Starting Thursday, May 7th at 5pm PT/8pm ET, we’ll be hosting a LIVE Q&A with the woman behind the power, LAURA JEAN SHANNON! In addition to her work on DC properties, Laura Jean Shannon’s incredible creations can also be seen in movies and television like Elf, Jumanji, The Boys, and Iron Man, the last of which earned her a nomination for the Costume Design Guild Award for Excellence.
Please try to limit the number of questions asked to 1-2; this way, everyone has a chance to get a response in the limited time we have Thanks!
Add your questions in the comments below, and come back at 5pm PT/8pm ET on Thursday, May 7th to read LJ’s answers LIVE!
1: When you approach characters who have established looks, do you try to replicate it as closely as possible, or do you like to put your own spin on it?
2: Do you have any signature styles that you add to your outfits? i.e. Specific material you like to use, stitching pattern, or buckle style
Hello Laura, gotta say that your work has been great to see and have been some of my favorites in any live action superhero series.
Oftentimes, especially early superhero costumes, were often tight/form-fitting. More recently, practicality has become the norm, leading to more armor-esque costumes. What kind of process do you go through to decide how much of a costume should be classic or modern?
Is there a specific type of costume that can be difficult to design? (I.e. if a costume has some impractical aspect that makes it hard to make or look good in a real-world aspect)
Hi Laura! Thanks so much for doing this and stopping by!
My first question is about cosplay. Is there any discussion about how cosplayers will interact with your work while you’re designing, or is that not a factor?
Second question: whether you’ve worked on them or not, which DC character has the best costume?
Hi Laura! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and answer some questions!
When helping come up with the costumes, is a lot of the idea behind the costume based in the works that they come from or do you have a lot of freedom? Does management dictate a lot of it?
Hi Mrs. Shannon, I am very impressed with the costumes you have designed. they are very close to their comic roots, but have a nice updated design. I particular like Robot Man and how well the jacket lines up with the comics. It’s one of the few designs where I see the comic literally brought to life.
Questions:
What was the most challenging design you have made
Hi Mrs. Shannon! I noticed that you’ve done a lot of works outside of comics (I love Chef, one of my favorite movies).
What brings you into designing for the world of superheroes?
Also what is it like to work with Jon Favreau? Was there a lot of interaction with him for costume design?
Hello and thank you for answering our questions. I’m looking forward to seeing Stargirl and the next seasons of Titans and Doom Patrol. My question is what part of the costume is the hardest/easiest to make?
Hello! It’s so lovely to get a chance to ask you questions and hear the wisdom from an expert such as yourself Thank you!
I was wondering, what’s it like to create these worlds in live-action if they already have source material, particularly for Stargirl which tackles bringing to life a new generation based on a previous one?
Thanks!
Thank you!