Friday, August 8, 2008

Devon's 5 Favorite John Romita Creations

5. WOLVERINE

Just beautiful. Others may have brought out the more menacing aspects but Romita nailed the design the first time out.

4. LUKE CAGE

I swear, this costume is almost bordering on the insane.

Huge black man? CHECK!

Tiara? CHECK!

Skintight yellow pirate shirt? CHECK!

Leather pants? CHECK!

Swashbuckler boots? CHECK!

I can just imagine Romita putting down the pencil after designing Luke and going, "Sidney Poitier would wear this."

3. THE PUNISHER

Thirty-four years on and the costume may have been tweaked but still, it basically remains the same. All one need see is the skull symbol and everything instantly recognizes who it is and what he does. This is not The Good Humour Man, this is death come to your door. It is simply a flawless piece of design.

2. THE FALCON*

I love, love, LOVE The Falcon! I mean, just look at him. If someone granted me superpowers, I'd want to be Superman... and I'd wear The Falcon's costume, complete with my very own falcon named Krypto. Yes, I would.

And everyone would be like, "Devon, you're soooo wrong!"

And, I'd be like, "Ladies, with abs like this... haha... It's SOOOO right. WHOOOO! Some kittens are getting plucked from trees to-night!" And then I'd fly off and pick up my friend Halle Berry, hand her her jetpack and we'd dance and kiss and generally do what us Black folks do when you all aren't looking.

(Yeah, I've got it all planned out.)

*Costume creation

1. JOHN ROMITA, JR.

One of the most consistently dynamic pencillers of our time. He's drawn everything from Spider-Man, Daredevil, The Punisher, The Hulk, The X-Men, Thor, The Eternals, Black Panther and for one glorious moment, Batman.

Like many of his pop's other creations, he only gets better as time goes on.

7 comments:

BIG MIKE said...

Devon,

Is that description of Power Man's costume also your own internal checklist when you get ready in the morning?

Harvey Jerkwater said...

Combining Power Man with another of the silliest-costume-ever guys, Iron Fist, was a stroke of goddamn genius. IF's silly suit was from Gil Kane, another all-time great having a strange day. Sweet.

No...Sweet Christmas!

Devon Sanders said...

Mike:

Yes,it is. It's all part of my plan to dress you up in footies, a green leotard and yellow skull cap.

KENT! said...

I don't know why, but I did not see #1 coming... you're a genius, sir.

As for Falcon, I was marveling (no pun intended) at his costume over the past few issues of Captain America, and thinking how, really, it shouldn't work as a costume at all, and yet it does. It's absolutely hideous but also looks fantastic. It's like how they say bee's shouldn't be able to fly, that their aerodynamics are all wrong, and yet, there they are, defying science and logic (well, 1930's science and logic, before high speed cameras and computers figured it all out).

Unknown said...

I would have an explosive nerdgasm is JRJR ever defected to DC.

Nate said...

Dang, #1 is so right on and so obvious it just slips under the radar. Probably the most iconic character design in the bronze age to hold up.

And props for recoginizing the Falcon. Ever since I had him as one of many characters on my lunchbox I would run around the school yard demanding to be the Falcon when everyone else claimed Spider-Man and Supes.

Under arm wings and a pet bird. Damn straight it works!

Phillip said...

I can't believe you didn't mention the ENORMOUS CHAIN BELT. Also, Mary Jane Watson is one of my personal fave JRSr creations.