Blue Beetle assignment: Update

Next thing I did with the Blue Beetle brief was to scour google images and my own hard drive of reference images for anything that might be remotely useful in early concepts. At this point, I'm not exactly focused on one idea or time period or even reality. I then sketched out a basic male silhouette and used it as the base to spread my ideas over.

(click for a larger version)

The text might be a little hard to read, but I'll explain as I go. From left to right then, first is the Winged Scarab idea, this version is the most similar to Ted Kord's outfit- in that its figure hugging. Instead of the black beetle emblem spread over the shoulders, I've lifted the egyptian motif of a winged scarab as his iconic. The rest of the pattern comes from the resting position of a beetle's legs. The original trace gave me the silhouette for the weapons on his back.

Next one over is a more gunslinger styled Beetle, my thought for this guy was that he is the BB of the postapocalyptic future- his raggedy trenchcoat, his goggles/hood based on a hazmat suit, he'd be more the inventor/macgyver styled hero, his gun would be a rifle of some description.

Third across is (my favorite) Hercules Beetl- I mean High Fantasy Beetle. This was originally just a visual pun- a medieval/fantasy Blue Beetle with armor that was based off the Hercules beetle. A vehicle/gun would be problematic for this version, though. The Egyptian twist comes through in the shape of his breastplate, the scarab again, this time the overlapping plates of the armor show the detail. 

Second from the right now, is ancient egyptian scarab priest. This idea came from the over-shoulder armor with the two capes, taken almost directly off the back of a beetle. This version would play up the original mystic backstory for the beetle, and his opulent robes are a nice contrast to previous designs. 

And finally, we have time displaced/far future Blue Beetle. I didn't think this guy through as much as the others- except that his outfit would be more technologically advanced- or perhaps mechanically enhanced, to give him powers, rather than mystic power or physical training.

I've never actually done any vehicle design before (or drawn a bug for that matter) new frontiers all round! My idea for the Blue Beetle's "Bug" his flying blue beetle-y sky thing,  isn't too different from the original comic version- though mine has the same carapace/wing structure as biological beetles. The feet curl up and in while in motion, but straighten out to land on, or for it to be used terrestrially- the wings are shielded by the carapace so it can't be more tank-like
Also at the bottom a variant on the silhouette and a stag beetle snow mobile. 

-Sam