#29 Black Cobra (5)
The last of the public domain Black Cobras, although this one was never seen as anything but a sidekick. We’re changing that now. Here he is as the Black Cobra.
Concept: The Black Cobra/Robert “Bobby†Hornsby – Little brother of #3.  Originally, the Cobra Kid, sidekick to #3 and #4. Takes over for #4 when Drake retires.  Bobby gets sent to Korea and later, Vietnam. Dies a hero in the Battle of Hamburger Hill. His costume is returned to his family, and given to his daughter, Renae.
Design: Another attempt at taking elements of what came before and putting them forward (funny enough, there doesn’t seem to be evidence of the costume he wore when he was his brother’s sidekick…another reason to omit the green and red costume from #3). The hood comes from #3, and the rest from #4. If I was smart, I would have made a Vietnam War/Korean War variation on the costume since this costume isn’t exactly war appropriate.
EDIT: Ok, took a few minutes and dummied up his “war attire.” A few notes: Since he’s wearing a helmet, I took away the hood, but I wanted something covering his face that wasn’t a cowl, so I kept his domino mask and added a bandanna on the mouth (it was an unconscious, maybe subconscious, call-back to Black Cobra #1). Speaking of BC #1, I should have given him the revolvers, but I think that’s a plot point I want to keep for the story. Instead, I called back to him again by putting the insignia on the stock of the rifle. And, in case you can’t see it, the cobra logo is on his shirt. The shirt’s colors are a bit impractical for war time camouflage, but I think he’d be wearing a jacket of some kind over his t-shirt. Pretty happy with it regardless.
Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.
Black Cobra war attire
Category: Superhero
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm not exactly sure what I should put here, so here goes. I'm a writer, written for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, AdHouse Books, and Simon & Schuster, among others and his stories have been reprinted in other countries. Mostly concentrating on creator owned work right now, so the challenge suits me just fine. I live in Queens (Astoria/LIC), NY with my wife, Michelle, and two dogs, Kasey and Kirby. I'm not sure what else needs to be said, but I'm sure I'll keep changing this. Oh, here's something. I contribute to the Project Rooftop site. The RetroFix column was kind of my idea, so I feel like that experience will help me out here.Subscribe
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