BOOYAH: Cyborg Appreciation 2021

[9th.]

Happy New Years everyone, lets gather here and talk about our main man Victor Stone.

[Johnny]

[Restingvoice]

I don't know about the "suit" but I like this logotype best

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Might as well ask. Slim Cyborg (this one) or Tank Cyborg? (Teen Titans cartoon)

[ironman2978]

I don't know about the "suit" but I like this logotype best

330419._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

Might as well ask. Slim Cyborg (this one) or Tank Cyborg? (Teen Titans cartoon)

Slim, of course!!!
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I think live action I would even prefer a mix of Doom Patrol and Smallville Cyborg look, similar to what YJ Outsiders did:

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I think him just being cybernetic shouldn’t keep him from having an amazing costume too!

[9th.]

I love the YJ look but I wish they get rid of the red, it makes him look evil.

[ironman2978]

I love the YJ look but I wish they get rid of the red, it makes him look evil.

Honestly I've gotten used to the red addition, but I think Cyborg needs more on the color pallete than just grey and red (Teen Titans cartoon and DCYou comic added blue that worked, Smallville had hints of blue and purple). I also liked that YJ and even the JL film had different colors to represent his mindset (purple when mind controlled or fully under the Father Box, red when he is neutral state, and blue when he got cleanse by the Metron chair).

I think it works besides just having only grey with a red eye. It looks dull imo.

[sifighter]

I don't know about the "suit" but I like this logotype best

330419._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

Might as well ask. Slim Cyborg (this one) or Tank Cyborg? (Teen Titans cartoon)

I personally subscribe to the theory that he can shift his appearance, but if I had any favorites it’s Ivan Reis’ DCYOU slim look.

[9th.]

I personally subscribe to the theory that he can shift his appearance, but if I had any favorites it’s Ivan Reis’ DCYOU slim look.

Same here, he should be able to shift his appearance whenever he sees fit. I do think slim should be the default look.

[dkrook]

I don't know about the "suit" but I like this logotype best

330419._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

Might as well ask. Slim Cyborg (this one) or Tank Cyborg? (Teen Titans cartoon)

Definitely "slim" version at the very least. It would be amazing if DC got a clue and let the legacy be fulfilled by simply letting him evolve as the character should. Him bulky look is Stark contrast to his concept of being a man bonded with advanced technology and with a mother box mapping and understanding the human body. Ivan was spot on with Vic having synthetic "superskin" and shedding the bulky metal components is where our should be. A true bridge/bonding of AI and man. I hate the fact that a few gray beard geeks force Vic to be shackled to this victim who low key self hates who he is. This is especially problematic when considering the character is African American.

[lemonpeace]

Definitely "slim" version at the very least. It would be amazing if DC got a clue and let the legacy be fulfilled by simply letting him evolve as the character should. Him bulky look is Stark contrast to his concept of being a man bonded with advanced technology and with a mother box mapping and understanding the human body. Ivan was spot on with Vic having synthetic "superskin" and shedding the bulky metal components is where our should be. A true bridge/bonding of AI and man. I hate the fact that a few gray beard geeks force Vic to be shackled to this victim who low key self hates who he is. This is especially problematic when considering the character is African American.

you hit the nail on the head. the self-hating aspect of this whole man v machine trope DC keeps forcing on him, unintentionally, comes off as veiled racial hatred; he literally hates the skin he's in. personally, I say it DC was smart they'll use the clout from Bitter Root and now Naomi to "justify" giving David F. Walker a prestige push on Cyborg. his take in Vic was my favorite take on the character on page, and I feel like he dig a good job moving Vic past hating his new self and questioning if he's even human and finding new internal conflict by having him grapple with the weight of being essentially more than human being. The natural progression of that is showcasing and sharing that excess of humanity with the world like any hero would. we never get to that phase with Vic and I think that would be the best way to show he's finally arrived as a hero and doesn't need to go back to doubting his existence for the umpteenth time.

[lemonpeace]

I don't know about the "suit" but I like this logotype best

330419._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

Might as well ask. Slim Cyborg (this one) or Tank Cyborg? (Teen Titans cartoon)

I'm a big proponent of slim Vic because I like the idea of Vic being less about transforming and literally being the guns and tech all the time, and more about him inventing and then boomtubing in the suits and weapons and tools that suits the situation as need.

[ironman2978]

Definitely "slim" version at the very least. It would be amazing if DC got a clue and let the legacy be fulfilled by simply letting him evolve as the character should. Him bulky look is Stark contrast to his concept of being a man bonded with advanced technology and with a mother box mapping and understanding the human body. Ivan was spot on with Vic having synthetic "superskin" and shedding the bulky metal components is where our should be. A true bridge/bonding of AI and man. I hate the fact that a few gray beard geeks force Vic to be shackled to this victim who low key self hates who he is. This is especially problematic when considering the character is African American.

Not to mention as a physically disabled victim who relies on prosthetics to survive. Victor represents an interesting dichotomy that could really make people enjoy him as a character, especially as an allegory for several different groups (african americans, people with disabilities adapting to the change, how technology is becoming more ingrained into our livestyles, etc) and none of them are being see to it's fullest potentials because they want to use same tired tropes which comes off as more offensive than entertaining.

People don't forever dwell on the trauma and loss when getting a new prosthetic limb, and having to adapt to their new normal. It's sad the same can't be said for Cyborg.

YJ, Smallville, Doom Patrol, and Teen Titans are good example of how Cyborg may have the doubts and wish of being normal but that doesn't define his whole character. He still has adventures, still can find love and be an interesting character without playing on the same tropes.

you hit the nail on the head. the self-hating aspect of this whole man v machine trope DC keeps forcing on him, unintentionally, comes off as veiled racial hatred; he literally hates the skin he's in. personally, I say it DC was smart they'll use the clout from Bitter Root and now Naomi to "justify" giving David F. Walker a prestige push on Cyborg. his take in Vic was my favorite take on the character on page, and I feel like he dig a good job moving Vic past hating his new self and questioning if he's even human and finding new internal conflict by having him grapple with the weight of being essentially more than human being. The natural progression of that is showcasing and sharing that excess of humanity with the world like any hero would. we never get to that phase with Vic and I think that would be the best way to show he's finally arrived as a hero and doesn't need to go back to doubting his existence for the umpteenth time.

I desperately want someone like David Walker, Alex Sanchez or John Ridley or even Christopher Priest take charge on Cyborg and exploring his character. Cyborg is a character with a lot of storytelling potential and world building possibilities. Cyborg is a character who's been shown to be a formidable solo hero (Flashpoint, Doom Patrol), a hero who could bounce off the Justice League(Smallville, JL: Action, Geoff Johns run, Christopher Priest run), Doom Patrol, Metal Men, etc , someone who could be heavily connected with New Gods/Alien level adventures( YJ, JLO), and so much more. The fact that he was one of the seven in the DC opening credits for several movies really set his level for greatness. But editorial doesn't really see it until someone like Geoff Johns comes along to help.

I'm a big proponent of slim Vic because I like the idea of Vic being less about transforming and literally being the guns and tech all the time, and more about him inventing and then boomtubing in the suits and weapons and tools that suits the situation as need.

Agreed, or his technology adapting to the moment or situation. I prefer slim at his main form, but he bulks up or gets extra armor or protection when needed or even different weapons or technology, besides the sonic canon. Cyborg is a being who can adapt and evolve to fit any situation especially after being a hero who is a mix of New Gods technology and different tech both human and alien, creating someone extremely new that not even he is prepared for.

[Ascended]

But editorial doesn't really see it until someone like Geoff Johns comes along to help.

I wonder what the average profit/cost ratio is?

I don't have a ton of faith in DC's previous managers or administrators; there was far too much talk from editors/managers letting their personal opinions influence their business sense for me to have a lot of trust in what they did. When you're so blinded by your own ideas that you ignore the data in your spread sheet, and then brag about it in interviews, you lost my respect.

But I wonder what the risk assessments are like, if DC even bothers with such things? Putting someone like Priest on Cyborg is a no-brainer and you'd think it wouldn't take much to give a character like Vic a legitimate push and see some strong returns on that within a few years. So why doesn't it happen more often? Why is it that we're always waiting for some creator to knock it out of the park before management and editorial will dare any risk? Comics are supposedly a break-even industry where a mid-range book barely makes a profit, so maybe that's why we don't see publishers play it safe. And of course you gotta take the audience into account and comic fans are well known for hating anything new. But still, it seems to me that publishers limit themselves to the point it's detrimental, and "bad at business" can't be the only reason for it.