Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login
The John Byrne Forum
Byrne Robotics > The John Byrne Forum
Topic: KItty’s Hair Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message
Mike Norris
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4274
Posted: 19 September 2018 at 7:07pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

What ever happened to her curls and waves? To me it was part of her signature look. Made her different than other female characters, who tend to have straight hair. 
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Dale E Ingram
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 01 July 2015
Location: United States
Posts: 75
Posted: 20 September 2018 at 9:58am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

The artists drawing her drifted further and further off model until straight hair became the model.

Cockrum played nice and stuck with the curls JB created her with. Paul Smith drew it as "wavy" rather than "curly". Early on, Romita was trying to imitate Smith's style, but later on as he moved away from it, you see Kitty's curls return. Milgrom, Art Adams, and Sienkiewicz drew her with curls.

But once she was over in Excalibur, Alan Davis gave her lush, wavy hair, that wasn't as curly. That seemed to stick. The artists that followed Davis on Excalibur all seemed to just interpret that look as Kitty having straight hair. Ever since then, it's been straighter and straighter.

With straight hair, and the generic X-Men uniform she wears, there is really nothing visually distinctive about Kitty anymore. Hopefully with the relaunch, they'll rectify that.

Edited to add: Or, hopefully X-Men: Elsewhen will become a reality and that will influence X-Men artists going forward.


Edited by Dale E Ingram on 20 September 2018 at 10:02am
Back to Top profile | search
 
Michael Roberts
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 20 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 14812
Posted: 20 September 2018 at 11:55am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

It didn’t register with me at the time, but thinking back on it, I think all my curly-haired Jewish female friends in high school and college took to the flat iron at some point. Kitty’s hair in EXCALIBUR was consistent with the attempt to age her up in that book.

Now I’m envisioning some writer devoting a page of dialogue to Kitty explaining why she isn’t going to straighten her hair anymore.


Edited by Michael Roberts on 20 September 2018 at 12:04pm
Back to Top profile | search
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 20 September 2018 at 12:01pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

And stop padding her bra?
Back to Top profile | search
 
Michael Roberts
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 20 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 14812
Posted: 20 September 2018 at 12:05pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

It’ll just be a whole issue of Kitty talking about how she won’t bother with fashion trends anymore.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Rebecca Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4409
Posted: 20 September 2018 at 12:28pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Anything but mid-late '80s giant shoulder pads and spiky gelled hair! I hated that era so much, became a refusenik and stopped giving a flying anything about what was in style. The supposed 'grunge' look that followed didn't win me back either (or see any of those guys as particularly attractive)

When Kitty first appeared she had no 'look' or hair 'do' I didn't think, at that age most don't care, just wear something like everyone else/what's available. She wore real clothes I could relate to mostly (not counting those early costume attempts, eeesh). I did see in later Alan Davis issues she had a stylish silvery on-the-town outfit (Vol. #93-94) which was cool. I'm glad they never gave her pigtails, or a mohawk like Storm (if I missed it don't tell me), but when shown in 'a future' she often has a short hair cut without it being severe.
Back to Top profile | search | www
 

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

  Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login