by Chooch on January 30, 2012, 03:17:25 PM
By KCekeda, Andy, JQ, and Hyperion
The heriditary champion of her planet, Tasmia Mallor of Talok VIII is part of an heroic lineage that reaches back into our own time and beyond. She uses her power of casting deep, lightless shadow in service of the Legion as ...
JQ - Shady's look was constantly changing -- in fact in her first appearance she was Caucasian ... and dead! There was even a chilling callback to that when the Legion hid from Mordru in Superboy's era and she put on Caucasian makeup.
While Cockrum came up with the standard Bronze Age Shadow Lass costume, Grell ... in my eyes ... refined it. Her bracelets changed to an open style, her S insignia became rounded and compact and her hair got bigger ... and I liked it. Now, I guess Talokians' ears get pointy as they grow up because that's what she had in her later costumes, all of which I liked ... but in this costume I'd prefer the pointiness to be downplayed.
Hyperion - Admittedly, I'm on the fence with this outfit. I like the long hair much more than the later Giffen skullcap, but there's something about the full bodysuit with the open belly and cape that really appeals to me. Coupled with the long, curly hair as she's drawn by Lightle, that's the look that I really favor. And it still includes the gold bracelets and S pendant. However, this particular costume actually does speak to the desert homeworld of Talok VIII with the lighter, more airy clothing to vent excess heat, though one would think that a person born and raised on a desert world would actually find the climate of Earth (and the Atlantic Coast of Delaware in particular) cold and would try to dress warmly.
Kcekada - I think that this model is the most familiar/iconic with fans. A Google search certainly backs that up. As JQ pointed out, this look morphed throughout the Bronze Age -- eventually being replaced with a bodysuit or two during the Giffen/Lightle era.
Although I am quick to point out Grell's habit of shrinking the female costumes -- it was actually Cockrum who took Shady's more demure Silver Age outfit and made it more eye popping by showing off the hips and adding a boob window. He also replaced the the hairband with a tiara, added the S bracelets and S buckle -- even gave her an early Emma Frost kinda haircut. By the early 80s, the tiara and her hair were huge (it was the 80s, after all), and the outfit was even smaller -- which may explain why the S buckle got so tiny. Only the boots and the cape remained consistent.
We went back and forth a bit on this image to please most of our group (except for those who preferred a different outfit altogether). Hopefully, the image above is representative of all her Bronze Age looks -- and practical for an action figure.
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