There was a discussion in a comments section a while back about creating an all-winged team. I originally thought it would be tough to do given the space that winged characters generally take up on a cover, especially with all the different candidates for such a team. I figured I would try the concept but limit it to heroes that have feathered wings, and that seemed to be more manageable.
A great concept, Ross! :-)
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I must admit, when I first saw the name "Winged Victory," I thought you were referring to the Shining Knight's horse! If such had been the case, I wouldn't have had the courage to "just look up."
;-)
Since pre-Crisis Hawkman spent so much of his time with the Justice Society or the Justice League, it makes sense for Hawkwoman to shine in her own group. (Looking for the missing Hawkman could make for a good follow-up case, especially if the sleuthing required the help of Nightwing.)
ReplyDeleteRoss, what a great team and cover....
ReplyDeleteChuck, do you mean Marvel detective duo or the young guy in blue who used to work with the Darknight Detective in Gotham????
however, none of them have any real feathers so how they even fit onto this team????
Hey, and this looks like the first time on a cover for Red Raven, Winged Victory, and Bluejay! Nice!!
ReplyDeleteReally nice work here. Love these teams you're forging here with the heroes who share a common thread. But even better is seeing Winged Victory and Astro City getting some love here.
ReplyDeleteDawnstar feeling left out.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar first reaction as Cary. I think it might be interesting to learn that, in the STFU, the horse turned out to not just share the name, but actually is the superheroine, under some sort of curse!
ReplyDeleteBut I think your decision to go with just feathered wings was a good one. The group looks every bit as amazing as when Winged Victory and Aragorn met along with their respective riders. I'm with Emsley, though, in missing Dawnstar in this; maybe she can join up if you ever revisit this group.
(Though I also think Dawnstar would be an interesting guest-star for the Skip Tracers!)
In trying to think of who would've been left out for having non-feathered wings, it occurred to me that a meeting between Man-Bat and the Gargoyles would have some interesting dynamics. For some reason it'd seem especially interesting to see Dr. Langstrom interacting with Hudson.
That, in turn, got me to missing some of the old ongoing rivalries you've had on here: Man-Bat and the Lizard, Harley Quinn and Doc Samson, and (especially) Ambush Bug and Deadpool.
Horsefeathers! I said HORSEFEATHERS! Why I know of 2 horses off the double M(arvel) ranch alone, Black Knight's and Valkerie's, in the 70s would have been in immediate use.
ReplyDelete@Bob Greenwade: why not? It worked for the Silver Age back story of Comet The Super-horse.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover! Now have them team-up with the characters from BATTLE OF THE PLANETS.
ReplyDeleteDear Ross: is Astro City (the Vertigo comic that introduced this version of Winged Victory) still being published by DC?
ReplyDeleteAstro City is now back with Image Comics. https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/astro-city
DeleteIncluding the backlist. And they've started reprinting the series from the start in big, thick, full colour paperbacks ("metrobooks").
DeleteIt freaks me out how all these guys have six limbs. As a general rule, vertebrates have only four. (Except for centaurs, of course, who not only have six limbs, they have two sets of ribcages, and four lungs. It's unclear how many stomachs they have.)
ReplyDeleteWhoops, slight retraction -- I just remembered that Hawkwoman straps on her wings. So she's a proper tetrapod. (I'm not sure if any of the others fall into that category.) And I should point out, for completeness, that some vertebrates (snakes, for example, as well caecilians and most cetaceans) can have fewer than four limbs. It's just the additional ones that weird me out.
ReplyDelete@Dr. OTR: I think it was stated, in one of the "The Chronicles of Narnia," that centaurs have two stomach! An omnivorous human one and a grass-eating equine one.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be a party poop, ... no I don't..I have a question. Will someone be in charge of the group or will they rotate chair holding? Harvey??!? This is where they are going to need a wing and a prayer.
ReplyDeleteRoss, you're one hell of a wingman.
Thank you, my namesakes. :-)
ReplyDelete@emsley wyatt
ReplyDeleteLOL, I know, right? But it's amazing that Ross fit as many wings on the page that he did. Sometimes when they draw Dawnstar, she has a ridiculously large wingspan. But then again, I remember that sometimes Neal Adams had a huge wingspan on Angel, also....
Interesting theme, I knew you could do it.
ReplyDelete@Anon@11:05: That's a big part of what gave me the idea.
ReplyDeleteSWIFT!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic cover, Ross. You knocked the leather off this one.
ReplyDeleteI also miss Dawnstar!
ReplyDeleteCover of the month!
ReplyDeleteThe whole summer, in fact! :-)
ReplyDeleteI echo missing Dawnstar.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think DC made a mistake not asking Busiek to write a Astro City / DC crossover when Astro City was part of Vertigo.
An Astro City / Justice League cover would be great for a Ross Annual!