Best Designed JLU member

[The Avenger]

which JLU member do you think Timm draws the best?

[PeterFries]

Well, it's worth mentioning that his design for John Stewart caught on well enough to drag the character out of limbo in the comics and put him in the JLA.

I really like the original design he did for the Demon, the really fish-like one, before Glen Murakami convinced him to stick to classic Kirby.

[Jor-El]

I guess I'll vote for Hawkgirl, just because her design sticks so closely with her actual design in the comics without holding 100% to it. I personally hate John Stewart's new goatee look.

On a related note, one of my pet peeves (and I don't know if I'm just noticing this lately or if it is really just really spreading lately) is when people give Bruce Timm credit for every aspect of every single episode of every show. Isn't James Tucker the guy who actually does character designs or am I misinformed?

[EJill34]

On a related note, one of my pet peeves (and I don't know if I'm just noticing this lately or if it is really just really spreading lately) is when people give Bruce Timm credit for every aspect of every single episode of every show. Isn't James Tucker the guy who actually does character designs or am I misinformed?They both do character designs. There are a host of other character designers, but I'd have to check the JLU credits to name them.

I do agree about giving Timm credit for everything, which is why I usually say something along the lines of "the JLU creative team" unless I actually know that that member of the crew was responsible for the part of the episode I'm talking about.

[b.t.]

On a related note, one of my pet peeves (and I don't know if I'm just noticing this lately or if it is really just really spreading lately) is when people give Bruce Timm credit for every aspect of every single episode of every show. Isn't James Tucker the guy who actually does character designs or am I misinformed?

absolutely right, james tucker has been the primary character designer on JL and JLU....for example, of the original seven, he designed all but two (i designed hawkgirl and j'onn myself)....other notable tucker designs: aquaman, bwana beast, booster gold, the "JL luthor", most of the injustice gang villains: ultra-humanite, copperhead, shade, giganta, grodd, killer frost, cheetah, and many, many more...

[b.t.]

Well, it's worth mentioning that his design for John Stewart caught on well enough to drag the character out of limbo in the comics and put him in the JLA..

i'd love to take credit for the john stewart design, but he's another example of james tucker's work .....

[Harley_Quinn]

absolutely right, james tucker has been the primary character designer on JL and JLU....for example, of the original seven, he designed all but two (i designed hawkgirl and j'onn myself)....other notable tucker designs: aquaman, bwana beast, booster gold, the "JL luthor", most of the injustice gang villains: ultra-humanite, copperhead, shade, giganta, grodd, killer frost, cheetah, and many, many more...
Did he do Star Shappire as well, I love her design.

[Toddman]

i'd love to take credit for the john stewart design, but he's another example of james tucker's work .....
That's very interesting, but it kind of raises a question. While John Stewart is a design that has been exclusive to JL, his costume is very similar to Kyle Rayner's in STAS (with a slightly altered ring and the addition of boots). So did Mr. Tucker design the Rayner version of GL also? Just wondering, because I've seen an early b.t. rendered version of Stewart (during the development for STAS) with the Rayner costume, complete with mask.

I'm sure it's very possible to have several artists provide input on one particular character, such as a)Stewart's face, b)his costume and c)his new face (which I think looks great).

As for which JL member has the best design, that's a tough one. There's so damn many of them!

Well, as others have said, I truely love the design for GL.I know the Gil Kane costume is a classic, but there is something more stream-lined and dynamic about the JL look. Speaking of the Kane design, it was terrific fun to see it during TOAFT pt2, truer to it's original comic book version than almost any other design in the DCAU. There was even a subtle difference in the green compared to Stewart's look.

The other newer designs that have stood out for me:

Green Arrow- Really this is more of a complement to the genius of Neal Adams I suppose (in my opinion, the greatest comic book artist who ever lived). But the creative team has really captured the sleek flavor of Adams' design while at the same time effortlessly wrapping it around GA's huge animated frame (good work on the tapered quiver, btw). GA's unmasked face works very well and bonus points for the clever "G" belt buckle.

Capt. Atom- Not a big change from his current comic book version, but I never realized how clunky the non-matching boots and gloves were until I saw the JLU version with both in red. Also nice use of the black trim.

Booster Gold- Again, hardly any change from the comics version, but I really think the "shiny" highlights on JL costume designs were especially effective on Booster, whose look should have a little bit of a sheen to it.

Toddman

[Knight]

My two favorite designs are John Stewart and Aquaman (they should go back to a look like this in the comics).

[Stu]

I was never fond of Batman's new look. After watching the newer stuff, I'm just going to blame the animation in season one, because from season 2 of JL onwards, it just may be Batman's sexiest design ever. Not sure what was up with the first season of JL, but most of the episodes just looked crap.

I'm not fond of Darkseid's redesign. I think they were trying to make him look older, but I wasn't digging it. STAS was perfect.

As for the rest of them, I really like The Atom. The white slits work so much cooler than pupils.

And of course, the coolest JL designs ever? The Justice Lords!

[screw on head]

I've been very pleased with Green Arrow's design, no matter what studio animates him, he carries the same level of consistancy. Superman, John Stewart, and many others have their distinct looks from studio to studio, but GA always looks pretty consistant, I'm not sure why that is exactly...

I really like the glossy finish to the Atom's already cool costume. Again, as does GA, he looks great animated by Dr. Movie or by Dong Yang. There's subtle differences that are easier to pick up on him than on Green Arrow, so he doesn't make it as unscaved, but still looks pretty good and consistant given the simplicity of his design.

Glad to hear many of the character designs have been by James Tucker, I'd love to see some of his artwork published someday, if it hasn't already. Given he's a seasoned storyboarder, I'd love to see James do a comic or two sometime. Back to character designs though, the very cool model of Wildcat seems to be b.t.'s handywork: that torso, those hands, it's gotta be :p.

[MJC]

I like most of the designs, but my favorites would probably be GL, Aquaman (even though the character is annoying), and Booster Gold.

The only particularly ugly design is Mr. Miracle. His costume itself is ok, but not a very good choice of colors... :sweat:

I've always though WW's costume was kind of silly too, but I don't suppose the crew would be able to give her a new costume anyway.

[The Avenger]

absolutely right, james tucker has been the primary character designer on JL and JLU....for example, of the original seven, he designed all but two (i designed hawkgirl and j'onn myself)....other notable tucker designs: aquaman, bwana beast, booster gold, the "JL luthor", most of the injustice gang villains: ultra-humanite, copperhead, shade, giganta, grodd, killer frost, cheetah, and many, many more...
I apologize. I assumed since this style looks similiar to your TNBA and STAS drawings, that you designed them.

[PeterFries]

i'd love to take credit for the john stewart design, but he's another example of james tucker's work .....
Well, then, well done Mr. Tucker.

Maybe this isn't really the place for it, but it would be cool to hear a little more about who does what for the series sometime. I mean, outside of the sort of vague (and hard to read) credits at the end of the show...

[adoptedBatpuppy]

I like Green Arrow's design and Black Canary's design. :D I wonder who did Supergir's design? It is also very awesome!

[Legionaire]

Ditto on the Justice Lords, though I wasn't too fond of Shayera without "ear wings". J'onn was cool, Diana is sexy in anything (or nothing :cool: ), and Supes always looks great in black.

Also love Dr. Fate. and agree with numerous others on the Atom--that shade of blue just leaps off the screen at you. In both cases they mproved on the comics versions.

Mr. Miracle was very true to the comics and it worked well in animation. Yes the colors are a bit ...jarring... but remember Thaddeus Brown (whose mantle Scott inherited) was a performer not too far removed from a circus act. And besides, amidst all that typical whacked out Kirby art (the word "loud" springs to mind :D ) he had to do something to make the hero stand out. :shrug:

The future Static from his original series rocked, but I did NOT like the design used in TOAFT2.

[adoptedBatpuppy]

i'd love to take credit for the john stewart design, but he's another example of james tucker's work .....Who else designs characters for JLU/JLA besides yorself and Mr. Tucker?

Thanks, for replying

[Rebis]

I think that the design for Vixen is smashing.

Her outfit is a groovy tip of the hat to her '80s-era comics look (thankfully minus the goofy upsweep hairstyle and braids). The lines of her body cut a form that is at once svelt and willowy. She's got some daring décolletage goin' on. And I like the fierce arc of her eyebrows.

At first I was made a wee bit nervous by her tiger teeth adornments ... I thought they may have played a bit too far into Western culture's overly general notion of an Africanist aesthetic. But I've finally decided that, even if this *is* the case, they just look freakin' cool. The Tantu Totem's never looked better.
The whole look combines to make her sleek and sexy, and just a bit off-center. Which is interesting!

[Batman49]

While AMAZO might not be the best design, compared to his comic counterpart, his JL redesign was probably the most improved. It's simple but effective.

[mahoney]

Do future Justice League members count? If so, the future Batman is my favorite character design, followed closely by J'onn's alien self & Green Lantern (with and without the goatee), and 'Future Shock' Static. I like the others for the most part too, but I admit the underwear-on-the-outside look sometimes throws me off.... I'm getting used to it, though.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Dr. Fate rules, although it's been so long since "Hand of Fate", I can't really compare how he was changed.

I like how the series has its own style different from the comics, but did they really need to rob J'onn of his ears?

[DerekPowers]

absolutely right, james tucker has been the primary character designer on JL and JLU....for example, of the original seven, he designed all but two (i designed hawkgirl and j'onn myself)....other notable tucker designs: aquaman, bwana beast, booster gold, the "JL luthor", most of the injustice gang villains: ultra-humanite, copperhead, shade, giganta, grodd, killer frost, cheetah, and many, many more...
Wow, good to know. I didnt know that.

But, it is technically "Bruce Timm design theory", so they kind of have your fingerprints on them. How much character design work do you do? Can you name a few more of your designs.

Also, how closely do you and James Tucker work? Do you have to approve everything he does? And do you have any input? Did you have to 'school' him on bruce timm design basics before handing such a job over to him (and the other designers)? I know he's been working on dcau shows for a while, but in general, do you have to go over the bt basics w/ him and other designers?

Also, do you suggest he goes in one direction or another, or look at certain 'versions' of the characters to base the design on? Like for instance, the Aquaman design (which i LOVE). Whose call was it to go w/ that version? stuff like that.

thanks. peace.

[adoptedBatpuppy]

I think that the design for Vixen is smashing.

Her outfit is a groovy tip of the hat to her '80s-era comics look (thankfully minus the goofy upsweep hairstyle and braids). The lines of her body cut a form that is at once svelt and willowy. She's got some daring décolletage goin' on. And I like the fierce arc of her eyebrows.

At first I was made a wee bit nervous by her tiger teeth adornments ... I thought they may have played a bit too far into Western culture's overly general notion of an Africanist aesthetic. But I've finally decided that, even if this *is* the case, they just look freakin' cool. The Tantu Totem's never looked better.
The whole look combines to make her sleek and sexy, and just a bit off-center. Which is interesting!
Yes, she is also a very cool character! I wonder about her origin? :anime:

[dtemplar]

I guess my obvious choices are Green Arrow, Black Canary, and The Atom

[JLAgent]

The Justice Lords designs were AWESOME-- but i really like how
the Green Lantern Corps were designed.

if i have to pick one character design: John Stewart

[Silverbolt]

Of course I'm going to pick Hawkgirl, she's simply perfect in every way. And one of the very few characters that give you a handful of uniforms/outfits as well. I like how her outfits have gradually pushed towards my biggest pointless JL wish, Hawkgirl in a bikini.:evil: