The Many Looks of Black Alice; The Return

[kamino_neko]

This is a follow up to my earlier post on Black Alice here. The character's background can be looked at there, as well as most of her earlier looks. This post has the most interesting ones I didn't post there (as I hadn't yet read that issue). I'd actually intended to wait a couple more months until she'd had a few more appearances, and thus a few more outfits, but I changed my mind.

OK, let's start with the appearance I didn't include last time...Reign in Hell. Now, I never read Reign in Hell past issue 2...the only reason I have the rest is for Lori's appearances, so...I ended up disappointed. While she apparently takes multiple powers...her powers apparently don't work like they're supposed to. She only has one outfit. This one:



Which...isn't bad, I guess, but it's not really Lori, yeah? (And she's in Hell! Working for Satanus! She should have a much more awesome outfit than that!)

So, let's move on to the more Black Alice-y looks, then.

Next up, a couple revisited looks, because they don't look like they did before...

First, from the Suicide Squad Blackest Night special, written by Simone and Ostrander, art by Calafiore...Giganta! (Did I mention my love of giantesses?)



Much better than in Helm of Fate....at least on the 'looking Alice-y' front. (I like to think that Gail, having seen my previous post and complaint therein about how un-Alice the Giganta design in Helm of Fate was put a note in her script for Calafiore saying 'make her more Alice-y'. >_>) The torn 'nets, I really like...Calafiore seems to skip that part an awful lot. This is the only time she has them under his pencil.

And, Nightshade, from Secret Six 17:



Looks good...the changes are a little subtle, but it's a good merger of Alice and Nightshade's looks. I do prefer the version from BoP, I admit. Calafiore's art gets a lot of criticism, and I'm not a big fan of his stuff...but he really does Alice well. Just look at that grin. (I think the men get the worst of the problems I have with his art.)

On the other end of the scale, here's Alice channelling Dr Occult:



It's, again, a bit disappointing - I'd have liked it if they'd used Alice's colours, and tattered her jacket a bit more, but...it's not bad.

And, finally, a full page from the same issue (I WAS only going to include the panel of the costume, but...then I decided to include the whole exchange. Proof that Gail is not immune to the lure of an absolutely horriffic pun. A bit after the above, Alice randomly decides to wig out...over the most bizarre thing:



Yes. You did just see what you think you did. Oh, Lori...I love you, but even if Scandal were straight...it's Ragdoll, girl...I'm pretty sure you're the only one after him.

Uhm...the Etrigan look, yes. It's a good mix. What I find really neat is Alice's hair flaring to suggest Etrigan's ears.

A shorter installment of The Many Looks this time, but...a fun one.

Comments

[bluejaybirdie]

Somewhat OT, but I really like how Scandal refers to herself with "I'm a gay woman". The wording and delivery of it make Scandal seem very confident and self-assured of her sexuality (like she always has been), a portrayal I like a lot. It's very nice to see a gay character with little to no angsting about their sexuality.

[eightleggedbeast]

And very serious about it she is too. Too serious for contractions.

[liara_shadowsong]

Yay lack of angst! (Crap, I don't have a good icon for this. Here, have an Alfred, with Babs in the background.)

[daningram.insanejournal.com]

Reminds me of her 'outting' in Villans United.

Blunt, to the point and didn't seemed forced due to the situation (getting ready to make a suicide run would make one cranky).

[hurricane-jam.livejournal.com]

...when did Alice start dating Ragdoll? O.o

[kamino_neko]

She's been flirting with him pretty much since they met.

It never officially moved over into...official. At least as far as anyone but Lori knew. (See 'Doll's reaction.)

[nezchan]

I love Deadshot's "all righty then" expression in the last panel. Well, what expression he can show in that getup.

[kamino_neko]

See, that's why I can't entirely criticize Calafiore - look at the expressions in this scene - 3/4 of the characters are wearing masks that cover all or most of their face...one of which is immobile...yet he manages to make them very expressive, nonetheless.

[nezchan]

It's got a lot to do with body posture and head tilts, plus some really subtle changes to how you draw what face you can see. Although really excellent writing makes a big difference. I used to read Triangle and Robert back when it was running, and there were parts where I could easily imagine tone of voice and facial expressions on characters who were nothing but geometric shapes!

[nezchan]

Apparently that's what Ragdoll wants to know.

[big_daddy_d]

I'm still trying to get over the fact that someone actually WANTS Ragdoll.

[hurricane-jam.livejournal.com]

I'm suprised that someone's crazy enough to date Black Alice.

Oh, wait...nevermind.

[saralakali]

Oh come on. He's like a human tentacle monster that will never get a girl pregnant. What's not to love?

[darkblade]

Estrogan? It's an okay look but not such a good name or even a rhyme.

[kamino_neko]

A horrible pun is its own justification.

[thehefner]

Estrogan? Really? Really?

[bluefall]

And I thought "My god, it's full of Starro" was bad.

[bluejaybirdie]

I guess it's a Your Mileage May Vary type thing, because I thought it was hilarious.

(Then again, I've been listening to my dad's terrible puns since I was a kid, so I'm probably brainwashed...)

[kamino_neko]

I'm with you and tornadotwin, FTR...terrible puns are awesome.

[bluefall]

You've seen me and seriousfic get in pun fights here, haven't you? I didn't say I wasn't amused. I just said it was bad.

[thehefner]

It strikes me as one of those things that would get a rousing round of facepalms here if any other writer did it. Imagine if Mark Millar pulled "Estrogan" in a story.

[bluejaybirdie]

Well, there's a few reasons for that, I think:

1. Gail Simone is a woman. If Mark Millar pulled the "Estrogan" thing, people would say it was sexist (and possibly be right, I don't know). It's basically a different version of the "N-word privileges".

2. Gail has a reputation for being a quirky writer who puts a lot of humor into her comics, and Millar...doesn't. It would seem "off" if he suddenly put the pun in there, IMHO.

[skalja]

If Mark Millar wrote it he'd be trying to make some sort of Edgy Statement, whereas the way Simone and Calafiore stage the scene here (the reactions of Deadshot and Ragdoll) make it clear that we're not supposed to take this very seriously.

[tornadotwin.blogspot.com]

ESTROGAN! Come on. guys, it's funny.

Or it may just be the fact that I'm the only one who loves puns cuz I loled at it!

I honestly thought Ragdoll was gay. Dead seriously. Show's how much I pay attention.

[kamino_neko]

'Doll seems to be a weird combination of perverse, randy, and asexual.

[tornadotwin.blogspot.com]

Ironic

[kamino_neko]

That's 'Doll for you.

[brandiweed.livejournal.com]

'Doll seems to be a weird combination of perverse, randy, and asexual.

I thought I had heard/read here that he castrated himself because his equipment got in the way of his flexibility.

Or maybe he just spread that rumor around to make people even more uncomfortable.

[gypsydavy]

There was a scene in Villains United where someone kicks him in the crotch and he says something like I see what you did there but I got rid of that nonsense a while ago. So, I always assumed he was telling the truth about castrating himself.

[icon_uk]

His mentioning of his lack of... between the legs tackle has become almost a trope, and yes, he had it all removed so it wouldn't get in the way of his flexibility.

[kamino_neko]

His mentioning of his lack of... between the legs tackle has become almost a trope

As has the fact that it never seems to prevent him from being a randy pervert.

Such is the joy of 'Doll.

[comicoz]

A few episodes back, I'm pretty sure Ragdoll said he didn't even have any parts left because he felt they were too squishy.

And I found the Estrogan thing hilarious. Knowing that there's a female writer on this meant that there was zero sexism involved and it was just a good ol bad pun. I was laughing for like 5 minutes.

[bluefall]

You know, thinking about this more, I realize I actually kinda like Alice when she's crazy. Bitter, troubled, chip-on-her-shoulder Lori wasn't doing it for me as more than an incidental storyarc, but genuinely-disconnected-from-reality Alice is pretty fun even as a potentially enduring character.

[greenmask]

They('d) make a nice couple.

[thebigapricot]

Alice is so crazy that even Ragdoll can't believe it. And I liked when Alice called Scandal "grandma" -- girl likes to live dangerously.

[mullon]

The Dr. Occult one is my favorite.

[shadowpsykie]

i love that Black Alice is the one character that can make Ragdoll seem like he's sane

[ravenous_raven]

Ooh, Fulfillment of Request 2.0! Thanks, I must've had some good karma coming back to me today!

That being said, I'm definitely underwhelmed by the Hell outfit. Come on, it's Hell, that's the best the artist could do? That being said, the other ones look good, but then, I don't know how the regular outfits look, so...anyway, I like them. D.C. needs more cosplaying anti-heroines.

[kamino_neko]

I've edited in links to the original versions for comparison.

[ravenous_raven]

Yep, I saw, thanks! I'll be sure to use them if I ever figure out how to have a slide-show sort of icon...

[crinos]

Ragdoll? Really?

Alice, you can do better. Well, okay maybe YOU can't do better, but I don't think you could do worse.

[lea_hazel]

I like the horns and the teeth. Then again, I've always liked my female villains (and heroes!) to look monstrous, creepy and not very human.

[nikeskylark]

i couldn't stop laughing at 'estrogan'

[icon_uk]

I confess I still don't like the character much, but crazy is perhaps the only excuse for her continuing to use such a ludicrously selfish power. She doesn't mimic powers, she steals them outright, so the original user will find themselves completely powerless for as long as Alice wants to use their powers and sod the consequences.

And so what happens when someone dies whilst she's left them powerless?

[bluefall]

Her control over who she steals from seems to vary. If she got to a point where she was always stealing from villains, particularly the ones right in front of her, and trained herself to be a competent and effective badass normal when she isn't using magic, she'd be a very effective hero.

It does pose some dubious questions either way, though. Where do guys like the Spectre go when they're not on Earth, and what happens when you steal their magic while they're there? If you steal Cap Marvel or (AUGH) Diana's powers while they're in mundane form... what exactly do you get? Does Zauriel fall out of the sky if you catch him flying, or are the wings and body shape not part of the magical package with him? And just exactly how much facility with her stolen powers does she have? If she can mimic Zee's backward speech or Diana's martial skill (tagging someone with a lasso is not for beginners), she's basically getting all of it, like stealing Jimmy Page's guitar and instinctively knowing the fingering for Stairway the moment you touch it. But with the Spectre and Nightshade, she seemed not to fully know what she was doing or what she was capable of.

Hardly the first vague superpower in the DCU, or remotely the most vague, but it does lead to a fair amount of Fridge Logic moments.

[gailsimone]

I love these, Kamino. If I may say so, I used the previous such Alice post you did for research recently and it was a BIG HELP so thank you!

Alice's power should always steal the power from the original owner. There is a draining sensation, so I assume flyers would instinctively land. The owners do retain some small trace of their power, but Alice gets the lion's share.

There are some limitations...the more elegant and sophisticated the power, the harder it is for her to control it. So she can grow like Giganta immediately, no problem, but sophisticated Dr. Fate magic, the COMPLEX stuff, would be really hard on her, as we see next issue. The more direct and blunt a power is, the easier she can handle it.

Second, she can only hold onto a power for a very limited time. She can't hold a power for, say, half an hour, under normal circumstances. Some powers, she's lucky to hold for a few minutes.

And finally, Alice does have one innate power of her own, which is that she can sense magic in her presence.

So yes, she's one of the most powerful beings in the dcu, but also one of the most deeply handicapped, and severely vulnerable.

[kamino_neko]

I love these, Kamino. If I may say so, I used the previous such Alice post you did for research recently and it was a BIG HELP so thank you!

Well, consider my cap officially feathered.

And, you're welcome!

There is a draining sensation, so I assume flyers would instinctively land.

This brings up an interesting thought - can the victim resist her attempt to drain them (other than being in the same general place and clocking her like the Wall did) - say she tried to swipe Nightshade again, and Eve felt it coming on - could she refuse to let go (or at least try to, and have some semblance of a chance of success), or is Alice's power a will ye or nil ye thing?