Superhero of the Month - Ross Radke's War Machine

Congratulations to Ross Radke, winner of July's War Machine Contest! It was, yet again, another close one. Thanks to everyone who participated. We hope to see all of our War Machine contestants -- and many, many more -- for August's Wonder Woman contest!

Ross Radke - 26/30

Mitch: This is what I think of when I think of War Machine. This is what I think would happen if the military took a hold of a[n Iron Man] suit. They'd bulk it up and add weapons that took away from it's sleek look and design it to look intimidating. Everything about it screams "I'm a machine built for war!" Those vestigal arms are a nice touch, seeing as he can't really use his gun arm or claw to do too much. And the logo on the leg is clean and simple. But isn't that Wonder Man's?

Alex: Another very well-done design that could work even without the revised back story if you imagine the suit being significantly bigger than Rhodey. The load of weaponry effectively makes him more of a one-man army, ready to take out enemy threats.

Yifan: This reminds me the mechs from the RoboCop movie, in a good way. It's scary, edgy, bold, and certainly doesn't shy away from the extremes. The changes are big enough that they matter, and I like that there is a reason for the direction. It may allow some nasty stories spawned from it. The only thing I'm not sure is the little arms on his belly.How about two thin and long arms on the shoulders and rise over head instead?

Editor's Note: Since there were only six entries, we decided to list them all this month! Judging was done by the Superhero of the Month staff, and Yifan Jiang, winner of June's Green Lantern contest!

Check out the rest of the War Machines after the jump! 

Redesigned - July

In the break between War Machine submissions and the announcement of the winner, Superhero of the Month is back with a new edition of Redesigned!

It was by happy coincidence that I came across the work of Paul Bonzulac. Here, he's sent us his thoughts on his Superman and Fantastic Four redesigns:

The Man of Steel

"Here I tried to keep everything that makes Superman Superman, but get rid of the dumb stuff: the spit-curl from 1939, the underwear-on-the-outside. I linked the S and the mantle, and made the S, the belt and the crests of the boots gold.  I see this as looking sort of like a regal riding outfit from another planet.  It's actually embarrassing how carefully I considered every change I made, but here it is: my definitive vision of Superman for the 21st century.  You're welcome."


Paul's Fantastic Four and more after the jump!

OFFICIAL CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT - WONDER WOMAN

Art by Terry Dodson

When I set out to finalize the calendar for the year, I was banking on the new Wonder Woman TV pilot getting picked up. Clearly that didn't happen, but looking at the design they came up with (not to mention her new comic look), I thought, "Forget it! We're going with it anyways!" Because really, Diana of Themyscira just can't get a fair shake when it comes to official costume redesigns. 


The look she sports to the left is iconic, but she had it forever. And let's face it: attempts at updating her have been less than stellar. (Can't she get some pants that don't look shiny? Or otherwise look ridiculous?) It's time for Wonder Woman to get some wonderful new threads.


That's where you come in. 


Superhero of the Month and Girls Read Comics are proud to present August's Wonder Woman Redesign Contest. 


Submissions are due between August 1 and August 24. (An official due-by time is TBA.) As always, submissions will be posted throughout the month.


This month's contest will be judged by the SHotM crew, our friends over at Girls Read Comics, and the winner of last month's War Machine contest. That's a lot of people to impress, but we know you're up to the task. So get ready, get those pencils sharpened, and redesign Wonder Woman!


Check out Wonder Woman's less-than-popular redesigns after the jump!

Harley Quinn at SHCC

Art by Bruce Timm

Did you submit to our Harley Quinn contest back in February? Do you have a Harley redesign just kicking around? Want it to be seen?

The crew over at Superhero Cocoa (or Costume Coalition) is doing a Harley Quinn redesign challenge. SHCC operates a bit differently than SHotM, and while we share some readers, this is an opportunity for your art to be seen by a different audience. There is no particular theme for SHCC's Harley challenge, so any of the redesigns submitted here -- or anything you may have designed since -- is fair game.

Submissions are due to SHCC by August 31, so send them as soon as you can. If you submit, let us know -- we'll be keeping an eye on the submissions sent in!

War Machine Results - Part II

War Machine's are in! Here is the final batch for this month's contest!

Ross Radke

"I wanted to push it away from being just a suit of high-tech armor to more of a giant 'mech'. Maybe Rhodey sits inside and pilots it like a Power Ranger, or maybe his arms and legs were blown off and he's now a cyborg like Darth Vader. For some reason I had this image in my mind of a giant robot fiddler crab, which is why I gave him the large gatlen gun arm, little arms and the outer 'shell'."

Warren Newsom

Editor's Note: Warren didn't leave any particular thoughts on his redesign.

Kevin Prieto

"I always loved doing armors and mechs, so when I saw that there was a competition for War Machine, I had no choice but to participate!"

Richard JP Le Guen

"With the recent Civil War schism, I think it could have been interesting for War Machine to have a change of heart, and model himself after Captain America more than Iron Man. I decided to leave his primary color as black so as to distinguish him from Iron Patriot and the 'What If: Civil War' Iron Man. It has the added benefit of connecting him to the classic War Machine look, as well as the US Agent. And yes, that's an arc reactor in his shield. He can still shoot you when hiding behind the it."

Pharoah Bolding

"I wanted to do something with War Machine that, for some reason, no one ever does: I wanted to make him less bulky. If he's a warrior he should be able to get out there and scrap, melee style! My design was an integration of the 70's-80s armors with a touch of the classic War Machine look.

"Smaller rocket boots gives him more leg flexibility so he can kick the crap out of people easier. Mini rocket launchers on the wrists with missile loaders connected to the upper arms are easily reloaded. I kept a shoulder machine gun, it's bullet reserve on the back, mainly because it is War Machine and he is heavy artillery. I added a pulse cannon-style weapon in the center of his chest, arc light style. I finished that off with the ultimate melee weapon - wrist blades. By channeling the repulsor rays through the blades he will definitely pack a punch!"


What do you all think? Let us know in the comments below!


Entries this month were a little very sparse, so hopefully next month will be better. I know everyone gets busy, so I just want to thank everyone who participated in this contest, and in all the contests before! 


Stay tuned for the announcement of this month's winner on July 31, and keep an eye on Superhero of the Month; we have some really cool stuff coming over the course of this week!

Blog of Note

Today, Superhero of the Month is Blogger's Blog of Note.

Um.....wow. Let me just say, this is an honor.

For all of the new people checking SHotM out, we are a superhero redesign site. We love superheroes, but sometimes we don't love what they wear. Sometimes it's because it's dated, sometimes because their costumes are just plain bad. Other times, their costumes are perfectly fine, we just want to have a little fun. So we ask artists -- novices, hobbyists, and professionals -- to put pencil to paper, stylus to tablet, and come up with something better.

Daniel Heard's Robin

Since November of last year, artists have been doing just that in the form of our monthly contests, and the results are always exciting. We've had astounding and invigorating takes on classic and recent superheroes and villains, including Robin (pictured, right), Harley Quinn, Atom Eve, and the Green Lantern.

Contests occasionally come with prizes, adding to the fun of Superhero of the Month.

We appreciate you stopping by and checking us out. Please feel free to follow us through Blogger. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you would like to participate in an upcoming SHotM contest, please check out our calendar and submission guidelines. Any other questions can be directed to us via e-mail.

Check out some more of the fantastic artwork we've received after the jump!

War Machine Results - Part I

After a long, long break, here we are with a War Machine redesign!

Brian Post

"I had this idea to place the War Machine armor in another era.  This design is the War Machine of the Civil War!  James Rhodes decides that Anthony Stark's great creation must see action on the front lines of the great conflict.  He outfits it with an early model gatling gun, a heavy canon, and a long saber to cut down the rebels.  A shield on the left arm of the machine is used to protect the pilot when the enemy is firing at him.  And of course, Old Glory flies high on top of the machine as a beacon of Northern technological dominance."


What do you all think? While this is very much a re-imagining of the War Machine character, it's very creative, and well-executed. Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.


Remember, War Machine redesigns are due this Saturday, so get them in soon!