Monday, March 14, 2016

Adam Strange and Zen: Intergalactic Ninja



Attempts have been made to update and modernize Adam Strange's look, and while most of them work fine, there's something about the classic uniform that I still prefer.  Maybe it's just that it looks like something out of a 1950's science fiction film - the costume gives him the feel of a classic cliffhanger movie serial hero to me.

10 comments:

Carycomic said...

I know what you mean, Ross. The crested headdress always reminded me of DC's Golden Age Starman. While the rest of the costume reminded me of the Japanese Starman...save for the cape, of course. That was seen, by junior high school me, as a tip of the hat to Superman!

As for the inclusion of Zen? Fabulous! Especially, as this is the only place I might ever get to see everyone's favorite intergalactic ninja. It's certainly--and increasingly--unlikely I'll ever get to see him in the last three issues of Red Anvil's WAR OF THE INDEPENDENTS!

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

Wow, Zen....damn man, very interesting choice.
I definitely agree that Adam Strange's classic look is still the best no matter how many times they try to update it, although I do like the one they did before the NU52 reboot.

Jonathan Linneman said...

Kudos for another great Adam Strange cover. And yes...give me the classic look any day. Even when it gets updated, it should look like an updated version of a clearly retro uniform!

Sonofjack said...

I've always LOVED Adam Strange's original look. I would love to see him teamed up with Marvel's Captain Marvel when he wore his original green and white "spaceman" costume.

Unknown said...

I'll second Linneman's sentiment. Updated version of something clearly retro should really be DC's whole design aesthetic for most of their characters.

Unknown said...

To me, the reason the original Adam Strange outfit always seemed so authentic was because I always got the impression it was derived from this guy:
http://sequart.org/magazine/52026/buck-rogers-art-of-the-reboot-part-2/

Anonymous said...

Not bad! Have you ever done Zen vs. Deadpool? Or Zen vs. Lee Falk's Phantom?

Anonymous said...

Correct me if I'm wrong. But, didn't you use this lobster-clawed T-rex in STF #1386? What alien race is he/she/it supposed to represent?

Ross said...

I'm guessing it was a Carmine Infantino designed recurring menace for Mystery In Space.

Bob Buethe said...

Same story reprinted. The #1386 version is from the original Mystery in Space cover, and this Kubert version is from the Strange Adventures reprint.

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