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Jim Lee's one big regret about the 'New 52' DC revamp of Aquaman

Jim Lee hates drawing chainmail and regretted including it in Aquaman’s New 52 costume

One of the coolest parts about being a comic book artist is designing an awesome superhero costume. One of the hardest parts is having to actually draw that costume. A fun costume design can quickly become a pain when you realize you’ll have to keep drawing that complicated pattern on multiple panels across multiple pages.

Every artist has their pet peeve, and for Jim Lee it’s chainmail. The superstar artist, who is also the publisher of DC Comics, isn’t a fan of chainmail on superhero costumes because they’re a pain to draw. When asked about the hardest characters to draw, Lee didn’t hold back.

“Anyone that has chainmail on their tunic,” Jim Lee says during a spotlight panel at MegaCon 2026. “Unfortunately, when I was drawing Justice League for the New 52, I decided to draw chainmail on Aquaman’s tunic. I regretted that.”

Hmmm…maybe that’s why DC made Aquaman go shirtless in the ‘90s.


 

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Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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