Funny thing is I had predicted a convergence in fashion styles between these two characters years ago when Primaster first appeared in Leonard Nimoy’s Primortals form the now defunct Tekno Comics. Of course, J’onn’s green skin and blue cape appeared more than 35 years before, so he was the original.
However, I managed to call the fact that JJ would some day want Primaster’s long trousers and chest gem and that the Man-hunter from Mars would (regrettably) lose the trademark ‘pimp daddy’ collar.
It sucks to be right 15 years on. Just to be clear, I’m just sad about the collar...Now only Alan Scott has a pimp-worthy collar.
I kinda want the collar higher, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the chest-gem-thingy is a "cabachon."
Wow, I just read the last four Idol-head posts (great stuff in my opinion) and I caught the whole cabachon comment and definition that spared me having to look it up myself. Actually, when I read the word, I had no idea what you were talking about. However, when I tried to pronounce it, I somehow had a better idea of what you meant. Still, chest gem thingy sounds better, in my opininion. Are you like an intergalactic gem smuggler or something in your spare time?
ReplyDeleteThe collar was sooo versatile, because if a stiff breeze came up, J’onn instantly had a Dracula-esque, rear-of-head windchill-blocking, ear-warming collar. The larger collar gave the artists more freedom, but perhaps this was true of JJ’s entire cape . Sometimes, JJ would lean forward, towering over baddies (or next to teammates) in much the same way Bats does and the collar and longer cape (where one almost couldn’t see his boots) made him look so tall and creepy (in a cool, imposing way). The other variation was when the collar nearly covered his shoulders (I’m assuming that this is the relaxed, Commodores inspired collar), while the cape was normal length. Yet another one was the classic pimp-daddy high collar.
Nah, no gem smuggling on the Kessel Run, I'm afraid. I couldn't believe none of the guys knew what the word "cabachon" meant, much to my amusement. When you're a girl, a vast vocabulary of words relating to jewelry are, for better or worse, drilled into your head at an early age. We can go with chest gem thingy. Or maybe we can come up with a cool Martian name for it. I wish it had a symbol on it. I miss the pie buckle.
ReplyDeleteI like your rundown how his collar could vary depending on how the artist wanted to portray him: exotic, imposing, in need of ear warmth. My personal fav pose is when he's flying with his arms back, tucked under the cape. As opposed to, say, Superman, who flies with his arms in front of him.