and fuse crap to your body to work.

Possible Fixes:

With Marvel and Sony making a deal to bring Spider-man into the MCU, there’s hope for another try at the Green Goblin. 

This design by Logan Ridenbaugh (AKA Hewy Toonmore) is exactly what I would love to see. I definitely want something sleek and less bulky for Green Goblin. Maybe make the purple and black sections of the suit out of the same material used for Daredevil in his Netflix series. I especially like the idea of replacing the man-purse with a utility belt, and either keep or remove the loincloth. 

As for the goblin mask, I would like to see them use CG motion capture on the actors face to allow them to emote. After all if Spider-man can have CG mask, then why not his arch? Maybe have a prop mask for when the actor isn’t “wearing it”.

Closing Remarks:

Overall I think the biggest problem that TASM2 Goblin (and SM1 Goblin by extent) have is that the designers are afraid to go too comic inspired. Honestly I can understand that, as we’ve seen with Captain America from the Avengers. However if Spider-man (in all of his movie incarnations) get’s to keep his classic red and blue, then why not Green Goblin? It seems kind of unfair for the hero to maintain their look, while the villain has to drastically change to maintain “realism”. 

Admittedly I might be judging this costume too hard because it only appears in the final moments of the film. Plus for all we know Harry could have gotten an upgraded suit in the sequel that would appeal more to fans. But since this franchise is canceled, we’ll never know. That being said it’s clear that the costume design team put a lot of effort into it based on how complex it looks. I think they put way too much time and effort into something that doesn’t look good and would only be on the screen for about 5 minutes.

Once again, shout out to Logan Ridenbaugh for allowing me to use his Green Goblin redesign. If you like what you saw and want to see more of his works, go to his deviantart page at http://hewytoonmore.deviantart.com/.

 Anyways what are your thoughts? As always feel free to message me and read my previous post, and I’ll see you all next time. Later! 

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. It dawned on me that I did three DC related costumes back to back, so I figured I’ll switch gears and look at some Marvel costumes. So today I’ll be discussing Captain America from the first Avengers movie (not to be confused with his first solo film the First Avenger).

Source Material:

The original costume is very striking, literally taking the american flag and making it into an outfit. There have been multiple redesigns for Cap, but ultimately he winds up wearing a costume similar to the one above. The red and white stripes on the abdomen section as well as the white bands around the elbows definitely helps break up the color scheme from being too blue. Usually depending on artist the upper torso portion has a scale-like pattern, which I assume is suppose to be some sort of chain mail. The only part of this costume that seems odd to me are the wings on the side of the mask, which I suppose are to represent “wings of freedom”. That being said they are so iconic, the costume would seem off without them.

In his first solo movie in the MCU, Steve Rogers wears the costume seen above. The colors are muted and the suit appears bulkier than I would like, but it makes sense for the context in which it was made. Being created for military combat in WWII Steve would have to carry more equipment into battle, plus darker colors would make him stand out less (though he if wanted to stand out less he wouldn’t wear a costume into battle in the first place, but hey it’s comics). 

Now let’s move on to the first attempt to give the star-spangled man a modern costume in the Avengers.

Thoughts:

Now when I first saw this costume in the Avengers, I thought it was okay. However as time went on, I started to like this design less. Let me start by listing some positives first. I appreciate the attempt for comic accuracy with a realistic spin. They incorporated the red boots and gloves, proper midsection striping, and mask that functions like a cowl similar to Batman. Also the colorization is more vibrant then his First Avenger colors. I also appreciate more slimmed down design compared to the bulky original suit, which allows for greater mobility. I also feel that this design makes sense in the context of the film, as Phil Coulson had input in it’s creation. Phil was most likely a fan of his USO show outfit and wanted to replicate it. 

Now this may sound like an oxymoron but many of the things I gave the designers credit for are also some of the things that hinder the suit. The boots and gloves can be kind of distracting and can take attention away from other parts of the suit. I like the attempt of a cowl-like mask from the comics, but it looks weird with the ears covered up(though it’s a better alternative than fake rubber ears like in the 90′s Captain America movie). While I do like that the suit grants the actor better movement speed, I think it might be a little too slim making Evans look much smaller than he is. Also as a minor nitpick I think the belt should have been black or at least a different color to help break up the presence of blue.

Possible Fixes:

Thankfully Captain America get’s a much needed upgrade in Age of Ultron and Civil War.

I personally feel that this costume is the perfect amalgamation of the First Avenger and Avengers suits. It takes the military design elements from the original, while applying the sleekness of the Avengers costume. The colors are not too vibrant to be distracting, yet not too muted/dark to look dull. It fits the actor just right, fitting is physique perfectly.

The only thing I don’t like about this costume are the red highlights (which I believe are removed in Civil War) and the odd red and white stripes pattern (I prefer the standard straight line stripes). But other than that I think this is the best Captain America costume which we’ll be seeing from now on, with slight modifications in the future.

Closing Remarks:

I think the Avengers Captain America suit is as case where being comic accurate wasn’t the best route to go. If they just dialed the comic inspired elements back a little bit, it would have been fine. However in the end we get a costume that just sticks out for all the wrong reason alongside his fellow Avengers. It’s not a bad costume, but future designs make it seem worse.

As always feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts on this topic. Until next time. Later!

Hello, and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. Now we are going to delve into even deeper depths of bad costume design with today’s subject. Today we’ll be looking at the Halle Berry Catwoman costume from, well, Catwoman. 

Source Material:

Catwoman is one of those characters who has had a variety of different looks throughout her comic book career. Ranging from a dress with a cat-inspired cowl, to the more popular skin-tight catsuit. While the colorization tends to vary from purple, grey, and black, black seems to be the popular choice with most interpretations (which makes sense being a stealthy thief). Her signature weapon is a whip, which she uses for offense as well as for mobility (similar to Batman’s grappling hook or Spider-man’s web shooters). 

I especially like her modern design popularized by Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke (seen front and center in the image above) incorporating goggles into the costume which occasionally have hi-tech features.

Probably one of the most popular renditions of Catwoman in other media is Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman from Batman Returns. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of this design. While it’s recognizable as Catwoman and is undoubtedly sexy, I feel it’s too Tim Burton-esque with the crazy stitching pattern (though it does lend a sense of it being homemade). It’s definitely not my cup of tea, but I understand why others might like it.

But we’re not here to dissect this movie costume. Oh no my friends, we are here to look at the infamous 2004 Catwoman costume.

Thoughts:

Let’s just get right into it, this costume is awful. For starters her outfit looks like a BDSM getup. It could be argued that this was suppose to be an homage to Catwoman’s origin of being a dominatrix in Batman: Year One (though I highly doubt that since this isn’t Selina Kyle). I think the designers were trying way to hard to be sexy by making it reveal so much skin. However by doing so, they made a costume that was impractical as hell.

Also the ripped up pants and back area are just dumb. It looks like Catwoman got into a fight with a paper shredder and lost. Was the point to be more revealing and show off more skin with those tears? Because she already has that in spades with a costume consisting of a bra and random belts on her abdomen.

I think one of the biggest problems with this costume, for me at least, is the fact that it just doesn’t feel like Catwoman. Outside of the cat mask, claws, and whip nothing else about it screams the DC character. It would be like if someone just wore nothing but a speedo and spider mask and called them self Spider-man. Since this character has a wide variety of looks from her past, I don’t understand why they couldn’t just adapt one of them?

Possible Fixes:

Thankfully this wasn’t the last we would see of Catwoman on the big screen. In 2012, we got our favorite thief back in The Dark Knight Rises portrayed by Anne Hathaway.

I really like this design, going back to the traditional catsuit. It also reminds me of the costume from the Adam West Batman tv series with its simplicity. I especially like the practicality of her cat ears being her goggles when flipped down (though I do think it occasionally looks silly I do appreciate the effort). While I will say that it kind of lacks even more Catwoman iconography than the Halle Berry design (lacking claws and a whip), it makes sense for the Nolan-verse of Batman films. Maybe I’m just biased in that sense.

However in the off chance we get another Catwoman for the new DCEU this is what I would like to see.

I would definitely want something in the vain of Catwoman from Batman: Arkham City. It’s sexy and form fitting, but also allows for good mobility for combat and stealth. Maybe include a utility belt of her own to holster her whip and other gadgets. 

Closing Remarks:

Now I’ll be honest, ridiculously sexy costumes for women is a guilty pleasure of mine. However I like practical costumes for female characters even more. I understand finding that balance is hard, especially when adapting costumes from comics, but it’s possible (i.e. Black Widow). 

Now some may say that since this isn’t Selina Kyle it’s allowed to be different. But then why use the name “Catwoman”? Why say it’s “inspired by the DC comics character” when it has nothing to do with Selina? If this movie was it’s own thing it would still be bad, but it wouldn’t drag this characters name through the mud. 

Anyways what are your thoughts? Feel free to comment and message me and I’ll see next time. Later!

Hello and welcome to another installment of Cape Critiques. Today I’ll be talking about the infamous costume for Green Lantern from the film of the same name.

Source Material:

For obvious reasons, I’ll be looking at the Hal Jordan Green Lantern costume rather than the Alan Scott design. The color scheme of green, black, and white work well with each other (especially the black as it helps the green torso area and boots stand out more). Personally I’m not a huge fan of the white gloves, but I understand that they help keep the suit form just being green and black. The logo is simplified enough to look like a lantern as well as some sort of alien rune/symbol (more so than the Superman “S”).

What’s great about Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps is that there are so many different ways you can interpret the design. My personal favorite is the John Stewart design, which was popularized in the Justice League cartoon.

So with a look at the original design and the various versions from the other members of the Corps, let’s look at the first attempt to bring the emerald knight to the big screen, and why it’s considered to be one of the worst costume adaptations.

Thoughts:

Aesthetic wise I think the suit looks fine. I believe the designers were going more for an organic look, making the suit texture look like muscle tissue. Surprisingly enough almost all of the design ques match the comic book design, only swapping the white gloves for green ones instead. I even like the glowing green energy flowing through the suit, especially when you see it flow from the center logo and towards the ring. I think the only thing that bugs me is the defined toes.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room; the suit (including the mask) is 100% CG, and this is the reason why it’s hated. It just doesn’t look natural in the slightest, and it can be very distracting in the movie. It looks even worse when Hal Jordan is on Oa. Now knowing that CG can be expensive, it just seems like a waste of money when they could have made a physical suit.

That being said there are ways of doing CG with costumes, as long as they don’t take up a majority of the suit. For example let’s take a look at Iron Man.

While majority of the time the suit is CG (especially during intense fight scenes) they still use practical effects for the suit. As seen in the photo above, the upper torso is practical while the lower half uses motion capture and is digitally added in post.

This combination of practical and CG is almost seamless, and never feels off putting.

Another more recent example would be Vision from Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Paul Bettany still has a complete costume and prosthetic makeup he wears. However to give the Vision that extra robotic look, they add some digital effects to his facial features giving us the look we see in the film.

These examples use CG effectively as additions to an already existing costume. It’s situations like these where less truly is more.

Possible Fixes:

Now with the DCEU and a new Green Lantern film slated for 2020, this is what I would like to see.

I would like to see something along the lines of the design from Green lantern: First Flight/Emerald Knights. Maybe make the green portions of the suit more like armor over a black under suit. While this might limit the mobility of the actor, I think it would be a good trade off since GL isn’t really a physical combatant. Maybe incorporate the glowing energy lines from the first film for added detail.

Closing Remarks:

The Green Lantern costume from the 2011 film should have been something easy to accomplish. Instead they put a lot of money and effort into a costume that just doesn’t look good. If they just instead decided to have an actual costume for Ryan Reynolds to wear with additional digital enhancements it would have been fine.

I feel the reason for the film makers to go this route is because they thought they were doing something revolutionary. Instead it will be known as the butt of a joke in Deadpool alongside Barakapool (don’t worry I’ll get to this one eventually).

As always I would like to hear your thoughts on this costume, and let me know what you would like to see me discuss next. Until next time, Later!

Hello again, and welcome to another installment. This time I’ll be looking at a costume for one of the most iconic superheroes of all time from a movie that tried to homage its predecessors. Today I’ll be discussing Superman from Superman Returns.

Source Material:

This costume is just iconic. From the red cape, to the S on his chest, this costume is embedded in pop culture.

When it was adapted for the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, the costume looked as if it flew off of the comic book page and directly to the silver screen. 

However a direct costume adaptation such as this might not go over so well with modern audiences. So in 2006, Superman Returns was an attempt to revitalize the character on the big screen with an updated costume. 

Thoughts:

As an updated costume it’s not too extreme, opting for a classic look. It’s simple, but so was the original. The only real major changes made to the costume is the raised Superman logo on his chest, the S on his belt buckle, and the substitution of maroon in place of the traditional red. 

While it’s one of the more traditional Superman costumes, I’m not a huge fan of it. My biggest problem is the maroon. I don’t think it meshes well with the overall color pallet, as it makes the blue look a lot lighter than it probably is. 

Another thing I’m not too fond of is the S-logo. Personally I think it’s too small, especially compared to the Christopher Reeve costume as seen above. Also it looks very plastic-like and kind of distracting. I would have preferred a traditional flat logo, or one that looks to be made of the same material as the spandex. 

Possible Fixes:

While I won’t say that the costume from Man of Steel/Batman v. Superman is perfect, I do feel that it at least fixes the issues I had with the Returns costume. The colors, while darker in tone, don’t overpower each other and nicely complement one another. The S-logo, while raised, is clearly made of the same material as the rest of the suit and contours to the actors physique. 

Closing Remarks:

Like the movie it comes from, the Superman Returns costume is just “meh”. It’s not too outrageous like other movie costumes that it causes fans to rage. However it also doesn’t bring anything new to the table to make fans excited about it. 

So what do you think. Do you like the Returns costume, or prefer something along the lines of MoS/BvS? 

Feel free to message me your thoughts, and what you think I should discuss next. Until then, see you later.

For this post I decided to discuss a relatively recent character design that had many fans upset and displeased (which could be said for everything related to the film itself). So today I will be discussing Doctor Doom from the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot. 

Source Material:

The typical Doctor Doom design from the comics is fairly simple. The base is a silver knight-like armor underneath a green tunic with a hooded cape. To top everything off is the iconic Doom helmet.

While the costume is iconic and memorable, I can understand why some re-interpretations don’t quite follow the design to a tee. For general audiences the armor may look too simplistic for their tastes and the “skirt” portion of the tunic might come off as silly and less intimidating.

Now the design for Doom from the first Fantastic Four movie by Fox I really liked. I felt that it was a good attempt to modernize the costume from the comics by trading the cape and tunic for a hooded cloak instead. I even liked the design of the helmet and felt it was very comic accurate (even including the weird interior mouth design from the comics). The only thing I didn’t like about this design was the dumb organic metal skin that replaced his armor. Now let’s move onto the subject of this critique.

Thoughts:

I’ll be honest, I don’t hate this design. For what they were going for with the suit fused to his skin, it works. The design is very unsettling, especially with the eyes. Plus I kind of like the glowing green scars that light up whenever he uses his unspecified powers. 

That being said as a design for Doctor Doom, it fails. I feel it suffers from the same problems Deadpool had in X-men Origins: Wolverine. It’s like the designer heard the character was disfigured, and decided to make that there defining feature instead of having a traditional mask to conceal it. 

I think what bothers me even more is the fact that outside of the poor excuse of a hood and cape, nothing else about this interpretation screams “Doom”. Most other drastic redesigns typically carry at least one or two elements from their comic book counterparts (even the aforementioned Deadpool at least had the patches around his eyes to somewhat resemble his mask from the comics). Again even the 2005 version looked more like traditional Doctor Doom than this thing. 

Possible Fixes:

If a hypothetical second reboot where to happen, this is what I would like to see.

Personally I would like to see a design along the lines of Ezio from Assassin’s Creed II, replacing the boots and gauntlets with armor. I feel like a design like this would help emphasize the royal nature of Doom (after all he is a ruler of his own country). 

Closing Remarks:

Overall the Doctor Doom design from Fantastic Four (2015) is just a disappointment, and does not do the character any justice. If it were a design for an original character, than I would feel less inclined to dislike it. As it stands we still have yet to get an excellent version of Doom in live action. Hopefully one day we will.

So what are your thoughts? Do you agree with me, or do you have your own feelings towards this design?

Feel free to message me your thoughts. Until next time, later.