JUSTICE LEAGUE Geek Art – Batman, Superman and WW Go Punk

You don’t usually think of the Justice League as being into the Ramones or The Sex Pistols but in an alternate, dystopian universe I could totally see it.  Wonder Woman dons a partly shaved head, Batman sports a leather jacket reminiscent of a punk rock bruiser and Superman is a hybrid between hipster and punk.

I love these reinterpretations, especially the unconventional ones, of some of the most popular comic book characters out there.  I would love to see a dystopian/punk Justice League story arc.  I’m not feeling Wonder Woman’s face so much, but the artist definitely has a unique style and interpretation that I can dig.

The artist, Christopher Beukes out of South Africa, explains the story behind these punk editions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.  I’m intrigued to say the least.

First off, just to match my tastes I wanted them to be a bit more Metal. So my Batman’s parents weren’t millionaires, they were ordinary working folks, so all his gear is more home made, leather and rivets and combat boots. Definitely no cape of dubious practicality. He’s a street fighter, so shaved head, mask strapped to his face, and a whole lot of scars.

I’ve never been all that wild about Dc’s taste for random secret islands/societies with little connection to the real world, such as WW’s amazons, or Aquaman’s Atlantis, so my wonder woman is a Soviet Science experiment. No islands of immortal greeks!  She’s extraordinarily long lived, and after the fall of the USSR, has traveled to the US. Shes lived, fought, and partied through the 70s, 80’s and 90s, the rise of punk, metal and grunge and been a champion of strong woman everywhere. She fronts an all-female Thrash Metal band, and fights evil wherever they go on tour.

The last of the three, Supes, and the hardest of the lot, because I dont honestly really “get” Superman. I love the old 90’s animated show though, and Im warming up to the big boy scout watching it, but I still cant imagine anyone with that much power doing the things he does.  Anyway, the only way I could understand him is via his human roots. The idyllic farm life in his origin story is about as real today as Krypton, so I figured the Kents would still be good people, but rougher, maybe they lose their family farm to a Big Corparation, maybe Pa Kent works in a steel mill (man of steel, geddit?) Supes grows up a little less naive, surrounded by enemies that you cant punch, in a world where the Lex Luthors of the world are faceless committees and boards. Maybe he grows up listening to Black Flag, Pixies and Butthole Surfers.

Yeah, let’s make this a story arc ASAP, DC.