By: Russ Burlingame on April 23, 2012
Back in September, DC made waves by reimagining Superman’s and Wonder Woman’s costumes, among others, and by giving just about every superhero a look that looked a bit like a mock turtleneck. Fans have warmed to most of the new looks, or at least stopped complaining about them aggresively, but some–Superman’s in particular–still generate controversy, and some of the more outlandish reworkings remain objects of derision (and don’t tell anyone at Boosterrific that you like the new Booster Gold costume).
The latest bold strange creative choice is featured in the Buzzfeed article we linked to earlier today, in which fans got a preview of the upcoming second wave of New 52 releases. Buried in the pages released by DC was an image of the most recent iteration of Terra, the onetime Teen Titan with the ability to control the earth around her. Having been dead for quite a while, the character was reenvisioned after Blackest Night and reintroduced into the stories as a new character with a new costume and appearance. In the world of the New 52, it’s unclear which character will be the Terra appearing in The Ravagers, but one thing’s for certain; she won’t be wearing the heavy, practical boots that the first Terra wore OR the sexy thigh-highs of the second. This Terra will be kicking butt in bare feet.
It’s an odd design choice, but one tied to her powers, as the notes on the design seem to suggest that part of her needs to be touching the ground at all times in order for her abilities to work. That said, it may make Terra one of the only superheroes set in the modern day (as opposed to someone like Anthro the Cave-Boy, for instance) who operates entirely without footwear. Female characters are often at a traction disadvantage to their male counterparts, forced to wear high heels into combat, but the idea of kicking Prometheus in his pointy, metal face without the benefit of so much as socks has to send shivers down Terra’s spine. It’s a bit silly and impractical–and who wants to bet they colorists will have her toes perfectly manicured?
A second note on the sketch suggests that if footwear is a must, they could embed a piece of rock in the bone in her neck, keeping her constantly in contact with the earth because she has no choice in the matter. This may be more practical when heading into battle against villains who can control the environment, but it would take away at least one great new offensive weapon in the new Terra’s arsenal: toe fungus.
