Project: Rooftop Announces "Fantastic Four: Fashion Forward" Redesign Contest

They're the first family of comic superheroes, and the first truly nuclear family in history; they're the Fantastic Four. Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee for Marvel Comics, the F.F. rang in their fiftieth year last year with Reed finally growing into that greying hair he's always had. In modern comics, the team (and the title) are enjoying one of the most critically acclaimed runs since the original days of Stan and Jack, and to celebrate the team and their tenure Project: Rooftop is taking them in in our next redesign contest. "Fantastic Four: Fashion Forward" is a Project: Rooftop contest giving artists worldwide the chance to redesign this super-hero family in a friendly competition for honor, recognition and just plain fun.

"The Fantastic Four have been high on our list of heroes to celebrate here at Project: Rooftop for years," says site co-founder and comics journalist Chris Arrant. "Now seems like the perfect time to honor these four timeless creations and the two men who created them 51 years ago."

For this ambitious contest (Project: Rooftop's first team contest), P:R's staff will be joined by a very special guest to judge the entries: Stuart Immonen, artist of Fear Itself, New Avengers, Nextwave and creator-owned projects such as Moving Pictures, Shockrockets and Superstar: As Seen On TV. For the Richards and Co., Immonen has illustrated them in runs on both Fantastic Four and Ultimate Fantastic Four. Project: Rooftop has long admired his work and featured critiques of his superhero design on multiple occasions, and Project: Rooftop was in fact launched back on 14th March 2006 with an original redesign of Marvel's Black Widow Immonen contributed.

Entries for "Fantastic Four: Fashion Forward" should redesign the original four members of the Fantastic Four: Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Thing and the Human Torch. Any entries including other characters or missing these four will be discarded. All entries must be received by 31st July 2012 at midnight EST. As usual, check our guidelines, include your name and website, and send your art as an attachment in jpg, png, or gif format to projectrooftop@gmail.com.

 

Revamped Vampirella Winner Revealed

The results are in, and the Project:Rooftop/Harris Comics "Revamp" contest (plugged here back in August) is now complete.

With over one hundred entries recieved, the Project: Rooftop staff and guest judges Trina Robbins, Joe Jusko and Dan Brereton poured over all the entries before deciding on who is the top of the heap in redesigning Vampirella.

ThatGrand Prize winner is Leipzig-based comics artist Ralph Niese, whose upcoming pro work includes inks for Image Comics' Noble Causes and who also had a strip in Image's recently released 400-plus page graphic collection Popgun, a diverse and sophisticated spectrum of work sure to attract new readers and infect mainstream pop culture with comics.

Receiving a composite score of 93 (out of 100), Niese's design of a race-car driving Vampirella and a night-creature alter ego give this the edge. Veteran comics creator Dan Brereton gave this a 10, saying "So easy to give this a 10. This is my pick for winner." Original Vampirella designer Trina Robbins agreed.

As grand prize winner, Niese will have his illustration featured in a future issue of Vampirella and will also received two comics signed respectively by Joe Jusko and Dan Brereton.

"I realize this is kinda of a departure for the character," says indie artist Dean Trippe, co-creator of the Project Rooftop site, "but there really is nothing more fun in this contest than race-car driving Vampirella and her night-creature alter ego (demonstration illo here!). Holy smack, I’d buy this comic two times a week. Ralph has ditched a single uniform in favor of a red/white style theme and a scary/sexy (scary-sexy?) demon-bat alter ego. Extra points for the Vampimobile. Wow."

The other winners were Joe Quinones (second prize) and Jemma Salume, artist on Dean Trippe's web comic, Butterfly.

"Generally, the character is wearing very little in terms of clothing," says Joe of his entry, "so I did my best to make the costume slightly more modest (and functional), while still alluring. I was also kinda thinking Audrey Hepburn as I was drawing it.

"There were a ton of great entries," he adds, "including the brilliant grand prize winner by Ralph Niese, as well as runner up entries by Ming Doyle, Adam Cadwell and many more. Certainly check out Maris's super cute runner up Vampi design, as well as Liz Prince's good humoured, Count Chocula revision of the character."

"Niese and Quinones are rock stars and really deserved first and second place," says Jemma, "and I'm really proud to be up there with them! There's some outstanding runners-up, too, be sure to check them out."

• Project: Rooftop and Harris Comics would like to thank everyone for submitting their work for this contest. View the winners on the Project Rooftop web site