Fool's Features: Edition #3 - OC Superheroes
Welcome back to Fool’s Features! This week we’re returning to superhero content, but this time only with original characters!
Kevin Calone, Pizzamaker (Jimmy “James” Calone)
The Pizzamaker — Jimmy Calone — is a comical gun-toting vigilante invented by @thejj8545 . I adore the vintage style of these figs, with their iconic older prints and yellow skin tones. The use of rubber bands for the titular character’s neck-wear and vest straps looks incredible and adds a lot of dimension to the figure. Even outside the figure designs, the idea behind these figures is something I find absolutely brilliant. Pizzamaker is said to be an actual pizza maker during the day, but at night he begins his activity as the “not-so-secret” hero. It sets the tone for a whole universe of kooky characters, and I hope it’s a world that JJ returns to someday soon!
Cardinal, Moonwalker, Gun Monkey, Mars Marcus
The Global Guild of the Gifted is @psycho.figs part in a collaboration reimagining DC’s Justice League. Each character’s inspirations are super clear, yet each of the redesigns are original and cohesive. Batman is reimagined as Cardinal; retaining Batman’s humanity and combat/gadget focus as well as his animal-motif. The yellow Monkie Kid beak piece is something I never see enough of, and paired with Yondu’s head crest and a great choice of capes, it creates an instantly recognizable and iconic silhouette. Moonwalker is Superman’s variant, a Kryptonian-Michael Jackson mashup that I adore. The use of Magneto’s torso is brilliant as a parallel to Superman’s “S”. Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter have been turned into Gun Monkey and Mars Marcus, two quirky alien heroes that I’ve grown more attached too than I’d like to admit. Gun Monkey‘s banana shirt and yellow gun and lantern are perfect, and Mars Marcus’s giant helmet and mustache make him instantly likable. Psycho Figs also created variants for The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and The Atom. Check out his page to see the rest of them!
Top row: The Green Knight, Colonel Dash, The Aquamarine, The Kallichorean Charlatan
Bottom row: The Raven, Super-Strong, Drissia
@anotherlegoaccount is the second participant in this Justice League Reimagined collaboration, and he presents “Team Tomorrow: The Golden Era”. There’s a lot of figures here, so I’ve got to try to keep it to a few words on each one. The Green Knight really works as an ode to both Arthurian mythology and the Green Lantern mythos. The glowing green sword and visor are really nice additions. Colonel Dash reminds me of a World War II era Jay Gerrick Flash, but this hero’s powers are gained artificially through his super suit. I like the military helmet and bow tie, cementing him as a Howard Stark type of figure (ie. some type of military scientist and inventor). The Aquamarine is a nice twist on Aquaman, having a more noticeable fishy appearance and lobster claw instead of a hook hand. The Kallichorean Charlatan is one of my favorites, standing in for Martian Manhunter. The arms from Stitch could be interpreted as part of the aliens’ natural form, or perhaps it’s in the act of shapeshifting. The Raven is an awesome Batman-esque character, with a cool all-black color scheme and that same beak piece I really like, this time a third party version in dark grey. Paired with a custom hood and cape, this guy definitely stands out. Super-Strong is an alien from the planet Xenon rather than Krypton, and his huge arms are a result of his gravitational empowerment on Earth. Finally we have Drissia, the Princess of Power who reflects Wonder Woman. She has a seemingly more barbaric influence, though she too is from a hidden coastal island of demigod warriors. She wields a boomerang, which I think is a really unique touch and also could indicate an Australian heritage. Overall, these guys are all very reminiscent of the Golden Age of comics and their designs in combination with the yellow skin tones make for a really nostalgic post.
Mysterious Detective, Cueball, Canvas, Dr. Oxidizer, Killer Bee, Bagger
@2p_figs marks our first step into @hyperinfinitebrix, a collaborative original superhero project started by @a_dracocyanic. Canvas is 2p’s signature hero, a vigilante who can absorb ink into his body and use it to form weapons, suits, defenses, and even vehicles. Canvas has a really cool design, the black and red go really well together and the added satchel and printed arms give the character a more grounded appearance and feel. In this issue Canvas faces off against several foes, but my favorites have to be Bagger and Cueball. Their use of the Stranger Things Demogorgon head backwards for the effect of a bag being thrown over the head is absolutely genius! Cueball is delightfully weird and silly, he reminds me of a Saturday morning cartoon villain (my favorite vibe for heroes and villains!).
Crimson Scalpel, Assistant Robot
Continuing in the Hyper Infinite Brix world, the prolific @brickbot_studio presents The Crimson Scalpel, a necessary anti-hero in the world of HIB. The intimidating doctor and his robot assistant are who superheroes call when they’re beyond regular human assistance, or need to maintain their secret identities. They specialize in alien biology, cybernetics, and other strange things that typical doctors aren’t prepared to handle. Visually the Doctor guy is quite the spectacle, literally towering over his droid henchman. His long mechanical arms and intricate back-mounted apparatus look incredible, and paired with the head they make a truly sinister looking cyborg. The lantern on his back is the final cherry on top, keeping the figure from being a full-on dark fantasy bot and retaining a bit of superhero whimsy. Brickbot ends his post with a spooky note, telling how “If he answers your call, you don’t just get to survive, you owe him”.
Carnage, Thor, Captain America, Magneto, Emma Frost, Loki, Black Panther, Ultron, Mystique, Winter Soldier
@ragna_blok_ has begun a series combining characters from the Marvel and Star Wars universes. This edition features an all-star lineup inspired mostly by Clone Wars era characters. Darth Maul has been infected with the Carnage symbiote, and even his lightsaber has mutated to reflect the aliens signature spiky weapons. Thor and Captain America are Jedi Knights whose Jedi attire reflects their super suits perfectly, and Cap even has his shield. Magneto makes an excellent Count Dooku, and Emma Frost is here as Padmé as well. Black Panther looks awesome as a sort of rogue Jedi, and Mystique makes a perfect alien rebel pilot. Bucky is great as The Mandalorian, his metal arm complements the Beskaar armor nicely. Lastly we have Loki and Ultron/Grievous, my two favorites. Ultron’s body build is simple but genius, and I’ve never seen a better Loki’s Scepter.
Shift (Ethan Raynor), Lady Ishtar (Nadia Al-Khalil), Ivory Light (Kaban-Reez), Firebringer (Kaelen of Promethia), Winged Justice (Selene Kaelor), Nightfang (Dorian Dane), Abyssal (Thalor of Lemuria)
@customs_kyde presents his take on a non-licensed Justice League with “The Oathbound”. Shift is the team speedster, and also canonically the first superhuman in their universe, which I think gives the character a unique importance. His primarily black suit with yellow and red looks amazing. Ivory Light is mentioned to be a “Guardian of the Spark”, which I assume is similar to being a part of the Lantern Corps, but its more ancient sounding name intrigues me. Nightfang looks awesome with the purple and silver color scheme, and suits the dark avenger archetype. Abyssal might be my favorite, the red eyed helmet looks great in comparison to the blue suit and helps give the character a more fishy appearance.
Top row: Spider-Wing, Concussive Man, Stalker, Harry Grayson
Bottom row: Rosepool, Spider-Bat, Moon Angel
@snipersquirrel1 is one of the founding members of Spider-Bat-Vember, an amalgamation of the Spider-Man and Batman universes. This is Sniper Squirrel’s most recent edition in his version of the Spider-Bat world. His symbiote bat-suit couldn’t look better, with the head piece from Night Monkey (Spider-Man’s Stealth Suit from Far From Home) perfectly continuing the webbed prints of the torso. The head has goggles that might have detracted from the look of the figure were they not covered up nicely by the cowl piece. Batwing and Pavitr Prabhakar are already characters I don’t see enough of, and merging them into Spider-Wing works surprisingly well, especially with the dark blue dragon wings from Ninjago. The head choice for Concussive Man (Cyclops + Negative Man) is so perfect, and to his right is Stalker, a combination of Prowler and Creeper. The green scarf and waist piece really tie that figure together, and the use of The Calculator’s suit as a shirtless torso is really creative. Rosepool and Moon Angel are more great examples of how creative Spider-Bat-Vember can get, mixing Gwenpool with Ravager and Moon Knight with Azrael. Both designs work perfectly, I especially like the red cape and hood on Moon Angel. Lastly we have Harry Grayson, a parody on Harry Osborn’s Green Goblin and Dick Grayson. This figure is covered from head to toe in detail and comes complete with Harry’s signature hoverboard and Dick’s nightstick. The red mask from a Robin figure reflects the mask worn by Harry as well, which is a great touch.
Exterminator, Lightning Bug, Hopper, Dr. Kaila Mera, Weaver, Doc Dung
Our final feature for today takes us back to Hyper Infinite Brix with @haon.brx’s superheroine Ren Runeri, AKA Hopper. Exterminator has a great design using a skirt from a Lord of the Rings set to continue the character’s protective coat. His back attachment helps give the character a unique and strong silhouette, and paired up with his poison-spraying gun he’s sure to give Hopper a good fight. Lightning Bug is a character I’d been hoping to see made since Haon first showed me Hopper. They’re the perfect villain for a bug-themed hero, and their simple black design lets the yellow bits and lightning around them really pop. Hopper herself looks amazing and fitting of being a main character. The little bits of gold in the eyes and on the arms look great, and the different shades of green also work really well together. Weaver is a super intimidating villain, as any spider-themed foe should be. The robotic head used has elements that in this context become a fanged multi-eyed mask that’s perfect for the character. Dr. Kaila Mera is a super cool scientist character who’s behind many of the threats in this issue. She looks fittingly dubious and intelligent. Last but not least is Doc Dung, who is a real stand out. Aside from the hilarious concept, the figure is outstanding, literally oozing with personality. His short stature, goggles, protective shell and armored printing, even his positioning all make him a memorable member of Hopper’s rogues gallery. I’m excited to see where her story goes next!
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