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Topic: Q For Mr Byrne - Facial Hair On Characters (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 12:12pm | IP Logged | 1  

Mr Byrne, in your time at DC and Marvel, were there any specific rules about adding/taking away facial hair to/from long-running characters?

If that sounds like a vague question, well I'm wondering what would happen if someone wanted to give Norman Osborn or a supporting character like Foggy Nelson a beard.

Thank you.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 12:19pm | IP Logged | 2  

No rules of which I was aware. Except common sense, of course!
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Phil Kreisel
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 12:58pm | IP Logged | 3  

I remember in the 70's Harry Osborn grew a fu manchu mustache in the Spider man comics.  Didn't improve his luck with women though.

When JB was doing the X-Men back in the day and they got stuck in the Savage Land, Cyclops was growing a beard and mustache (from lack of shaving) which he got rid of shortly after.

We also saw JB's Clark Kent having to shave.

Generally though, the only major shift I've seen is Tony Stark growing and maintaining a beard (he almost always had a mustache). As I haven't followed Iron Man in years now, I have no idea of his current facial hair status.

Of course, one of the biggest changes was when Neal Adams gave Green Arrow the beard and mustache in the 70's.  That image stuck until the DC 52 reboot.



Edited by Phil Kreisel on 04 November 2013 at 12:59pm
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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 12:59pm | IP Logged | 4  

Thank you.

What prompted the question was something I read about actors having to get permission about hair changes/facial hair. Obviously, I doubt anyone would be able to give Superman a very long beard, but I was always curious about whether they'd be able to have Commissioner Gordon shave off his moustache or give Norman Osborn a goatee. :)
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John Byrne
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 2:03pm | IP Logged | 5  

It's always a good idea to think it thru before changing a character's folical configurations. Remember when Superman had that ridiculous mullet? (Sorry if you HAD forgotten, and this reminded you!) I asked how this affected his Clark Kent identity and was told -- with perfectly straight faces all round -- that it was not a problem, as Clark just pulled the long hair back into a ponytail.

Seriously.

DC-Think can be a deeply insidious thing!

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Brad Brickley
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 2:23pm | IP Logged | 6  

Yeah, long hair Superman/Pony Tail Clark Kent was just wrong. 
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 2:54pm | IP Logged | 7  


I will sheepishly admit that I thought it was kinda cool at the time when Wonder Man sported a mullet in WCA...probably because I had one myself at the time.

Hey, it was 1988 and I was only 15!

Still, better Wonder Man than Superman.....
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Joel Tesch
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 8:41pm | IP Logged | 8  

When Wonder Man sported a mullet in WCA, it was still a current style. When Superman had one years later what made it worse was the mullet had already gone out of style (for good it seems!).
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Bill Guerra
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 11:01pm | IP Logged | 9  

Yeah, like Vinny, I think I was rocking a mullet-y hair cut the same time as Wonder Man. Those pesky teen years...
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Thomas Moudry
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 11:43pm | IP Logged | 10  

Superman with long hair is just, well, kinda wrong.
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Mike Norris
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Posted: 04 November 2013 at 11:58pm | IP Logged | 11  

The Swanderson Superman with sideburns and slightly longer hair rocked though. 
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 05 November 2013 at 3:23am | IP Logged | 12  

Yeah, DC always jumps on a fad a few years late.  Even now, Superman with a mandarin collar, "armor" lines, and a belt with useless detail all seem very 90's to me.
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