InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "DARLING!"

kingrockwell (kingrockwell) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-06-04 20:26:00

Current music:

Black Mountain ~ "Bright Lights"

Entry tags:

char: batgirl/oracle/barbara gordon, char: black canary/dinah lance, char: catwoman/selina kyle, char: cheshire/jade nguyen, char: green arrow/oliver queen, char: huntress/helena bertinelli, char: joker, char: lady shiva/sandra woosan, char: penguin/oswald cobblepot, char: robin/nightwing/dick grayson, char: supergirl/kara zor-el, char: wonder woman/diana of themyscira, genre: fanart, medium: fanart, publisher: dc comics, title: birds of prey, title: superdictionary

To Catch A Thief
So yesterday I finally sucked it up and bought Birds Of Prey: Sensei & Student despite it's gratuitous, egregious, and generally calamitous cover. Even for Greg Land, this is a bad cover. Those who haven't seen on the trade or the first time it was printed with #67, I'm not posting it, I'm not linking it, I'm not subjecting you to it. If you want to see it, it'll have to be on your own time by your own decision. I'm just here to talk about it. I'd originally decided to tear it off and burn it, but I don't keep matches anymore since I quit smoking a few weeks ago.

So I had a better idea. I was talking about the subject a couple days ago with

bluefall, and she'd discussed being tempted to get opaque laminates to cover her Birds trades. Working from that idea with the materials at hand, I drew my own cover that I'll prolly affix with tape.

(click for bigger version)

Sure, it's not perfect. Helena's face could use some work, and I'm not as satisfied with Dinah as I thought I was when I moved on from her, but it's not Land and that's what matters here.
I'm thinking I might finish and fix it sometime, throw in some color and submit it to Covered (which, if you don't follow, is really great)
I've wanted to submit something since I found them, so it all works out!

And, for legality, more Super Dictionary! And while we're talking cheesecake, not even this book is immune! :(

Shameless, Supergirl. Absolutely shameless.

Another re-colored Catwoman!

Babs has powers?! Are they explaining powers? If so, you might not want to use her powers around Dick so much, he doesn't seem to appreciate it.

Dinah doesn't like explaining powers either. Quit being so condescending and bossy, Ollie!

Here we have Dinah trying to be romantic, but Ollie just wants to be a dork. He's a real dik sometimes. :D

The one after it...

...is the coolest definition picture in the whole book! I love that whale!
And the shoes! What the hell?

And this one has to be the creepiest! Even without the foreshadowing (in a bizarre bit of turnaround, it's the Oracle's future that gets predicted), Babs body language is just so incredibly inappropriate to the situation that it leads me to believe she's either way too desperate to make some friends or she is flirting with the Joker. (!!!)
So just stew on that for a while! :(

(Post a new comment)

	drsevarius 2009-06-04 08:38 pm UTC (link)
	(Reply to this) (Thread)

	geoffsebesta 2009-06-04 08:46 pm UTC (link)
	I count at least nine ways that cover is terrible. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 08:49 pm UTC (link)
	Two of the more amusing ways are that Cheshire's and Lady Shiva's costumes are nothing like what they are in the book. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	geoffsebesta 2009-06-04 08:50 pm UTC (link)
	That makes eleven, and now I see another three. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	xlineartx 2009-06-04 10:39 pm UTC (link)
	Helena's also got the wrong costume. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 10:46 pm UTC (link)
	Unfortunately, no. That's the one she's wearing in the book. I almost drew her with the full-body one, but it would open up too many worms (if Helena can have the good costume, why would Dinah still be sleeveless and long-haired? I liked the sleeves and short hair!), though without color it might not be readily apparent. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aaron_bourque 2009-06-05 12:54 am UTC (link)
	No, you don't understand. The Jim Lee Costume is The Wrong Costume. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-05 01:01 am UTC (link)
	Oh no, I understand. I wanted to draw the right costume, but I had to go the accurate costume. :( (Reply to this) (Parent)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 08:47 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, why'd you have to be that guy! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	foxhack 2009-06-04 09:33 pm UTC (link)
	AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH (Reply to this) (Parent)

liarashadowsong
2009-06-04 09:59 pm UTC (link)

Okay, I can now officially say that I've compared the two, and I far prefer kingrockwell's even though it is only penciled linework on legal paper at this point. I'm assuming the person with the hyperextended jaw at the top right is Dinah, since that's who was re-drawn in that place... what the hell is with her face? And obviously, Cheshire and Lady Shiva's outfits are altered... *pokes noodle-arm* *headdesk*

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 10:23 pm UTC (link)
	Land doesn't know the difference between a sonic scream face and an orgasm scream face is my guess. I don't think Dinah'd be happy to hear that. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	liarashadowsong 2009-06-05 09:52 am UTC (link)
	Sounds about accurate to me. Poor Dinah. (Reply to this) (Parent)

parsimonia
2009-06-05 12:30 am UTC (link)

I think part of what bothers me about this cover (and other work of Land's, as well as some of Adam Hughes's and Guillem March's work) is the way it's coloured. And maybe the way it's coloured is attributable to the original pencils, but they often seemed to get this sort of ...airbrushed look to it. Like we're not looking at drawings of people, but instead polished and airbrushed images of women like you see in magazines and advertisements.

And oddly enough, despite that Land's work tends to lean toward photorealism a little bit, that airbrushed look detracts from any sense of realism for me.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kingrockwell
2009-06-05 12:59 am UTC (link)

I definitely think that's a big part of it. There are a lot of other factors that deal in to Land's particular brand of faux-torealism, but the airbrushed feel certainly contributes. The other trade I got was Nightwing: The Hunt For Oracle, which was primarily done by Land in his pre-thief days, but it's still recognizably Land (as opposed to the much older New Titans Annual scans in

xdoop's Terry/Donna post), his linework is distinct as well as the way he renders women's faces (not talking about the porn face so much as tendencies in the features). And while it would never make him my favorite artist or anything, I could at least read old!Land without retching.

Hell, even more recently, the cover to Phoenix: Endsong, prolly the first thing I'd ever seen by him (and wrote off more as blah than blech), has a more conventional inking/coloring and is almost tolerable to recognize as bland cheesecake. But BOP 67 is shitty even for Land. It's right up there with that X-Men splash image that swipes the same three poses for everyone in the picture. And of all its problems, the general feeling that I've picked up an issue of Playboy instead of a book featuring characters I care about is ultimately why it has me so bothered. And airbrushing is one of the things that makes Playboy totally nonviable as a source of porn.

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bluefall
2009-06-05 03:28 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, those ORACLE covers wouldn't have been nearly so bad if it weren't for the vaseline effect. They still wouldn't have been remotely appropriate, because in no reality does Barbara Oracle Gordon look out at the world in wide-eyed childlike wonder and amazement or waily, puffy-eyed ineffectual pleading, but they would have been a lot less porntastic, without any alteration to the original pencils.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

besamim
2009-06-04 09:06 pm UTC (link)

Why on God's green earth is "I'll" an entry? Are "he's" and "she's" in there? It would make sense to have entries for "you're/your" and "they're/their," because those are among the most common spelling errors. But the only words that sound like "I'll" are "aisle" and "isle," and you don't see too many people mixing those up with "I shall/will."

As for Babs's previously unseen "powers," judging from her squicky flirting in the last one, my guess is she's referring to her powers of seduction. Which, in the long run, worked much better on Dick than on the Joker. :-~

(Reply to this) (Thread)

kingrockwell
2009-06-04 09:53 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, they've got entries for a bunch of contractions like that. It's not nearly as jarring once you realize it's a regular thing, but words like "am" "be" or "is" are hilarious because they don't even stumble for a definition, they just use them in context and hope for the best!
As to Babs' "powers" of seduction, we have her on record as not being very good at that.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	besamim 2009-06-04 10:03 pm UTC (link)
	Follows link ...Wow, you're not kidding. I'm not sure what boggles my mind more: that Babs in those scans appears to be flirting with Helena, or that she's exceptionally bad at it for such an otherwise savvy person. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 10:17 pm UTC (link)
	Being brainy and being socially skilled rarely go hand in hand! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	besamim 2009-06-04 10:50 pm UTC (link)
	True, but they can and, as far as I can recall, have often done in Barbara's case. Not that she's ever been a head cheerleader/homecoming queen type, but still. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bluefall
2009-06-04 11:02 pm UTC (link)

Thing with Babs is that she does have a pretty decent emotional IQ but it mostly applies to other people. She can often figure out what's going on with folks, and she almost always knows how to push buttons, but she's kind of a dope when it's her own behavior in question (something she shares, or at least should share, with Bruce). Plus, judging from her romantic history, she's not on real good terms with the girl-lovin' part of her sexuality, and she can't be much more than nineteen or twenty in that scene with Helena, so being clumsy as hell in testing those waters is sort of to be expected. XD

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	omg I HATE YOU I used to have a LIFE before that link scottyquick 2009-06-04 09:10 pm UTC (link)
	That's a good 242 times better then the original. OMG, WAIT. That's supposed to be Shiva standing next to Chesire. AHAHAHA. Oh, Land. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: omg I HATE YOU I used to have a LIFE before that link kingrockwell 2009-06-04 09:55 pm UTC (link)
	I honestly couldn't tell, but she was Asian with straight hair, and that accounted for one named character in the book, so I just took it for granted. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	thebigapricot 2009-06-04 09:33 pm UTC (link)
	Do they leave out the part where Ollie tasers Dinah for leaving the gate open? I actually don't hate the cover of "Sensei and Student" as much as I hate the cover of "Of like Minds" or as I like to call it "Of Like Boobs" Of course, yours is a million times better simply because Dinah no longer resembles Sue Storm or has porn face. (Reply to this) (Thread)

kingrockwell
2009-06-04 10:13 pm UTC (link)

Much as I'm not satisfied with Dinah there, I definitely think she's an improvement for exactly those reasons.
Of Like Minds was my least favorite until I saw Sensei & Student.

Boobs with Ed Benes are just par for the course since you'll get a lot more in the interiors anyway. And though I hate the top he's shoved Babs into on that cover, my major issue with the cover of Of Like Minds (and every single other cover Benes did) is how visually dull it is. Nothing happening whatsoever, just the three of them posing for the most embarrassing family portrait ever. I'm not sure if The Battle Within is worse or not, because they are doing something now and it still looks dull (and oh my god i hate that picture of Helena).

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thebigapricot
2009-06-05 07:45 am UTC (link)

the three of them posing for the most embarrassing family portrait ever.

Exactly! "Okay ladies now let's put Santa Hats on for your Christmas card"

The issue that had the original cover art for "Sensei and Student" was mitigated in a teeeeny bit by the "Girls rule & boys drool" line. But still IMHO it really just screamed "Hey Fan boy, whatever kind of lady you like, you'll find it here!"

And of course because of artasstic tracings of Land "What, you like Catherine Zeta Jones? We've got 'er!"

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	chipsnopotatoes 2009-06-04 09:35 pm UTC (link)
	her shoes! what do huge whales and shoes have to do with each other? can you post the author of this superdictionary? also, where can i get a copy :D (Reply to this) (Thread)

	besamim 2009-06-04 10:05 pm UTC (link)
	It's long out of print, so your best bet is Bookfinder.com or Ebay for a used copy. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	darklorelei 2009-06-04 10:18 pm UTC (link)
	I'd dearly love to know the original context for the original image in 'huge'. 'Ever' really, really creeps me out. A lot. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 10:20 pm UTC (link)
	That's pretty much exactly why I posted it! I mean what the hell, Supergirl? (Reply to this) (Parent)

aaron_bourque
2009-06-04 10:44 pm UTC (link)

WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY HEAD AT EACH SUPERDICTIONARY ENTRY:

EVER: Supergirl wants that rat to mount her.

EVERYTHING: Batgirl has forgotten the rest of her costume. I guess that's the part that a)covers her cleavage and b)has her bat emblem.

I'LL: Of course Batgirl has powers. Hot Librarian powers.

FASTEN: Ollie, just say you think the recent break-in was Dinah's fault. Then she'll punch you in the gut and kick you in the nads, and the audience will laugh with approval, you dick.

HUG: Now Ollie is comparing Dinah to a bear. You dick!

HUGE: Why would a whale even be interested in shoes? They have no feet! Unless, he wants to sniff them. Foot fetish is just about the only fetish GA WW didn't use.

OR: The way Batgirl is standing . . . her lips says "Be my friend, or be my enemy," but her hips say "I like bad boys." Ughyuck.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 10:48 pm UTC (link)
	EVERYTHING: or c) the part that isn't a re-colored Catwoman costume! I'LL: well that sounds vaguely related to Explanation Powers to me :( OR: Ugh, I know! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	saralakali 2009-06-05 05:45 am UTC (link)
	"Hug" has my slash goggles working overtime. Superdictionary stuff bothers me in general because I have (or used to have) most of the comics that the pictures were lifted from. I keep getting that "Gaah! That's not what they're doing!" reaction. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bluefall 2009-06-04 11:09 pm UTC (link)
	Heh. Homemade replacement cover. I like that idea better. Maybe I'll go look for some really gorgeous Birds fanart or something. I look at that EVER entry and I can't even get to the skeeziness, I just want to un-rotate poor Kara. She is clearly standing, and my brain keeps slamming up against that and not even being able to consider any further detail. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-04 11:43 pm UTC (link)
	You know, you're right. The way the leg's extended does seem to imply she was climbing a steep step or ladder and turned to wink at the audience on her way. I guess I was too squicked to even notice. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	parsimonia 2009-06-05 12:21 am UTC (link)
	Haha, okay, your cover is way better. I especially love Cheshire looking pissed with her arms folded, and Helena giving the finger. And the hug definition has got to be one of the funniest, but still manages to be kind of adorable, strangely. (Reply to this)

	pyrotwilight 2009-06-05 12:25 am UTC (link)
	ever: Definitely oddly cheesecakey. But still adorable. But really. A mouse? Female doesn't automatically mean afraid of mice except in Tom and Jerry. XD huge: And thus a new fetish villain for Wonder Woman is born! or: It made me giggle with all the foreshadowyness. Guess Babs should've said "both". (Reply to this)

	ook 2009-06-05 04:43 am UTC (link)
	I like your cover a LOT more than the original one. Good work! :D (Reply to this)

	mysteryfan 2009-06-05 03:29 pm UTC (link)
	I LOVE Oracle's expression on your cover. Heh. Huge. Silly SuperDictionary. WW doesn't even wear shoes. She wears boots. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-05 08:38 pm UTC (link)
	Pause this at 1:02 for my inspiration. :D Actually, thinking how it would only be appropriate that she looked angry to be on that cover is what got me started on this. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-06-08 11:24 am UTC (link)
	Land really does not know how to do anything other than trace. http://thekamisama.livejournal.com/483854.html (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-08 07:23 pm UTC (link)
	Enlightening! If I ever gave Land credit for one thing, his run on Nightwing around 2000 wasn't so bad. Even if it was photoreferenced, it was at least done competently and with a priority for storytelling. It wasn't until he came back from Cross-Gen that he became the awful hack we know now. (Reply to this) (Parent)