OK, not really. But I’m pleased to announce Blair J. Campbell’s costume redesign won Superhero of the Month’s most recent contest, in which V. and I served as guest judges. For me, it was a tie between Campbell’s costume and Michelle Scuito’s, which was V.’s favorite.

In case you missed it, here’s what we had to say about our two top picks:

Blair J. Campbell's winning redesign.

V: This design is simple, functional, and still a bit cheeky. The hair isn’t overdone, but still represents the signature flame. The costume works for the character. I can see Koriand’r zipping around in this. Whether fighting a villain in space or poolside; Campbell’s design strikes a happy medium.

E: I love the streamlined simplicity of Blair J. Campbell’s design. It’s clean, fresh and youthful, and it would work for Starfire as a kid (think Teen Titans cartoon) or an adult. While it’s certainly eye-catching, it doesn’t completely overshadow the character. With Starfire, there seems to be a great temptation to gild the lily, so to speak. This costume goes in a completely different and refreshing direction.

E: Kory is an alien, and this striking, full-body costume conveys her other-wordly qualities and power. While there are plenty of details, like the green jewel embellishments, it isn’t overdone. Sciuto’s lovely design hits some very high notes, so for me it’s a dead heat between hers and Campbell’s.

V: This design is my favorite. When I think of Starfire, I think of her battling Lady Styx in space. This looks like a royal space uniform. I am a fan of simplicity, and this one is simple and pretty. The jewels make for an appropriate embellishment. This, too, is a happy medium as I could see a young Starfire wearing this, as well as a more mature, curvier rendering. Basically, this is an awesome space suit! And the hair, while a bit over the top, looks fantastic.

As V. said earlier, few characters need a new look as badly as Kory. This is not about looking down upon a female character who expresses her sexuality. We got no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is that the current costume is tacky and seems designed solely to inspire ogling. Nevertheless, the whole thing got me thinking about the difference between raising a legitimate complaint in this area and being prudish. I reached out to Sue at DC Women Kicking Ass to get her take, and she summed it up well:

“Are the men and women drawn in a similar fashion? Is the woman posed unnaturally or have a body shape that is unnatural (i.e. Boobs don’t work that way)? Is your eye drawn to the page or to her boobs? Does she seem to have agency in the moment? I like cheesecake when the women are in on it. See Amanda Conner to see what I mean.”

(By the way, it would be fantastic to see Conner come up with some new threads for Kory. I’m just putting that out there.)

Congratulations to Campbell for nabbing the top spot, and major props to her and Scuito for coming up with such imaginative, fresh designs. What do you think?

Girls Gone Geek has the distinct pleasure of being guest judges over at Super Hero of the Month for the Starfire redesign contest. E. and I both agree that few characters could use a fashion makeover as much as Starfire. She has been rendered many ways over the years, but almost always wearing very little. Her most recent incarnation in Red Hood and the Outlaws might be the most ridiculous version to date.

E. sums it up perfectly …

My problem with the costume is that it’s garish – like a futuristic stripper ensemble. She’s a powerful character trapped in a teenage boy’s idea of a sexy outfit, and it’s damn near impossible to take her seriously.

So, in the spirit of creating a heroic image – Come one, come all! Submit your redesigns for the lovely Koriand’r from Tamaran. Erika and I look forward to your submissions!

Submissions are due by Wednesday, February 22nd. Click here for further details.

Some have said that Adrianne Palicki isn’t buff enough to fill Wondy’s boots, but she looks plenty lean and mean in the published action scenes. I’ve never had a problem with her in the role. Besides, everyone looks more substantial on film, and I’d rather we didn’t continue the tabloid tradition of picking apart an actress’ body. Palicki looks game and energetic, and that’s encouraging. To all who insisted that the previous costume wasn’t the final product, you totally called it. You told me so!Click to view slideshow.

Of course, Jim Lee is hardly the first artist to re-imagine Wonder Woman’s togs, and quite a few illustrators have done masterful costume redesigns. For those days when Wondy’s classic battle bathing suit is at the dry cleaner, which of the following alternate designs would you pick for our favorite Amazon? Take a look and cast your vote at the end of the post!

It is well known that one of the great joys of cons is the cosplay. I have decided that for MegaCon, I will be donning a costume. Black Canary has long been a favorite of mine. I’ve always said if I ever dress up, it would be as Gail Simone and Ed Benes’ Black Canary. But recently, I’ve sort of fallen in love with the design of Aphrodite IV that appeared in Artifacts #1. So now I am torn, and I need a little help deciding.

Of course, everyone had something to say about Wonder Woman’s new costume, much of it hilarious. My favorite observation came from Tom and Lorenzo, the duo behind the brilliant Project Rungay blog: “She kind of looks like she’s on her way to yoga class. In Vanilla Ice’s old jacket. That sound you hear is the wail of drag queens the world over, all of whom wouldn’t be caught dead in this thing.”

Now that the dust has settled, we were inspired to survey the field of DC superheroines to determine who looks red-carpet ready, and who looks a hot mess. The men just didn’t interest us as much, because frankly, there’s not much to say about dudes who favor briefs and capes as a daytime look.

As for Vixen’s outfit, well, you know where we stand on that madness.

Liberty Belle: Ms. Chambers if you're nasty.

Liberty Belle: Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always liked Jesse Chambers’ classic Liberty Belle getup. It’s a nice homage to her mom, and since she’s got that Veronica Lake thing going on, she manages to be sexy without giving away the store. Few people could get away with those thigh-enhancing jodphurs — or that color scheme for that matter — but L.B. does so with grace. What a classy dame. Grade: B+

Yawn.

Wonder Girl: Cassandra Sandsmark’s costume, if you can call it that, reflects the problem with her character. There’s no there there, and certainly nothing fitting a heroine. You could walk into any Forever 21 or Wet Seal in America and come up with the equivalent of what she’s wearing. Her boyfriend, Conner Kent, seems to share the notion that a pair of Gap jeans and a logo shirt are just dandy for saving the universe, but where’s the glamour? The intimidation factor? The effort? Girl, bye. Grade: D

Black Canary

Black Canary: Artist Ed Benis’ Matrix-referencing take on Dinah Lance makes our favorite Bird of Prey as stylish as she is deadly. The long, cinched black coat, Dinah’s trademark fishnets and the motorcycle boots are gangsta in a very good way. Siu Jerk Jai deserves nothing less. Grade: A

Artemis: New Earth

Artemis (New Earth): Brimming with Amazonian swagger, Artemis of Bana-Migdhall looks great no matter what she’s wearing. But I’m partial to the sultry I Dream of Jeannie togs Artemis wears in her New Earth incarnation. It’s exotic (wispy genie pants), fashion-forward (calf-high gladiator shoes) and a touch dangerous (leather push-up top). Extra points for the bicep-enhancing gold bangles and choker. Fierce! Grade: A

Showoff.

Starfire: When you’re hot, you’re hot, but that’s no excuse for dressing like a truck stop lingerie model. I know what the Starfire apologists are thinking: “Jealous, much?” Yes. Grade: D-

Wonder Woman in "Amazonia"

Victorian Wonder Woman: Wondy went Steampunk to solve the case of Jack the Ripper in Amazonia, an Elseworlds tale set in the Victorian era. Of course, she looked fantastic in this retro version of her iconic costume: Crimson corset with a fishtail flourish, elbow-length gloves with filigree bracelets and chic, lace-up boots. The hair is very Padme Amidala in The Phantom Menace, but Diana rocked it out with the tiara. Grade: A-

Manhunter

Manhunter: Unless it’s got some built-in Spanx, Mahunter’s costume leaves absolutely no room for error. This is an aerodynamic, body-hugging costume that means business. In addition to being sleek and functional, it’s got that cool plating at the neck and shoulders (with matching clawed gauntlets), and the power staff is just cool as hell. Grade: B

Nimue: Nimue’s fashion has evolved to suit the times and moniker of Madame Xanadu. Her woodland nymph garb, complete with antlers and proper baubles, is hippie ethereal in an “I’m actually Homo Magi” kind of way. The knee-high lace up hoof heels are just about the cleverest shit we’ve ever seen for those times when you don’t want to be found in the forest — aaand you might not want to be found if you’ve pissed off your lover, Merlin.

Batwoman

Batwoman: I love everything about this costume, which somehow manages to be more menacing than Batman’s. Maybe it’s the stark black-and-red color combo, or maybe it’s the kickass footwear JH Williams III bestowed upon Kate Kane in his Detective Comics run. These are not girly boots for prancing around, but wall-climbing, roof-jumping, thug-stomping kicks. Throw in some red gloves, and you’ve got a look that’s a little bit scary and a whole lot sexy. Grade: A+

Stay classy, Star Sapphire Corps!

Star Sapphire: Cher wept. Grade: F

My stylist is so fired.

Nothing raises our hackles quite like hearing someone say Wonder Woman is lame. (Hello, Megan Fox.) For example, one of V’s friends (we’ll call him The Antagonist) takes great joy in claiming, among other things, that Bobby Drake could kick her ass, and that the princess would “look real pretty in a pink tutu, carrying a little purse with a little dog.”

We did not handle that well. Words were exchanged via Facebook.

It was even worse once we figured out the context. The Antagonist had already read Blackest Night #6, in which Wonder Woman was transformed into a member of the Star Sapphire Corps. OK, technically the Star Sapphires wield violet light, but the costume’s color was close enough to pink for it to sting. Say what you want about Wonder Woman’s usual getup, but there is a certain dignity (depending on who is drawing her) to her red, white and blue uniform and golden breastplate. The Star Sapphire look is equal parts Dollar Tree and Strip Club. No offense to Carol Ferris, but only Starfire has a trashier costume — and she’s an alien, so she gets a pass.

Wonder Woman as a love-powered being? That’s awesome. But somewhere, The Antagonist is having a good laugh.

Bills, Bills, Bills!

When she isn’t channeling animal powers to fight crime with the Justice League, Vixen — aka Mari Jiwe McCabe — rolls as an international fashion model. So why does her costume look like one of Tina Knowles’ rejected sketches from the 1999 Destiny’s Child Tour?

Of course, there’s no shortage of fashion crimes against female comic book characters (Star Sapphire’s stripper-inspired getup comes to mind), but there’s something especially jacked up about Vixen’s situation. The woman is a runway model, and she’s in a mustard-colored bodysuit with a butterfly collar and an animal tooth belt? For real? Liya Kedebe or Gisele wouldn’t be caught dead in that madness.

Maybe this seems like a quibble, but a superhero or villain’s costume is, for better or worse, his or her calling card. Vixen is by far the most prominent black female superhero on DC’s roster, but her spectacularly unimaginative yet tacky costume suggests that she’s nothing special — just another random chick in Spandex. As Manhunter and Catwoman’s costumes demonstrate, even a simple bodysuit can make a powerful (and sexy) design statement.

Some enterprising person at DC ought to get Lifetime on the phone and pitch a Vixen costume redesign challenge for the next “Project Runway” season. While they’re at it, they might want to offer up Star Sapphire, too, because that fuchsia shit is just crazy.