Thursday, July 06, 2006

Gender Reassignment Challenge: Marvel Girl To Marvel Boy

With the Gender Reassignment Challenge, I redesign an existing superheroine costume for a superhero. I see how many elements of the original costume I can retain without making the new costume seem feminine. This time out, I chose Marvel Girl, in her Neal Adams design costume.



I figured she'd be an interesting choice. I mean, she's in a dress, for heaven's sake!

To my thinking, putting Marvel Boy in a skirt of some kind, like a kilt of what-have-you, wasn't really an option. It was too "out there" for the character, in my mind. And just putting him in trunks didn't seem to carry over the flavor of the skirt. Especially since I'd feel compelled to add some kind of top, with a neckline and sleeves that mimicked the ones on the dress, just so it wouldn't be a total cop-out. And as long-time readers know, I freakin' hate long sleeves with bare thighs. So here's what I did instead:



Why yes, it is a Nehru jacket! Thank you for playing along at home. But I'd prefer to call it by one of its other names: a Jodhpuri coat. It sounds less tacky that way. The beauty part of the Jodhpuri coat (if you ask me) is its completely straight, level hemline, which at about the same level as the hemline on Marvel Girl's dress. I kept the Marvel Girl's kooky mask, although I was tempted to go simpler when I realized it got in the way of Marvel Boy's shaggy bangs. (Okay, so I could have chosen two better words to end that sentence, but I'm in a time crunch here. Try to work with me.) I had Marvel Boy wear his boots over his trousers so they'd stand out, and even though they wouldn't normally be worn like that with a Jodhpuri suit. But it's more superhero-ish this way! And I put Marvel Girl's X-buckle on a string of groovy love beads. They're way, way out! In more ways than one!

So, whaddaya think?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm curious, is he also wearing jodpuri pants, and when he is accidentally hit by Cyclops and his shirt is shredded will he look like Doc Savage? (run-on sentence, anyone?)

naladahc said...

This is great!

Anonymous said...

Groovy. No two ways about it. There aren't enough Carnaby Street superbeings.

Steven said...

BB,

is that, um, you in the Marvel Boy get-up?

Anonymous said...

I thought "Marvel Boy" looked familiar.
Looks like he's a backup in a rap video.

Jeremy Rizza said...

Kevin: I suppose he's wearing Jodhpuri pants, in the sense they look like the ones in the internet photos I saw. But they're not really jodhpurs like Doc Savage and Liberty Belle wore, with the big poofy bulges on the outside of the thighs. And I think he has a better haircut than Doc Savage. (Seriously, what was up with that shit? Fugly!)

Naladahc: Thanks!

Chawunky: Agreed.

Steven: Nope. I gave Marvel Boy a sweet-ass goatee because my original plan of giving him sweet-ass muttonchops was torpedoed by the pose I put him in. And I really wanted to use that classic Marvel Girl "I have a splitting headache; hey, what's that over there?" pose.

Abs: Golly, he kind of does!

Anonymous said...

Regarding the use of "Jodhpuri" vs. "Nehru" I'm going to have to paraphrase Dr. Julius Hibbert;

"And Hillbillies want to be called 'sons of the soil.' Ain't gonna happen . . ."

Jeremy Rizza said...

Dang.

Anonymous said...

I think it's one of your most successful redesigns. It's a funky homage to another era, yet it still feels fresh. It looks like something Mike Allred might come up with.