The Sampler

Yuriko Oyama

2009-05-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

I haven't seen X-Men Origins: Wolverine yet but I hope to see it soon. Looking forward to it got me to thinking about some of my favorite villains that Wolverine has faced over the years. The first comic I ever actually read was Uncanny X-Men #205. Before that it was all about flipping through the pages looking at the pictures. But something about this book compelled me to read it and did I ever soak it up! David Campbell perfectly describes everything that's so cool about this particular issue over on his blog. Anyway, this is Lady Deathstrike, or Yuriko Oyama as she was known as before she was transformed into a cybernetic hot mess in Spiral's Body Shoppe. Her appearance in X-Men #205 earns a spot as one of my favorite Wolverine foes.

Superman

2008-06-16T23:43:00.011-04:00

About a week or two ago I saw that Project Rooftop had a contest going on honoring the 70th anniversary of Action Comics #1! I had to take a shot at this, especially since P:R usually recommends not trying to redesign Superman, I knew it was a rare opportunity.

Honestly, I've always thought about what I'd do differently with Superman's costume. There have been many variations over the years so I guess I've subconsciously been taking notes of what I think works best all along.

I've attempted to maintain a strong iconic look, something that would be easily recognizable but also wanted my changes to be significant enough to warrant a change in the first place. I desaturated the blue from the traditional color scheme to allow the red to pop more. I ditched the underwear outside the pants look which, in my opinion, is long overdue. Removing the cape was something that I wasn't sure I wanted to do. Actually, I think an optional cape would work with this suit but until I can draw a back view to show how it attaches, I'll just leave it off. Besides, has anyone ever addressed how Clark Kent stuffs that cape into his pants without it bunching up? Or how he manages to pull off white dress shirts without those primary colors showing through? Earth tones Clark, look into it. I digress.

Ultimately I think the finished design has an appropriate retro-futuristic look about it.

*Anyone who misses the cape and prefers a more primary blue may like this one instead. It's about as traditional as I can handle. I'll stand my ground against boatnecks and red briefs.

Robin

2008-05-01T22:45:00.011-04:00

I always thought Batman was considerably less threatening with Robin around. I mean, what would compel the Dark Knight to get a kid sidekick who would inevitably be a liability when fighting crime? And then to dress this kid in the colors of a traffic light and let him parade around in scaly green undies and Peter Pan shoes. Not like cool Peter Pan shoes either but more like Sandy Duncan Peter Pan slippers. Only Bucky could surpass Robin among cheesy sidekicks.

My opinion of Robin changed when I caught an episode of "The New Batman Adventures". This was the Tim Drake version of the character, only younger than he seemed to be in the comics. What really got my attention was how they had eliminated all green from his costume. They made Robin look cool! What an accomplishment. After that I was annoyed to see that this costume hadn't been adopted by the comics.

All that's changed now though. Seems they've finally come around. Only for this version I chose to leave off the spikes on his gloves and the pointy tips on his cape. This way, I feel he stands alone as his own character without so many visual references to Batman. I also chose to keep the split toe ninja boots. Oh yeah, no more underwear outside the pants either. Dignity restored!

By the Power of Grayskull!

2007-02-03T00:43:00.002-05:00

He-Man! Masters of the Universe was my introduction to everything that I've always loved about comics, sci-fi and fantasy. I must have been five or six years old when I got my first He-Man figure. I couldn't believe that such a cool toy came with not only a sword but an axe and a shield too! Twenty years later Mattel re-released the MotU line designed by Four Horsemen Studios. These were much more detailed and edgy than the ones that I'd played with as a kid. I don't think I'm betraying 5-year-old Dave by saying that the newer, almost manga inspired designs are much cooler than the original goofy body builder look.
Still, there's a part of me, the wide-eyed little kid that didn't even notice the sillier aspects of Masters of the Universe, that would've loved to see this line recreated with the innocence of Fisher-Price's Rescue Heroes. The exaggerated features seem fit in a world where almost every one's name ended in either "man" or "or".
Anyway, lump all of that together and this is what I came up with.

Yo Ho Ho

2006-10-17T20:36:00.002-04:00

I did this a few years back but thought I'd post it anyway since it's more Photoshop than Illustrator. I don't own a stylus but I really like many of the digitally painted styles that I've seen around. This was my first shot at emulating that style but was probably the most satisfied with his beard. I'll keep working on the rendering though.

Longshot

2006-10-14T15:36:00.002-04:00

When I first heard about Project Rooftop I knew I had to draw Longshot! Below is the pitch that I sent along with the submission. Check out the site itself for more cool art at Project Rooftop

The Longshot limited series was on the shelves in '85 when I first became interested in comics. As a new reader, I was glad to have a character that I could follow from the first issue. Despite only occasional appearances since his X-Men days, Longshot has remained one of my favorite heroes.

What I changed and why;

The hair. A mullet made sense for a superstar type character designed in the 80's but now it's just a bad joke. This style still has that messed up rocker look but less "party in the back."
The leather. I thought motorcycle leathers were appropriate for a stuntman turned hero. More contemporary too.
The blade pockets. Longshot's blades were his trademark weapons and his custom belt of pockets has always been one of his most recognizable features. I thought it'd make sense to incorporate the pockets into his jacket to streamline his look and make the blades more accessible.
Excess baggage. I eliminated all of the various pockets, knives, bags and pouches that he typically carries primarily because he never uses them. Seems like all of that equipment would slow an agile character down.
The met guards. I was inspired to add the metatarsal guards to his boots by Robin's steel toes from the Teen Titans cartoon. Being an 80 lb fighter, it seems like it'd help make his kicks more dangerous. Plus it adds a Mad Max touch to otherwise plain motorcycle boots.
The X. The "X" on his belt buckle basically establishes him as a former member of the X-Men. The gold piping on the sides of his jacket wrap around to form an "X" on his back as well, paying tribute to Quitely's X-Men designs that would've been perfect for Longshot.

Aaadidas!

2006-10-14T15:29:00.002-04:00

I did t-shirt graphics for Adidas Kids for a while. This one never made it but I still like her.