Monday, July 10, 2006

Moral Realignment Challenge: The Flash And Murmur

How might Wally "The Flash" West look if he was a villain? And how might Murmur look if he was a hero? Let's see!



Excerpt from "DC Nation" in the back of all DC comics with a cover date of August 2006, on Earth-Bajillion:

"With the Trickster's heroic sacrifice in the pages of CRITICAL INFINITY, his legacy is in the hands of his mute former sidekick, MURMUR. But the grim, daring acrobat is about to find out that for every legacy hero, there's a legacy villain! And there's none deadlier than the new Flash! Bigger -- and faster -- than his late namesake, this Flash is a brutal drug lord who's determined to rule Peripheral City. Is Murmur agile enough to defeat the fastest thug alive? Or will he end up as a stain on Flash's boots? Geoff Johns and Cully Hamner provide the answer in the pages of MURMUR.

...Fun fact: I almost gave Evil Flash a beer belly. Thank God I came to my senses.

I already knew I wanted to make Good Murmur a motley-clad hero, because Evil Murmur wears a jester outfit already (only it's black leather bondage *yawn* gear). I got rid of the stupid facemask because I've always freaking hated it. It just bugs the shit out of me. Simple as that. So instead I carried the clown motif through with a pale face and with dyed hair that is arranged to looks a bit like a jester's cap -- not completely, since I didn't want him to look like Sideshow Bob, but enough to convey the idea. When he's still, it would be lank and a few locks would hang over his face. I also figure that as part of his gimmick, Murmur would have a morose demeanor and never smile. Which makes total sense since he's a Geoff Johns character, and therefore has nothing to smile about.

I designed Evil Flash to be a stark visual contrast with Good Murmur. Good Murmur wears a costume, so Evil Flash wears street clothes. Good Murmur is kinda slim, so Evil Flash is brawny. And (although you can't really see it here) Good Murmur never smiles, so Evil Flash always smiles. Which is kinda creepy.

And again, no, that's not me as "Evil Flash."

Questions? Comments?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Peripheral City." Perfect.

Scipio said...

"Peripheral City"

That's fabulous.

Steven said...

I love the hair.

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious. Evil Flash sort of has a Hulk Hogan thing going on. I dig it.

Dwayne "the canoe guy" said...

Swamp Thing & Anton Arcane. Evil swampy might look the same, but just try to have a good-guy Anton Arcane.

Good luck

Anonymous said...

Awesome. I like the lightning-bolt dagger tattoo. It kind of looks like a space invader.

Also, I must tell you that on top of these nifty reimaginings, I'm also enjoying the thought that you put into them, and the backstory. Fun stuff!

Don't forget: Daredevil & The Kingpin.

Anonymous said...

Iron Man & M.O.D.O.K. was brilliant. Genius? Naw... when you made Big Head Boy a Star Comic... that's where you went beyond genius. Perfecto. Truly, better than I could have ever expected. And I'm very glad I suggested it. Thank you!
You have Green Arrow & Clock King on the way? Excellent. It's frickin' Christmas on my computer.

I want a one-way ticket to Peripheral City. You're giving me imagination envy. Evil Flash is kinda hot.

More realignment suggestions-
The Amazing Zoo Crew & Frogzilla (after seeing your Star Comics style, I know it'd be great.)
The New Teen Titans & the Fearsome Five -- 80s STYLE!!!
Yeah, I know... whole teams is a lot of work, but I have faith in you. Anyone who can make me WANT to see a Turner D. Century mini series holds power beyond description. YOU CAN DO IT!

One question: What does heroic Murmur do with his wand? (Please tell him his costume rocks me to my pinking sheared soul.)

Genius+++

Love, Big Head Boy (with your permission, my new comment moniker.)

Jeremy Rizza said...

Thanks, fellas!

Dwayne, I think you just stumped me. (And I tip my hat to you.) Anyway, I guess I'm trying to use villain-hero pairs where, if you saw them in their unaltered state and knew nothing about them, you'd still have some vague sense of their morality. That's why I wouldn't do an "evil" version of -- for example -- Batman or the Punisher. Due to their color schemes and motifs, they already look like badasses.

Chawunky, I've put Daredevil and Kingpin on my list.

Big Head Boy (please allow me to be the first to call you that): *blush* And yes, Evil Flash is kind of very hot. As for team reversals, they do sound daunting -- and my scanner is only so large -- but I could definitely break them down into pairs. I like the idea of New Teen Titans and Fearsome Five. I'll put it on my list. And Good Murmur just uses that jester wand to whap evil upside the head -- like Daredevil's billy club!

Anonymous said...

Zowie. Thanks for adding my suggestion--and I can't wait to see the New Teen Titans...evil!