Chiang Reflects On New Gods, Greek Gods & "Wonder Woman"

[Comet Man]

Hm. Actually, I quite like the Jacket look for Orion (possibly one of the characters where it makes sense). It's a dichotomy between the more formal, mannered "civilized" look vs. the dark violence inside.

You make a good point with the dichotomy aspect of it, but he just looks like a guy in a motorcycle outfit with Orion's helmet. However, the first design screams ORION!

[Retro315]

I'm really stoked on the Orion II design. I still love the old design for sure. Heck, I love the crappy super-hero costume version of Orion. But the new look feels like Futurism with some modern sensibility and feels a lot more ... "New Genesis". Orion's old costume always felt to me a little monolithic. Appropriate yes because he's Darkseid's son, but you get the vibe if he grew up on New Genesis and was raised with Lightray and the rest, he'd dress a little slicker and want to wear their fashions and do things the opposite of Apokolips.

Anyway, certainly his fairly attractive New Genesis face here still conceals his true, rocky, craggy, ugly face, so fashionable space-biker design or not, none of it's skin-deep.

[cactusmaac]

Isn't Orion supposed to be a bit of an ugly bloke?

[Desaad]

I'm as big a stickler as anyone in existence when it comes to the New Gods, but I am LOVING that redesign. Simple, elegant, classic, it's everything it should be.

I really feel that the New Gods need to be redesigned and recontextualized for the modern day, not because there is anything wrong with what Kirby did but because we're over 3 decades hence now and the whole POINT of these characters is that they're meant to be relevant. What was relevant 35 years ago is not necessarily relevant today, aesthetically.

So excellent, excellent Orion redesign, and I wouldn't mind seeing Chiang take his pen and mind to the rest of the New Gods.

[Desaad]

Isn't Orion supposed to be a bit of an ugly bloke?

He is, but he hides it with Mother Box, which weaves photons together to create the mask of beauty you see around you. Helps him fit into New Genesis, and Earth.

One of the wonderful subtle bits of Simonson's Orion, I thought, was precisely that at a certain point he stopped hiding his face behind that mask; first as became corrupted by his darker tendencies, and then at the end because he had more fully embraced and controlled the side of his nature that came from Apokolips, and USED it. As the series progressed he became more and more like this father, even after he had been shaken out of his desire to 'forge the universe into one perfect whole' with the Anti-Life Equation.

Man I loved that series.

[Imraith Nimphais]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is the best book DC publishes. By far.

Chiang has quickly become one of my favorite artists, and I love his Orion design. Simply fantastic work.

The longer DC lets Azzarrello, Chiang and Akins do as they please on this title, the better.

Yeah...this ^^ too.

[Mr. Holmes]

I'm as big a stickler as anyone in existence when it comes to the New Gods, but I am LOVING that redesign. Simple, elegant, classic, it's everything it should be.

I really feel that the New Gods need to be redesigned and recontextualized for the modern day, not because there is anything wrong with what Kirby did but because we're over 3 decades hence now and the whole POINT of these characters is that they're meant to be relevant. What was relevant 35 years ago is not necessarily relevant today, aesthetically.

So excellent, excellent Orion redesign, and I wouldn't mind seeing Chiang take his pen and mind to the rest of the New Gods.

Yeah I'm so glad Chiang got to Orion before Jim Lee.

Love this design so much. So sleek and stylish, yet minimal.

[Comet Man]

I'm as big a stickler as anyone in existence when it comes to the New Gods, but I am LOVING that redesign. Simple, elegant, classic, it's everything it should be.

I really feel that the New Gods need to be redesigned and recontextualized for the modern day, not because there is anything wrong with what Kirby did but because we're over 3 decades hence now and the whole POINT of these characters is that they're meant to be relevant. What was relevant 35 years ago is not necessarily relevant today, aesthetically.

So excellent, excellent Orion redesign, and I wouldn't mind seeing Chiang take his pen and mind to the rest of the New Gods.

The thing is, what is it about the Orion I design by Chiang that doesn't say "simple, elegant, and classic"?

Nothing about it looks dated. It's just a classic and original look tweaked for today.

[Desaad]

The thing is, what is it about the Orion I design by Chiang that doesn't say "simple, elegant, and classic"?

It's exactly the same as the original, which was fine but always a little bland.

Nothing about it looks dated. It's just a classic and original look tweaked for today.

It's not that it's bad, it's that it's relatively boring.

[Desaad]

I really loved Simonson's redesign as well...






Tremendous stuff from the modern master.

[Comet Man]

It's exactly the same as the original, which was fine but always a little bland.



It's not that it's bad, it's that it's relatively boring.

Well this is where we'll have to agree to disagree.

1. It's not exactly same as the original. It's been minimally tweaked to look good for today.

2. I think the second design is much more bland and boring than the first one. It looks like a guy in a motorcycle outfit, whereas the first design looks more dramatic - more otherworldly.

[Desaad]

Well this is where we'll have to agree to disagree.

1. It's not exactly same as the original. It's been minimally tweaked to look good for today.

Minimally in the extreme, yes. Not enough to really distinguish itself.

2. I think the second design is much more bland and boring than the first one. It looks like a guy in a motorcycle outfit, whereas the first design looks more dramatic - more otherworldly.

We will have to agree to disagree. I honestly can't fathom how you could think it was more bland than the first redesign.

Maybe less to your tastes, but there is much more 'color', so to speak, to the second costume. That is, to me, undeniable even if you prefer the other.

And the New Gods aren't aliens. While a certain amount of majesty is important, I think connection to the real world is equally important.

[Comet Man]

I really loved Simonson's redesign as well...







Tremendous stuff from the modern master.

I like that one too, but that is more like the Chiang I design, and it still beats the Chiang II design IMO.

Now don't get me wrong. I do like the motorcycle design, but I just can't understand why the first design was rejected by management. To me it's just better.

[cactusmaac]

I prefer the second design - first one looks rather old hat.

[fanboiii]

I like the newer design but I wish it has the boots of the older design.

I can't believe some people think Chiang's art is bad.