Sketchbook: Top Redesign

 "You should do one for the Top. I think he's one of the only Flash villains not to be redone in the reboot."
- Anonymous

Okay! Let's redesign an oft-overlooked entry in Flash's Rogue's Gallery.

...this is going to be a tricky one....

At the very least, that certainly is a unique outfit. It would be incredibly easy to just throw him in a generic green outfit with a couple yellow stripes highlighting it, so I'm going to throw in a few self-imposed rules.

1. The costume must be at least 80% yellow and green.
2. Any additions must have a purpose besides just looking cool.
3. It must have stripes as a main feature.
4. It must feature yellow as the "main" color, to differentiate it from the similarly colored Weather Wizard.

Actually, that wouldn't be a bad costume for Top.

With those rules in place, let's see how I did!

 Let me explain.

1. I altered the stripes to involve Jack Kirby influenced angles, suggesting motion.
2. The mask and goggles are meant to prevent windburn.
3. The earpieces regulate ear-fluids, helping with his balance.
4. The glowing top-nodes absorb and redirect kinetic energy.

I'll explain that last one further; I altered Top's powers, as well.
This version would have the ability to redirect momentum, instead of just spinning.
Here's a helpful chart!

Left
The orange spots denote the "top-nodes," which he uses to absorb kinetic energy and use as a rotational axis.

Top (no pun intended)
The Top redirects his forward momentum around the node on his hand, propelling him around it; doing this, he can turn on a dime, dodge the Flash, and more, including....


Bottom
Fig 1: Top jumps off of a building.
Fig 2: Top activates a node, rotating around the axis and redirecting his momentum.
Fig 3: Top deactivates the node, having redirected his momentum to propel himself upwards.

I thought this would add an interesting spin (pun intended) on the character.

UPDATE: After originally finishing up this post, I did some searching on the internet. I discovered that the Top actually has appeared in the New 52, albeit having been reimagined as "Turbine."
Let's see his new outfit!

...they just threw him in a green jacket with a few yellow stripes? And gave him energy-node things? Meh, it's okay. It does bear an odd resemblance to my Electro redesign, though. It's obviously a coincidence, but still...

Anyway how do you, the viewers at home, like it? Comments on my design are both welcomed and encouraged!

Are there any characters YOU want to see redesigned? Leave a comment, send a tweet (@NewtCave), or an email! Heck, while you're at it, why not Like, Share, or... I don't know, Instagram? Is that what you kids like these days?

Anyway, see you next time!