The Final Stretch & Another Robin Redesign

As we enter the weekend, before your redesigns hit Superhero of the Month, I wanted to look at one more Robin design that I thought was interesting. It's not really a redesign -- it's more of a one-off -- but it is reflective of the character wearing it.

Image courtesy of the Batman wiki.

In the Hush storyline, it is initially hinted that Jason Todd had returned from the dead. In the story, he confronts Batman wearing a black version of the Robin uniform.

In our past examination of Robin's look in Batman & Robin, we saw how the filmmakers put Robin in a black costume for the first time. In cinematic form, this makes sense; Robin is much more believable as someone wearing black instead of red and green. (Or, he would be, if B&R didn't suck so much.) Considering Jason's history, this choice also makes profound sense in the comics.

Jason was the second Robin. Sure, he had some rage issues, but overall I think he believed in Batman's mission. That mission ended up costing him his life at the hands of the Joker. Five years later he returns to find out that his killer is still alive, and has taken more lives. Jason's personality is different, too. He had more rage than his predecessor and successors, but he harnessed it. Back from the dead, he embraces it. He still believes in Batman's mission; he just believes that lethal force is another tool to add to the belt. This black uniform reflects that perfectly.

We never get to see this costume again, as Jason adopts the Red Hood persona. But it is an interesting re-introduction to the character. He embraces his past as Batman's student, but the color and design reflect his militaristic attitude now. It's an interesting start towards his evolution as the Red Hood, as well as his unique take on Batman in Battle for the Cowl.

Be sure to check back Monday, November 1 when the first round of our Robin redesigns go up. If you want yours to be included in the initial post, send it to us before Noon on Halloween. Anything after noon might go up in the initial post, but that can't be guaranteed. Submissions received between November 1 - 20 will be posted as-received. Check out our Official Contest Announcement and our Sponsor Spotlight for additional details. See you Monday!

One Week!

One week until Robin redesigns start going up, and we're very excited about all of that here! For any of you who are new here, check out our Official Contest Announcement -- while redesigns will be going up November 1, you still have until November 20 to get your Robin submission in to us!

For a quick recap, you are free to redesign anyone who has taken the mantle of Robin in the Batman comics: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne, or Carrie Kelly. You may send in more than one redesign, but it has to be of different inhabitants of the Robin mantle.

Our good friends over at Dr. Volt's Comic Connection are supplying the prize for the winner. Check out our Sponsor Spotlight and the Official Announcement for more details on that. Additionally, the winner will be invited to be a guest judge in our next contest, and will still be eligible to enter and participate in it. I've thought about it for a while and have decided that this will be a permanent feature of our contests.

So until then, get working on your Robin redesigns and check back as we'll be posting them as they come in between November 1 - 20. And while you're at it, keep up-to-date on everything happening on SHotM by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and with your Google account -- just click "Follow" above our banner up top, just to the right of the search bar.

Thank you all for your time, contributions, and comments!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I just want to apologize if things seem stagnant here on Superhero of the Month for the moment. We still have 12 days until the first round of Robin redesigns go up, and unfortunately there isn't much else to say at the moment.

Well, other than this: Check out our Official Robin Announcement for all the good info on the Robin contest. If you get your entries to me before Noon on Halloween, they will be included in the Nov. 1 post with the other early birds. Otherwise, entries will go up as received until Nov. 20. Also, be sure to check out our Sponsor Spotlight of Dr. Volt's Comic Connection, our friends that are providing the prize for our Robin contest.

Hopefully as we get into the monthly contests, we'll get more entries to post more often, and the wait time between contests will be considerably shorter. We started a bit earlier than I anticipated thanks to an amazing opportunity from our friends over at Big Shiny Robot. This of course was a huge boost for us, of which we're greatly appreciative. There's just less to say for now, until Robin's start going up and we gear up for the next contest(s). Until then, thanks for checking out SHotM, thanks for contributing, and we'll see you all soon!

superheroofthemonth.com

Just a notice that SHotM can now be found at http://www.superheroofthemonth.com! You can still access us at superheroofthemonth.blogspot.com.

We're still accepting entries for our Robin contest. Be sure to check out our official contest announcement for all the details. The wait between upcoming contests won't be nearly as long, but since this was the first and we're trying to eliminate as many kinks as humanly possible before the first contest goes up, we've had a huge lead-in time before November's contest.

I do want to thank everyone for checking us out, though. Even before the first bit of fan redesigns have hit the web, we've had a ton of support for us, and we're grateful to you all for that. Keep checking back as October plugs along, and be sure to to check in November 1 when round 1 of the Robin results will go up. We'd love to have your art be a part of that! Check out our submission guidelines and sharpen those pencils! Thanks again!

Another Robin Redesign

First things first, I want to make it clear that I think Batman & Robin is an atrocious film. The only thing that makes it remotely bearable is watching it while playing the RiffTrax commentary over it. It's a mess from start to finish. The only thing that redeems quality is that we got Batman Begins and The Dark Knight out of it. Knowing that stance, please don't run away from this site!

Image courtesy of MSN. And yes, this
is only the upper half, but really I
spared us all from a view of that
ridiculous codpiece.

One thing that B&R did was give us a Robin redesign. A totally useless one in context of the story (What story? This film has no story!), and likely one done in order to sell more toys. However, I think if you take away the ridiculous anatomy (rubber nipples, musculature, etc.), you actually have an interesting concept.

For the first time, we have a Robin costume without the "R" logo present in almost every other interpretation of the character. (See our original contest announcement; the "R" is on every Robin's uniform.) Instead, he's given his own stylized Robin on the chest, similar to the bat on Batman's. This makes him identifiable as the character we know, while giving him a rather radical makeover since it eliminates the traditional green and yellow entirely from the suit.

This actually makes it very similar to Dick Grayson's Nightwing costume, utilizing red instead of blue. Like Tim Drake's cape two-toned cape, this version has a black exterior and deep red interior.

So what we have is a concept that, while actually interesting, was unfortunately executed in a manner that made it a laughing stock. If done correctly, this could have been something that looked functional and cool. But it is an example of how the concept of drastically moving away from a character's established norms can still make a him or her recognizable.

Again, B&R is a terrible, horrible, attrocious film. But let us know what you think regarding the concept of the design below!

Sponsor Spotlight - Dr. Volt's Comics

For twenty years, Dr. Volt's Comic Connection has served the greater Salt Lake City area with its comic book and gaming needs. Operating since 1990, Dr. Volt's has seen other comic shops come and go, but has managed to stay afloat and thrive as comics and the comic market has had its ups and downs. Dr. Volt's strives to appeal to fans of comics of all ages by also stocking kid-friendly comics and toys, in addition to a compliment of new and older comics aimed at older audiences.

For the last nine years, Dr. Volt's has been owned and operated by Dave Landa. Under Dave's tenure, Dr. Volt's has doubled in store size, and has become more than a comic book store; they  regularly host gaming tournaments, and have a selection of props and replicas. 

Dr. Volt's always strives to put the customer first. They offer a free customer hold service, reserving comics that customers request. Hold customers receive a 10% discount on purchases over $20.


Dr. Volt's also works with local schools, libraries, hospitals, and charities to bring comics (and a little fun) to the community. Currently, Dr. Volt's is trying to help local writer Jake Black (who's writing credits include Supergirl, extras on Smallville: Season 9 and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story comic) raise money to pay for some of his cancer bills by holding a raffle. 


For Superhero of the Month's Robin contest, Dr. Volt's is offering copies of Red Robin: The Grail and Red Robin: Collision for the winner. Click here for our official contest announcement and here for our submission guidelines to enter.


For more on Dr. Volt's Comic Connection, check out their official website, blog, Twitter and Facebook pages. Thanks to Dr. Volt's for sponsoring Superhero of the Month's first contest!