Project CBRunway 2: CBR Fashion Week -- Voting Thread

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Hello. Welcome to the Runway! As you know, in fashion, one day you're in and the next you're out.

After many weeks of rigorous design challenges there are now only three of you. After this week there will be only one.

PLEASE VOTE for the designer whose line you feel best completes the challenge, taking into consideration overall performance during this season of Project CBRunway. Voting should not be based solely on art ability. Ultimately, however, voting is completely subjective. Participants may vote for themselves. The designers with the least amount of votes will be eliminated.

The winning designer will walk away with an exciting prize pack, inluding his or her choice of either Figure Drawing for Fashion Design (Paperback) OR Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery: Solutions for Drawing the Clothed Figure (Paperback) OR Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style (Hardcover) and his or her choice of either Project Runway -- The Complete First Season (DVD) OR Anatomy for the Artist (Hardcover)!

CHALLENGE 9: CBR FASHION WEEK
Your challenge for CBR Fashion Week is to design a trio of superheroes and their arch-nemesis for a brand new comic book that you get to name!

Your heroes are:

Captain Dynamite, champion of peace and man's most beloved hero.
Sunshine, humanity's beacon of hope.
Bulwark, defender of the oppressed and friend to all.
Together they defend humanity against the nefarious Professor Poison.

Each piece of your line should reflect a character's individual personality, however it is up to you to decide whether the heroes' costumes should reflect their team membership or not.

In addition to the standard requirements of the written description, you must come up with the team's name (which will serve as the book's title) and include a short back story on each character explaining their motivations. As part of the heroes' motivations, please explain why each decided to formally band together after their first coincidental collective encounter with Professor Poison.

Please vote using the poll, then feel free to make comments or ask questions about this challenge or these designs within this thread.

Let's start the show.

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The Olympians
Many cold and cruel nights, fate did not look kindly upon hundreds of "test subjects" for the nefarious PROFESSOR POISON! A woman of infinite knowledge and infinite pain, Professor Poison heartlessly tested her many venoms, potions, and creations on those unfortunate enough to wind up on her door step. This night, however, fate did look kindly upon them. For on this night, three heroes, each unknowingly connected, foiled the Professor's plans. Surprised to find two other heroes at their sides, these three easily took down the insane woman through teamwork. After Professor Poison's defeat, the three decided that together they could prevent evil from ravaging their world. After much conversing, they realized that each had been chosen as the earthly avatar for a different greek god. And so, on that night, Captain Dynamite, Sunshine, and Bulwark became The Olympians!

Costumes
The Olympians: Each of the olympian costumes are made from a shiny, durable material, much like the unstable molecule costumes of the X-Men.

Professor Poison: PP's costume is made from simple materials, commonly found in any fabric store. Since she cannot die, PP doesn't worry about being wounded.

Inspiration
Costumes: For the Olympians, I wanted a team feel. So I created a simple design that could be implemented into each costume. And so, I designed the central emblem, the circle with rays sun-like symbol. I also wanted each costume to contain only three colors, one they would all share (gold) and two that would be specific to each character (red/blue CD, orange/purple Ss, green/pink Bw).

CD- I wanted something that screamed "sexy" and "I'm not afraid to show off my body" while still creating something that was iconic and worthy of THE hero. So I showed lots of skin, gave her the classic thigh high boots, the thin domino-styled mask and all primary colors. I also felt a cape would work very well, but I altered it from a regular, everyday cape and split it into two part, which converge near the top.
Ss- For Sunshine, I wanted something that didn't cover too much of him, since his form is pure light. He needs to radiate easily. Plus, I wanted something a bit more Post Modern-esque, as though he was trying to create his own style of fashion.
Bw - For Bulwark, I immediately felt she should have something reminiscent of a kimono, since she was Japanese. Hence, I adapted a kimono design, with flowing sleeves, into the simple team design, and gave her fun little Japanese sandals.
PP- Her costume is supposed to scream "death", "despair", and "evil". So I made it all black. And since she's a professor, I gave her a studious bun, glasses, and a dress. The necklace around her neck contains what she attests is a highly concentrated toxin that could potentially even harm her.Character/Powers:
For each character I wanted to play to the name, but keep away from what was obvious at the same time.

CD, I felt should've been a man, so I made him a woman. She had to have the Super personality, geared towards simply saving the world. I chose Aphrodite as her goddess because beauty and lust are powerful characteristics, plus she's DYN-O-MITE!
Ss, was obvious he had to have light powers, and obvious he should be a woman. So I made him a man. A gay man, as I felt any male superhero named "Sunshine" had to be sorta fruity. It's obvious why his god is Apollo, as Apollo is the god of light. And I thought it would be fun if he was actually two people who had fused, and who better than two gay lovers.
Bw, I immediately knew she should've been a huge, tough guy. So I went completely opposite and went for a more "Molly Hayes" type of character. A small girl with ENORMOUS power.
PP, was originally feeling a mad scientist type of character, but it felt too cliche, unless I made him a sexy woman. Power-wise I felt I needed to stay with the name.

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http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs17/f/2007/159/9/1/Captain_Dynamite_by_jelloconcoction.jpg

Captain Dynamite - Avatar of Aphrodite

Bio:
Erlena Ardor was a successful exotic dancer. She was always able to capture a man's attention and ease his cash from his wallet until nothing remained. Then she was involved in an accident, leaving her face and left half scarred. Deemed "unfit to work", Erlena's self-esteem and will to live slowly declined. But then, Aphrodite appeared to her and granted her superhuman powers. Amazed was she when she found she was beautiful again and that not only men, but also women, would bend to her will. Grateful for the second chance at life, Erlena decided to use her powers for good and became Captain Dynamite! It was not too long after that she gained the trust and love of the world.

Powers:
Captain Dynamite, as the avatar for the goddess of love, has the ability to control the lustful urges of those around her. By touching, or even simply making eye contact with, someone, Captain Dynamite can cause that person to fall deeply in love/lust with her and effectively become her slave/servant. CD often uses this ability to get people out of harms way. CD is also able to fly.

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Sunshine - Avatar of Apollo

Bio:
Hector Luster and Greggory Blaze were the happiest of lovers. Even though they had been spurned by their families for being gay, the two were never down nor depressed. Unfortunately, their families were not the only ones to spurn them. Hector and Greg were the victims of a gay bashing, which left them both near death. Apollo, god of light, appeared to them as they lay dying and granted them superpowers as well. However, their powers came at a price. When powered down, they were simply Hector and Greggory. But when powered up, they fused together and became a being of pure light. And so, the two always must stay close to one another in case they need to fuse at a moment's notice. After training themselves, the two took their shared body to the world and became Sunshine!

Powers:
Sunshine can manipulate light. He can bend and reshape it to his will in order to create beams, rays, hard-light holograms/shapes. He can even blind people with explosive bursts of light, or by bending light away from their eyes. Also, Sunshine is a being of light himself, so he can fly, and so on. Since Sunshine is a combination of both Greg and Hector, both minds are present and so they must work together to be effective in battle.

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Bulwark - Avatar of Athena

Bio:
Ami Suguguchi was the daughter one of the most successful businessmen in Tokyo. She never knew her mother as she died during child birth. In essence, she never knew her father either, as he was never home and she was always in school. At age ten, Ami decided she had had enough. Leaving Japan, Ami ran away to America where she began a new life. Unfortunately for her, it was cut short by a tragic accident. While walking to school, the 12 year old girl was hit by a bus. Clinging to life, Ami was visited by Athena, the goddess of wisdom, strength, and war. Athena granted Ami superpowers and with those powers, Ami became Bulwark!

Powers:
Bulwark has the ability to create and manipulate a strong, translucent, green substance. This substance is incredibly durable. Bulwark can form the substance into an shape she desires. Mostly, she forms it into the shape of an Oni, a demon from Japanese folklore.

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Professor Poison - Avatar of Hades

Bio:
Gertrude Bane, a graduate of Princeton University, found herself returning to her alma mater to take up teaching. Here she lectured in several chemistry courses, specifically organic and inorganic chemistry. She worked with several research teams, each studying and experimenting with developing numerous antitoxins. One night, while staying at the lab late, one of her fellow researchers approached her. The Ms. Candy Duggins grabbed Gertie and professed her love for her. Gertie, repulsed by her peer's "coming out", rejected her advances. Not to be taken so lightly, Candy forced herself upon Gertie. The violent actions caused dozens of beakers and shelves to crash upon Gertie, as Candy swiftly stepped out of the way. The toxins and antitoxins flowed over Gertie soaking into her orifices. Candy panicked and ran away screamed. Gertie slowly lingered upon Death's doorstep. When she thought this was the end, she was visited by Hades, Lord of the Underworld. He offered her the chance to seek the revenge she felt she deserved. Gertie gladly accepted, received her powers, and began her quest for revenge as Professor Poison.

Powers:
Professor Poison's body is coursing with venom, toxins, and other poisons. She can call each one forth at will and expel them from her body through two spike which poke from her wrists. She can retract these spikes into her arms. And so, PP is immune to all poisons, toxins, and venom. Plus, as the avatar of Hades, PP can never truly die. Each time her body "expires" she is resurrected in a new, healthy body.

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The Enchanted

The Enchanted is set in a world where the spirit world takes an active interest in the dealings of man. the Enchanted are those touched by spirits from the invisible worlds.

Man's disregard for nature and their lack of beliefin the spirit world has caused many spirits, who once were guardians of man, to turn against their former wards. Corrupted by human greed, tainted by pollution, eager to put man back in its place such spirits seek out likeminded human souls and bind themselves to their victims. Such wicked spirit folk are often termed the Disenchanted.

The Enchanted seek to protect mankind from the depradations of the Disenchanted and to inspire mankind to take better take oif themselves and the planet they inhabit.

The Enchanted found themselves thrown together during the poisoning of Paris in 1987 when they banded together against the evil professor Nebel. Professor Poison who staged the event to lure Captain dynamite out of hiding narrowly escaped after failing to kill his old archenemy, the three heroes decided to work together from that day on.

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Biography:
Captain Dynamite began life as Terrence Nicholas Torrent, and became captain in the american army during world war I. On a hellish night of constant bombings Terrence threw himself on a grenade to protect his squad and blew himself to bits .. or so it seemed. Instead Terrence was saved by the interference of a curious fire elemental who offered to savehis life in exchange to being bonded with the elemental. Terrence accepted and to the amazement of his men he got up again and his burns healed right before their eyes. The army dubbed him Captain Dynamite and made him into a hero and a rolemodel. As Captain Dynamite Terrence became a world famous hero and one of the first known Enchanted in the modern age. Captain Dynamite's favorite breakfast is pancakes flambee.

Powers:
Captain Dynamite can survive being blown up or burned. He always carries an arsenal of dynamite sticks which he uses in combat. Since the war government scientists have diversified his arsenal with flashbangs and other less lethal explosives but captain Dynamite still prefers to shove a stick of old-fashioned dynamite down an enemy's throat and watch them go kablooyee.

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Biography:
Sunshine started life as Luna Sol, daughter of mexican immigrants. raised in the streets of Los Angeles Luna's greatest desire was to shine on the silver screen as a moviestar. Working hard she caught a break and was on her way to becoming famous. But fate had something else in store for her. An obsesssive fan shot her in the chest closerange three times. She was pronounced dead on arrival. Luna's story didn't end there though because hidden from mortal eyes a sun spirit watched her from the invisible world and offered to restore her if she were willing to accept the spirit's bonding process. Luna, convinced she was saved by an angel accepted and awoke in the morgue in a flash of blinding light. When guards inspected the room no trace was found of Luna Sol.

Three days later a terrorist cell was caught with all 4 members blinded for 3days and mumbling about an angel showing them the error of their ways.

Powers:
Sunshine can teleport by transforming into light and reconstituing herself some place else. She can take up to 5 people along with her when she does this. the accompanying flash of light on departure and arrival can be intensified to blinding proportions. Sunshine can emit light from her eys, forming lasers or using her hypnotic gaze to alter a person's mood.

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Biography:
Bulwark was born Benny Ailola, a baseball player of some renown before he hit rockbottom and ended up on the streets. Despite his new living conditions Benny coulnd't help but stand up for those who were bullied by others and on one such occassion he paid with his life .. almost.
Hovering on the brink of death he was offered a new life by a clay elemental spirit who offered to bond with Benny to save his life. And in return Benny became Bulwark, protector of the oppressed.

Since then Benny has become a famous figure not only for his heroic deeds but also because of many tv appearances in commercials, children's programs and late night shows. Benny loves attention, possibly even more so than icecream.

Powers:
Bulwark has a tough hide able to absorb most physical attacks. He also has limited control over his proportions, often enlarging his hands to fend off bullets fired at others. Furthermore he has the equivalent strength of an elephant.

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Biography:
Biochemist Heinrich Nebel worked on the development of new biohazardous gasses to be used in the trenches. The germans had become quite desperate to turn their inevitable defeat into victory, despite their enemy's new supersoldier, Captain Dynamite. As Nebel worked on a gas that would dissolve human flesh Captain Dynamite stormed his laboratory and began blowing things up. Unwilling to acceot defeat Nebel locked himself in the laboratory and gassed himself.

But nebel did not die .. On the brink between life and death Nebel was offered a new chance, a means to take revenge and a way to further his studies. A corrupted air elemental bonded with the professor and changed him forever. the transformation did not come without a price. Nebel took years to reconstitute himself. And when he did revenge burned in the frontal lobes of his brain: Captain Dynamite had to die. And after that .. everyone else.

Powers:
Nebel can turn into toxic gasses, from mustard to nervegas. In addition since his return he has developed a set of metallic gloves that end in sharp poisonous needles. In gaseous form there isn't much that can harm Professor Poison but he cannot affect physical objects, lacking the substance to manipulate or lift obects.

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Changing of the Guard!

The Guard has been around for years. If has changed quite a bit over that time, with members coming and going. Recently, with Flux and Ether getting married and taking a leave of absence to Flux’s homeworld, and Diamond Jim retiring after sustaining crippling injuries in battle with Arboreal Armada, the team had been reduced to just 4 members: Bulwark, Sunshine, and Captain Dynamite and his sidekick, the Firecracker Kid. But things had been relatively slow after they stopped the Arboreal Armada, and all except the Firecracker Kid were founding members of the team, with many years of experience… they were sure that together, they could still triumph over any evil that arose.

They were wrong.

It seemed like an ordinary enough case… a bank heist by their old enemy Professor Poison. He probably had some crazy new scheme planned out that needed some starting capital. They had no idea that the robbery was merely a ploy to get the Guard to walk into his trap. The Professor was a brilliant scientist and a cunning schemer, so it always surprised him that the Guard always foiled his plans and sent him back to jail time and time again. During his latest stay in prison, he finally figured out the problem. He had never set out to actually kill the Guard. Instead, he always had some other plot that he was focused on, and the Guard inevitably foiled those plans. The Guard were always a distraction, never the goal. So this time, he’d get rid of them before going about any other plans.

He prepared traps at every entrance to the bank. After numerous battles with the Guard, he knew their methods, and took them into account. He knew that Sunshine would try to fly in through the skylight, Captain Dynamite would blast open the front door, and Bulwark would cover the rear of the building. He set special poison traps for each one, and he caught the heroes completely off guard! Their coordinated storming of the building meant that they were separated and unable to help each other, which is what had always saved them in the past. This time, there was no help, no one to save them. Except for the Firecracker Kid, who was taking final exams in school that day and wasn’t there, the entire Guard was killed. As the saying goes, “the good guys have to succeed every time, the bad guys only need to succeed once.”

A nation mourned as the Guard were buried side by side in Arlington Cemetery. But the friends, family, and even foes and rivals of the heroes were determined not to let the Guard end now, after so long. The world still needed heroes like them.

The Firecracker Kid took the costume and name of his mentor, and vowed to avenge him. The little sister of Sunshine set out to risk her life to recreate the accident that endowed her sibling with solar powers. And the long-time rival, foe, and occasional lover of Bulwark decided to turn over a new leaf, take the source of his powers he bequeathed to her, and use them to do the good deeds he was so fond of… at least until she gets bored of it. And so there is a changing of the Guard, as a new team is born from the ashes of the old. Their first mission: to capture Professor Poison, the killer of the old Guard. But can this untested team of a former sidekick, a brand new hero just learning her powers, and a reformed villain succeed where some of the most experienced heroes in the world failed?


Thoughts and Concepts:
I chose not to have matching team costumes. I envision the characters as individual heroes who also belong to the team, like the Justice League or Titans rather than the original X-Men or the Legionnaires. I felt this allowed me to create more unique and individual designs for each character.

I did try to create a theme through all of the characters, though. I made the costumes appear a bit more realistic and feasible for real life than your typical comic book fashions. I decided to stay away from the traditional long johns and tights, instead using clothing that might actually be possible for real world people to wear. I realize this is taking a risk, because it doesn’t let me get too wild and extravagant with the designs, but these costumes could all be used in a movie or TV show without needing redesigns. I think the semi-realistic look also lends a unified feel to all the characters without needing to have matching costume elements.

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Captain Dynamite:

Real Name: Timothy Kovacs

Captain Dynamite was one of the most famous heroes in the world. Though no one was quite sure of how he got his powers, most assumed he was a mutant, and that his powers developed under the stress of the battlefield. He was a Sergeant in the US Army during the Vietnam War. He and his unit were pinned down by enemy fire and the radio was busted. Peering out of the foxhole, Sgt Christopher Alston wished that airstrikes or something would bomb the entrenched enemy positions. Somehow, his wish came true! Massive explosions erupted all along the treeline, and when they stopped, there was no more gunfire. Most of the men assumed some planes had seen their plight and come to their rescue, even though no one could recall seeing or hearing a plane. But Sgt Alston knew that it was him, not any passing plane, that had caused the explosions. He’d felt them go off, in his head. He’d visualized a target, and BOOM! He quietly informed his superior officers, who at first thought he was nuts, but it didn’t take many demonstrations to change their minds…

The US military made him their secret weapon, and he faced all manner of Communist spies, saboteurs, and villains, all around the world. Dubbed Captain Dynamite, he was one of the earliest of a new batch of heroes that emerged in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

On one of his cases, he attempted to smuggle the Kovacs family from behind the Iron Curtain. Unfortunately, Soviet guards spotted them and in the ensuing fight, the entire Kovacs family was gunned down. All died except the youngest son, Timothy, who was shot. Captain Dynamite had no choice but to give him a blood transfusion from himself, to let him survive until better medical treatment could be obtained. It worked, and Tim survived, but he also gained a small portion of Captain Dynamite’s power. He couldn't make large explosions, only small ones, perhaps a little stronger than a firecracker. Sgt Alston adopted the orphan and raised him as his own. After several years of training, he allowed Tim to join his as his crimefighting sidekick, the Firecracker Kid!

Tim grew up, and was away at college taking his final exams the day Professor Poison murdered the Guard. He always knew that one day he may be called upon to take the place of Captain Dynamite, but he didn’t expect it so soon. Still, he’d given some thought to how he could use his relatively meager power as much more than a distraction. Finally, the name Captain Dynamite inspired him… he created bandoleers and belts filled with sticks of dynamite, which he could throw and then use his power to detonate! Of course, walking around with that much dynamite strapped to your body is risky, but the name and costume of Captain Dynamite helped calm peoples’ fears, and he hasn’t had an accident yet. Now to fulfill the duty of every good sidekick… take over for his fallen mentor, and start by avenging his murder! Watch out Professor Poison, he’s not the Firecracker Kid anymore!

Costume:
As an all-American kind of hero, I went with a red, white, and (dark) blue color scheme. I gave him a white hat, something every real hero should have. I love the white jodhpurs, and feel they, along with the hat, coat, and dynamite, give him an almost pulp hero feel, and a very classic look. The original Captain Dynamite didn’t wear the bandolier and belt of dynamite… he didn’t need them. But the former Firecracker Kid added them to greatly increase the size of explosions he can create.

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Sunshine

Real Name: Niabi Two-Eagles.

Niabi had been living in the shadow of her older sister Misae all her life. Misae was 3 years older than her, and was a genius. She’d left the Osage reservation in Oklahoma, where the family lived, to attend MIT on a full scholarship. She was a brilliant scientist, specializing in new solar cell technology. She won more awards than she could count, and everyone loved and admired her. Niabi, on the other hand, was merely an average student. She tried her best, but she just didn’t have her sister’s natural intellect.

One day the family received word that Misae had been injured in an accident. An experimental solar cell she’d been working on overloaded and exploded. The family rushed to the hospital in Massachusetts, but it turned out the injuries were not too serious. Still, they brought Misae home to recover once she was discharged from the hospital. On the drive back to Oklahoma, Misae began to radiate heat, and then she started glowing like a miniature sun! She was scared at first, but soon brought the heat and light under control. Over the next few weeks, she discovered that she could absorb and rechanneled sunlight just like the solar cell she’d been working on. She found that if she used her powers too much during the night or while out of direct sunlight, she would be drained within a matter of an hour or less. But on a bright, sunny day she could fly and create blasts of heat and light virtually at will. Taking the name Sunshine, she became a hero and soon joined the Guard.

Then, the family got another phone call… this time telling them that their beloved Misae had been killed by Professor Poison. Niabi and the rest of her family were devastated by the news. And the police were unable to catch Professor Poison, which only added salt to the wound. Niabi felt she had to do something to help find her sister’s killer. She looked through her sister’s things, looking for anything that may help, and discovered by reading Misae’s diary that she had created 2 duplicate solar cells. On one of her cases, her powers had been stolen by a villain. Misae had to recreate the accident that gave her her powers, and had created 1 additional cell in case it ever happened again. Niabi searched and finally found the solar cell her sister had built, and following the notes in the diary, recreated the accident once again. It worked! She gained the same powers as her sister! But when she told her parents, they were terrified of the risk she took and of losing their only remaining child. Niabi knew what she had to do though, and grabbing her sister’s costume, she left home and went hunting for Professor Poison…

Costume:
I didn’t want to do an overtly sun-themed costume, so I gave her a costume representing her American Indian heritage. It appears to be ordinary buckskin, but Misae had treated it with a variety of chemicals to make it resistant to her powers. She has some intricate beadwork on the gauntlets, boots, and top, leading down the front of her skirt as well.

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Bulwark

Real Name: Avani Greenhall

Avani was born in Calcutta to a British father and Indian mother. Both of her parents were very interested in the occult, especially the mystical power of gemstones. By the time she was 21, she had already surpassed her parents’ knowledge and mystical power, and she was on the trail of her greatest acquisition yet: a huge piece of mystically empowered jade called the Heart of Kali that had been buried centuries before at a ley line nexus, where it had been gathering power from the Earth ever since. It belonged to a cult of Kali worshippers, who guarded it jealously, but Avani was determined to get that stone, somehow. But when she arrived she was shocked to find the cult members were unconscious, and the stone gone!

Avani eventually discovered that an American geologist by the name of Dr. Tyrone Mason had been in the area, and the cult had kidnapped his girlfriend. He must have tracked them down, gotten her back, and taken the Heart of Kali. She followed him to the US and set about trying to get the stone. When she arrived, the news was filled with the story of a new hero calling himself Bulwark, and he was using the stone as his power source! Apparently he knew as much about the power of stones as she did, but his knowledge was scientific where hers was mystical. He had created a gauntlet that bombarded the Heart of Kali with a variety of wavelengths and harmonics to produce several results, the most powerful being the ability to shape and control earth and stone. His use of that power to create stone walls is what earned him the name Bulwark.

Avani tried everything she could to get the jade from him. She offered to buy it, tried to steal it, even tried to seduce him into giving it to her. Her single-minded focus on acquiring the stone caused her to battle Bulwark several times over the years, but her respect for his knowledge and their shared passion for geology caused them to become intimate and even temporarily work together on a few occasions, though it never lasted very long.

When Professor Poison killed Bulwark, Avani finally realized how much she loved and admired Dr. Mason. In his will he left her the stone if she promised to only use it to help people, and she has decided to use it to become the new Bulwark. Of course, she’ll use the stone the way it was meant to be used… with mystical incantations and rituals. But this isn’t the first time Avani has promised to turn over a new leaf. Her selfish and greedy nature always eventually pushed her back toward the wrong side of the law before. Can her memory of Dr. Tyrone Mason and her vow to honor his final wishes by trusting her with the stone overcome that? Or will the new Bulwark eventually become a foe of the new Guard?

Costume:
As a mystical character, her costume is the most intricate of any in the Guard. It is silk, with jade and gold designs. The Heart of Kali is mounted on a carved rod which she carries, and its power is amplified by the other jade stones on her costume.

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Professor Poison

Real Name: Ulysses Scranton

Ulysses grew up in Australia, and learned at a young age that he was special. Bitten by a Funnel Web Spider at least a half dozen times when he was only 3 years old, the deadly venom didn’t affect him at all. He was bitten and stung by numerous other dangerous Australian wildlife growing up because of his fascination with all types of poisonous animals, and he never needed to fear death from the poisons. He made them his life’s work, and eventually became a renowned toxicologist. But he soon began getting far more lucrative offers from both the military and much more shady individuals to develop deadly new poisons rather than finding antidotes. Never blessed with the strongest of morals, he took these offers readily.

One day, he did his job too well… he finally developed a poison so powerful, even his superhuman resistance could not fully overcome it. It did give him enough time, though, to find a way to temporarily halt the effects… he needed to constantly breathe a special anti-toxin to survive, and he always carries a supply in 2 canisters on his back. Without them, he will die in approximately 6-8 hours, and feel the debilitating effects far sooner than that.

But his health was not the only thing he lost that day. It was now apparent to all that he was developing deadly new poisons, and the scientific community turned their back on him while the Australian Homeland Security and police began investigating him. Knowing it was only a short matter of time until he was arresting, he fled the country. He turned to a life of crime and selling his services as a mercenary or weapons manufacturer in order to get the funds to create the anti-toxin he needs to stay alive. Despite his deadly knowledge, he has never purposely tried to mass murder people himself (though if his clients use his poisons to do so, he doesn’t care a great deal.) He usually created poisons that disabled in some way rather than killing, at least until his final encounter with the Guard. Now that he has shown what he is truly capable of, he’s hoping that the costumed heroes and law enforcement will finally stop hounding him. He is, of course, completely mistaken. He has just become one of the most wanted men in the world, and the personal target of the new Guard!

Costume:
He wears a gasmask with metal hoses (to resist being punctured or cut) leading back to the canisters on his back containing his anti-toxin. I decided to use green as the color, because it seemed to fit the poison theme in my mind. He wears a long heavy overcoat with hood, gloves, and boots. They are all padded to give him some protection in combat, though they can sometimes hinder his movement. He has a skull and crossbones symbol on his chest, the international symbol for poison. He’s holding a poison gas gun in his hands, and he has cylinders around his belt carrying a wide variety of poisons.

[mattbib]

My immediate response?

Amazing. Simply amazing work from all three of you. Great jobs. The variety and imagination that this challenge inspired is awesome.

[Tre Styles]

I concur Matt.Each of these entries have a very, very unique quality about them. I would truly buy all three books. I have to think very hard regarding these entries and go back and reread the entries again. Simply stunning all three of you. I am tremendously impressed.

[Chris Nowlin]

Wow. All of them are consistent with the original idea, yet wildly innovative.

Those are three great stories and some inspiring designs.

I'll wait to hear some critiques because I can't decide who to vote for at the moment

[Indigo Al]

Alright, I’m gonna try to break this down as best I can

Ankale Ra:

Captain Dynamite – The costume design is plenty hypersexualized although it works in a Ms. Marvel sort of way and is a good fit for the four-color format. Nearly all your designs in this contest have sported the lines coming from the center of the upper torso. It’s a great idea, but you should vary from that design.

I’m torn about the character herself. A superheroine based on eros can either be very interesting or end up bad. Tying the name “Captain Dynamite” to the concept is a cool idea though. You could either do something fun and brilliant with this character type (Alan Moore’s revamp of Voodoo), or you run into bad parody or Wizard-style yuk yuks (Striperella). I think she’d have potential, but only through very skilled execution.

Sunshine – The shorts. The bulge peek and the half-cheek view. Doesn’t work for me – not even in the “Disco Legion” sense. I like the idea of the composite Firestorm-type character with gay lovers, but the character looks like the possessed character in Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist.

Bulwark – this character is great! Neat costume, fun abilities.

Professor Poison - The outfit is great for a fun, slightly campy Head Chick of Death character. I like the design. However...the sexual trauma origin story is a bit off-putting. To say the least, it limits this team and these characters. They can only really fit in a "mature superheroes" genre.

Still and all, excellent job! You're very very talented and have long been one of my favorites here!

Pro:

Captain Dynamite - dynamite all around! I love the old-school style and his WWI origins! We've got the gruff old patriot hero, and your literal use of the dynamite works.

Sunshine - Although the most unremarkable of your characters here, she's a nice spandex solar superheroine. Great to see a Latin character.

Bulwark - an awesome design for the Ben Grimm-style monster brawler! This character just exudes joy and I could see him as a Saturday Morning cartoon fan favorite!

Professor Poison - though I feel like I've seen it before (elements of Dr. Doom and that Nazi cyborg guy from Hellboy) it's still menacing and creepy, a good visual.

Overall - at first I wasn't crazy about the elemental spirit plot device, but it's grown on me.

Samurai:

Captain Dynamite - you've got a Patriot hero that evokes Western and military. It's a fun design even if the dynamite seems to be unnecessary. I like it.

Sunshine - a viable and fun looking character, I like that her origin itself avoids cliches by not being "mystic" or "shaman". I wish you'd been able to come up with a more modern look that still evokes her heritage - as it stands now, she looks like the Land O'Lakes maiden with superpowers.

Bulwark - technically a nice piece of art, as most of your work has been. The complex backstory and moral dubiousness is intriguing, but overall it doesn't grab me.

Professor Poison - similar to Pro, there are some elements seen before, but I like the design, the colors, and the backstory a lot.



I'm still deciding. Vote is to come.
And I mean it - the three of you are terrific and very talented.

[Vegetarian Goat]

All of these are incredibly awesome- but Pro's is the one i'd be most likely to want to read about. The characters grab my interest from the start. Good show.

[Affinity]

Simply stunning!! I loved the results of this round the MOST and went for Pro's designs. Captain Dynamite's Teddy Roosevelt reminiscent character stole it for me! Professor Poison was horrifyingly scary, too :0

[Pól Rua]

All three designs were great, but I'm gonna go with Pro on this one.

Ankale Ra's designs were great, and had a great flat, four-colour look to them, but there was just too much with the sexy. The Silver Age look just didn't work with the Balent-style 'everyone has a saucy element in their backstory'.
Too straight-faced for parody, but too over the top to be taken at face value.
Hrm.
I liked Bulwark and the design for Prof.Poison the best.

Samurai once again produced some neat work, and I loved Captain Dynamite. I also like the idea of a history and legacy element to his team. However, I found the designs for Sunshine and Bulwark a little lacklustre. There was just nothing about them visually that grabbed me.
This was especially striking in the group shot, where Captain Dynamite stands out and the other two really fade into the background. I think part of this is having the two women's skin-tone be so similar to the main colour of their costume. There was just very little in the way of contrast with either of them.
That said, I also dug the Silver Age-ness of Professor Poison.

As for Pro's entry.
First of all, I completely dug Captain Dynamite. It totally suited the name, but was something completely different to what you'd expect. I totally dug the historical aspect, too.
Bulwark and Sunshine both struck me as a little less interesting than the good Cap'n, however, the group shot sold me on both. The contrasting styles and colours on all three really differentiated between them, with Cap Dynamite's retro-style uniform, Sunshine's traditional superhero duds and Bulwark's wetsuit style bodysuit.
I also dug the over-the-top pulp-style villainy of your Professor Poison.

So yeah, my vote's with Pro on this one, but I really dug all three entries.

[howyadoin]

Had to go with Pro on this one. Pretty strong stuff from the other two as well, though.

And I liked everybody's versions of Captain Dynamite and Professor Poison.

[BizarroBeachHead]

I had to go with Pro. The pulpy, steampunky character designs just completely won me over.

Good show everyone.

[Mikl C]

Here we go!

AnkaleRa's CAPTAIN DYNAMITE: Oh man, this is the sluttiest costume EVER lol. Ah stripper. That explains it. Her powers get a big WTF from me though, how did you get drom dynamite to lustful urges? :confused:

AnkaleRa's SUNSHINE: I heart this design. I love his connection to Apollo and his powers. Great job.

AnkaleRa's BULWARK: I don't like the design- her eyes creep me out, but I dig the powers.

AnkaleRa's PROFESSOR POISON : HOT. I dig the design and the lesbo vengeance poison theme. Hot.



Pro's CAPTAIN DYNAMITE: Ok you deserve to win from this alone. For real. Best single piece here.

Pro's SUNSHINE: pretty, with nice powers. I prefer anakleRa's sunshine though.

Pro's BULWARK: haha this is all sorts of awesome. Similar to the Thing in personality and powerset, but in a good way.

Pro's PROFESSOR POISON: Ok wtf. Now it's JOINT best single piece here. That artwork is STUNN.NING.



Samurai's CAPTAIN DYNAMITE : It's cute. Feels oldschool DC.

Samurai's SUNSHINE Hot! I love native american characters too.

Samurai's BULWARK: I thought this was PP when I looked at it first. Mehh. It's pretty. But doesn't captivate me.

Samurai's PROFESSOR POISON : hehe it's oldschool. But it's a bit bland in comparison to the other two.


All in all Pro wins by 300000 miles. <3 you Pro :D

[red-handed]

Oh wow
love the designs

well here is my two little cents...

AnkaleRa's team-- Love the concept and how all the characters recieved
powers from gods. I like the team feel with each costume.
CD- l like how she used to be a stripper and now she's "Dynamite" and how
its not a typical dynamite based character like the other entries
SS- love the costume, but i don't get radiating light. nice concept for powers
making both minds work as one, i guess the fact that the two characters are
lovers help with that.
Bw- cool powers, however having a 12yo girl on a team such as this kinda
threw me. Im not really fond of her design either. and her orgin is kinda off-putting.
PP- love the orgins and design. I wonder what she does to Ms. Duggins :D

Pro's team -- I like how they became a team. I also like how elementals
and such gave them their powers
CD- First i love his name and how the initials are T N T.
I love the white coat and how it can conceal the T.N.T and how he smokes
a cigar which im guessing he uses to light the fuses
Ss- Love the name sol=sun in spanish Sol is also the roman sun god
the costume reminds me of alpha flight with the sun emblem on her side
Bw- Nice design. don't like the shoes though. I mean what is he supposed
to wear after Labor day.
PP- First i like how because of his actions the Enchanted were formed.
Nice design and i can see how people would think of DD when they see
him. His design is my fav of the PP's. However i don't get the point of the gloves
does he use them to inject his form into people or are the needles just poisonous?

Samurai's team-- Changing of the Guard
Love the concept, how they are not the origionals but formed because
of the death of the origionals
CD- Nice design, however i think all the dynamite is a bit much
SS- love how she recreated the experiment to get her powers. the costume
is pretty cool, the colors work with the name.
Bw- I like how he powers are mystic in nature, i also like how she is
somewhat of a reformed villian. Because of her powers her costume works
for me.
PP- Interesting design. the green definately says poison. don't really like
the fact that he needs the canisters to survive. Maybe it could have been
designed differently but considering the way he chose to design the
costumes makes for an easy adaption to film or television.


In the end i gave my vote to AnkaleRa. I like how there is an element
in their design that connects them as a team. I love how their names
and personas are way different then what you would expect.
too bad we all know who is gonna win *cough*pro*cough*
He was up to 70% of the vote by the time i got here :D

[Pro]

CD- First i love his name and how the initials are T N T.
Ss- Love the name sol=sun in spanish Sol is also the roman sun god

I'm glad people picked up on those little details :)

I love the white coat and how it can conceal the T.N.T and how he smokes
a cigar which im guessing he uses to light the fuses

Classic Captain Dynamite scene:

At the end of World War 1: Heinrich Nebel holds off an army with a canister of toxic gas by shielding himself with it. Nebel walks backwards into the bunker complex where he does his research for the german empire.
As the airproof sliding door closes Captain Dynamite calmly lights a sigar and flicks away the match:
CD:"Herr professor .."
Opens his coat and takes out a dynamite stick, lighting it with his sigar.
CD:"Catch". :D

However i don't get the point of the gloves
does he use them to inject his form into people or are the needles just poisonous?

Professor Poison is a scientist and while his power allows him to turn into poisonous gasses he can't change into all types of gas. As a scientific genius when solid he still researches new inventions, toxins that affect the brain, toxins that make people more pliable, drugs that enhance him somehow. There are a lot of possibilities considering his background as a biochemical genius. Also Professor Poison has been non-solid for the better part of the 20th century and has a fear of staying gaseous too long, thus the needle gloves also serve as an alternative means to poison people.
Finally in a later story he will encounter an Enchanted who does not breathe :p

[Gonzogoose]

Gotta agree with everyone else, you all three did an amazing job. For me, though, Pro's was the most creative, so I'm voting for him. You all were great though!

[MrDave2176]

IThere are a lot of possibilities considering his background as a biochemical genius. Also Professor Poison has been non-solid for the better part of the 20th century and has a fear of staying gaseous too long, thus the needle gloves also serve as an alternative means to poison people.
Finally in a later story he will encounter an Enchanted who does not breathe :p

I could see a story where he turns gasseous then uses his suit to condense himself into a liquid and injects himself into a body which he then takes over.

Just one of the possibilities jumped to my mind as I read through. That sort of richness of possibility, I thought, made yours the superior entry in a field of unbelivably creative entries.

[escapegoat]

Good job by everyone!

My vote went to Pro. I thought his Captain Dynamite was awesome and very original, I liked the costume design for Sunshine, and Bulwark was totally how I visualized him when I saw his name in Matt's initial post (I was gonna try a design similiar to this in the play-at-home thread, but went another direction afterwards when I changed my team concept (which is all done as of last night. Everyone check it out! "plug, plug" :D )). You're design envoked a strong Alan Davis vibe, which is great since he's one of the best in the business.

AnakleRa - Most original of the bunch, but I think you took too many chances with your concepts being a little bit "too" out there for a lot of the voters. Some people probably liked one or two of the concepts, but not the others.

Samurai - Great designs and concepts, can't say anything bad about them. Unfortunately, Pro was able to win me over this round with his characters.


Huge congrats to Pro, who appears to have this one in the bag : )

[AnkaleRa]

AnakleRa - Most original of the bunch, but I think you took too many chances with your concepts being a little bit "too" out there for a lot of the voters. Some people probably liked one or two of the concepts, but not the others.


Yeah, you got it exactly escapegoat. I wanted to go very "out there" because I knew either Pro or Samurai would take this. And so I decided to have a lot of fun with the designs and the characters, which I definitely did.

Congrats to Pro! And a great job to you too Samurai! Hope to see you both of you again next season!

And thanks to everyone who got me this far! I was very happy to make it to the last round!

And a season well played by all the other participants! Kudos out to Chad, Zachary, and COTD for all the great designs!

[mattbib]

Hello. Welcome to the Runway! As you know, in fashion, one day you're in and the next you're out.

There are three of you left on the Runway. After today there will be only one.

AnkaleRa, your designs were fun and bold. Great work. Many voters liked your use of color and backstory, but others found certain aspects off-putting.

Samurai, voters also enjoyed your designs. Excellent work. They were fun and colorful and interesting, however some felt the characters were a little bland or dated and just not visually dynamic enough.

Pro, voters loved your designs, from concept to execution. The originality and creativity are truly inspiring. While some found certain characters less interesting than others, most were astonished by your creations.

Congratulations, Pro, you are the winner of Project CBRunway.

That means, AnkaleRa and Samurai, you are out.

Auf wiedersehen.