Congratulations to Ross Radke, winner of this month's contest! But really, congratulations go out to all of the Top 5, since the scores separating these spots were based on razor-thin margins. Check out what the judges have to say, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
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| Ross Radke - 23/30 |
Alex: Upfront, this was a tough contest for me. Dr. Octopus is one of my least favorite characters in comics (and entirely the reason I can't get behind Spider-Man 2). What struck me about Ross's design, though, was the camouflage concept. Otto Octavius is a scientist, and while he may be using his skills for evil, it's logical that he would use them to further his efforts. Accepting his lot in life, it would make sense that he'd adopt other attributes of his invertebrate namesake. In terms of costume design, however, there's nothing here that really grabs me, unfortunately.
Mitch: It's nice to see Doc Ock taking more cues from his namesake. And, yeah, I like the suit. The extra curved lines above the belt are something you may not notice right away but they really help bring the suit and the belt together.
Taylor: I really enjoyed this design it felt like a new and exciting interpenetration of Doc Ock. I really liked the face-gear, as well as the rest if the suit, as it kind of reminded me of a hazmat suit. Loved the colours and the camouflage design. Well done!
See the rest of the Top 5 after the jump!
Mitch: I have to say my favourite part of this design is the Blue Beetle-esque octopus pattern. It's a nice, simple touch that really adds to it.
Taylor: I thoroughly enjoyed the concept behind this Doc, as it made the idea of having these giant mechanical arms a somewhat more believable solution. As for the design, to me it just really seemed to look like the old school Otto, which was good -- just not very new.
Alex: My issue here is that this, like many other designs this contest, isn't so much a redesign as it is a re-imagining. Having Ock lose his lower legs and hand in his accident fundamentally alters his origin. If anything, these alterations to character origins dampened a significant number of my scores. The design itself , aside from the physical changes, doesn't seem drastically different than Otto regularly. I will say, though, that I do like the concept of the metallic legs folding and morphing the way they do. I'd be miles more behind this design if the legs were used like this as a form of body armor, in addition to their regular function.
Taylor: This design was probably the first to grab my eye this month, as it was definitely different. While not my favourite, I really liked the idea of essentially strapping an octopus on his back to give him a better grounding to his name; however, while I found that this Doc stuck to character, I just don't think he is very threatening.
Alex: Read through the comments of Doctor Octopus Results - Part 4, and this was a fan-favorite. Admittedly, this was the one I was pulling for, and and one of two designs that scored an 8 from me -- the highest score I gave this contest. I like that the legs are legs, and nothing more. But I also really like the visual of the "suckers" on the bottom, even if they're non-functional. I can imagine this Ock looking terrifying coming at you in silhouette. But the placement of the legs on the sides of the skull knock a couple of points off for me; traditionally, the legs are on the sides or the back, and the move doesn't really fly for me. Still a fantastic design, though.
Mitch: The robotic octopus on the back is an interesting touch. I'm not sure the outfit is working for me, though.
Mitch: Green and yellow pulling through! And the pattern in the middle of the suit is nice, although it has 9 off-shoots. But, I don't know. Doc Ock is one of the few overweight guys in comics. And it makes sense for him. A scientist that uses mechanical arms instead of actually doing anything himself becomes and even lazier villain. Not to mention a larger body in the middle of the arms looks more octopus-like.
Alex: I agree, I like Ock a bit more heavy-set, myself. I do like the black-and-green arms -- they look futuristic and intimidating, and I think it's something Ock would design. The suit doesn't entirely work for me, though. The orb in the middle looks like it's there just to connect the suit to the arms. I think it would have been more effective if it were some sort of symbol for the Doctor.
Taylor: Probably my favourite of the redesigns this month. To me it felt space aged and futuristic, and really brought something new to Doc Ock. The colour scheme was awesome and the claws looked fantastic. Well done!
Taylor: I loved the new look this Doc was given: The human head on the almost robot body was a great look here. The colours really worked, but the stand-out for me was the face mask and claws -- very scary. Well done!
Alex: Like I said before, fantastic drawing, but this one also falls into the re-imagining-more-than-redesign category. Had re-imagining been the criteria, I think Craig could have walked out of here winning twice in a row, but as it stands, I can't see Ock putting this on without major alterations to his origin, or without suffering some kind of catastrophic accident.
Mitch: I really like the thick bold line right down the middle of his torso. It really goes well with the long body he has in this.
And there it is! Thanks to everyone who submitted for another fantastic month! Don't forget about July's Batman Movie Villains contest, as well as the Stephanie Brown Fan Art Special that we'll be posting shortly after submissions for the contest close! Take care, we look forward to seeing another round of great art next month!
Mitch: It's nice to see Doc Ock taking more cues from his namesake. And, yeah, I like the suit. The extra curved lines above the belt are something you may not notice right away but they really help bring the suit and the belt together.
Taylor: I really enjoyed this design it felt like a new and exciting interpenetration of Doc Ock. I really liked the face-gear, as well as the rest if the suit, as it kind of reminded me of a hazmat suit. Loved the colours and the camouflage design. Well done!
See the rest of the Top 5 after the jump!
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| Joshua Daniel - 22/30 |
Taylor: I thoroughly enjoyed the concept behind this Doc, as it made the idea of having these giant mechanical arms a somewhat more believable solution. As for the design, to me it just really seemed to look like the old school Otto, which was good -- just not very new.
Alex: My issue here is that this, like many other designs this contest, isn't so much a redesign as it is a re-imagining. Having Ock lose his lower legs and hand in his accident fundamentally alters his origin. If anything, these alterations to character origins dampened a significant number of my scores. The design itself , aside from the physical changes, doesn't seem drastically different than Otto regularly. I will say, though, that I do like the concept of the metallic legs folding and morphing the way they do. I'd be miles more behind this design if the legs were used like this as a form of body armor, in addition to their regular function.
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| Eric Kenney - 21/30 |
Alex: Read through the comments of Doctor Octopus Results - Part 4, and this was a fan-favorite. Admittedly, this was the one I was pulling for, and and one of two designs that scored an 8 from me -- the highest score I gave this contest. I like that the legs are legs, and nothing more. But I also really like the visual of the "suckers" on the bottom, even if they're non-functional. I can imagine this Ock looking terrifying coming at you in silhouette. But the placement of the legs on the sides of the skull knock a couple of points off for me; traditionally, the legs are on the sides or the back, and the move doesn't really fly for me. Still a fantastic design, though.
Mitch: The robotic octopus on the back is an interesting touch. I'm not sure the outfit is working for me, though.
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| Christian Burns - 21/30 |
Alex: I agree, I like Ock a bit more heavy-set, myself. I do like the black-and-green arms -- they look futuristic and intimidating, and I think it's something Ock would design. The suit doesn't entirely work for me, though. The orb in the middle looks like it's there just to connect the suit to the arms. I think it would have been more effective if it were some sort of symbol for the Doctor.
Taylor: Probably my favourite of the redesigns this month. To me it felt space aged and futuristic, and really brought something new to Doc Ock. The colour scheme was awesome and the claws looked fantastic. Well done!
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| Craig Payne - 20/30 |
Alex: Like I said before, fantastic drawing, but this one also falls into the re-imagining-more-than-redesign category. Had re-imagining been the criteria, I think Craig could have walked out of here winning twice in a row, but as it stands, I can't see Ock putting this on without major alterations to his origin, or without suffering some kind of catastrophic accident.
Mitch: I really like the thick bold line right down the middle of his torso. It really goes well with the long body he has in this.
And there it is! Thanks to everyone who submitted for another fantastic month! Don't forget about July's Batman Movie Villains contest, as well as the Stephanie Brown Fan Art Special that we'll be posting shortly after submissions for the contest close! Take care, we look forward to seeing another round of great art next month!
Wow, totally not expecting to win! There were a lot of kooky re-imaginings of the character that I thought were much more interesting than my own. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWow...I actually placed...Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't quite agree with your critique on Craig and Joshua's pieces regarding the re-imagining, Alex. I don't think there's a fundamental change in the origin, just a larger, more crippling explosion. Maybe with Joshua's there were more post-explosion additions but it still works within the parameters of what's been established of the Doc's origin. Either way, Eric Kenney's is still my favorite but great stuff overall.
ReplyDelete