Princess Koriand'r, AKA Starfire, is one of the heaviest hitters of DC Comics' Teen Titans. After an abusive childhood on her home planet Tamaran, Koriand'r made her way to Earth, changed her name to Kory Anders, and became one of the most iconic members of the young superheroes' team. Kory can fly, convert ultraviolet energy into powerful blasts, and remains one of the mightiest young aliens in the DC Universe. Even though her comic appearances are critically and commercially successful, most Starfire enthusiasts of a certain age more than likely fell in love with Kory during the Teen Titans anime from the early 2000s, or the modern Teen Titans Go!
A new piece of fan art from Mayo "SEN" Naito's Twitter (@SEN1227) is an adorable tribute to the character. Naito's Starfire undoubtedly looks like George Pérez's original version. Kory's hair is unmistakably in the classic style of 1980s Pérez art. Starfire has many distinctive comic appearances, but Marv Wolfman and Pérez's legendary 1980s comics, The New Teen Titans, still contain Kory's most iconic stories. For example, Starfire's sister, Blackfire, debuted as a DC villain during these early tales.
In the drawing, Kory appears as happy as ever. The orange, purple, red, and green colors pop out to make Starfire look as iconic as she's ever been. Even though she wears her original, Tamaranian costume, she looks younger than most of her comic appearances. Modern, non-comic media tends to adapt Kory as a younger girl now due to Hynden Walch's talented voice acting on the Teen Titans shows. In addition, there aren't a lot of younger DC characters with Starfire's unique, innocent, and bubbly personality. These distinguishable qualities perfectly fuse with George Pérez's traditional comic style to create the definitive Starfire in Naito's adorable design.
It's also important to note that George Pérez publicly announced he was terminally diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2020. Pérez defined countless looks for Marvel and DC comic book superheroes and villains. Pérez didn't just co-create Starfire; he brought the most iconic looks to figures that anyone would recognize today, such as the Mad Titan, Thanos. Kory is one character that will forever be associated with Pérez's craftmanship, from her green eyes to her frizzy and curly hair. Even if it wasn't intentional, Naito's art certainly honors the life and work of George Pérez.
Naito's newest piece of art is probably more than it set out to be. Of course, it pays homage to Starfire as a character, combining everything fans love about her, but it also celebrates George Pérez. Thanks to the sketch of a fan, The Teen Titans' "Big Gun" will persist in the hearts of DC fans around the world.
Source: Twitter