DVD Talk Forum - Comic Book Cover Of The Day

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Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

I always wondered why, in 1985, the Beyonder was wearing that corny white disco suit?

Was it some kind of inside joke in the Bullpen, or did they actually think it looked hip and cool?

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh-da-man (Post 14711119)

I always wondered why, in 1985, the Beyonder was wearing that corny white disco suit?

Was it some kind of inside joke in the Bullpen, or did they actually think it looked hip and cool?

I remember reading a big write-up about the series a long time ago and I believe it was discussed. I just looked it up and here are the highlights of what I found...

Quote:

Shooter has explained in interviews that the Beyonder’s look—white disco‑style jumpsuit, big hair, and all—was meant to show:

A being with infinite power but zero cultural context The Beyonder didn’t understand humanity, so he copied what he thought humans looked like. The outfit was supposed to be a clumsy attempt at fitting in.
A blank-slate identity The all‑white suit was meant to symbolize purity, emptiness, and the idea that he was “beyond” human concepts like fashion, taste, or subtlety.
A visual shorthand for “alien trying too hard” Shooter wanted the Beyonder to feel awkward, earnest, and slightly off—someone who could reshape reality but didn’t know how to dress himself.

Even though the concept was philosophical, the execution was pure mid‑80s Marvel:
Al Milgrom’s art style leaned into exaggerated poses, big hair, and bold silhouettes.

Over time, the look became:
Campy — the suit is often joked about as “cosmic Elvis” or “the world’s most powerful lounge singer.”
Iconic — the outfit is instantly recognizable and tied to the character’s Secret Wars II identity.
A product of its time — the Beyonder’s look is now seen as a perfect snapshot of 1985 Marvel sensibilities.
What happens when an omnipotent being tries to understand humanity
How power without context leads to awkward, sometimes disastrous choices
How identity is shaped by imitation, not understanding
The Beyonder’s outfit was the visual embodiment of that theme.

🧩 The Larger Theme Shooter Was Exploring
Shooter’s Secret Wars II was fundamentally about:
The white leisure suit was a deliberate choice to make him stand out on the page.
Shooter has said that the Beyonder’s human form was intentionally modeled after Captain America’s body, which the Beyonder copied when creating a physical form. From there, the white suit was added as a symbolic costume rather than a realistic outfit.
The era’s fashion language—disco leftovers, Miami Vice whites, glam touches—made the Beyonder look like a cosmic Bee Gee.

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

Quote:

Originally Posted by b2net (Post 14710627)

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/dvdtalk...f84f6c38a8.jpg

It's weird how certain covers stick in the mind. I got this issue in a DC 3-pack at Woolworths, presumably in the mid-80s. I want to say it cost $1.99 but maybe it was 99 cents.

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

Secret Wars II reading event concludes!

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...pg?format=750w

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/5160438.jpg

Preview of next reading event and the one that made my comic collecting bug jump sky high...

https://www.comicbookaddicts.com/wp-...mcis_color.jpg

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

Next comics crossover reading event: LEGENDSDarkseid wants to destabilize Earth’s power structure so he can harvest the Anti-Life Equation. He decides that humanity will be easier to control if he destroys the legends that inspire them.

Year Published: 1986

Total issues: 28

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/606715.jpg

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/5224133.jpg

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/5151235.jpg

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/679665.jpg

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/4421634.jpg

Cover B:
https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/4421635.jpg

I really need to go back and play Mass Effect. I started the first one, what feels like decades ago, and never finished it and always meant to go back and do the whole trilogy. I wonder how it holds up today.

I posted these Mass Effect covers not because I am not a huge fan, but because the artwork on cover A looks cool and the retro 50's sci-fi magazine cover Bs look even cooler (to me).

The 4 issues I posted completes that series.

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

You're reading Secret Wars II and Legends, and all of their tie-ins? You must be a masochist. :lol:

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

Legends is about to get its own omnibus this month. It was the first "big" crossover I remember collecting since Crisis and Secret Wars were released a tick before I fell into the collecting bug. The main purpose of Legends was introducing Captain Marvel to post-Crisis DC and rebooting the character, while also setting up the environment for a different kind of Justice League which became JLI. Legends wasn't anything particularly special but reads like Shakespeare compared to the next DC crossover - Millennium.

I honestly don't see DC issuing Millennium as an omnibus.

Re: Comic Book Cover Of The Day

Yeah, from what I recall, Millennium wasn't well received. :lol:

I didn't read Legends (wasn't reading DC at the time) and only caught Secret Wars II when it crossed over into the X-titles. All I really recall from Secret Wars II was that this asshole in a disco suit was in my Uncanny X-Men for some reason.

I really disliked those old line-wide crossovers that Marvel and DC did. I was okay when they did stuff like Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants, or Inferno, but got pissed off when they expected me to buy shit like Power Pack to get the whole thing. It was kind of cool when it ran over into something I was reading like Daredevil, though. But I would have been annoyed if I had been reading Daredevil but not the X-books, and all of this mutant shit started showing up in my book.

I'm sorry, Weezie, but nobody wanted to read fucking Power Pack.

🧩 The Larger Theme Shooter Was Exploring