Tag: black cobra

#31 Black Cobra (7)

I realize I’m technically done, but I had to get the last member of the family up, for closure.

I’m also going to post some other new characters up until the end of the month.

Concept: The Black Cobra/Devon Collis – The modern Age Black Cobra.  Takes over for his mom, who is his mentor.  Pretty much a blank slate here, he’s our “entry character.”  Devon is well educated, just starting college, and looking for freedom.  He’s not opposed to being the Black Cobra, but he would rather have some balance in his life.  He recognizes that this legacy, and his place in it, is not normal, but he also realizes that’s the appeal.  He approaches the role with the same focus as a high school athlete would a game; he can turn it on and off because it’s not his life (he thinks).  While he was literally trained by his mother from the day he began to walk, he’s preoccupied by the other things in his life; Girls, cars (especially his 2007 Shelby GT500 Mustang, aka the “Super Snake” which will also double as his means of transportation in costume*) and his friends.  He’s never bothered with asking his mother about who his father is; his philosophy being that he and his mom have always had each other and never needed anything.

*The 2010 Cobra Jet Mustang is pretty bad ass too.  We might want to switch out the Shelby for this one.

Design: This was the second toughest one, after momma Cobra. The thought was to somehow tie all the different designs together into this last one, and I think I got it. Utility belt, and the boot pouches are a nice touch, I think, for the modern hero (very Nightwing, which would be his direct influence). Overall, I think look at this says, “modern day.”

The snake is just there for decoration.

Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.

#30 Black Cobra (6)

Here was the toughest of the seven Black Cobras. #3 was pretty tough, but this one…I knew I wanted a female version of the Black Cobra in here, but the execution could have gone either way.

Concept: Ms. Cobra/Renae Hornsby-Collis – the Bronze Age Black Cobra.  #5 is her father; #3 is her uncle.  She becomes Black Cobra in the mid 70’s when her father never returns from Vietnam. Typical 70’s heroine (Colleen Wing/Misty Knight by way of Dave Cockrum/John Byrne). She becomes a mother and retires, but vows to continue the legacy with her son, Devon. She is very protective of her son, but she trained him for this.

Design: Let’s take these one by one.

(#1) As per my concept paragraph above, I wanted the early version to be very similar to the 70’s heroines, since that was her primary decade of exposure. Sexy, but functional. Not easy, so kudos to real comic book artists that do this kind of thing every day. The bare midriff was a staple of the times, and I had to get the cobra design on there somewhere, so the boots were chosen. (DESIGN REMOVED)

(#2) I have this idea that after a certain point (maybe the 80’s) she changes her tune and becomes a more martial arts centric character. I should have put the logos on the boots, but since I had the spot on her chest, I put it there. She begins to look like she’s embracing her part in the legacy of the character.

Art (above) by Ricardo Venâncio!

(#3) Here, we have her in her mentor role, and I wanted to show her all grown up, a little older and wiser. The pants harken back to Black Cobra #2, which, again, is an effort to call back to her legacy. Note that there’s no cobra logo on her. Since she’s not out in the field, I figured she didn’t need one, but we can always put it as a patch on her arm.

Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.

#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

#28 Black Cobra (4)

Another of the public domain Black Cobras. This one existed after the first one was cancelled and then went to another publisher (from Harry Chesler to Ajax).

Concept: The Black Cobra/Steve Drake – FBI Agent who was tasked with bringing #3 to justice.  Took over when #3 was killed in action by Nazis.  His crimefighting career lasted from 1942 to 1945, when the War ended.  Upon returning to the States, he retired and gave his mantle to his sidekick, Bobby Hornsby, younger brother and sidekick to Jim Hornsby.

Design: Not much changed here, save for the emblem on the chest and the diamond design on the arm. Pretty much what I consider the “family design,” which is why I went with the other two designs for Black Cobra #3.

Art by Ricardo Venâncio!

Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.

#27 Black Cobra (3)

This one was probably one of the tougher ones to render since it this one is an actual existing character! The first and last two in the line of Black Cobras are all original ideas by me, and the middle three (#’s 3-5) are all public domain characters!

Concept: The Black Cobra/James “Jim” Hornsby – District Attorney/crimefighter.  Not sure if he’s related to #2 (may even BE #2), but if he is, he’d have to be #2‘s son.  Jim and his younger brother, Bobby (#5), teamed up in the early days leading up to the US involvement in World War 2 to fight crime stateside.  Jim was killed in action by Nazis on US soil.

Design: I didn’t really want to change his look from the original until I sat down with the design. The colors are horrid! So, I simplified it as much as possible (the hood isn’t quite the snake/cobra motif, but works). I wanted him to have the color black somewhere in the design, but couldn’t really figure it out, so I just made his pants black. Not proud of this one, but again, I wanted to keep him fairly recognizable.*

Late additions: Just for fun, I decided to do him less traditionally (ie, similar to the original) and more in tune with the “family” design I came up with.

The hood doesn’t attach to a cape.  I just liked having something on his shoulders that made sense of the hood. I’m not opposed to a short cape, but I really didn’t intend for a cape to be attached at all. Sometimes a hood is…just a hood.

Art by Ricardo Venâncio!

Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.

#26 Black Cobra (2)

The second Black Cobra is the next in the legacy. He’s a bit of a question mark. No one really knows how he fits in.

Concept: The Black Cobra/? (Pulp) – The cowboy’s grandson (?).  He’s a true mystery and may or may not be related to any of this (like #4). He either inherited, acquired or stole #1’s revolvers. He is the biggest question mark in the entire legacy. As soon as he appeared, he disappeared.

Design: In my head, the eye patch and the mustache are both fake. Those are the same guns from #1 (Fang and Venom), so they would have the logo on the handles. This is the first Black Cobra to have the insignia/brand as a major part of the design. Note the pants…those will come back with Black Cobra #7.

Art by Ricardo Venancio!

Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.

#25 Black Cobra (1)

Didn’t plan on revealing these guys, mostly because I wasn’t so keen on the way they originally came out. But, to be perfectly honest, in trying to think up new characters, I kept coming back to the Black Cobra family (you’ll understand in the coming days). Up until now, these have been character descriptions in a document. Today, the characters come to life.

Concept: The Black Cobra/John Saunders (Cowboy) – An expatriate Brit who fought in the Indian Revolution and then moved to the US West to escape the Crown (the Royal British Army will be a thorn in his side) and became a gunslinger/lawman.  His revolvers (called “Venom” and “Fang”) had black cobra design embossed in the handle.

Design: The cobra design is that circle to the right of his head. This character has ties to both Tex Leonis and King Snakeroot. The blue and orange colors will be a recurring motif as we go forward.

Art by Ricardo Venâncio!

Copyright © 2010, Vito Delsante.