Project CBRunway 3: Challenge 7 Voting Thread [Archive]

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:04 AM

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w159/psiwar/ruruandthetinprofessor-1.jpg

Victorian inventor and steam engineer par excellence, Prof. Charles S. Farquharson, was driven almost to the point of insanity in his desire to create a time machine. He had been fascinated by the theory of time travel ever since he was young. During his early years as an engineer, he had been secretly doing research, even constructing several different contraptions to aid in his research.

Years later, his dreams came to fruition. He made a working time machine powered by an amazingly constructed steam engine. Excited, he packed his things for a journey that would take him centuries into the future- a journey that would showcase wondrous new technology. Technology that he could take back, using a time machine that, he was sure, would be readily available at that time.

He arrived at the end of the 22nd century. His fascination for this world of science didn't last long, when he discovered that time machines didn't exist in that century. While searching for a possible way to get back, he met Hikaru- an 18 year old, high-tech armoured thief. Hikari told Farquharson that she knew of a time machine, but it was to be found inside the heavily guarded mansion of the despotic Prime Minister. To get there, they would have to travel across the country to the capital city. Unfortunately, getting there would be a bit hard since Hikaru was a popular thief.

The journey was full of battles. Farquharson's steam powered weapons proved formidable against high-tech weapons-since EMPs wouldn't have an effect on them and neither would vicious tech-viruses...the journey also exposed a few truths on why Hikaru was determined to help Farquharson find the time machine, and even her relationship with the Prime Minister...

Together they became -

HIKARU AND THE TIN PROFESSOR- ADVENTURES IN TIMESTEAM!

opposites attract.

The Professor is this happy, white guy, clad in Victorian era stuff, equipped with old looking gadgets powered by steam. Hikari, on the other hand, is a surly Japanese-Russian, wearing high-tech armour powered by a small nuclear reactor, equipped with guns, lasers radar, EM pulse emitters, hacking programs etc...

Two different people on two different personal journeys but with one common goal, to get their old lives..their old worlds back.

kinda like us, 2 different people separated by continents and numerous timezones, but both working for a common goal.

We hope you guys like what we did!

and yes it's TimeSTEAM not timestream.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:05 AM

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/RedThorn/Final.jpg

Welcome to the 1940’s. America is slowly coming back from the Great Depression and World War II, the men are returning to their factories and the women back to their homes, their respective extraordinary careers over for now. But this is not our 40’s. Here, mechanical laborers and robo-men are commonplace after women made incredible leaps and bounds in the field of Robotics, fearing their men would not return.

And in this world, Dorothy and Tin-Man are, simply put, the most famous reporter and private detective in the New York Area. Their names are celebrated by their clients and feared by their enemies. But it wasn’t always like that.

In the dark and dirty streets of a city numbed by war, a young and beautiful reporter and her charming Detective fiancée were caught in the crossfire of a mob war while out to buy the newspaper with her first printed story! Trying to protect his girl, the Detective was felled when he was hit by an escaping mob car.

Making use of the small fortune left behind by her dead father, the young reporter rebuilt her love, using spare parts obtained in the countryside factories and with the help of contacts that she had made while working in the field during the war. After all, she had a brand new career in front of her, and she would not let that tragedy ruin everything. Her new and improved love was baptized Tin-Man! Taking the codename Dorothy, the young reporter was able to investigate her dangerous stories without retribution from the mob or the law.

Having her own personal Private Eye was indeed a fantastic idea, since Dorothy couldn’t get the real cops to budge on details for her stories. The ambitious woman rented a little office for Tin-Man in a discrete building with the little money she had left. Now, they only needed to establish their names. Their first case needed to be big, and indeed it was. Dorothy and Tin-Man faked the kidnapping of the daughter of a very important entrepreneur, and when Tin-Man brought her back safely after one week of non-stop “investigation”, he became a hero and his name was printed on the first page of the most important newspaper of America. The story was, of course, written by Dorothy, and it was her photograph of the ‘hero’ that graced the paper above the fold. After his big debut, Tin-Man started to get real cases from people in the higher places, which he’d share with Dorothy as breaking news.

What Dorothy couldn’t anticipate was that she’d fall in love with Tin-Man all over again...and that he’d also have the memory of having feelings for her. But the coldness of his touch would forever set this duo in “could be” land.

Dorothy (by Hi-Fi)

In the process of designing Dorothy’s costume, I researched women wear of the 40’s, more specifically in film posters, because I wanted the sense of adventure that we see in cinema attached to her. While Sky Captain was always in our minds during the creative process, I used references from old movies like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, ‘G’ Men, The Big Sleep, Cat People, Spellbound and It’s a Wonderful Life to compose her outfit. She also carries a big, clunky camera (WhiteRose’s suggestion) because, c’mon, it’s way cooler like that.

Tin-man (by WhiteRose)

Tin-Man's a product of his times. The suspenders, the trousers, the gun holster clipped with a little golden heart (because the Tin-Man needs a heart) are all lower-middle class wear of the 40's. We sort of fell into the 'Oz' references, but they just fit so nicely we couldn't help it. I played around with the Steampunk and Retro-futurism genres for him, because it's...well, the 40's. And they both have that nice 'classic, old-fashioned robotics' look to them. His gun's a bit of an unwieldy number, packing a hell of a shot but over-heating constantly, so he wears a protective glove so his own hardware doesn't melt.

The boy's head got a bit of a beating in that accident, so he's outfitted with a shiny new iron jaw and occular expansion implant. What can I say? Dorothy knows her stuff.

Big influence from Sky Captian and the World Of Tomorrow, but the real ball-roller was Hi-Fi for the original 'Detective/Reporter' concept, that just seemed to explode into this wonderful story.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:07 AM

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa53/spaghettikiss/07-TAUR-and-SAGE.gif

Inspiration:
We want a sort of Yin/Yang duo, and took our inspiration from Fantasy & Astrology: Taurus, and Sagittarius, bull/horse, male/female, both half human. We wanted something original and offbeat (see origin), and decided on a mythological theme.

Costumes & how they/we work together:
We decided using a unified color scheme and armor (black, grey, and gold) theme would help set them as a duo; also them being myth creatures and on the same mission. We chose similar armor styles, and also gave each of them a magical power which would show in the pic. Each wields a weapon appropriate for their type: Centaurs are archers, and Minotaurs often wield battle-axes.

Sage is bright, quick, and mercurial, but fiercely devoted to honor and fiery in a fight. (Sag is a Fire Sign.) She loves puzzles and games, and has a childlike innocence to her at times, tho' she also studies philosophy, and loves to adventure/explore.

Taur is tough, strong, stubborn, and just won't give up. He thinks more slowly, but thoroughly, and sometimes gets irritated at Sage bouncing like a cricket. She gets irritated with him insisting on following all the steps. Conversely, in a fight he is more likely to charge in, while she wants a plan. He's true and loyal, but never forgets a slight: you don't tick him off. Her anger burns fierce, but usually disappears quickly.

Their personalities contrast, but they have in common honor, integrity, and strength in fighing for a good cause, as well as a common culture.

Spaghettikiss and Solaris worked very well together: we kept things open, threw ideas on the table, then picked what was agreeable to both of us. We kept in mind our styles, and how to mesh them for the best unified effect. We continued adapting to each other as we worked, and it was a lot of fun! Our key words were collaboration and respect.

Origin:
Taur and Sage are from Aetheria, an alternate dimension to Earth. Ages ago, most of the "mythical" creatures of Earth fled there, when Man gained the ascendancy. After centuries, their population waned, until there were no more children. Their sages discovered that their fertility depended on the Demeter Stone, a magical artifact given by the goddess Demeter, which ensured fertility in species and crops. Over the generations, the magic it had imparted to them while on Earth waned, until it was gone.

The Stone had been left behind on Earth, because no one knew when they fled that it was the source of their fertility. Their Council chose Taur and Sage to go to Earth and retrieve the Stone. With the help of Earth's superheroes, they were successful; after taking the Stone home to Aetheria, the pair returned to Earth. In their eyes, they owed a Debt of Honor to those heroes for their aid in saving all the peoples of Aetheria, and thus the two joined Earth's heroes in fighting for Good here.

Aetheria has advanced over the years, too---so their technology, tho' different, isn't too unlike Earth's present day: computers and inventions don't faze them, only interest them.

Aside from formidable strength and speed, Sage has incredible accuracy with her arrows, many of which are special purpose. Also, she was gifted by the mages with a power relating to her personality: Fire. At will, she can cause her hair and tail to flame at high heat: this magical fire doesn't hurt her or her stuff, but will harm others---the hair makes it hard for enemies to touch her face/neck, and the tail can be flicked as a weapon. Sage excels in language, strategy, tactics, and the arts.

Taur has extreme strength and fortitude. He was also given a magical power, relating to his personality: Earth. Whenever he is touching earth or something connected to it, he has very rapid regeneration and inexhaustable energy. Also, he can draw energy from the earth to give more power to his hand and horns, adding to the force of his blows and charges. Aside from his ax, he also has his horns: a formidable natural weapon. Taur excels in understanding mechanicals, plants, engineering, and other "earthy" processes.

Both partners are protective of children, and woe to anyone who mistreats a child in their presence! Aside from their natural inclination for this, the former plight of their race made them value children even more.

Although they argue quite a bit (usually good-naturedly, but sometimes not), they understand that each of them has strengths that make up for the other's weaknesses, and that together The Mystic Scions are a force to be reckoned with!

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:09 AM

http://www.patdavid.com/cbrpr/tt_sq.jpg
History:
U.S. Army Captain Roger Decker was a brilliant engineer whose skills in developing modern technology for the military were second to none.

While he enjoyed the thrill of creating, his true love were his two twin daughters Erin and Felicia. Maria, Decker’s wife died of cancer before the girls were one year old, so he raised the pair by himself. As a result, the three became inseparable.

Military life became commonplace to Erin and Felicia, as they moved from city to city, following thief father as he progressed from project to project. The twins grew into beautiful young women, and at the same time became tough as nails from years of access to military training facilities and instructors. Over the years they developed an uncanny ability to read and anticipate each other's actions. Their ability to work together and demonstrate teamwork was legendary throughout the military community. The girls were destined to advance to it’s highest levels.

As the twin’s reached maturity, so did Captain Decker’s life long project… Codename: ThunderTank and SkyQuake. Decker had created individual battle armor suits that allowed it’s wearer to mimic the weapons systems of modern day military vehicles. However, prior to the unveiling of ThunderTank and SkyQuake, Decker was kidnapped by a terrorist organization — their aim, to force Decker to use his expertise to create new weapons for them. During the kidnapping, the terrorists killed the two men who would pilot the new battle armor.

Taking the initiative, Erin and Felicia donned the battle suits, and raced to rescue their father. As ThunderTank and SkyQuake the girls, along with their unique brand of teamwork, effortlessly dispatched the terrorists and saved their father. So proud was he, of his daughters, and their accomplishments, he chose to give the battle suits to them.

Weapons and Skills:
Felicia Decker, wears the ThunderTank battle armor suit. Highly influenced by modern tank technology, ThunderTank can traverse virtually any terrain, and can reach speeds of up to 150 mph. Her armor is resistant to most small caliber arms, and is capable of withstanding vast temperature extremes. Thundertank's main offensive weapons include a forearm mounted Vulcan mini-gun, and a 16 inch cannon.

Erin Decker, wears the SkyQuake battle armor suit. SkyQuake takes from the best that modern air power has to offer. Her battle armor allows her to travel up to Mach 3. Skyquake is armed with a spread of heat seeking missiles, and two forearm mounted cluster-bomb cannons. Her battle armor is also very resistant to damage (although not to the same degree as Thundertank’s) and is also equipped with stealth technology that makes her nearly invisible to radar.

Both ThunderTank and SkyQuake provide Felicia and Erin with superhuman strength. ThunderTank is capable of lifting (pressing) 25 tons (under optimal conditions), and SkyQuake can lift (press) 5 tons (under optimal conditions).

Erin and Felicia share a sixth sense. This clairvoyance gives them a unique advantage in combat. The twins can sense where they are at all times, whether one of them is in trouble, and react according to each other's actions.

Our collaboration:
Our team up could best be described as a pair's relay race. One of us started with the baton, then passed it to the next, then so on and so forth till we reached the finish line. Dean had a strong urge to draw to ladies. I had a craving to draw a character that looked like a gunship. We quickly came up with a plan that would satisfy both of our creative juices. I think our collaboration, and how quickly and easily we connected, directly reflects in the characters we created and their own special brand of teamwork.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:12 AM

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg116/Dukkus/CBRunway7.jpg
Backstory
Shy, Claire Van Der Rose, came from an extremely wealthy family from the Upper East Side. She spent her entire life caring about superficial things and constantly trying to appease her family, but no matter what she did, it was never good enough. To cope with her depression she began to over indulge in food, and soon became overweight. The insults & snide comments persisted and to protect herself from this, she subconsciously created another personality to deal with her family and also turned to Bulimia. The new Claire was bitter and had a “better than you” attitude towards the world. On her 21st birthday, her aerokinetic abilities kicked in, and since then she has learned to finely tune them to her needs.

Talisha Hughes on the other hand, was orphaned as a teenager due to a crime related incident. She grew up in the Bronx, which seemed a world away from the life Claire had lived. Talisha is insanely intellectual, but finds herself using her street smarts on a normal basis, and equipped with a boisterous personality. To put herself through school, she became a “professional” dancer at the Gentleman’s Club The Frisky Kitty. During a fight, in her teenage years, Talisha discovered her ability of geokinesis. Which she accidentally used to pummel a girl

After the discovery of their powers, both girls became professional bounty hunters to pay the bills and for the sheer pleasure. On one fateful night, both girls were paid to capture a Super-Powered Millionaire wreaking havoc on Wall Street. When the girls individually attempted to catch the man, neither could, but when they combined their powers together they found there was no foe that could stop them. And ever since the 2 have worked as a duo that doesn’t necessarily like one another, but always have the other’s back.

The pair contrasts one another greatly, from their personality, upbringing, and their powers. But through their differences they find themselves being very similar. Both had to grow up very fast due to factors in their lives, and both of their personalities are a shield in some way to protect them from things they have had to face in life. And then to their powers, like the relation of Water & Fire, Earth & Wind are very different but still relatable at the same time.

Costume/Design
Shade & I wanted to incorporate a theme of contrasting with association. This sparked the idea of elemental abilities that were known to be the exact opposite, and since Fire & Ice were taken, we thought Wind & Earth would be just as good. For the costume, we wanted to make it look like something that would look very well on Bounty Hunters. But at the same time, we wanted to incorporate themes that represented the characters as a whole. We tried to make Gale’s costume a little more fashionable with the neckpiece and puff sleeves (which were also meant to represent her element). With Quake we tried to make her more down to earth, gritty, and the fierce bitch that everyone loves. Quake’s necklace & earrings feature the Greek Sign for Earth, and the jacket was added to give her an edge.

I would say we were definitely inspired by the connection between Fire & Ice (the elements and the characters) and we tried to incorporate the themes of air & earth into the characters as well as their personalities. Wind, who is known to be cold and bitter, while Earth is known to be dark & unpredictable.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:13 AM

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9598/challenge7eh8.png

The Characters:
Born with a silver spoon stuck up her behind, Starasia Toussaint never seemed to have it removed as she lived in abundance in her gated Hollywood community, "Heaven In Them Heels Hills". The stuck up, snotty heiress lives off her father's multi-billion dollar sugar cane company, indulging in all her wordly instincts as she illustrates the stereotype of the Californian material girl; shoes, shopping, and fruity margaritas make up her resume. Lady Miss Shaneequa Divine lives a full life. When she's not being The Most Fantastic Drag Queen Ever she volunteers to help feed the homeless, teaches a class on using discarded beaded eyelashes to make tea cosies, and sells real estate for Century 21. The only thing she isn't aces at is love. Well, there was one guy. Really charming. European. But he left her with the most shocking hickeys and left town under suspicion of murder. But Shaneequa perseveres...living life to its fullest. Well, until one fateful night....

The Origin:
A trust fund heiress on the run from the paparazzi. A drag queen with a stone in her stiletto. A sharp turn. Throw these things together and you've got a recipe for adventure!

The car hits the drag queen! The heiress drives off! A pissed-off Lady Miss Shaneequa Divine memorizes a license plate as she breathes her very last breath.

Three days later the heiress is quite surprised to find a very annoyed, very undead, drag queen at her door. It seems that Shaneequa's former beau was more than just European- he was a vampire as well! And now The Lady Miss Shaneequa Divine (deceased) will spend eternity sucking blood to stay alive. She’s a vamp whose also a vamp!

But she’s also on a mission: to turn Starasia into a productive member of society in the most fabulous way possible: as the sidekick of a vampiric crimefighter! Together they will strike fear into the hearts of fashion victims and thugs as Vapid and the Vamp!

The Duo:
Vapid and the Vamp are your textbook opposites-but-not-really. A fierce black drag queen and a spoiled white girl wouldn’t seem to be all that similar but they do have things in common. A devotion to being stylish. A fierce sense of self. A lot of big blonde hair. But they’re also different in significant ways. Shaneequa believes in filling her days with meaning. Starasia believes in filling her days with shopping. Shaneequa works for what she gets. Starasia has never worked a day in her life. So they snap and snarl. But underneath they each want to be a teensy bit like the other.

On Working Together:
Atoningunifex says: Working with Affinity has been a joy! Like Vapid and the Vamp we would seem to be complete opposites. Certainly our styles are light years apart. But scratch the surface and you find out that we have very similar senses of humor and similar methods of working. I love the energy we have!

Affinity then blurted: Atoning as my partner made this challenge THE challenge of the season. Anyone else may have been put off by our surreal ideas, but the way they meshed and swirled together was like Heaven In Them Heels Hills. The hilarity and awesome attitude kept things fun, and I love our dynamic duo like whoa.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:17 AM

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/tylerragan/FlybyNightandNightyNIght-2.jpg
Origin:
Several years ago, Charlie Pembroke was nothing but a two-bit henchman for a crime-boss called The Ghost. The Ghost’s schtick was to use occult artifacts to mastermind heists and other nefarious jobs, and to further his plans, he gave each of his henchmen a tooth from a set of teeth belonging to Vlad the Impaler. Each tooth from the set granted one of the true Dracula’s powers: flight, strength, the ability to turn into mist, heightened senses, or a set of terrible claws and fangs. The only catch was that the powers granted by the teeth were only usable at night.; during the day, they were just normal men. Charlie’s tooth imbued him with the power of flight, which made him the best thief in the country. It earned him the alias “Fly by Night” to the criminal underground, and Charlie wore it as a badge of honor.

At some point, one of The Ghost’s henchmen, Axel The Mook Caruso, decided that he wanted the entire set of teeth for himself by killing his partners. Eventually, the only man left alive was Charlie Pembroke. To the Mook’s surprise, Charlie’s power of flight gave him a powerful advantage over his opponent, and the Mook was killed during the battle. Charlie now possessed the full set, and their power turned him into a one-man crime machine. Gone were the days of working under a crime boss.

Fast forward several years…

A couple of weeks after serving some prison time, a young girl turned up at Charlie’s door. She claimed to be his daughter, Julia Pembroke, by his former wife, a woman whose upstanding character had led her to leave Charlie when his criminal life came to light. At first, Charlie refused to believe that this young girl was truly his, but once she revealed that she had inherited certain powers due to her father’s possession of the Impaler Teeth, Charlie quickly took her under his wing as Nighty Night.

Not long after this meeting, Julia’s mother discovered her daughter’s nighttime activities and confronted Charlie and Julia the next day in his apartment. Coincidentally, the Ghost had tracked Charlie down to settle a score and take back the Impaler teeth, and chose that moment to spring his ambush. Charlie, in the light of day, was powerless to stop the Ghost as he killed Julia’s mother instantly. Anguished, Charlie watched in horror as Julia sprang into action and broke the Ghost’s neck where he stood. For several weeks after, Fly by Night watched as Nighty Night seemed to be increasingly angry and brutal on their nightly patrols. He knew the death of her mother and her loss of innocence was taking its toll.

However, this unfortunate episode set Charlie’s life in a new direction: the only woman he had ever loved had died trying to protect their daughter because of HIM. Now, with custody of Julia, he slowly began to realize that he had to be a better father and a role model, something he had never been before in his life. Slowly, he was becoming a better man, and trying to redeem himself to his wife by teaching Julia to be a hero.

Powers:
FbN: Fly by Night’s primary power is flight. It’s the first power he ever had, so it’s his most proficient. After acquiring the full set of Impaler Teeth, Fly by Night has obtained the powers of heightened strength, turning into a mist, superb senses, and the requisite fangs. He’s also very good fighter from his former life as a street thug/thief.

NN: The reasoning behind how some of Fly By Night’s powers were passed on to his daughter remain a mystery. She was conceived after he came to possess the full power of the Impaler teeth. The abilities have slowly been manifesting themselves as she continues to grow. She currently has about half the strength of her father, flight, and superior senses.

Costume:
FbN: Fly by Night started his super-life as a thief, so he knows that blending in and the element of stealth and surprise are important. So, we used a purple/black motif to help him blend in the shadows, since it’s fairly uncommon. The yellow accents are meant to be dramatic flair for when he’s got the drop on some baddie in an alley or other dark place. The bat-wing cape helps enhance his maneuverability.

NN: We wanted to go with a costume that reflects what her father wears, but make it youthful in appearance, while using the same elements.

Inspiration:
FbN: escapegoat actually came up with the sidekick, Nighty Night first, and then we went into developing her mentor. We kept a lot of the elements from Nighty Night and translated them into an adult costume designed for chasing villains through the night.

NN: As I’ve said before, I develop most of my characters by simply picking something out of a name or a phrase, and then finding some crazy way to create something original out of it. I played around with my previous design of her by adding the wings and making the costume a little more current with today’s teen trends.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:20 AM

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/8441/gibbetsad3.jpg

Story
Their mother was a lovely woman, their father was none other than Beelzebub himself.Halifax and Långholmen Gibbet were brothers of the purest kind, spawned by Satan himself, they were destined for a life of glorious infamy. Raised on a steady diet of Evil, the two boys grew up wanting nothing more than to escape their overbearing father and the future he had planned out for them. So one fateful day the two decided to pack their bags and leave for earth. Leaving a note behind thanking the Prince of Darkness for his hospitality, but explaining that they need to shape their own futures and live their own lives, instead of living their father’s life.

Halifax and Långholmen simply never really cared much for the family business and it would be better for all parties involved if they were to make it on their own.

And so they ended up on earth. Earth, where most ex-demons and devils end up when they decide that rocking in Hell just isn’t their thing.

And thus the Gibbet brothers started their own business. Providing guidance to the satanic and demonic community, making sure that they keep in line on Earth, abiding by the laws here, and not fall prey to old habits.

By night the fearsome duo battles the forces of evil. Using their arcane abilities to stop evil from spreading, and to stop it from tainting their clients.

Halifax and Långholmen, making sure that their demonic community won’t get it’s already horrible reputation, slandered further.

Design
Fighting for the same cause their costumes are almost uniforms and to be instantly recognized by their enemies. Being spawn from hell, we couldn't have them being too uplifting so have them in black with tattered caplets and hoods. The chain mail is to represent their ancient, arcane abilities: Fire manipulation and "devil's whisper" which is a suggestion they can make to someone and have them fulfill it without them knowing it.

The moon logo is to mark when they first arrived to Earth during the lunar eclipse. It's also red for their firey heritage and it's crescent, because individualy they are only part of the duo, together they form the full moon that strikes fear into their adversaries. The stars represent the what they longed to look at while in hell.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 09:22 AM

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w30/ZacharyLovesYou/ShockAndAwe.png

Characters:
Twins with unique biological makeup that makes them dependent on eachother for their powers to work.

Shock, as you may guess has the ability to manipulate electricty. Awe has an optical telepathy; anyone who meets his awe(ha!) -inspiring gaze falls under his mind control.

The Process:
We wanted to go for something sleek, simple, and sexy. Modern, streamlined, and badass. Period.

Solaris

04-22-2008, 09:31 AM

Oh dear lords, I see everybody "brought it" AGAIN. Wow. This is going to be really tough on the voters. :biggrin:

atoningunifex

04-22-2008, 09:31 AM

Wow- these are all great!

Everyone did a great job.

Of course only ONE pairing had a vampire drag queen...........

Shade101

04-22-2008, 09:35 AM

Omg I hate you guys. *Secretly plots sabotage*

La Fea

04-22-2008, 09:36 AM

I love them all, but I'm particularly in love with marvelboy and Aljira's duo and Hi-Fi and WhiteRose's pair.

I ended up going with the latter because Wizard of Oz references are always full of win with me.

I'm still impressed with everybody! <3

Swashbuckler

04-22-2008, 09:39 AM

hhhhmmm, tough choice.

Hated Thundertank whoever it was. Those big bulky metal costumes bore me. I was also not a fan of the Mystic Scion group. Don't bore Nina!

I think my favorites are Quake and Gale and Shock and Awe.

Hi-Fi

04-22-2008, 10:41 AM

Wow, great entries by everybody!! Those are great dynamic duos! I already have some favorites.

Also, I see that WhiteRose said the original concept was mine, but she was the one who turned the dective into a robot, who came up with the idea of having a steampunk vibe and who set our characters in the 40's. She was the most dreamy partner I could have asked. And this duo was is my most proud moment of this entire competition.

Indigo Al

04-22-2008, 11:05 AM

dazzler and escapegoat - you concept is fun and can work across all kinds of superhero stories, from younger readers to the darker, PG-13 stuff. For this, you got my vote.

Pach!

04-22-2008, 11:17 AM

Wow I love Quake and Gale.

I think I might vote that way. I'll wait for a bit to see how my favorites are doing.

Hi-Fi

04-22-2008, 11:35 AM

When Chad said he was drawing "a dra..." I was sure he meant a dragon. LOL.

ZacharyLovesYou

04-22-2008, 11:59 AM

All props must go to Your Imaginary Pal for dealing with me this challenge. My whole house is bein redone, so I had to take out the computer/modem for the week, leaving YIP in the dark for most of the time.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your patience and understanding. :smile:

atoningunifex

04-22-2008, 12:13 PM

When Chad said he was drawing "a dra..." I was sure he meant a dragon. LOL.

Heh heh heh.........

spaghettikiss

04-22-2008, 12:27 PM

Your Imaginary Pal

04-22-2008, 12:58 PM

The darkness wasn't so bad Zach, I knew you'd come through and shine yourt light.
I am in ... Awe.

mattbib

04-22-2008, 01:26 PM

atoningunifex

04-22-2008, 02:00 PM

I have to say I'm majorly impressed.

This challenge was this year's "adaptation", in regards to difficulty and demand on the creators. And overall there was a lot less bitching and more stepping up. Sucks that two people are going home...

I liked this challenge a lot. Specifically I liked working with Affinity a lot.

I was kinda worried because I had an insane weekend and I didn't want to mess up and bring my partner down with me. But things worked out really well. And even though we aren't getting the votes at the moment, I'm insanely happy with what we came up with. It makes me smile. :)

mattbib

04-22-2008, 02:11 PM

Oh yeah, happy belated birthday!

I particularly like the contrast between your characters. Definitely a near-comedic duo that reminds me of the Lady Death characters.

Hi-Fi

04-22-2008, 02:18 PM

I liked this challenge a lot. Specifically I liked working with Affinity a lot.

I was kinda worried because I had an insane weekend and I didn't want to mess up and bring my partner down with me. But things worked out really well. And even though we aren't getting the votes at the moment, I'm insanely happy with what we came up with. It makes me smile. :)
The thing about you guys duo is that it's totally Chad and Finny. When you get paired, I knew you two would come up with something insanely fun. I really love them.

Also, I can't believe how many votes we're getting. We really, really appreciate it. Me and WhiteRose are usually not in the top group when it comes to votes, so seeing that our passion for our creation has payed-off like that is truly amazing. I'm super happy and I'm sure WhiteRose is as well (wake up, partner! :biggrin: ). Thanks for the support, guys.

atoningunifex

04-22-2008, 02:26 PM

Oh yeah, happy belated birthday!

I particularly like the contrast between your characters. Definitely a near-comedic duo that reminds me of the Lady Death characters.

Thanks!

And we definitely wanted to go for the fun. There were some other ideas that we tossed around (and I may come back to the multiple personality disorder duop in the future) but Vapid and the Vamp were so obviously the most fun!

The thing about you guys duo is that it's totally Chad and Finny. When you get paired, I knew you two would come up with something insanely fun. I really love them.

Also, I can't believe how many votes we're getting. We really, really appreciate it. Me and WhiteRose are usually not in the top group when it comes to votes, so seeing that our passion for our creation has payed-off like that is truly amazing. I'm super happy and I'm sure WhiteRose is as well (wake up, partner! :biggrin: ). Thanks for the support, guys.

Thanks!

And yay for you guys getting lots of votes! I'm certainly not knocking bosh, aljira, and marvel...but it's been nice these last two challenges to see other people get major love too. :)

Kalen O.

04-22-2008, 02:34 PM

This was definitely the best challenge yet. Collaboration seems to suit you all, as pretty much everyone elevated their game even just in terms of rendering and artwise. I love that I had trouble on a lot of these, trying to figure out which partner did which character. Some thoughts on each of them, hope nobody minds (hopefully) constructive criticism. If you do, feel free to ignore, I'm no expert, just a audience/reader perspective. Aside from looking at these design wise and conceptually, I also tried to imagine how each would go over in today's market too.

Hikari and the Professor - To be honest, even though Aljira and Marvelboy are two of my favorite designers in the competition, this didn't grab me at first. But on second thought, I loved it. The big strength obviously, is in its concept. The best comic duos each bring something different to the partnership, both in similarities and contrasts, and the juxtaposition of the old and the new here really sold me. The ahead of his time Professor's origin and steam engine inventions, and particularly your ideas on how such old fashioned technology could be a boon in the future is fantastic. Pairing him up with a jaded techno-based thief of the future was brilliant. My only initial problem with this piece was at a first look, design wise, the two don't really mesh well. The strength of the premise more than makes up for that, but my only thought would be perhaps tone down Hikari's armor a bit, or at least get rid of the helmet. The armor, while very futuristic and interesting in design, is a bit bulkier than seems practical for a thief in any century. Or at least.....hmmm, I don't know. I just feel the real strength of this concept is the generational gap of the two characters, in design, time period AND age. I think it would really help for us to have more of a look at Hikari, keep her head helmet-free, to really show and offset her youth next to the Professor's age, or else just make her armor a little more sleek or stream-lined. Again, just a possibility. Regardless, I think this concept has a ton of potential. It straddles a lot of lines comfortably, and I could see it working equally well as a comic or a manga, or even a cartoon. Really excellent job, both of you.

Dorothy and the Tin Man - Hands down the best work from either of you to date. This concept is really just brilliant. For starters, I love the angle of almost the anti-villain, to the two of them. Comics have plenty of anti-heroes, people who do the wrong things for the right reasons, but the reverse of people doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is in far less supply. I love the initial self serving motivations. Your designs are very simple and concept appropriate, but I think what really sold me on this piece was the little gold heart pinned on the Tin Man's lapel. So simple, subtle and understated....and above all, very professional. That to me, more than anything else sums up the whole concept and piece, and tells me that you're confident in your premise. You didn't overload on design elements, you didn't try and throw in a lot of unnecessary props to make it work, there's nothing gimmicky about these two....they're just very efficient, well thought out designs. I can tell that this was a very natural, organic concept that just grew between the two of you, rather than something you threw together trying to make anything work. And that says a lot. I could easily see this a Vertigo lineup or something like that, next to Fables or Y: The Last Man - a simple, organic concept that doesn't rely on a lot of dressing up, and sells on the strength of the premise. Again, excellent work, both of you.

Taur and Sage - Very interesting concepts, but I'm not entirely sure I'm sold on the duo. First off, I do love the designs. The costumes mesh well together and I love the characters' fantastical looks. Your premise was well plotted and engaging, and I'm a sucker for mythical creatures so the minotaur and centaur designs went over well with me. My only concern is I'm not entirely sure they go together. I get and agree with everything you said about the contrasts, the male and female, both half human, etc, etc. But you lose me at the attempted meshing of the earth and fire signs. Based on the other elements of the piece, I feel like you'd have been better served pairing Sage with a water sign like Aquarius. Pryde and Shade did something similar with Quake and Gale, and I have to confess I think it works better for them conceptually, because well, earth and sky contrast better than earth and fire. That said, I think I get why you chose the taurus match to Sage rather than going with a water sign, as it seems you wanted the nonhuman look to both your duo, and none of the other Zodiac signs stand out that way as much as those two. And that's a valid choice. But since instead of just going with a case of opposites like some of the other contestants did, you picked two out of a group of twelve, its almost inevitable that people aren't going to look at them and wonder if they were the best pair possible out of your twelve choices. So my thought is I wonder if it would help to simply tweak your origin a little....and instead of simply having the two of them be selected for their quest, maybe make them part of a team of Zodiac based heroes? And something happens so they're the two stuck doing the job? I don't know, I just feel that maybe the pairing would work a little better if storywise they're paired off because of situation rather than design. *Shrugs* Just a thought. Anyways, I still feel this is one of the concepts with the most potential, based on your designs and back story. I think this could work very well as a book aimed at kids and younger audiences. The art and look works very well for that demographic, and nonhuman heroes and fantastic mythological backgrounds go over well with them too. All in all, a very nice piece.

Thundertank and Skyquake - I loved this far more than I thought I would. Let me just say, I am normally not a fan of mecha type heroes or books at all. But I just really loved the concept of these two, and your designs were very uniformed, sleek and efficient. I think what made it work for me was that they weren't bulky for the sake of being big mecha robots, but instead everything served a purpose. I love Skyquake's helicopter backpack thing, and the clairvoyant twin link is a nice touch. Added with the contrast of the female hero/operators and the big metal battlesuits, and....yeah, I just liked it far more than I would have expected. Again, this is something I could see playing well with a younger audience, or even in a cartoon. Both these two and Taur and Sage above are the kind of fun, stand out designs that people base toy tie-ins off of. Above all though, I think the two of you had one of the best collaborations out of all the designs this week. While plenty of them work well together concept wise, everything about these two characters, concept, design and finished rendering just matches up incredibly. Great partner work, both of you.

Quake and Gale - You two were the flip side of Taur and Sage for me. While I liked your basic premise and I think your duo meshes better conceptually than the other elemental pairing, little things just didn't work for me. I guess my only issue with this piece is I feel you two tried to do too much. Some things in your back story just didn't seem to flow.....you know, I'm just not entirely sure what it was for me. I do like where you went with the designs, I liked the flowing airy nature of Gale's clothes vs the more street, punk type look of Quake. If I have any suggestions it would be to clarify more whether if they're magic users or what. The geokinesis and aerokinesis made me think just traditional superhero powers, but then you had the glowing sigils and such associated with magic in most comic books.....*shrugs* Again, there was nothing wrong with this piece per se, I just felt concept wise you were trying a little too hard to find something that works. The basic contrast is a plenty good start for the duo, don't worry so much about the details in your overall premise. I do think they could be an effective duo in an actual comic book. Especially if they were more magic oriented. I don't know, I kinda love the idea of the more elegant Gale with classical, ritualistic air magic juxtaposed with Quake's more street, urban, charms, totems or even curses. Just a thought. Again though, I just kinda am left with the feeling that you two weren't entirely sure what you wanted these two to be. I do think they have a lot of potential though. They are a very cool idea. And I do like angle of the bounty hunters who don't like each other, but always have the other's back.

(Err, split in two posts cuz it was two long, lol.)

Kalen O.

04-22-2008, 02:35 PM

(And continued, because I am verbose, hear me rattle on and on....oh shut up, Andres).

The Vapid and the Vamp - LOL. Okay, I shamelessly loved this. There's not really a lot to say about it, because yeah, design wise, you had everything you needed, and that wasn't much. These two could have any look you wanted, really, the strength is in the premise. Vampire crimefighters are a dime a dozen, but an undead drag queen and her reluctant air-head heiress sidekick? Sheer comedy gold. Of course, I don't know that this would have a ton of mainstream potential, at least not at first. It IS a pretty niche concept. But then, I suspect you know that, and its not at all a bad thing. Niche concepts, while catering to a smaller crowd, tend to be the ones that develop devoted followings and get labeled cult classics. After all, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was once a niche concept catering to a very select crowd, and she's doing A-OK these days. Very cool idea, you two. I'd definitely read this.

Fly By Night and Nighty Night - You had me at Dracula's teeth being artifacts of occult power, LOL. Very cool premise with a neat twist to get rid of the usual vampire hero origins. The designs are simple and efficient, not requiring a lot of fanfare. I particularly like the wings, slightly horned mask on Charlie, and that you went with gray and purple rather than the more expected black and red. I love the father/daughter dynamic and the fact that Charlie's heroic origin is the very simple, human agenda of trying to be a better role model for his daughter. I would try to place this duo in either the Marvel or DC universe, except I can't really, as they don't quite seem to fit.....instead, they seem more a blend of the Big Two's ideologies and design trends, and as such, quite original. Excellent work again.

Halifax and Langholmen - I have to be honest. I do love the designs and the overall concept, but I just can't seem to grasp the 'duo'. Like, I mean.....they both have a great look, and there's a lot of potential in their origin....but I wonder if they were the right choice for THIS particular entry. Nothing about them really grabs me as saying this needed to be a partnership to work, rather than just one character. Course, not all comic duos do stand out as being a necessary partnership. Hawkeye and Mockingbird come to mind.....both work equally well on their own, nothing says they HAVE to be a duo, and yet they work well together as one based on the strength of their stories and interaction. It's the same here.....there's nothing to say they WOULDN'T make an effective duo, and their stories could easily prove them the next Batman and Robin.....but based just on the initial premise, nothing about them tells me why their needed to be two of them rather than just one character with this background. Yes, they're brothers, but they don't contrast like Shock and Awe, they aren't a blend of elements like Dorothy and Tin Man, they don't have a quickly recognizable dynamic like Fly by Night and Nighty Night. Who takes the lead, who follows? What does one bring to the table that the other doesn't? Again, I don't want you to get the wrong idea....I DO like them, and think they have a lot of potential....I just think for the purposes of this particular entry, we needed to see more contrast and individuality for the two, in order for them to really stand out amongst the other entries. But I am intrigued enough that I DO want to know more about their sibling dynamic, and it is a fun concept, one I could see working well as say, an Image title, amongst other younger, family oriented heroes with quirky origins like Invincible, Firebreather, Dynamo 5, etc.

Shock and Awe - I love the initial concept of this, I just wanted more! LOL. Shock and Awe make for a great dichotomy/duology concept wise, and its quickly identifiable just like Cloak and Dagger, Hawk and Dove, etc. The premise speaks for itself. The fact that you could sum up in one line everything we needed to know attests to that. Again, I just wanted more. Who are these twins, why are their powers reliant on each other, etc, etc. You went for a very basic concept, and those are usually the best. But fleshing it out more only could have helped you. I do get the feeling that you guys were rushed, and I think in the future, projects like this do deserve more time. And your concept again, is plenty strong already. As for design wise....again, I get that you were going for simple, basic, nothing to clutter it up, and I can appreciate that....I'm just not sure if it was the right approach for characters titled Shock and Awe. I LIKE the modern look. But I would think that a character named Awe, at least, could pull off a flashier, more attention getting costume. He WANTS people to look at him, wants them to look in his eyes so his power can work, right? A basic black costume doesn't seem like the most effective look for someone with his powerset. But again, just a thought, its your design after all. From an audience perspective though, I love the concept, liked the designs, could easily see this duo gracing the pages of a mainstream superhero title....I just wanted more. These are characters with a concept that deserves more meat to it, and a look that demands attention, IMO.

But dudes, seriously, great job everyone. Way impressed with all of these, and I have no idea how I'm going to vote. I'll probably end up going with whichever of my favorite four needs the vote most.

Shade101

04-22-2008, 03:02 PM

Thanks for the comment Kalen!

pryde15

04-22-2008, 03:11 PM

Thanks for the comment Kalen!

agreed :biggrin:

I love reading comments about my designs! lol.

The one thing I must say about Gale, I wish I had cloud hair :frown:

Your Imaginary Pal

04-22-2008, 03:12 PM

Thanks Kalen.
I appreciate the synopsis.
Sorry for being more carbs than protein.
As for the meat and potatoes, at least the potatoes are well seasoned...right, Right?

Swashbuckler gald we're close to your heart. don't look too close into Awe's eyes though, or you'll be under our control.
Hope you like dancing naked in nursing homes.

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 03:36 PM

I absolutely love Hi-Fi and WhiteRose's entry, "Dorothy and the Tin-Man".
It just seems like something I would trip over myself trying to get to the store to buy.

You guys really, REALLY made something special. Excellent job, both of you.

--Dazz

Slam_Bradley

04-22-2008, 03:41 PM

While a number of the entries "meshed" well, ultimately I felt this one came down to...is one of these pairs a good enough concept that I'd buy a book to try it out. I'd definitely buy Dorothy and the Tin Man based on the concept and design alone.

Thus the vote.

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 04:18 PM

I think I also have to say that The Vapid and the Vamp's story made me laugh out loud about forty five times in a row. I'd TOTALLY buy that book, too. The irreverent humor is about as funny and awesome as it gets!

--Dazz

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 04:27 PM

dazzler and escapegoat - you concept is fun and can work across all kinds of superhero stories, from younger readers to the darker, PG-13 stuff. For this, you got my vote.

Thank you very much, Indigo Al! We worked very hard to get the story just right (thank God escapegoat was there!), and I think we got it to a point where it worked on several different levels. I appreciate the vote!

--Dazz

Hi-Fi

04-22-2008, 04:33 PM

WOO HOO! Just had a bit of a milestone moment that I wanted to share...

I just walked into the local Barnes and Noble (This was no coincidence bu the way) and saw my book (BIRTH) on the shelf for the first time!!!!! It was pretty damn cool, i gotta admit.

I am also trying to rally some people to request my book Novo be carried in their local shop. Novo is in april previews for another week and I get so nervous about the purchase order. just check my signature for the order code.

thanks guys for letting me have a soap box for a minute!!
Congrats!

Dorothy and the Tin Man - Hands down the best work from either of you to date. This concept is really just brilliant. For starters, I love the angle of almost the anti-villain, to the two of them. Comics have plenty of anti-heroes, people who do the wrong things for the right reasons, but the reverse of people doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is in far less supply. I love the initial self serving motivations. Your designs are very simple and concept appropriate, but I think what really sold me on this piece was the little gold heart pinned on the Tin Man's lapel. So simple, subtle and understated....and above all, very professional. That to me, more than anything else sums up the whole concept and piece, and tells me that you're confident in your premise. You didn't overload on design elements, you didn't try and throw in a lot of unnecessary props to make it work, there's nothing gimmicky about these two....they're just very efficient, well thought out designs. I can tell that this was a very natural, organic concept that just grew between the two of you, rather than something you threw together trying to make anything work. And that says a lot. I could easily see this a Vertigo lineup or something like that, next to Fables or Y: The Last Man - a simple, organic concept that doesn't rely on a lot of dressing up, and sells on the strength of the premise. Again, excellent work, both of you.

Thanks, Kalen. You probably realized by now that your opinion means a lot to me. I really appreciate it.

Indeed, it grew organically and naturally. I was amazed at how well we worked together.

I absolutely love Hi-Fi and WhiteRose's entry, "Dorothy and the Tin-Man".
It just seems like something I would trip over myself trying to get to the store to buy.

You guys really, REALLY made something special. Excellent job, both of you.

--Dazz
Thanks, "that Dazzler person". :tongue:

Right back atcha! Yours and escapegoat's entry is full of FUN.

While a number of the entries "meshed" well, ultimately I felt this one came down to...is one of these pairs a good enough concept that I'd buy a book to try it out. I'd definitely buy Dorothy and the Tin Man based on the concept and design alone.

Thus the vote.
Thanks! WhiteRose, maybe we should pitch the idea! :eek:

Solaris

04-22-2008, 04:35 PM

...
Taur and Sage - Very interesting concepts, but I'm not entirely sure I'm sold on the duo. First off, I do love the designs. The costumes mesh well together and I love the characters' fantastical looks. Your premise was well plotted and engaging, and I'm a sucker for mythical creatures so the minotaur and centaur designs went over well with me. My only concern is I'm not entirely sure they go together. I get and agree with everything you said about the contrasts, the male and female, both half human, etc, etc. But you lose me at the attempted meshing of the earth and fire signs. Based on the other elements of the piece, I feel like you'd have been better served pairing Sage with a water sign like Aquarius. Pryde and Shade did something similar with Quake and Gale, and I have to confess I think it works better for them conceptually, because well, earth and sky contrast better than earth and fire. That said, I think I get why you chose the taurus match to Sage rather than going with a water sign, as it seems you wanted the nonhuman look to both your duo, and none of the other Zodiac signs stand out that way as much as those two. And that's a valid choice. But since instead of just going with a case of opposites like some of the other contestants did, you picked two out of a group of twelve, its almost inevitable that people aren't going to look at them and wonder if they were the best pair possible out of your twelve choices. So my thought is I wonder if it would help to simply tweak your origin a little....and instead of simply having the two of them be selected for their quest, maybe make them part of a team of Zodiac based heroes? And something happens so they're the two stuck doing the job? I don't know, I just feel that maybe the pairing would work a little better if storywise they're paired off because of situation rather than design. *Shrugs* Just a thought. Anyways, I still feel this is one of the concepts with the most potential, based on your designs and back story. I think this could work very well as a book aimed at kids and younger audiences. The art and look works very well for that demographic, and nonhuman heroes and fantastic mythological backgrounds go over well with them too. All in all, a very nice piece.

Thank you for the review, I loved it. :smile: Re: Earth and Fire, I don't know about 'kiss, but I was thinking "Volcano," which is a combination of Earth, and Fire, and quite... powerful.

We swapped ideas back and forth. I liked his idea for "mythological" and one other idea, he opted for "myth" and I happily agreed, because it suited both of us. His idea were the Minotaur and Centaur; it was my idea to then tie that in to Astrological Signs (I gave him a brief overview of what personality traits and Elements the signs represented), and he liked it, so we went with it. I agree that the concept would likely work well with younger audiences---I can remember reading some of the "Animorphs" stories along with my girls. :smile:

Thanks so much, and I'm glad you liked our ideas and work!

Solaris

04-22-2008, 04:36 PM

Congrats!

Thanks, Kalen. You probably realized by now that your opinion means a lot to me. I really appreciate it.

Indeed, it grew organically and naturally. I was amazed at how well we worked together.

Thanks, "that Dazzler person". :tongue:

Right back atcha! Yours and escapegoat's entry is full of FUN.

Thanks! WhiteRose, maybe we should pitch the idea! :eek:

Honestly, maybe you should! It's a fun concept and look, maybe something that Alan Moore would do. I love it. :smile:

snarkbunny

04-22-2008, 04:43 PM

All of the entries were terrific

I voted for Affinity & atoningunifex's THE VAPID & THE VAMP because I love "odd couple" pairings, and I really like the comedic potential here.

That being said, it was a really tough choice over DOROTHY & TIN-MAN .

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 04:47 PM

Thanks, "that Dazzler person". :tongue:

Right back atcha! Yours and escapegoat's entry is full of FUN.

LOL!! Oh my God, that seriously is the best thing I've EVER been called on this board, and I've been called everything from an indie self-loathing homo to the scum of the Earth.

Somehow, "that Dazzler person" is the king winnah!

And thank you!

--Dazz

WhiteRose

04-22-2008, 04:56 PM

Congrats!

Thanks, Kalen. You probably realized by now that your opinion means a lot to me. I really appreciate it.

Indeed, it grew organically and naturally. I was amazed at how well we worked together.

Thanks, "that Dazzler person". :tongue:

Right back atcha! Yours and escapegoat's entry is full of FUN.

Thanks! WhiteRose, maybe we should pitch the idea! :eek:

*dances*

That's all I can really do here. *dances some more*

Thank you for all the kind and wonderful feedback we've received so far, everyone! It's such a rush to see something that you fall in love with while creating it appeal to so many so quickly. Thank you again!

*Hi-fives Hi-Fi*

DubipR

04-22-2008, 05:31 PM

I voted for Affy and Atoning's Vamp and the Vapid team.
They had me a undead drag queen.

Dorthy and Tin-Man was a brilliant executed concept, doing the 40s girl reporter and the noir detective.

Everyone brought their A-game big time.

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 05:41 PM

LewMoxinsghost

04-22-2008, 05:51 PM

Hmmm I think I'll suspend my critique until voting is closed on my work over in the sequential challenge thread here. (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=218423) (link is within CBR) Go check it out if'n you haven't yet.
.. nice job ever-bodee. :smile:

Pól Rua

04-22-2008, 07:06 PM

When I read that one of the duos was 'Dorothy and the Tin Man', I cringed.
There have been LOTS of Wizard of Oz pastiches over the years, and a lot of them have been pretty bland. It usually takes some really good work to overcome this initial negativity from me.
Congratulations, a great concept very well executed. Definitely characters I'd love to read about.

Mitsaso

04-22-2008, 08:50 PM

I was TORN between "Dorothy and Tin-Man" and "Vapid and the Vamp"...!

In the end, the Wizard of Oz reference had me...!:redface:

But, really, AWESOME job, Finny and Atoningflex!

The Grand Dutchess

04-22-2008, 08:51 PM

Well duh, the undead drag queen and her fierce Paris Hilton-y sidekick get my vote!:cool:

That idea is full of win!

lockerogue

04-22-2008, 08:54 PM

I love Quake and Gale.

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 09:13 PM

I love Quake and Gale.

I'm sorry, I just had to quote you to tell you your avatar and by-line made me laugh unexpectedly.

--Dazz

Dazzler

04-22-2008, 09:17 PM

Fly By Night and Nighty Night - You had me at Dracula's teeth being artifacts of occult power, LOL. Very cool premise with a neat twist to get rid of the usual vampire hero origins. The designs are simple and efficient, not requiring a lot of fanfare. I particularly like the wings, slightly horned mask on Charlie, and that you went with gray and purple rather than the more expected black and red. I love the father/daughter dynamic and the fact that Charlie's heroic origin is the very simple, human agenda of trying to be a better role model for his daughter. I would try to place this duo in either the Marvel or DC universe, except I can't really, as they don't quite seem to fit.....instead, they seem more a blend of the Big Two's ideologies and design trends, and as such, quite original. Excellent work again.

Sorry, Kalen, I didn't see this until now. I'm not all with it lately.
Thank you very much for the critique and the kind words. The way you describe our design is really very much in the vein (no pun intended) of what we were trying to do, so there's no bigger compliment than that! I love that you love the teeth idea...All i could come up with was a big rock that belonged to Vlad the Impaler. Luckily, escapegoat was there to come up with something much less...stupid. ;)

--Dazz

pryde15

04-22-2008, 09:19 PM

I love Quake and Gale.

Yay! Thanks :biggrin:

escapegoat

04-22-2008, 10:52 PM

I have to say that this challenge was scary to me, but I'm glad it happened. Escapegoat was easy to work with, what I call a great team leader, and I'm proud of the product we put out. I was, and still am, happy I got partnered with him because every challenge we've had, I think he puts a HUGE amount of thought and effort into his work.

So, thanks escapegoat! You're teh awesome. :)

--Dazz

Awww shucks! Thanks.
I haveta say this has been the funnest round so far in this competition. I'm just glad you dug the concept and threw in some great stuff into Fly by Night, who was pretty much a blank slate for me character-wise. I felt we really worked well as a team, our styles meshed well together, and it was a pleasure working with ya.

-Eg

Hi-Fi

04-23-2008, 10:00 AM

Honestly, maybe you should! It's a fun concept and look, maybe something that Alan Moore would do. I love it. :smile:
Did you just... did you just say it was something Alan Moore would do? Thanks, Sol! :cool:

All of the entries were terrific

I voted for Affinity & atoningunifex's THE VAPID & THE VAMP because I love "odd couple" pairings, and I really like the comedic potential here.

That being said, it was a really tough choice over DOROTHY & TIN-MAN .
Thank you. And yeah, Vapid and Vamp are amazing. I wanna see some Vapid & Vamp Vs Quake & Gale fan art!

*dances*

That's all I can really do here. *dances some more*

Thank you for all the kind and wonderful feedback we've received so far, everyone! It's such a rush to see something that you fall in love with while creating it appeal to so many so quickly. Thank you again!

*Hi-fives Hi-Fi*
*Hi-fives!* :biggrin:

Dorthy and Tin-Man was a brilliant executed concept, doing the 40s girl reporter and the noir detective.
Thanks!

When I read that one of the duos was 'Dorothy and the Tin Man', I cringed.
There have been LOTS of Wizard of Oz pastiches over the years, and a lot of them have been pretty bland. It usually takes some really good work to overcome this initial negativity from me.
Congratulations, a great concept very well executed. Definitely characters I'd love to read about.
Thank you for the kind words! We really appreciate it.

I was TORN between "Dorothy and Tin-Man" and "Vapid and the Vamp"...!

In the end, the Wizard of Oz reference had me...!:redface:

But, really, AWESOME job, Finny and Atoningflex!
Thanks, Mitsy!

And thank you to everybody who voted for us. We couldn't be more happier right now.

The Tyrant Virus

04-23-2008, 10:02 AM

Here are my quick thoughts on the entries:

Hikaru and the Professor
I love the concept and backstory. Individually, the designs are both rather good, and together their contrast fits the concept fantastically.

Dorothy and Tin Man
I like the concept, a lot of thought was put into it. I think the designs are appealing in general, fit the concept, and teamwork is apparent, but they are just kind of bland to me. Not bad, just not very exciting.

Taur and Sage
I really love the conformity of the designs. Collaboration and coordination is immediately recognizable. They are both good designs separately and together. The concept is not bad, it's just not something that I would generally be interested in.

Thundertank and Skyquake
Out of all the entries, I really think this one exemplifies the challenge to the fullest extent. Everything about it screams teamwork. The designs, the concept, the color palette. It's easy to see that a lot of work went into making the designs individually distinct yet instantly recognizable as a duo. The only thing that I think is less than fantastic is that the concept is a little bit generic, but based on the visual aspect I would give it a chance.

Quake and Gale
Individually, I think the designs are good. I'm not sure they compliment each other necessarily, however. Then again, based on the concept, this is likely intentional. I really liked the back story, and I'd more than likely be interested in reading more.

Vapid and the Vamp
The concept here was interesting to say the least, quite different than the other entries. I can't really say that this is quite my taste. I like the designs though, they are quite different, but somehow they seem to fit together nicely.

Fly by Night and Nighty Night
I love the designs here. They look like they belong together, though my only complaint is that Nighty Night doesn't have any black/dark gray to match Fly by Night, although the reasoning behind this I think is explained in the concept. I think the concept here is the strongest and most intriguing. I would read this series in an instant. The teamwork is quite apparent here, as well.

Halifax and Langholmen
I like the back story a lot, it really seems like a potentially fun series. I admire the uniformity of their designs, the fact that the general look is very cool helps, though they may be just a tad too similar. Still, a very solid team effort that shows.

Shock & Awe
Since there's not much of a concept to go on, I'll just say that the designs are suitable, but mildly generic. Not bad, just a bit forgettable overall.

I just have to say that there are no bad entries. I like them all, for one reason or another. Some just really, really stand out.

I haven't decided who to vote for yet, but my main contenders are Thundertank & Skyquake, Fly by Night & Nighty Night, Halifax and Langholmen, and the Mystic Scions. I have a very tough decision ahead of me.

ZacharyLovesYou

04-23-2008, 12:17 PM

Looks like it's curtains...

deanlegion

04-23-2008, 12:36 PM

It was a lot of fun working with captainbosh on our duo. Very smooth and easygoing even with all the challenges that come from working under these conditions. I love Skyquake and Thundertank! I could completely see them as real comic book/cartoon characters with all the merchandise and fanfare that comes along with it. Furthermore, I think boys AND girls would like them. I don't care what rude people like Swashbuckler have to say!

Yes, everyone in the competition "brought it!"

Hikaru and The Professor
A lot of fun! I would be really interested in reading/watching their adventures. Hikaru looks like she could be the little sister to Skyquake and Thundertank.

Dorothy and the Tin-Man
Congratulations on the popularity of this duo! Really clever idea and charming designs.

Taur and Sage
Very cool. The designs work well together. It'd be fun to see the world they live in. I'm sure something wild would be going on all the time.

Quake and Gale
Very sexy ladies! Fan art is on its way soon, trust me.

Vapid and Vamp
So fun. This one needs to be made into a tv show. A sure hit! Fan art has already been done. Find the "deanlegion's art" thread. I'd like to see what would happen if these two "borrowed" the Thundertank and Skyquake mech suits!

Fly by Night and Nighty Night
Something like this was my first thought when we were given this challenge. I think they're classics.

Halifax and Langholmen
Although I thought End of Time was a bit rude in the challenge thread, I do understand the concerns. However, the design turned out very well, so the product exceeded the process.

Shock and Awe
Again, we came to learn that there were some definite challenges to get this done, and that mostly showed in the description. These two remind me of characters from the Legion, like Lightning Lad and Lightning Lass... or XS and Impulse. So of course, I like them.

All that said, I'm not sure who I'll give my vote to, yet. I'll probably wait til the last minute.

escapegoat

04-23-2008, 12:59 PM

Sorry, Kalen, I didn't see this until now. I'm not all with it lately.
...All i could come up with was a big rock that belonged to Vlad the Impaler. Luckily, escapegoat was there to come up with something much less...stupid. ;)

--Dazz

The only time a rock's ever been cool was during the Charlie Brown Halloween special...... :tongue:

atoningunifex

04-23-2008, 02:09 PM

Vapid and Vamp
So fun. This one needs to be made into a tv show. A sure hit! Fan art has already been done. Find the "deanlegion's art" thread. I'd like to see what would happen if these two "borrowed" the Thundertank and Skyquake mech suits!

Vapid would stomp paparazzi. Hard.

But Vamp wouldn't get anywhere near anything that orange. It's just not her color. :)

Shade101

04-23-2008, 03:37 PM

There's so many that I like! You all can be sure that I'll have my vote in before midnight! I love you guys!!

pryde15

04-23-2008, 03:38 PM

thanks for the comments guys, me & shade are thankful :biggrin:

mattbib

04-23-2008, 03:48 PM

About 17 hours left of voting, viewers! Don't forget to support your favorite.

Aljira

04-23-2008, 03:49 PM

Hikaru and the Professor - To be honest, even though Aljira and Marvelboy are two of my favorite designers in the competition, this didn't grab me at first. But on second thought, I loved it. The big strength obviously, is in its concept. The best comic duos each bring something different to the partnership, both in similarities and contrasts, and the juxtaposition of the old and the new here really sold me. The ahead of his time Professor's origin and steam engine inventions, and particularly your ideas on how such old fashioned technology could be a boon in the future is fantastic. Pairing him up with a jaded techno-based thief of the future was brilliant. My only initial problem with this piece was at a first look, design wise, the two don't really mesh well. The strength of the premise more than makes up for that, but my only thought would be perhaps tone down Hikari's armor a bit, or at least get rid of the helmet. The armor, while very futuristic and interesting in design, is a bit bulkier than seems practical for a thief in any century. Or at least.....hmmm, I don't know. I just feel the real strength of this concept is the generational gap of the two characters, in design, time period AND age. I think it would really help for us to have more of a look at Hikari, keep her head helmet-free, to really show and offset her youth next to the Professor's age, or else just make her armor a little more sleek or stream-lined. Again, just a possibility. Regardless, I think this concept has a ton of potential. It straddles a lot of lines comfortably, and I could see it working equally well as a comic or a manga, or even a cartoon. Really excellent job, both of you.

Hikaru and the Professor
I love the concept and backstory. Individually, the designs are both rather good, and together their contrast fits the concept fantastically.

Hikaru and The Professor
A lot of fun! I would be really interested in reading/watching their adventures. Hikaru looks like she could be the little sister to Skyquake and Thundertank.

a liitle sister she is. maybe we can do a crossover of some sort...it'd be fun to see your high-tech creations...and vampire RuPaul...

manga/anime it is, mr. Kalen O. i've been watchin a lot of those lately. (does anyone here watch anime too?) when marvelboy suggested that his character be this time travellin' steampunk guy, i completely went anime crazy. ya have ta admit, that story is anime material. as for the armour, it's actually lightweight and has great camouflage abilities...but it does look bulky...but then again, she carries a LOT of stuff (from ammunition to life-support stuff)

i knew marvelboy was a very busy man...that's why when he suggested that time travelling thing, that meant each of us doing our own thing and that would really speed up everything. all we have to do next is create a really cool backstory to make it believable.

as for hikaru without her helmet... here's a smaller version of the sketch i did of Hikaru Ivanovna Satou when she was 15...before everything started...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2437502782_47447772a1.jpg

i'm gonna have ta color this soon...

bakla

04-23-2008, 04:08 PM

I have to say I was more torn with all these entries. I didn't love all the duos for some reason or other, and in the end, I voted for marvelboy & aljira because I loved Hikaru's armor design - must be because I'm watching so much anime myself. But I love how tech it looks yet somewhat organic, and I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. So that's my vote. My second fave rendering is Affinity's Vapid - she looks SO her name!

Affinity

04-23-2008, 04:39 PM

Thanks for all the comments and the votes; I'm so, so proud of our collaboration. Seriously, I could not have gotten a better partner to work with. It was so much FUN, which is what really made me enjoy it even more over any of the other challenges.

We clicked so well and Chad's a lot funnier than I remembered. I'd say all of the challenges so far have really been holding him back; not an insult at Matt, it's just I think Chad really brings it when he's not constrained as much.

I've done some art for Vapid and the Vamp! I'll put them up in the Play Along At Home thread when voting is over.

Aljira

04-23-2008, 05:02 PM

there's no doubt about it... Hi-Fi & WhiteRose! congratulations!!!!

the Oz thing made me listen to Wicked all over again...

Shade101

04-23-2008, 05:18 PM

Thank you. And yeah, Vapid and Vamp are amazing. I wanna see some Vapid & Vamp Vs Quake & Gale fan art!

Pssch! Quake and Gale would own! Just so you know, Quake is a powerhouse too. She saps energy from the earth to augment her strength and senses. So you best come correct if you wanna tangle with Quake!

Solaris

04-23-2008, 05:52 PM

Pssch! Quake and Gale would own! Just so you know, Quake is a powerhouse too. She saps energy from the earth to augment her strength and senses. So you best come correct if you wanna tangle with Quake!

So does Taur... and with the inexhaustible energy and regeneration it gives him... ha. :tongue: That idea was actually based on Celtic Myth... something Guy Gavriel Kay referred to in his "Fionavar" trilogy.

Sage's fire in head and tail was, I unashamedly confess, based on the idea of prehensile hair. (I had a character once with that ability.) Horses constantly flick their tails, hitting flies and anything else annoying---I thought, "what if it was a magical fire that could burn her enemies?" Extra weapon! And since collar ought to match cuff :wink:, if her head hair could also flame, at least it would make reaching for her neck, or trying to hit her in the face or head, tougher for anyone using their hands/fists (that fire is hot enough to melt metal in a few minutes, both tail and head).

EDIT: Why do I suddenly feel like a Rumbler? :wink: Hee.

pryde15

04-23-2008, 05:58 PM

Jack Flash

04-23-2008, 07:24 PM

I really loved all of these! I was torn between three and 2 of those have loads of votes. I love me some Blue Devil. He's one of my faves and these designs were just fun, so I went with Spidey and End Of Time! Maybe this will be a non-elimination round!?!? Are there such things? *Crosses fingers!*

Shade101

04-23-2008, 07:34 PM

Don't forget Gale! lol. She might be alittle crazy, but she would kick ass!

Yeah! Gale has...cloud hair...and stuff. Lol!

atoningunifex

04-23-2008, 08:34 PM

atoningunifex

04-23-2008, 08:42 PM

We clicked so well and Chad's a lot funnier than I remembered. I'd say all of the challenges so far have really been holding him back; not an insult at Matt, it's just I think Chad really brings it when he's not constrained as much.

I have been waiting for a challenge where I could let my Chadness show a little bit. The challenges so far have been very well thought out, but I really enjoyed that the restriction in this challenge wasn't in the character design itself but rather in the working situation.

And, man, getting Affinity as a partner was the best damn thing that could have happened for me. He brings fun, intelligence and energy.

This challenge has really invigorated me. I've been spending a lot of time thinking and pondering and worrying at things, but working with Affinity on this challenge has really loosened me up. Just seeing his enthusiasm and his manic energy at play inspires.

I actually don't want to see anyone eliminated. I want the challenges to keep going forever so I can see what we all come up with.

AnkaleRa

04-23-2008, 09:02 PM

Solaris

04-23-2008, 10:04 PM

Power this, power that.....

Come on, kids, like there's a super power in the universe that can overcome the withering destructive gaze of an undead drag queen who has just noticed that you're wearing spandex........

...b-b-but, I *Flame*! She'd LOVE me!

:wink:

(And to anyone who doesn't know me well enough, I'm bi, and yes, that was a joke.:biggrin:)

Shade101

04-23-2008, 10:05 PM

That's it! It's time to take this fight to the rumbles!!

Dazzler

04-23-2008, 10:31 PM

Now Now kids....ALL your superheroes are bad mamma jammas. Who wants Ovaltine?

:D

--Dazz

Pól Rua

04-23-2008, 10:35 PM

I want Milo, if that counts.

escapegoat

04-23-2008, 11:10 PM

Well, I wasn't terribly impressed by all of the entries this time around. A couple I think hit the mark very well.

My faves were:
-White Rose and Hi-Fi's Tin Man and Dorothy
-Chad and Finny's Vamp and Vapid
-Dazzler and Escapegoat's Fly by Night and Nighty night

I'm gonna hold off on my vote for now though.

Oddly enough, I totally agree with AnkaleRa on this round. It was a fun and exciting round to partake in. Some of the designs on an individual level were good, but I felt not many of them worked out as a team to me. My faves actaully match his faves ('course I'm a little biased cause my team's on the list :tongue: ).
White Rose and Hi-Fi definitely belong at the top, and I'll vote for them tomorrow if they need it to stay on top.

-Eg

red-handed

04-23-2008, 11:18 PM

Oh dear lords, I see everybody "brought it" AGAIN. Wow. This is going to be really tough on the voters. :biggrin:

That is too true...
The designs are fantastic
It looks as though some of you were actually
in the same room drawing them together...

My top three are In npo...
Pryde15 and Shade 101's Quake and Gale
love the whole idea behind it
magic is cool and those boots are 2DF...

Danlegion and Captainbosh's THUNDERTANK and SKYQUAKE
Excellent designs
I swear this is one of the images where it looked as though
you two were in the same room
not too mention exosuits rock....

Your Imaginary Pal and ZacharyLovesYou's Shock and Awe
Hello the name alone should get votes
Not to mention you can never have too many twins
and the costumes really say team

good job all around

howyadoin

04-24-2008, 01:08 AM

This just sparked some insane giggling on my part.

Nice work, kids.

AnkaleRa

04-24-2008, 01:28 AM

In the end I went with the Vamp and the Vapid. I guess I just have a special place in my heart for undead drag queens and their lovely heiress partners. Go figure. :P

Tre Styles

04-24-2008, 02:05 AM

This was definitely a fun round. I had fun reading the backstories, and of course the designs are off the chains. It was good to see an actual teamwork challenge (the first in Project CBRunway history I think...) and it sparked more than a few interesting ideas. I really liked the creativity I saw here, and reminded me of great comic writer/artists team ups, which is a really good way to promote all of what a good comic book designer can be a part. Can you work as a team, come up with a concept that people will want to read about, and give cool visuals? All of these were questions that went through my mind when I voted. Several entries stood out to me.
One such was Thundertank and Skyquake, the names initially drew me, but the backstory was pretty amazing. I actually see this as being more of like a GI Joe cartoon for some reason, but it was cool, and the mecha armor was a sweet design, and the use of the color orange was definitely different. Hikaru and the Professor were another design that was really well thought out, and the adventures in timesteam seem to be a cool idea, although the mech and the steamengine costumes don't really yell "partnership" to me, the concept is different enough so that it works.
Dorthy and the Tin Man was a fun little idea, and a nice play on the Oz angle of things, it just didn't grab my personal taste quite enough to say that it would be something I would really want to read. Not to mean that it wasn't good, because in fact, it's great, and there's obviously an audience for it.
Taur and Sage are a great visual, and I especially love Taur's battle axe hand. They remind me of He-Man or She-Ra characters for some reason though. The backstory is cool though, although I'm not too heavy into the cosmic magical all powerful characters, the concepts are just enough to grab me.
Vapid and the Vamp, just plain hilariousness, which I expected from Atoning and Fin. Something that just would be a humorous buddy buddy book, and I can see it's own special audience.
Fly-By-Night and Nighty Night, are a very dynamic duo in their own right, but the backstory puts a real wild twist on it. The costumes are very in synch with each other, and instantly say "partnership". A pretty nice idea.
Halifax and Langhomen, are a cool viusal in one sense, and do have a sense of cohesion that was obviously due to the two collaborators on this one.
Shock and Awe have a great duo design, but more backstory would've helped with this one. I know it was meant to be kept simple, but I want more.

In the end, I thought the entry that was the most intriguing to me was Quake and Gale. I was drawn into it by the visuals ( a good thing), loving the design and style sense, (Quake especially), I loved the origin story. I liked the idea of pairing the earth and wind element characters together instead of the fire and ice as usually seen. It met the criteria of my checklist. Characters I would want to read about? Check. Visually stimulating? Check. Did the collaborators work as a team? Check. Not to say the other competitors in this competition didn't meet all of these, but some, I knew were going to get the votes regardless, and others didn't really meet my own criteria, which is how I was going to vote. Quake and Gale stole the show for me. I love them, and yes, some fan art is definitely on the way. lol.

I still think everyone did an absolutely amazing job. This was probably a hard one for some, but maybe easier for others. Again, it was good to see the team up concepts in action here. I don't want to see anyone go because you all are some of the most dynamic, fun, and creative people ever.:cool: