With Halloween around the corner, we dove into our closets and skimmed the surface of the internet to find quick and easy costumes to please all manner of costume and cosplay enthusiasts! Our focus today is on the rock steady Terra from Teen Titans!
| Crop Top | Shorts | Shoes | Belt | Wig | Eyeliner |
Take a black turtleneck from the back of your closet and cut off the midriff. Or, alternatively, grab one from Amazon, where we found all of our items to put this costume together. If yellow shorts aren’t usually a staple in your own wardrobe, you can find them online or Forever 21. The boots we purchased from Amazon are actually adorable and incredibly priced if you don’t have a comparable pair for daily wear.
For accessories, most garages will yield work gloves of questionable origin for free. We also found a basic utility belt on Amazon and paired it with a long blonde wig. Any shade of blonde will work to make this costume recognizable as long as its straight with no bangs.
Terra, like the rest of us, was growing up as a member of the Teen Titans before the availability of YouTube makeup tutorials. As a result, she fell into the same teenage practice most of us did. Eyeliner. Lots of eyeliner. Any eyeliner in your drawer will do, however we like Tarte’s Double Take as it includes both a pencil and a liquid for the price of one. Add some bronzer and a swipe of nude lipstick and youre good to go!
Take costume to the next level by convincing a friend to accompany you as Beast Boy! Or Slade, if you’re more into older men. Now go do horrible things and have absolutely no regrets!
Planning on making this costume? Working on some other DIY awesome? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter @SubCultured, or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server! When you’re done, wind down with Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition.
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Ariel from The Little Mermaid!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Misa Amane
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – L from Death Note!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Regina The Evil Queen!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Amaterasu
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Connie Maheswaran
The first trailer guarantees that Doctor Strange will be visually and cinematically unlike any other Marvel movie. You sense that Marvel Studios‘ latest will give basically Inception on steroids. While Strange‘s unique architecture was never in doubt, “will it have the typical Marvel charm?” was the question on everyone’s lips. Fortunately, likely thanks to renowned comedy writer Dan Harmon‘s rewrites, the most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe entry delivers in almost every regard.
We’ll definitely arrive at why I said “almost,” but first, many movie-only fans likely need some background. Doctor Strange follows the appropriately-named Dr. Steven Strange, a very stubborn, hot-shot neurosurgeon. He’s not a very likable or charming individual; traits that leading man Benedict Cumberbatch has fun with on-screen. However, as with most every origin story, his fortunes don’t last after a devastating car accident badly damages his skilled hands.
Cumberbatch’s Strange learning the tricks of the mystical trade from Ejiofor’s Mordo
Desperate to reattain his status for his damaged ego’s sake, he treks out to a temple in Nepal to learn the mystical arts. As expected, the pompous Strange laughs off the very idea of “magic,” but the Ancient One quickly resolves his skepticism, otherwise, there wouldn’t be much of a movie. As Strange hones his otherworldly skills, he discovers the massive responsibility his newfound friends carry on their shoulders. This leads Strange to an intriguing moral dilemma of choosing to fight for others or only himself.
As with all reviews, I aim to remain spoiler-free. Unfortunately, many things I adore from Doctor Strange involve spoilers, but I’ll tread carefully. Firstly, director Scott Derrickson and the writers utilize the cast to perfection. Cumberbatch carries the film effortlessly, but you also have supporting players turning in memorable performances. Understandable controversies aside, Tilda Swinton brings an elegance, mystique, and toughness as the Ancient One. Chiwetel Ejiofor surprises as Karl Mordo with a few impassioned speeches. Benedict Wong shines as the hilariously stone-faced (and coincidentally-named) Wong. Although not exploited to her full potential, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer is a fantastic addition as well.
A still tease of the mind-bending foot chase
To accompany the acting gravitas, Derrickson constructs the most impressive, innovative visuals from any Marvel title on any medium. The thrilling opening sequence whets the appetite, and the movie efficiently builds upon that. We’re shown a psychedelic sequence that could be this generation’s 2001: A Space Odyssey stargate scene. As seen in the trailers, there’s also a mind-bending foot chase where buildings and roads are upside down or sideways or inside each other. With the mystical rules having been thoroughly explained throughout the film, these set pieces are immensely gratifying.
As for these aforementioned “rules” of Doctor Strange‘s universe, I truly appreciated how fresh Marvel’s introduction to magic felt. You’ll see lived-in dimensions, ancient artifacts with a rich history, and an expansive library. There may be times where the audience will want to ask the movie to “slow down.” The filmmaker throws a potential overload of information at you. However, hearing the Ancient One’s musings such as “not everything makes sense; not everything has to,” the film successfully reminds you to turn off your brain, forget about the science behind the magic, and enjoy the ride.
Now I disclose why I earlier claimed Doctor Strange to “almost” deliver in every regard. Unfortunately, the Marvel villain conundrum continues. Mads Mikkelsen plays Kaecilius, and turns in a portrayal that’s nothing or less than “fine.” The most frustrating part is his lack of clear motivations. He monologues to Strange about his devious intentions (which don’t really seem that devious), but the “why” is entirely avoided. There are effective efforts to tease future villains that do have more depth, but it’s at the sacrifice of the current villain’s arc.
Mads Mikkelsen as the disappointing villain, Kaecilius
Also, I’ve spotted a few articles mentioning how Marvel movies not named The Avengers have forgettable musical scores. After hearing the Michael Giacchino presided over the musical arrangement, I was ready to lay those sentiments to rest. I gained confidence after listening to the end credits music released a few weeks ago. Yet throughout the film, I didn’t even notice the music as anything more than ambient noise. Yes, you don’t want the melodies to distract from the motion picture, but the musician in me clamored for something of literal and figurative note.
Luckily, none of these criticisms ruined how tremendous Doctor Strange was as a whole. I’ll never forget feeling that ultimate high after leaving the theater, having seen Marvel’s most inventive, creative entry yet. There are enough Easter eggs and name-drops peppered throughout to justify revisiting the movie often. As a bonus, this movie’s mid and end credits scenes possess heavy implications to Marvel’s future titles too. Most importantly, Strange has the familiar well-timed humor and joyous fun you’re looking for. The Doctor is in.
Grade: B+
A Quick Run Down of Free Comic Book Day
Crash Course in Villainy I
Warner Brothers announced a slew of films yesterday morning, essentially challenging Marvel with their upcoming movies. So what’s all on the table? Aside from the previously slated Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them (now to be a trilogy), here’s what we can expect through 2020 from WB.
2016
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
We’ve been privy to several released photos and plot lines from Zack Snyder’s gritty, filtered upcoming movie featuring a grizzly, buff, Batfleck and the chiseled jaw of Henry Cavill for some months now, yet I’m not alone in feeling blah toward the upcoming flick, even with the addition of Gal Gadot (whom I adore) as Diana of Themyscira. Inspired by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight, we can probably expect something a bit darker than what we’re used to!
Comic Recommendation: Frank Miller’s Dark Knight books, or maybe Kingdom Come for a slighter older take on the Trinity
Suicide Squad
Again, gritty seems to to be the word of the year over at the studio, so who makes up the roster of this flick of bad guys directed by David Ayer? Deadshot seems to be the obvious choice, but my money is on Harley Quinn making her first ever movie appearance, as well as Black Manta, and the Wall herself, Amanda Waller. I’m all up for bad guys tearing shit up, but as long as there’s some FUN to it!
Comic Recommendation: Keith Giffen’s or Adam Glass’s Suicide Squad
2017
Wonder Woman
FINALLY. It’s been an unforgivable amount of years, but thank the old gods and the new, that our warrior is finally getting her own movie. Sure, it’s two years away, but it’s HAPPENING. Gal Gadot will again be donning the tiara as she battles her way through who knows what, but with the rumors swirling around that Diana’s origins will be in line with her New52 ones, we can except some amazing battles. Hopefully Brian Azzarello or Gail Simone will be on hand to assist with the script, so we can get the Wonder Woman we deserve. PLEASE DO NOT FUCK THIS UP, WARNER BROTHERS.
Comic Recommendation: Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman
C’mon, guys. A whole movie of this? Solid gold.
Justice League
There’s not much to be said about this ensemble film. Will it rival the Avengers? Who knows. Will Martian Manhunter make his appearance? I fucking hope so. Will it be along the lines of the Justice League: War animated film, so our team spends the film sputtering insults at each other? Pass.
Comic Recommendation: Brad Meltzer’s Justice League of America
2018
The Flash
It’s not news to some that this cinematic Flash would be different from CW’s Flash, but for some it was quite the nasty shock that Ezra Miller (of Perks of Being a Wallflower fame) will be donning those red tights. No word yet on what sort of story we might see, but MAYBE we can get a different Flash instead of Barry Allen, since he’s basically covered in the television show. Mayhaps a twist on The Flash: Rebirth!
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s The Flash: Rebirth
Aquaman
I had tons to say about Aquaman, but when I found the photo above my wits left me. We know Jason Momoa will be outfitted in the green and gold of DC’s “lamest” superhero, and I personally wish to see the New52’s storyline on the big screen. It handles all the misconceptions about Aquaman, while rendering him a certified badass. This is definitely in my top two “must see” flicks on this list so far, simply because it was getting lonely being the only Aquaman fan!
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s Aquaman
2019
Shazam
We got confirmation that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be wearing that shiny, white cape of Billy Batson’s alter-ego, but this is the movie I’m least excited to see. It has potential for laughs, as Shazam gets the job done with a child-like wonder, but my main concern is how strong the story will be. There’s so many questions too, such as will the rest of the Marvel family appear? Will he just be called Shazam, or will we know him by Captain Marvel (not to be confused by Marvel’s Captain Marvel), if the copyright is still in place? Will Black Adam be the big bad?
Comic Recommendation: Jeff Smith’s Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil
Justice League 2
Again, there’s not much to go one, except rumors, but if rumors are all I have, so be it. Speculation places Darkseid as the blue-faced villain of the first Justice League movie (joining other blue faced nemeses like Apocalypse, from Fox’s X-Men, and Thanos, from Marvel’s cinematic universe), so I will use my tiny bit of internet to plead for Starro or Amazo or Vandal Savage! There’s so much out there, just waiting to see a tiny slice of the general population. So much. It’d be amazing as a comic fan to see some of it played out in all its glory.
Comic Recommendation: Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel
2020
Cyborg
Of all the people in the DC Universe, I was most surprised by this announcement. Victor Stone isn’t a character that you normally see solo (normally he’s on the Teen Titans roster), but a teenager with a genius level intellect will be a nice addition to all the burly men (and one woman) we will so far be seeing! Ray Fisher doesn’t have much under his belt aside from a handful of Broadway shows, but he’s set to make his first appearance in the Batman v. Superman movie, giving us a peek at what we can expect in 2020.
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s Teen Titans or Judd Winnick’s Titans
Green Lantern
As much as I would love this Green Lantern movie to feature John Stewart (cause let’s all admit, 90% of the Ryan Reynolds GL was trash), I think that would be hopeful to the point of foolishness, given DC’s track record of being wholly ignorant of what we, the fans, want. TWO blockbuster filmed led by black men in the SAME YEAR, would be absolutely mind blowing, and tons of people are already fans of John Stewart, having grown up on the animated Justice League series. Let’s make this happen, DC. Representation matters!
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s Green Lantern: Rebirth or John Starlin’s Cosmic Odyssey
Overall, this is exciting, and I’m very much cautiously optimistic of what the future holds. There’s still stand alone Batman, and Superman films that haven’t been announced yet, so with these PLUS all that Marvel is bringing to the screen…well, let’s just say my wallet is going to be a lot lighter, assuming I like what I see from trailers, and so forth. My only thing is…I hope both studios think of the younger people, and involve some of the teenager teams, like Teen Titans, and the Runaways or Young Avengers.
What movie are you most excited for?
Editor’s Note: Leia will be glad to help you find the comics referenced above, just tweet at her (@ladyvader99)!
REVIEW | The Batman Who Laughs – #1
REVIEW | Doomsday Clock #4
Review | The Lost Path by Amélie Fléchais
Emerald City Conversation with Jen Wang
REVIEW | Doomsday Clock #2
Top 10 Comics of 2017
X-Men: Days of Future Past was amazing; I want to start with that. But before we go any further, let’s put all our cards on the table here, folks: HERE BE SPOILERS. That being said, everything that is remotely spoiler-y will be under the cut, so read this part just fine. We are now two weekends removed from the premiere of X-Men: Days of Future Past, and I’ve seen it twice. That has given me what I hope is a little better insight on the new entry to the X-Men franchise, and possibly a way to share that with you, the reading audience.
Seriously, this a great poster… Sooooo gooood.
So, now that all of that fun stuff is out of the way, let’s get to the really good part: the movie. I’m going to level with all of you (okay, the one of you that might read this). I wanted to try and come down off the movie, but it’s like a drug. My levels of obsession with it are bordering on the unhealthy, which I suppose is problematic, but nothing I can’t handle, yet…can’t handle so far… Look, I’m not going to lie. It’s a downward spiral, alright?
X-Men: Days of Future Past (from now on referred to as DoFP) was a great superhero movie. One that, for me, has entered into my own personal top five, joining the ranks of The Dark Knight, Avengers, Captain America 2, and Hellboy. It made it up there with a combination of the maturation of the directing style of Bryan Singer, the surprisingly deft script work of Simon Kinberg, and the superb acting of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Ian Mckellen, and Patrick Stewart. I want to particularly single out McAvoy and Fassbender, for reasons that will be apparent once you are able to watch the film. DoFP, while ostensibly about Wolverine travelling in a very willy-nilly, timey-wimey fashion (again, these movies might as well be called “Wolverine and the X-Men”), is more about the relationship between Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique. McAvoy and Fassbender lend a sense of seriousness, and weight to each scene they occupy, especially when they are in it together.
There are so many solid characterizations in this movie that I don’t want to forget to mention the character of Peter Maximoff, I’m not sure anyone, but Evan Peters, could have pulled it off. Possibly one of the worst character reveals in the history of film promotion, Peter, or Pietro, was played with a sense of sly conviction and sarcasm. It was a breath of fresh air for a character I am excited to see more of him, if the X-Men: Apocalypse casting rumors are true. Since there is a spoiler warning at the beginning, did you guys see the slow mo scene in the Pentagon? Because holy **** guys, that was some of the best use of slow mo in recent memory.
I bet at this point you are asking yourself, why after all this praise, doesn’t the film reach higher levels in my top five? That is a valid question, dear reader, because here is where my issues with the film arise. You might have noticed that I mentioned a third name there when I was talking about Magneto and Professor X, Mystique. Jennifer Lawrence is spectacular as Raven/Mystique, but she along with Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask, and Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde, were all underused so much it was criminal. For a film where Mystique was set up as the linchpin in history, the proverbial turning point, she was given surprisingly little to actually do in a movie that seemed to focus more on the redemption of Xavier, which may or may not have been a good thing. I’m still not quite sure.
Another major issue I had with DoFP is half nerd quibble, and half the removal of importance on a certain character. The original DoFP storyline is anchored by Kitty Pryde, one of my favorite comic book characters, and arguably strong enough to carry a movie all on her own. Especially when portrayed by Ellen Page. So why was it necessary to change it to Wolverine then?
I miss her. Meeeeeeeeessssss Heeeeeeer
In an interview with Empire magazine, Singer addressed the exact question I am asking.
“It was logic for the story, ” the director said. “It felt logical that he’s a character that we’re very grounded with, that we like to see in these movies. And his younger self would have the same appearance as his older self, so the same actor can play the role. Most importantly, the idea is that when we go back in time and discover Magneto and Xavier as young men, they’re at great odds and very wrecked and unmanageable, and I liked the idea of an older character having to manage these two reckless young men. If it had been a character jumping into their younger self, then it would have been a young character doing that and with Kitty Pryde it would have been a very young character. Well, in our world she wouldn’t have been born at all. And lastly Wolverine, from a technical standpoint, is the only one who can traverse that distance. The notion is that she can send people back in time for a week or two which they use in the future as a defense mechanism, but to physically send someone back that far is too damaging for the mind and the body. But Wolverine’s body heals, so as long as he remains focused and calm, he can remain until she can no longer control it.”
Ok, so that’s an answer I suppose. But here is my problem, in context of the films that have come out, that makes sense. The last time we saw Kitty, she was in Brett Ratner’s horrifying addition to X-3. The whole point of this new movie is to remove films like tha,t and X-Men Origins: Wolverine from the Fox/Marvel films story canon, which is great, I guess. But the mishandling of solid female characters like Kitty led us to this place where one of the coolest characters in the X-Men wheelhouse is relegated to a supporting role for Wolverine. It’s disappointing, and now that the universe is rewritten at the end of the film, I worry that we won’t ever get to see Ellen Page really get a chance to make Kitty shine. For a humorous take on this, you should check out another Sub-Cultured article. Leia did a solid job presenting the problem in a humorous light.
Is that all I have to say? Not by a long shot, but I think I’m going to need to watch the movie a few more times before I can genuinely talk about some of the issues I had. But for a franchise that’s been floundering recently, X-Men: Days of Future Past is much more than passable. Entering the realm of some of the best Comic Book Films ever made, Bryan Singer and company gave us a X-Men film that wipes away most of the bad past, and gives us the chance for a shiny new future.
She is so cool, can we see more of her?
Film Review: ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’
MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 131 MIN.
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Production
Crew
REVIEW | The Batman Who Laughs – #1
REVIEW | Doomsday Clock #4
Review | The Lost Path by Amélie Fléchais
Emerald City Conversation with Jen Wang
REVIEW | Doomsday Clock #2
Top 10 Comics of 2017
I can’t even begin to describe the awe I felt in my heart upon seeing this collection of superhero silhouettes, so here they are for your enjoyment!
Be sure to check out the artist’s other work!
CONversations: Camilla d’Errico
Hispanic Heritage Month: Highlighting Comic Creators pt 3
Singled Out: Q & A With Artist CJ Draden
Oh, The Moon by Charlyne Yi Review
Artist Spotlight: Matt Huynh and ‘The Boat’
