January Artjam Entries!

As you may or may not know, every month here in the hallowed halls of Xion we host a different art challenge. For January  the task was to redesign any comic book character. It could've been anywhere from a couple of tweaks to a complete overhaul. It could've been a D-list villain all the way to an A-lister hero. Below are the entries for January.




Kamau Mshale redesigns Iron Fist.





Darr Henderson's Zatanna. Dar says, "I always wanted to see a gothed out Zatanna. I went through many backgrounds before I decided to make it look like she is promoting an act of some sort. Many other backgrounds I tried made her vanish but I think this is fitting and she stands out."



Sha-Nee Williams' X-23. Sha-Nee says she choose X-23 because "she is an awesome character and its my first time really drawing her. Also, I dont hear much about her in the comic world (or I've been living under a rock in that case)." She also says, " I added more stuff to her outfit to give her more of a punk rock feel."



Omar Clifton's take on Captain America. "I was going fir a more desert warrior style....thought about a riot shield but the disc is classic."

 





My early sketches of my New Warriors re-designs. Night Thrasher above. 



Marvel(formerly "Justice") I see Marvel as the most 'super-heroesque' of the team.

Mecca (formerly "Rage") The name Rage HAS to go above all else. I see him much more at peace now and determined to be a positive role model.

Namorita. I kept her pretty much the same as her last appearance but the biggest change will come in her power set. She should be an Atlantean Wonder Woman.

Nova. My inspiration for Nova was to get away from the space stuff. I see him as the cool jock that never picked on the nerd but still rides off on the bike with the chick.



Speedball. Speedball will go from his Penance funk back to a more fun-loving person. My inspiration is par-kour mixed with skater/hip-hopper.


And wait, what's this?! An entry from a writer-- Ben Rhine's take on Adam Warlock.

"Using funding appropriated during the second World War, what was to become Advanced Idea Mechanics gathered together what they could from Abraham Erskine's research as well as dutifully-scrounged notes from the labs of Nathaniel Essex into the structure and genetic exaltation of humanity. The work, as presented, would be to create the Perfect Human, a canned Bodhisattva.

The project called for two beings, one male, one female, at the behest of the director, who harbored strong resentment against his species for the atrocities to the Earth and to each other incurred during the war. The primary researchers, calling themselves the Enclave, went as far as to inject themselves with the Infinity Formula and otherwise augment themselves to devote themselves more fully to the project at hand.

From the sheer enormity of the task at hand, many Enclave members relinquished their humanity, if not their minds, in the midst of the Work at hand. Some came to resent the very species they sought to perfect in their research, and arguments spilled out onto the research floor.

Each of these conflicts and philosophical changes had their influence in the creation of the subjects. Eventually, over decades, the funds for the project ran out and the Enclave would have to observe their results as-is, allocating funds to more profitable research as AIM. The male subject, Adam, faced numerous questions involving purpose and morality, weighing the responsibility of an individual towards preserving life, consuming life to live, and coexisting with life as a member of a communal species, as a far greater specimen of that species, by those who had turned their back on this species.

A raid on the Enclave by the Serpent Society (over something silly, petty and selfish) gave Adam an opportunity to observe the world outside. His emergence would send forth an intense ripple in the fabric of the universe, but for nothing so grandiose as his own presence. As he learned of the massive imbalances and self-delusion that marked true humanity, he would come to learn that his entire creation, the entire reason that circumstance brought the project together, was to create a suitable host for the Soul Gem to enter reality, and that upon its completion Adam would become lost once more to confusion, without the watchful eye of the Enclave to observe and respond to his psychic needs.

It came to pass, rattling through in each painful, forceful evolution of his psyche, that the Soul Gem would complete itself within Adam and release itself from his being, to gravitate into the cosmic array of the Infinity Gems in a far off corner of the Universe. Unreconciled, unable to lead or to destroy his fellow humanity, Adam finally gave up on any promise he once had, taking the surname Warlock, or "Oathbreaker." He now wanders, finding small scraps of wisdom and experience, hoping to find some way to cope with the hole left where he once stood the Universal Soul in his heart."


Great job everyone. Ok, here's February's challenge:
This month Xion asks you to celebrate the release of the new movie CHRONICLE  with a depiction of yourself as a superpowered person. We're not looking so much for over-the-top costumes, but a more "realistic" take on your super-powered self to keep the spirit of the movie. It must also be a self-protrait. Aside from that, sky's the limit. And of course, this isn't regulated to just the artists. Writers, concoct a short story and post a link to your blog or site with your finished essay.

A few things to remember:
* we'll be doing this every month
* writers are also encouraged to contribute, by submitting a short story or concept pitch.
* you can post your submissions on the Xion facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/groups/153014201477978/
or send them to the new email: thexionnetwork@gmail.com
* it's never too late to submit
* skill level is never a factor, it's all about having fun!

So let's see what you've got.