Heroes in Black and White

Customs by Joshua Izzo e-mail joshuaizzo@yahoo.com Web Address none

Custom Recipes: Heroes in Black and White

Grendel:
I suppose everyone needs to create, at least once, the ubiquitous Hunter Rose Grendel figure. This incarnation was crafted using the body of a Toy Biz Spider-Man Classis Daredevil 2 and the head of a Toy Biz Parachute Spider-Man. I went with a more streamlined version of the character, and less of the ‘balletic’ version that has been portrayed previously. The sash for his mask came from a random video game character (manufactured by Joyride) and his pitchfork was crafted from a chopstick and two Toy Biz Lord of the Rings Legolas swords.

Joe Lombard:
As I said, there was one notable exception to my black and white theme, and this is she. Joe, the most happening gal in Snap City comes from Mike Allred’s pop-culture love letter, Madman. She is Madman’s (Frank Einstein) girlfriend and she was a delight to create. Her torso and hair is from a DC Direct Sophie figure, her face is from a DC Direct Jenny Sparks and her legs are from a DC Direct Desire figure.

Madman:
Madman has to be one of the most beautiful looking comics around, not to mention a delight to read. I have always longed for a Madman figure ever since I bought the first 3-part Tundra Publishing Madman mini-series, and now I have one. This figure is based on that initial series and he is created from a DC Direct Silver-Age Hourman body, McFarlane Akira gloves and a head sculpted from scratch.

Moon Knight:
This is actually my fourth attempt at Moon Knight, Marvel Comics answer to Batman. I had initially crafted 3 other versions of this figure, but two of them got destroyed in the priming stage by a faulty spray-paint canister and the third has since been given as a gift to a dear friend. Anyway, this figure uses a Mattel Zipline Batman for the base body, arms and legs. The gauntlets come from a Jakks Pacific Mummy Returns Imhotep figure and the ornamental belt buckle is from a DC Direct Promethea figure. The hands are from the Mattel Batman and a Battle of the Planets figure. A Toy Biz Lord of the Rings figure donates the cape; the head is a modified DC Direct Spectre and the shin-holster is from the Toy Biz Spider-Man Classics Daredevil 2.

Morpheus, The Dream King:
The Sandman has always been one of my favorite comic books, but DC Direct has never given me a sufficient Morpheus. This custom owes its look to the recent New York Times bestseller “Sandman: Endless Nights” book. I created the lord of dreams from a McFarlane Ichabod Crane torso, arms and boots. The leggings come from a McFarlane Ultima Online Lord Adranath, the over-coat was from a Toy Biz X-Men 2 Movie Nightcrawler and the head and hands were from the original DC Direct Sandman figure.

The Marquis:
This character was a challenge from the very beginning. Guy Davis, the creator of the Marquis – a demon-slaying force from a fictional 1800’s Paris – is drawn to be a mass of cloak and shadow. It was as if he envelops all light from around him. In order to create the voluminous cloaks and rippling capes of the Marquis I used some parts from a Mattel Lord Voldemort, a DC Direct Spectre, a Toy Biz Lord of the Rings Gandalf – which also donated the legs, and a healthy amount of clear vinyl. The torso is from a Toy Vault (?) Astro City Confessor and the gauntlets are from a Mattel Zip Line Batman. The head is an original Kneadatite sculpture over and existing Battle of the Planets Zoltar figure. The hat is donated from a Hasbro Treasure Planet toy, the sword is from a Toy Biz Marvel Legends Blade and the gun is a modified DC Direct Sandman gun.

The Wretch:
The Wretch is a character that I put into the same league as Hellboy. Solid storytelling by his creator, Phil Hester, amazing black and white artwork and an insouciance and quirkiness that just leaves the reader scratching their heads. I love the look of this character, and I have been reading the exploits of The Wretch (used to be The Creep) from way back in Caliber’s Negative Burn anthology, and I figured it was time for a Wretch figure. He uses a Toy Biz Spider-Man Classics Black Spider-Man for the base body, DC Direct Spectre hands, Toy Biz X-Men Evolution Magneto shoulder pads, papier-mâché newspaper strips for his rags and a Kneadatite head.