"Gen13: Netherwar"
Sep. 13th, 2010 05:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mcityThis is a good book with a terrible cover.
This cover was drawn by acclaimed painter Julie bell, who apparently phoned it in. This requires a systmatic breakdown, but I'd first like to direct you to something not her fault; the byline above the logo that claims that they're "America's hottest superteam". This is what's known in the publishing business as a "lie". Gen13 is not, and never has been anything close to the level of the Justice League, or the Avengers. Even at their peak, the 90s, they might've barely squeaked past the Superfriends. This book was published in 1999.
In case you're not familiar, let's start with the kneeling young man in the foreground with the red pants. This is "Grunge" Chang, who can turn into any material he touches. He's also known for being short, trying to see Rainmaker's boobs, and occasionally succeeding. (Think :Horny Wolverine:.) He's actually very smart and has a photographic memory. He appears to have both become a white guy, and is expressing his desire to fist the cameraman.
The young lady in the rear of the scene wearing metal clothing while she throws around lightning is Sarah Rainmaker, codename "Rainmaker". She is a bisexual native American teenager with weather control powers, and seems to be halfway through a midair chorus of "Cats", judging by her jazzhands. She is in no way related to the X-Men's Storm.
The young man in the skintight Iron Man ensemble is Bobby "Burnout" Lane, not to be confused with Bobby "Iceman" Drake of the X-Men, despite their similar slacker personalities, names, and appearances. Burnout has a goatee, though Bell seems to have neglected that detail. Burnout can generate and fly on plasma. There is a remarkably attractive young woman in front of him in skintight clothing. Bobby is staring at her right hand.
To the right of the composition is Roxy "Freefall" Spaulding, who has gravity manipulation powers, and yes, she always wears that jacket. she represents the "punk" subculture, and is-actually, I don't know what she's doing. Pushing open an invisible door? Practicing martial arts? Who knows?
And dead center is Caitlin "Fairchild" Fairchild, twin majoring in computer science and electrical engineering, the only member of the team not obviously ripped off from the X-Men, and high-proof fanservice. She used to be a mousy nerd until her superpowers activated, whereupon she transformed into a highly-durable superstrong supermodel. Of course, she still has issues relating to her shift from bookworm to bombshell, making her approachable for the male geeks that are the series' target audience. I'm not sure what the purpose of the strap around her leg is, or why her costume seems to be vacuum-sealed, but Fairchild seems to have recently noticed the hideous deformation of her upper left arm.
The team's clothing all seems to be painted on, in fact. This is something we're used to in comic books, but can come off as ridiculous when rendered in a realistic fashion. One of the appeals of Alex Ross' art is that clothes actually look like cloth. Even when it's skintight, it looks like Spandex instead of shrink-wrap. Bell, for all her skill, doesn't seem to have learn that lesson.
And, of course, the scene on the cover never actuall appears in the book.
This cover was drawn by acclaimed painter Julie bell, who apparently phoned it in. This requires a systmatic breakdown, but I'd first like to direct you to something not her fault; the byline above the logo that claims that they're "America's hottest superteam". This is what's known in the publishing business as a "lie". Gen13 is not, and never has been anything close to the level of the Justice League, or the Avengers. Even at their peak, the 90s, they might've barely squeaked past the Superfriends. This book was published in 1999.
In case you're not familiar, let's start with the kneeling young man in the foreground with the red pants. This is "Grunge" Chang, who can turn into any material he touches. He's also known for being short, trying to see Rainmaker's boobs, and occasionally succeeding. (Think :Horny Wolverine:.) He's actually very smart and has a photographic memory. He appears to have both become a white guy, and is expressing his desire to fist the cameraman.
The young lady in the rear of the scene wearing metal clothing while she throws around lightning is Sarah Rainmaker, codename "Rainmaker". She is a bisexual native American teenager with weather control powers, and seems to be halfway through a midair chorus of "Cats", judging by her jazzhands. She is in no way related to the X-Men's Storm.
The young man in the skintight Iron Man ensemble is Bobby "Burnout" Lane, not to be confused with Bobby "Iceman" Drake of the X-Men, despite their similar slacker personalities, names, and appearances. Burnout has a goatee, though Bell seems to have neglected that detail. Burnout can generate and fly on plasma. There is a remarkably attractive young woman in front of him in skintight clothing. Bobby is staring at her right hand.
To the right of the composition is Roxy "Freefall" Spaulding, who has gravity manipulation powers, and yes, she always wears that jacket. she represents the "punk" subculture, and is-actually, I don't know what she's doing. Pushing open an invisible door? Practicing martial arts? Who knows?
And dead center is Caitlin "Fairchild" Fairchild, twin majoring in computer science and electrical engineering, the only member of the team not obviously ripped off from the X-Men, and high-proof fanservice. She used to be a mousy nerd until her superpowers activated, whereupon she transformed into a highly-durable superstrong supermodel. Of course, she still has issues relating to her shift from bookworm to bombshell, making her approachable for the male geeks that are the series' target audience. I'm not sure what the purpose of the strap around her leg is, or why her costume seems to be vacuum-sealed, but Fairchild seems to have recently noticed the hideous deformation of her upper left arm.
The team's clothing all seems to be painted on, in fact. This is something we're used to in comic books, but can come off as ridiculous when rendered in a realistic fashion. One of the appeals of Alex Ross' art is that clothes actually look like cloth. Even when it's skintight, it looks like Spandex instead of shrink-wrap. Bell, for all her skill, doesn't seem to have learn that lesson.
And, of course, the scene on the cover never actuall appears in the book.
