#iconography tote

[seniouesbabes]

Lily Maymac 🌸🍒💋🌸 Stay stylish with @maisonvalentino iconography tote 👜 😍

[greatwyrmgold]

If superheroes and supervillains were real, a lot of them would commit trademark infringement.

You'd have gun-toting vigilantes using the Punisher's death-head iconography even if they didn't call themselves the Punisher, which a lot of them would.

By the same token, there would be a ton of petty supervillains in white makeup calling themselves Jokers, even if their makeup skills and cheap costumes did absolutely nothing to make them look more like The Joker than Bozo the Clown.

Local superheroes are gonna call themselves Spider-Man or Cyborg or Deku or Wolverine or whatever. What are the IP holders gonna do? File a cease and desist? Even odds that the cops are out for blood, or at least trying to arrest the local menace for some overblown charge.

And don't get me started on capes who steal their names from other capes that actually exist. Kid heroes who look up to Exampleman calling themselves Example Boy or something. Sleazy pros choosing a codename that implies association with a big-name hero who doesn't know they exist until they receive complaints from fans. Villains trying to murder each other over the right to call themselves the Crimson Reaper.

[wongwoanxiu]

CTS B - Week 4&5 Field trip + Analyse Artistic Traditions and Lineages

Chua Mia Tee’s painting of the “National Language Class.”

Through today’s class, I gained several insights related to the analysis of artistic traditions, particularly how to critically engage with a subject matter in art. One key discovery was the importance of examining the intent behind a work, digging deeper into the work contextually. As seen in Chua Mia Tee’s painting of the “National Language Class.”, which reflected the political climate of Singapore during its transition to self-governance in 1959. It portrays a group of students, representing diverse ethnicities, attending a Malay language lesson—a symbolic scene reflecting the country's search for a unifying identity. Alongside the phrase on the board ‘Siapa Nama Kamu’ (What Is Your Name?) evokes questions of identity, not just personal but as a nation that is yet to be. The medium of social realism also aligns with the intent of giving us an accurately represented glimpse to the era of 1950s. 

Reflecting on the class discussion, I could have approached my analysis of the artworks by incorporating more interpretations of how the use of medium supports its message. An example would be the artwork ‘Chinese Puppet Theatre’  by Lim Mu Hue. The medium ‘woodcut’ is a traditional printmaking technique in Chinese culture which aligns the artwork with historical and cultural traditions, reinforcing its connection to the heritage of Chinese puppet theatre.

The lesson highlighted the need to integrate history into practices, which I now understand how I can apply these lessons to my future work. For example, when designing for a National Day tote bag, I should put into consideration of Singapore iconography and historical context into my work. Focusing on the diversity of cuisine; kaya toast, roti prata, chicken rice and nasi lemak could be used to design the tote bag as a representation of the nation.

(292 words)

“National Language Class.” Www.roots.gov.sg, www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/the-singapore-story-through-60-objects/art-historical/national-language-class/story.

‌https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ndp-pack-2023-pack-tote-bag-feature-artwork-people-disabilities-3563861

#chuamiateenationallanguageclass #importanceofhistoryheritage #graphicdesign

[kicksaddictny]

Y−3 Presents: Fall/Winter 2023 Chapter 3

For over two decades, the partnership between adidas and Yohji Yamamoto has continued to pioneer a trailblazing approach to avant-garde sportswear. In Fall/Winter 2023, Y-3 returns to present the third chapter of its year long exploratory narrative – with the subversive label taking athletic iconography, silhouettes, and materials and recontextualising them through through the lens of Yohji Yamamoto’s renegade design vision. 

Inspired by adidas’ inimitable sporting legacy, Chapter 3’s apparel collection sees Y-3 evolve the collegiate motifs of previous seasons, for an entirely new context. Drawing on vintage varsity style lettering, an array of graphics are applied to jackets, t-shirts, and hoodies, in kettle stitch embroidery, chenille patches, puff prints, and engineered knits. A curated offering of quilted pieces, with cutlines inspired by the adidas Originals Aloxe tracksuit, completes the apparel highlights with a selection of jackets, vests, skirts, and pants.  

The footwear, meanwhile, stays true to the conceptual impetus with the Y-3 CENTENNIAL HI and Y-3 CENTENNIAL LO which reimagine a quintessential athletic footwear silhouette, in elevated material make-ups. The collection also features a continuation of the label’s exploration of signature adidas Originals archival silhouettes with updated takes on the Y-3 SUPERSTAR, Y-3 MARATHON TR, and Y-3 GAZELLE. 

The collection is then rounded out by a host of bold accessories including elevated totes, gym bags, backpacks, body bags, knit beanies, caps, and more.  

Having traversed Yohji Yamamoto’s homeland of Japan for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 campaigns, the seasonal story journeys to adidas’ mother country of Germany, to capture Berlin’s unique, energetic, and prolific creative community. Shot by local photographer, Lengua, and motion director Thyago Sainte, the stills, moving images, and short film spotlight an enigmatic cast of musical figures that call Berlin home in personally resonant locations. At once intimate and raw, the campaign features the genre-bending Nigerian-born producer, singer and songwriter, LA Timpa, the cult British musician, rapper, and producer, Tricky, the eclectic DJ and experimental musician, Mobile Girl, the Korean producer and DJ, Tobias aka Why Be, the trailblazing artist, designer, and musician Bill Kouligas, and the formidable DJ duo and co-founders of Kontinuum Productions, Dimitra and Soraya.  

Channeling a new vision for sporting inspired design, Y-3 Fall/Winter 2023 Chapter 3 is available from August 1st on adidas.com/y-3, in Y-3 stores, and through select global retailers. 

adidas.com/Y-3  #Y3   @adidasY3    Facebook.com/adidasy3 

[secoluch]

Evidence Action: Final Campaign

Sarah Coluccio

Evidence Action

The campaign I created is called “Evidence Action”, which is based off of a real charity that focuses on providing water sanitation to the Middle East and Northern Africa regions (MENA) through the installation of chlorine dispensers. The MENA region is one of the most water scarce regions in the world housing 6.3% of the world's population but only having access to 1.4% of the world’s renewable water supplies. The charity I’m referencing has successfully prevented an estimated 2.8 million deaths with just a cost of $1.50 per person per year. However to continue to help, Evidence Action needs to promote donations from those who feel they can. It is important for Evidence Action to have a brand that is recognizable, so that when a person does consider donating, Evidence Action is one of the first charities they think of.  

For the brochure, the goals were to one-present the problem, two-state the solution, three-who was most affected by this problem, four-who Evidence Action is, five-how Evidence Action is, and finally six-Where to learn more and how the viewer could personally help by donating to Evidence Action. Since this issue is not largely experienced by those in the United States or other regions, the reality of the situation is not felt at large. Many go there day to day life oblivious of the struggles of those in the MENA region. The statistics and the large font in both the brochure and on the poster attempts to quickly inform and concern the viewer about the problem at hand, and to raise awareness of this issue in general. The next thing the viewer sees when they open the pamphlet is who Evidence Action is and how they help through building a sanitation system in rural areas in MENA. This is to quickly make the link in their minds that Evidence Actions works on fixing this problem and that is what they do. When they open up the pamphlet itself, they will learn more about the MENA region in general and the problems it raises, as well as see a QR code that links to Evidence Actions website to learn more. Above the QR code it states the amount it takes per year to provide a person with fresh water, which will hopefully lead to the viewer looking into it, or at least bring awareness that this is a place that they could donate in the future and requires donations to function. Finally, the back page lists where Evidence Action has taken the program so far, and how they have helped in general. This is supposed to act as ETHOS, as it is proof that the charity is established and has helped before. 

The poster itself is treated like a smaller version of the brochure. The goals of it are to quickly inform the viewer of the problem (via statistics), and make a connection that Evidence Action is a charity that helps solve this problem. Then a QR code is given where the viewer can scan and learn more if they are interested, and potentially donate.

Visually, all the products of this campaign (brochure, poster, mug, tote-bag, t-shirt) all present a cohesive voice. The color palette used in each one is made up of muted blues and browns which are meant to reference dirty water. The texts are all serif fonts with footers at the end of each letter to present a formal tone to the piece, and a cohesiveness to all the lettering, even though four different fonts are used in total. The only text that is not a serif font is Evidence Action which is the font Wakaba. This difference is used to not only make Evidence Action’s name stand out, but also to loosely reference water with the form of the letters. Each item in the campaign contains mosaics and iconography that references the area Evidence Action intends to help. The mosaics lining the borders and being a background are meant to reference mosques and how the Middle East’s art often relates to the Muslim tradition which uses many ornate patterns next to each other. Also the women represented both in profile and walking away with a child are wearing traditional Hijabs, again referencing the region. The point of these regional references is to remind the viewer subconsciously as they go through the pamphlet or look at the poster of who Evidence Action helps and where they would be donating to without stating it at every point throughout the campaign.  

Throughout this process I struggled to balance my want to inform the audience while not overloading the materials with information. I also tried to make sure that every decision I made was made with the goal of the campaign in mind. My goal was not entirely to get people to donate right then and now, but instead begin to inform and build a connection in the audience's brain that this is a problem and that Evidence Action is one of the leading charities that helps solve it. Overall, I am pleased with the final product because I think it promotes itself as one finished, unified campaign. As the awareness of Evidence Action and the water sanitation problem in the Middle East and North Africa region grows, I can see Evidence Action creating a new campaign using both photos from their excursions as well as iconography that reference what they are doing to be the most successful. 

Work Cited:

“Home.” Evidence Action, 3 Apr. 2023, www.evidenceaction.org/. 

[magicalshipment]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Set of 3 - Walt Disney World - 50th Anniversary - Reusable Tote Bags °o°.

[lucaaaamakesart]

Week 5 

SHEIN ‘Printed Graphic T-Shirts’ Research

I came up with the idea that a printing workshop would be a really successful way of customising, as it requires less skill and allows more creativity, to a novice up-cycler. In addition to this Graphic T-Shirts have been in for a while and aren’t going anywhere, as well as graphic jumpers and joggers and tote bags etc, which have this bold typographic and imagery print. 

I looked at Shein, a popular fast fashion site for insight into popular designs, as well as how they advertise them. 

I noticed a lot of imagery, and iconography, almost as if a logo had been printed on the back of a t-shirt. I was particularly drawn to the top design that had bold typography slogan. 

https://www.shein.co.uk/pdsearch/printed%20tshirts 

[seniouesbabes]

Lily Maymac 🌸🍒💋🌸 new travel essential! @maisonvalentino iconographe tote 🖤 Music 🎵 SZA • Too Late

[cipheramnesia]

I am thinking about Highway to Hell yet again, yet another imperfectly beautiful horror movie I love to death, bad special effects and all.

A foolish trifle in so many ways, such absurdities as a Hell Cop, or Hitler in a casino played by Gilbert Godfrey, or a truly awful claymation Cerberus. Yet it has a magic about it which only comes when caution is blown to the wind, and the filmmakers fling themselves fully into the image.

How to express the strange iconography of this movie, nigh archetypal young lover protagonists, ripped apart by the forces of hell. Somehow it's perfectly reasonable that the old man in the lone gas station arms the errant knight pizza boy with a white 1940s hotrod and a shotgun with magical demon slaying shells.

It should not work, and yet his encounters with sword toting bikers, a satanic mechanic, and what might very well be the as yet sinless antichrist? Perhaps, and all this because his love is true and his heart is pure. And people wonder what romance is to me? To meet the woman who is no prize to be taken but free to make her own choices. More, to be an active and essential agent in their escape from hell together.

And to reach a dramatic peak of a literal race with the devil. I wish I could share how this movie sings in my heart of all the great romantic feelings, of the union of modernity and myth, love and sweetness and silliness and sheer radical joy off acceleration.

[kicksaddictny]

PUMA 2023 Pride Collection

According to PUMA

PUMA celebrates the PRIDE community with a round of initiatives and its REFORM platform, which aims to eliminate biases and ensure that everyone who wants to play can play, regardless of their gender, race, or background.

As part of its commitment to inclusivity, PUMA has released a new product line that celebrates PRIDE. The 2023 PRIDE collection showcases PUMA's support for the LGBTQ+ community and its ongoing efforts to promoting advocacy, education, and inclusivity.

Championing the aesthetics of the gay liberation movement of the 1960s, PUMA has created a special mosaic pattern with a handmade look and feel, comprising grassroots iconography and symbols. The iconic PUMA Suede is also redone with elements of the same pattern used on the laces, tongue, heel, and collar of the low-top silhouette. The resulting Downtown PRIDE pattern is used across items like the Downtown PRIDE Tee and Downtown PRIDE Shorts. Accessories are also included in the form of a Tote Bag, Multipouch, and Bucket Hat, all making use of the Downtown PRIDE pattern.

To further its commitment to advocacy and education, PUMA has partnered with The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people. Together, we have created the #REFORMTheLockerRoom curriculum, a free online training course which aims to promote inclusivity and educate coaches, athletic directors and other youth-facing sports leaders about the importance of respecting and celebrating diversity.

Recognizing the importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment, for the fourth time PUMA joins forces with the support association Christopher Street Day (CSD) Nürnberg e.V. Through this collaboration, PUMA aims to amplify the voices and rights of the queer community. The partnership signifies PUMA's commitment to promoting diversity and equality.

With its REFORM platform, PRIDE collection, and local partnerships with The Trevor Project and CSD Nürnberg e.V., PUMA is supporting in creating a more inclusive and accepting world for all.

PUMA’s 2023 Pride collection is currently available at PUMA flagship stores, PUMA.com, and selected retailers. The #REFORMTheLockerRoom curriculum launches on May 30th. For further information please follow the link: https://reformthelockerroom.thetrevorproject.org. 

[secoluch]

Iconography and Wireframe Sketches

The campaign I am creating is called “Evidence Action” based off of a real charity that focuses on water sanitation. The way the charity promotes itself is by not only creating awareness of the situation, but also describe exactly how the money is used and how the individual is helping by donating.To create a campaign for this topic I wanted to not only focus on the water sanitation issue in the art, but also make references to the art of the area. The MENA region is traditionally correlated with the Muslim religion, and the arts that go with it. Traditionally, art within this tradition uses fewer figures, as that can be seen as worshiping false idols and focuses on complicated and intricate mosaics as well as beautiful calligraphy from the quran. I want to create a couple of different tiles of mosaics to create a pattern to reference the historic art of the region. I also want to have a figural iconography of a woman wearing a hijab, to both reference the traditions of the area but also to make a small reference to the fact that women in these cultures are the ones to go out of their way for hours everyday to gather the water for their families. 

The logo of the campaign will be a woman with a basket on her head holding the hand of a child to represent the journey and the importance obtaining water is in the people’s daily lives. This will be placed on each of the brochures, shirts, tote bags, and cups to connect it.  

The typography in this project is meant to present the elements and parts in a formal tone. I am using perpetua, century schoolbook, centaur, which are all serif fonts with footings on each letter to add to the formality. 

Each of these posters will be jointed by the repetition of the iconography and patterns in the posters, brochures, and the merchandise. The color palette will be made of mostly different blues and browns to reference both water and the sanitation issue, which will be repeated in each of the components. I hope to use some of the statistics that I referenced above to alarm the readers and promote the funding of this issue. 

The audience I am trying to reach is people who are willing to donate to causes within communities that know very little about water scarcity and sanitation. The goal is to inform them of the problem and to inspire them to help by using statistics and art that is both representative of the area that is being helped and who needs their help the most.

[brokehorrorfan]

4K Ultra HD Review: Scarface

With Scarface, the immense talents of three icons of American cinema - director Brian De Palma (Carrie, Mission: Impossible), writer Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers, Platoon), and star Al Pacino (The Godfather, The Irishman) - coalesce in a rare way that works on every level. It's based on Armitage Trail’s 1930 novel and its 1932 film adaptation of the same name, along with the then-contemporary cocaine wars in Miami. While De Palma's vision takes place in a heightened reality, Stone (who was struggling with his own cocaine addiction at the time) researched Miami police records to ensure accuracy.

The 1983 classic clocks in at nearly three hours, but the story's momentum never falters. Tony Montana's (Pacino) character arc is a warped perspective of the American dream by way of Dante's Inferno. Refusing to settle for being a low-level hitman after coming to Miami from Cuba, the volatile, arrogant gangster works his way up the ranks to become drug kingpin. It culminates in an operatic hail of bullets, showing that fame and fortune can be taken away just as swiftly as it can be attained.

Despite casting a full-blooded Italian as a Cuban lead, Scarface remains a shining moment in Pacino's five-decade career full of outstanding performances. A relatively unknown Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns) co-stars as Tony's love interest; she has since been vocal about being treated more like a prop than an actor. The cast also includes Steven Bauer (Ray Donovan), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Abyss), Paul Shenar (Raw Deal), Robert Loggia (Big), F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus), and Harris Yulin (Ghostbusters II). Cinematographer John A. Alonzo (Chinatown) captures each actor in all their glory through a vibrant ‘80s lens.

Much has been noted about the film's glorification of crime, particularly upon its initial release. A decidedly different kind of gangster story than the original film or even the influential works of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, Scarface features chainsaws and high-power guns used as weapons. It originally received an X rating, but De Palma was able to persuade the MPAA to give it an R. It also held the record for most uses of the word "fuck" in a film (at 207) for several years. Gratuitous though it may be, the graphic violence adds to the intensity.

Scarface has been restored in 4K with High Dynamic Range and a DTS:X master audio track for Universal Pictures' recent 4K Ultra HD release. The presentation is immaculate, with crystal-clear picture that never sacrifices the inherent film grain. "The World Is Yours" limited edition gift set is also available; in addition to the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, the handsome set includes the 1932 version of Scarface and a replica statue, which has some heft to it.

In addition to the fresh scan, the new release boasts an exclusive special feature: a 35th anniversary conversation with De Palma, Pacino, Pfeiffer, and Bauer from the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Given the limited time (the edited version runs for 27 minutes), the moderator’s questions are not particularly thoughtful, but the filmmaker and cast have plenty of interesting anecdotes to share. The casual chat sees them open up about beating the rating board, the record-setting F-bombs, and a potential remake, among other topics.

Archival special features are ported over. Scarface Phenomenon is a three-part retrospective from 2011 in which cast, crew, and notable admirers such as filmmakers Eli Roth (Hostel) and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and Cypress Hill rapper Sen Dog discuss the film's legacy. In The World of Tony Montana, DEA agents and entertainment journalists break down the character's criminal lifestyle. The Rebirth, The Acting, and The Creating are a trio of featurettes from 2003 in which cast and crew detail the making of the film over the course of 55 minutes. Deleted scenes, a comparison showing the humorous dubbing in the film’s censored television cut, and The Making of Scarface: The Video Game round out the extras.

As mentioned, the original Scarface is featured in the limited edition set. Produced by business magnate Howard Hughes, the first take on the material is directed by Howard Hawks (The Thing from Another World) and written by Ben Hecht (Notorious). Like De Palma's version, it's quite violent for its time, and the censors insisted it glorified crime. As such, it opens with title cards declaring the film an indictment of gang violence and challenges the government's perceived indifference toward it.

The skeleton of the plot is the same in both adaptations - tracking the meteoric rise and subsequent fall of a ruthless gangster - but the details are altered. Paul Muni (I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang) stars as Tony Camonte, a Tommy gun-toting bootlegger reeking havoc during prohibition. He was a proxy for the infamous Al Capone, who was still active when the film was made. Muni plays the role fairly broadly, but he has the charisma to pull it off. Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) appears as a rival gangster.

Housed on its own Blu-ray disc, the 1932 version of Scarface is included in both its original, 93-minute theatrical cut and alternate censored version, which actually runs two minutes longer. It also has special features: an introduction by Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne and an alternate ending, in which Tony is tried and hanged for his crimes.

Scarface's cultural impact is immeasurable; "Say hello to my little friend!" is one of the most-quoted lines in cinema history, the film's iconography has been adopted by the rap community, and its posters and merchandise remain plastered in dorm rooms around the country. The picture remains so ingrained in pop culture that it's easy to lose sight of what propelled its status in the first place, but one viewing of the new 4K restoration is an instant reminder that the film is deserving of every bit of praise it has received.

Scarface is available now on 4K Ultra HD via Universal Pictures.

[daggersforteeth]

I recently worked with @mike77egan to bring some of his iconography to clothing (and totes!) im really happy how it all came out and its freshly launched over on his page, scroll through to see how it was printed and visit his page for the scoop. Ive loved Mikes work for years so it was a bit of an honor to help make these. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GOJeSgMcF/?igshid=mmo3pjaznu8f

[captainofthetidesbreath]

A couple hours late but I just saw you saying how Jesse and Fareeha are more inverses of each other and I completely agree! I personally see Sombra and Jesse as more paralleled, and would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that idea? You tend to be very well-spoken and are good at analyzing concepts, I've come to notice.

EDIT - NOVEMBER 3, 2018: With the release of “Reunion” and Ashe’s hero reveal, the majority of what I wrote about Deadlock in the first three sections—Sign of the Skull, Those Left Behind, Revolutionaries and Rebels—is incorrect. Despite this, I maintain that the socioeconomic context outlines in Those Left Behind remains relevant to the American Southwest in-universe and maintain my belief that it is applicable to McCree specifically, even if it does not apply to Deadlock. I will be writing a new post on Sombra and McCree soon. Stay tuned.

in reference to this post… from months ago

Lucky for you, I was thinking about Jesse and Sombra the night before you sent this! Deadlock and Los Muertos, actually, but I’ll get to that. I absolutely agree that the two of them make much more direct parallels than Jesse and Fareeha, who are interesting as a pair in their own right but they aren’t direct parallels.

I often joke that Gabe adopted the same child twice: smart-talking, hyper-competent Latine who tote around skull logos and are from gangs with the word “dead” in their names. It’s a joke—I don’t consider Gabe’s relationship with Sombra to be that of a parent-child, for one thing—but I believe that Jesse and Sombra are very similar regardless.

They both have similar backgrounds: joined local gangs at a very young age and earned later membership into a high-level covert organization through resourcefulness and an admirable natural aptitude in a specific desired skillset. Although both at first look to be unserious and overly laid-back, they prove themselves to be precision operators who indeed execute plans and achieve goals with immense gravity. They’re both supremely confident in their abilities, to the point that one can accuse them of having too high an opinion of themselves and being overconfident.

They come from similar backgrounds, having been orphaned during the Crisis and suffered under economic disparity driven by infrastructure changes in the rebuilding period. They both similarly drop off the map and resurface under new identities. They both have a deep concern in seeing done a justice that is beyond the reach of the law—or when the law refuses to deliver it.

All this, and more, under the cut. The post is very long.

I would also like to thank @segadores-y-soldados for all he’s written, especially on Sombra and especially recently. I make heavy reference to his writing on Sombra in certain portions of this post. I also must admit that reading his posts on Arturito has motivated me to finish this after three months of slow progress, though I still have a nagging feeling I’m forgetting a point.

Sign of the Skull

To make a quick run-through on Los Muertos and Deadlock Gang themselves before moving onto how these organizations inform Sombra and Jesse specifically. Sort of a section to outline basic things about the gangs that doesn’t neatly fit into other points. It’s mostly to establish their context, and some similarities between their structures and presentation.

Screenshot from the Sombra Origin showing members of Los Muertos. Each member has painted skeletons onto themselves with phosphorescent paint in varying colors.

Los Muertos is a Mexican gang with apparent regional influence with members in both Dorado and the nearby Castillo, and it even has some international reach judging from the Los Muertos graffiti on the Hollywood map. Little is known to us about their structure besides this, and even in-universe they are noted to be mysterious with little information publicly available about them.

However, Los Muertos openly broadcasts their intentions: to right the wrongs committed by the wealthy and powerful against the disadvantaged of Mexico. They position themselves as transgressors of the law specifically to disrupt the lives of the “vipers” in power. More on that later.

The name translates to “The Dead”, and they are identified by skull motifs, specifically the calaveras associated with the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. Individual members openly identify themselves and indicate their membership by painting skulls and bones on their bodies with phosphorescent paint.

Screenshot from the Route 66 map of five motorcycles parked in front of The High Side bar. The Deadlock emblem is spray-painted by the entrance.

Deadlock Gang is an American motorcycle club and organized crime ring occupying a Southwestern town on an abandoned stretch of Route 66 running across Deadlock Gorge. It’s unclear where exactly the Gorge is, and the Visual Source Book’s pin for the map is highly unspecific, but I tend to believe it’s in somewhere in northern New Mexico because Jesse’s base of operations is listed as Santa Fe, NM.

In one lore piece, Deadlock is holding a national rally, suggesting they’ve got chapters nationwide and the founding chapter is in Deadlock Gorge. While it’s unclear what their reach is, there is a possibility of international chapters. (Torbjorn’s motorcycle-themed Deadlock skin may suggest this, but it does not have any Deadlock iconography, notably showing a bear where one expects the Deadlock emblem.)

This does not necessarily mean all of the Deadlock Rebels Motorcycle Club is a criminal organization, nor every single member a criminal, but… y’know, the founding chapter is a weapons trafficking racket. They’re a one-percenter outlaw motorcycle club, and there’s a quick and easy comparison in the real-life Hells Angels, whom the show Sons of Anarchy models itself after.

Deadlock, besides naming itself after the concept of death like Los Muertos does, also uses a skull in its emblem. We haven’t seen any member of Deadlock pictured, but extrapolating from the typical behavior of motorcycle clubs, they likely openly identify themselves and indicate their membership by wearing standardized jackets or most likely vests. Members likely have tattoos indicating membership as well, seeing as Jesse has a tattoo of the Deadlock emblem on his inner arm in his Blackwatch skin.

Those Left Behind

Sombra, orphaned during the Omnic Crisis, was taken in by Los Muertos, a gang that positioned themselves as champions of the underclass ignored during the post-Crisis rebuilding process. They’ve done this most notably by opposing the CEO of LumériCo Guillermo Portero, who they’ve described as having exercised his social influence to have many wrongfully imprisoned and who we know is working with the not-as-noble-as-they-put-forward Vishkar. 

The social context of Los Muertos and Sombra is very directly told to us. From Sombra’s official bio:

After ░░░░░░ was taken in by Mexico’s Los Muertos gang, she aided it in its self-styled revolution against the government. Los Muertos believed that the rebuilding of Mexico had primarily benefited the rich and the influential, leaving behind those who were most in need of assistance.

From a lore post published to the website:

…its members style themselves as revolutionaries who represent those left behind by the government after the widespread devastation of the Omnic Crisis.

And Michael Chu on Los Muertos at Blizzcon 2016 (transcript):

Mexico really suffered a lot at the hands of the Omnic Crisis. The war destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure. […] They claim to be kind of revolutionaries fighting for people who were left behind during the rebuilding of Mexico after the war.

Despite their noble stated goal, they seemingly also cross a line in their illicit activity enough to earn the ire of Jack, who isn’t exactly on the straight and narrow himself but still seeks the right side of things. As Chu added:

Whether or not that’s really what they are up to, because they’re also engaged in a lot of other shady activities. It is up to you decide.

Given a lot of other suspect activity they engage in, that noble work might not be the only story to be had on them—especially depending on where you’re standing. Saviors with their thumbs in certain pies not meant for them, possibly.

The social context that Sombra rises out of is made very plain for us. But what does it have to do with Jesse?

While we know few specifics about his circumstances growing up, other than he also lived through the Crisis and was likely similarly orphaned during it, the description and in-game environment of the Route 66 map suggest the area is one of difficult social and economic circumstances, emphasis mine:

Though the travelers and road trippers who used to cross the US on historic Route 66 are gone, the Main Street of America still stands, a testament to a simpler time. The gas stations, roadside shops, and cafes have gone into disuse, and the fabled Deadlock Gorge is mostly seen from the comfort of transcontinental train cars. But amid the fading monuments of that earlier era, the outlaws of the Deadlock Gang are planning their biggest heist yet.

Concept art of The High Side, showing the abandoned bar in disrepair with boarded windows and faded paint.

At least one building, the Cave Inn (ba dum tsh) in the streets portion of the map, is visibly abandoned, and the theme of disrepair and long-gone halcyon days is especially prevalent in the concept art for the map. This all paints a portrait of a Deadlock Gang that operates out of an area that suffered immense economic hardship in recent years, likely particularly after the introduction of the transcontinental train cars, one of which is featured in “Train Hopper”, a comic which takes the time to emphasize the wealth of the passengers traveling on them. So, the Deadlock chapter is localized within a region that suffered economically under infrastructure changes that largely benefit the wealthy and powerful. It’s possible that these infrastructure changes were made possible because of efforts to rebuild after the physical devastation of the Crisis.

Without going off on a tangent about it, there’s a bit of a difference between “Deadlock comes out of the lower class in a geographic region beset by poverty” and “Deadlock gang itself currently has no money”. Apparently, well after the effects of financial misfortune set in, Deadlock was and is making enough money to maintain long-distance shipping, as suggested by their semi-trailer truck, and keep an entire town functioning well enough as a cover for their criminal enterprise. Also, missiles don’t sell for cheap. Deadlock might be financially comfortable now, but their context still involves deep socioeconomic disparity.

This is especially poignant against the Route’s invoked nickname, Main Street of America, which conjures images of the average American person. Those average people who owned gas stations, cafes, diners, roadside trinket shops, dive bars are the ones who are forgotten while the more affluent folks pass them over, traveling in style. There’s also a historical precedent in poverty and social disparity as driven by infrastructure changes specifically affecting the way people travel across regions and the country, specifically in the history of the freeway.

To sort of make the clarification, Jesse’s tattoo states that Deadlock was established in 1976—happy centennial, Deadlock—so they’ve certainly changed a lot as their social context and membership make-up changed. There’s much to be said about social non-conformity, outlaw motorcycle gangs, one-percenters, community integration, and how these intersect with both the politics and economics of the local communities along Route 66, especially given how the Route was recently listed as one of the country’s most endangered historic places, even in Deadlock’s apparent founding in a period of American social unease after the Vietnam War and during the late Cold War, and extrapolate a lot about Deadlock from all that, and even about Jesse himself from some of it, but that’s for a different post.

Revolutionaries and Rebels

In that context, it’s worthwhile to note that in their insignia, seen in the graffiti all over the Route 66 map and in Jesse’s tattoo in his Blackwatch skin, they calls themselves the Deadlock Rebels. Generally, outlaw motorcycle clubs are also known for their contempt for social convention and disdain for status quo.

Screenshot of the Deadlock Gang hideout with their insignia, which includes the words Deadlock Rebels, spray-painted onto a wall.

Deadlock is quite the opposite of Los Muertos, though. Deadlock maintains a law-abiding public face—holding innocuous and even advertised national rallies and hiding their illicit activity under numerous cover businesses—and are more discreet in their disrespect of law. One can double down on this by looking to how successfully real-life one-percenter clubs maintain their public image: openly contemptuous of social norms but keeping public knowledge of any legal transgressions to only the small indiscretions while hiding the major ones.

Taking a look at Deadlock’s primary targets, military installations: the train cars on the map are military-related, the gang traffics military hardware and weapons including missiles. Although Deadlock comes from a similar social context as Los Muertos, these aren’t targets seeking to effect a change in society like how Los Muertos seeks to. Deadlock appears largely self-interested, with little interest in changing the fortunes of anyone else in the American lower class. Los Muertos bills itself as other-interested, seeking to change the fortunes of the Mexican underclass as a whole.

Archetypically, Los Muertos are revolutionaries, Deadlock are rebels. While they both groups reject the status quo, the revolutionary seeks sweeping social change but the rebel rejects the status quo on a personal level. The revolutionary wants society to change to suit their vision of what it ought to be while the rebel positions themselves outside of society and will redefine themselves as society changes.

The difference is apparent in their choice of targets. Los Muertos targets institutions and people who directly have a hand in the building of their social context, and attacking those targets will potentially affect a social change. Deadlock targets institutions and people who may have a hand in their social context, but such targets are chosen primarily for the gang’s financial gain.

Los Muertos is politically motivated. Deadlock is financially motivated.

Admirers in the Shadows

Sombra and Jesse don’t remain in their gangs. They both end up joining shadow organizations with global reach, the terrorist organization Talon and the covert ops organization Blackwatch, respectively. Both organizations were wooed by their specific skillsets.

Sombra launched an even more audacious string of hacks, and her exploits earned her no shortage of admirers, including Talon. She joined the organization’s ranks…

With his expert marksmanship and resourcefulness, he was given the choice between rotting in a maximum-security lockup and joining Blackwatch, Overwatch’s covert ops division. He chose the latter.

A young Jesse McCree was recruited into Blackwatch after Gabriel Reyes saw his potential and gave him a choice: join Blackwatch, or rot in prison.

The difference here is that Sombra was offered a place, but she did not necessarily need that offer to continue on with her life. She takes it because Talon resources allow her to more effectively pursue her goals. If McCree did not take the offer to join Blackwatch, his life effectively ended. (There’s a whole thing to be said about this offer, why it was the best offer that could have been made to him at the same, and criminal rehabilitation—but that’s another post.) McCree’s decision to join Blackwatch isn’t motivated by pursuit of a specific goal. He just didn’t want his life to be over before it started. In that regard, his entire life is shaped very directly by his relationship to Overwatch as an individual and Blackwatch, even more than simply its role in ending the Crisis and overseeing the rebuilding efforts.

Sombra, as someone who survived the Crisis, similarly has that more distanced influence of Overwatch in her life, but there’s the possibility she may have a more direct one.

With the recent spawn interaction between Sombra and Hammond showing a sentimentality for her stuffed Overwatch bear, seen in her den in Castillo, there is a possible picture to paint of a Sombra who may have some sentimentality toward Overwatch and might be aiding individual members on the sly not only because she wants to uncover the Grand Conspiracy they’re caught up in but also because she has a personal motivation.

segadores-y-soldados has a lot of good and very recent speculation on what this could mean for Sombra, either working with the room in her background for her to have worked with Blackwatch or having her as never having worked with Overwatch. If she worked with Blackwatch, which is admittedly a shakier theory, it creates a direct and clear mirror with Jesse: given a second chance at life through working with Overwatch and Blackwatch. If she did not and the influence is only the distant one, and she simply remained on the edges of society and making use of the space available, it is an inverse of Jesse. I recommend reading these two posts on the idea: one, two, three.

Name: REDACTED

One could compare Sombra attempting to eradicate her identity as Olivia Colomar and later returning as Sombra to Jesse going underground after leaving Blackwatch and later resurfacing to work as a bounty hunter. Their decisions to drop off the map have different motivations and different degrees of extreme, and there is a different tenor in how one disappears as Olivia and returns as Sombra and the other disappears as McCree and makes a resurfaces in a return to that identity.

Sombra accidentally stumbled onto a massive conspiracy that controlled the world and drew their attention, compromising her security and forcing her to destroy all trace of Olivia Colomar to go into hiding. She came back as a completely new person with no trails to her old identity, a transformation so complete that it took years to connect the two.

It is possible to draw a stronger parallel between them here. Jesse similarly has parts of his identity that he’s hiding (but which Sombra knows about):

Sombra: Pleasure working with you, McCree… if that is your real name.McCree: Don’t know what you heard, but my name’s not Joel. Best remember that.

There’s a strong case for the Jesse is the journalist Joel Morricone theory: at some point in his life, he created a second identity for himself and is working to keep the two separate. It’s currently unclear exactly what the details of the arrangement is or why he goes to these lengths. Given that he disappeared for “several years” after quitting and before reappearing again as Jesse McCree, gunslinger for hire, it stands to reason he spent the intervening years living quietly under the Morricone identity. 

We don’t really know much about the specifics of what motivated Jesse to go to ground, but based on his official bio, it seems related to the infighting following the Talon infiltration at Overwatch and Blackwatch that also drove him to quit. It could likely be motivated by security reasons—in a similar but less drastic way that Sombra burned her old identity to protect herself.

Justice Against Law

One of the building blocks of McCree’s character is his stance on justice. He makes it very clear: he is concerned primarily in dispensing justice to the point that he only accepts jobs as a bounty hunter if he believes the cause just and constantly gets involved in vigilantism, putting a stop to crimes both petty and serious.

Through this dogged pursuit of seeing justice done, he seeks a self-redemption for the wrongs he committed early in his life: “he came to believe that he could make amends for his past sins by righting the injustices of the world”. At the same time, he makes it clear that he believes justice and law run on different wavelengths. He appreciates Blackwatch for its “flexibility” to move “unhindered by bureaucracy and red tape”. The Morricone article seems to suggest a belief that justice can be defended by law, but everything else about him strongly states that he does not believe justice is exclusively defended by law.

The short version: McCree has a rigid sense of justice and dedicates his life to seeing it carried out, but he does not equate it with the law. Both of those points are amply evidenced and are at the forefront of McCree’s character. 

Edited sequence from the “Searching” comic where Zarya and Lynx-17 go door-to-door, showing everyone a photo of Sombra. Zarya’s internal dialogue in the last panel: “But no one has seen Sombra. Or nobody admits it. They see her like our Stepan Razin—attacking the rich to defy the czar.”

Sombra is (perhaps surprisingly) similar. As stated previously, she was brought in by a gang who billed themselves as seeking a justice for the Mexican underclass that they believed could not be achieved through legal means.

On her own? She holds to those ideals and that goal. She attacks and exposes the CEO of LumériCo, creating an opening to see some justice done for the Mexican people. (The attempt failed, and Portero is reinstated, but that’s besides the point.) Her continuing interest in seeing the Viper Portero removed only makes sense if she continues to have a personal investment in seeing justice for the underclass of her country.

This leads to Sombra being seen as an extrajudicial force of change and good by the Mexican people, particularly those in the Castillo and Dorado region. Zarya compares her to Stepan Razin (Wikipedia), who as I understand it led force composed in part of peasants in uprising and, though he failed, was immortalized as a folklore hero.

Though her methods are different and her goals much more specific, her actions, at least in Mexico, are similarly driven by a search for justice that cannot be delivered by the law.

The Enemies of Talon

I don’t have a lot to say about this, and segadores-y-soldados has summarized it quite better than I have, but it’s important enough to get it’s own section. But, Sombra working against Talon actually puts her technically on the same side as Jesse is—even though Jesse as of “Train Hopper” doesn’t seem that interested in actually ending Talon’s activities or denying them what resources they want, only in preventing them from hurting and killing innocents. (Though, I doubt Jesse is going to remain in that mode for long.)

It is entirely possibly, maybe even likely, that Sombra is aiding Jesse somehow as well as aiding Jack and Ana. I linked a couple of segadores-y-soldados’ relevant posts earlier, but I’ll link them again: linked before, new link.

Miscellanea, Smaller Comparisons 

Sombra is embraced by her old gang Los Muertos, even though she has broken ties with them for her safety, as evidenced by the gang’s enthusiastic and open support of her attacks on LumériCo. Deadlock openly rejects Jesse and is suggested to have a “shoot on sight” policy for him, as evidenced by the numerous photos of him accompanying rifles and his photo pinned to a dartboard; it’s possible that they resent him for having avoided prison and taking the presented opportunity to turn over a new leaf.

Even after leaving their respective gangs, both Jesse and Sombra still make use of variations on the gangs’ symbols in their personal iconographies. Sombra identifies herself through a simplified graphic calaveras. While in Blackwatch, Jesse openly displays his tattoo and wears a buckle of the Deadlock winged skull; after leaving Blackwatch, his prosthetic arm features plating shaped like a skull. (The iconography extends to the game’s UI also, with EMP represented by a calaveras and Deadeye with a skull.)

Both take somewhat similar relationships to Gabriel: Jesse is framed as a surrogate son and a right-hand, Sombra is framed as a young accomplice who takes a more familiar tack and a frequent trusted partner. They’re opinionated and vocal about it, unafraid to talk back to Gabriel and criticize his planning.

Further in the personality vein of things, they’re characterized as deeply confident in their abilities to the point of cockiness and overconfidence, and they can be accused (and have been, by Gabriel, though with dubious sincerity) of having too high an opinion of themselves. But despite the breeziness, they are highly competent, thorough, and conscientious, and although they may appear to have a lot of things to say about other people’s plans, they execute their own plans with precision and utmost gravity. Arguably, both are playing a bit of the fool to mask how sharp, observant, and cunning they really are.

[proxykiwi]

Mystery Michael

Ok prof. Langdon, get ready for some real iconography. I stumbled on this problem a while ago in the church of St. Bavo in Ghent and I need to put my thoughts on paper - so why not use Tumblr? Maybe someone comes along and solves the mystery.

In St. Bavo’s crypt, there is this painting: 

(excuse the horrible angle & quality)

I’m 99% sure I have seen this exact picture - albeit in vastly better quality - before. It’s famous. Known. Except not by Google, it seems.

Below is my frustrating journey to find Mystery Michael’s hidden origins; what was supposed to be 10 minutes of Googling turned into a rabbit hole full of archangels.

Being certain this was a direct copy of a famous painting, I very cleverly DID NOT take a picture of the little information card. (pro-tip for any aspiring art historians: always take pictures of informations cards. always.) I think I remember it being described as either 16th-century. On reviewing the photo, I’m not entirely sure of that anymore, but let’s operate on the assumption for now that this picture is Flemish 16th-century.

As you may guess, it turned out the ‘very famous painting’ I was 99% sure this was copied after is unfindable. What I thought it looks like most is the following:

Luca Giordano’s Archangel Michael Hurls the Rebellious Angels into the Abyss painted circa 1666 (nice number), now in Vienna. Same legs, same outfit, same colors, same swirly rope. Totally different upper body and head position. However, this painting dates a wee bit late to be considered any kind of ‘origin’ for the mystery picture (still assuming a 16th-century date). Luca helpfully painted another St. Michael though:

Giordano’s St Michael of circa 1663, now in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. The upper body is slightly closer, but the outfit is different. Again those feet, though.

Those feet...

Turns out, a whole lot of St. Michaels are depicted with those feet because my dear friend Rafael (the painter, not the ninja turtle) painted a Michael with those feet.

There we go. Raphael’s Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan of 1518, currently in the Louvre. It’s pretty big too, measuring almost 3 meters. Definitely the origin of the general pose of these other Michael’s and especially the feet - but not the outfit or the exact upper body of our mystery painting.

Now Luca Giordano is kind of a known copy-cat who cherry-picked bits and pieces from other pictures to compose his own. Not a unique strategy at all, but he was really kinda obvious about it. So if Luca’s pictures are really close, maybe he copied bits of the picture I believe my mystery picture is directly copied after. Or so I supposed...

Pieces of the outfit return on another painting which seemd to have passed into common catholic visual memory as it’s on an astounding amount of post-cards and bible websites:

Guido Reni’s c. 1636 Archangel Michael from the Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome - also measuring nearly 3 metres. Could this be the template for Michael’s blue and gold armor?

Maybe not, as I unearthed an even earlier picture (c. 1610) by Giuseppe Cesari, aka the Cavaliere d’Arpino, which shows the same outfit, but with helmet.

(also in Vienna btw.)

At this point though, Google images stopped being helpful as catholics (or algorithms) are really keen on selling the same 5 St. Michael pictures on anything you can remotely stick an image on - tote bags, phone cases, you know the drill - and any ‘St. Michael painting’ query quickly devolves into a collection that would put AliExpress to shame.

There are two further lucky finds though that I would like to call your attention to (kudos to those who are still reading at this point!)

A statue of Michael outside Sankt Michael in Vienna. Again. Based on what Wikipedia has to offer, the figures were sculpted in 1725 by Lorenzo Matielli. The general feel is much older though, as the pose, design and details approach the paintings cited above. And of course, there are the Rafael feet again. Interestingly though, Michael has he (almost) exact same pose as the mystery painting. Since the sculptor seems to have looked pretty closely at 16th- and 17th-century painted examples - is this another clue that the original mystery painting really exists?

And then Google threw me this last bone, somewhere deep in its dregs of images:

A “Spanish colonial work” from New Mexico, dated late 19th or early 20th century. Google “San Miguel arte” and a whole world of Spanish/Mexican images of the angel Michael in roughly this pose pop up. All of them are very like each other and not like the paintings above. The chain seen here is often exchanged for scales:

So weird as it is, these modern South American paintings (this one hails from Cuzco if Ebay is to be believed) are the closest relatives to the Mystery Michael.

But neither chain nor scales occur in some earlier Spanish paintings I found,  which introduce the head-tilt and the helmet, but faithfully copy Rafael’s spear. 

So - are these South-American painters, the artist behind the mystery michael, and I suffering from a very long-lasting case of Mandela Effect? Or is there indeed an original painting, perhaps Flemish or Spanish in origin, that all these works have copied?

To be continued... (hopefully)