You’ve heard that retailers across the country are hosting artists from DC Comics-The New 52 and displaying process pieces from their new comic book series. Well, for those of you who can’t make it to the events we thought we’d bring a version of it right here for you to see. To start us off, WONDER WOMAN artist Cliff Chiang takes us through the process of designing Hermes with series writer Brian Azzarello. Along with Cliff Chiang, this week we’ll hear from the DC Comics-The New 52 Art Tour participants: Rags Morales, Francis Manapul, Doug Mahnke, J.H. Williams III and Yanick Paquette. So come back daily and enjoy!

We went through a few different looks for Hermes, starting with a Western look, complete with duster and floppy hat. Brian actually wanted him naked underneath, but I thought it'd make Hermes just look like a creepy guy on the subway.

In any case, it didn't feel mythic enough, so Azz suggested bird feet. I liked the sound of that, and tried incorporating into a second design, with a Japanese motif. We were trying to find analogues for the classic Hermes metal cap, like the one worn by the FTD icon, or the Golden Age Flash. So I tried using a Japanese farmer's hat. We thought it looked cool, but it didn't feel new.

With versions 3 and 4, we looked more towards avant garde fashion, and I gave him a sort of golden bicycle helmet. With version 4, I liked how weird and tall he was looking, but Brian still had something else in mind. Like an updated doughboy, with some wispy facial hair and a weak chin. I had trouble visualizing it.

Brian sent me a few sketches, which I incorporated into Hermes' final design. He's changed even from this stage, getting taller and more alien-looking. It was important to give Hermes a really distinctive look, since he's one of the first gods we get a good look at and he's a crucial member of Wonder Woman's crew. And here's what he looks like in his first appearance in the pages of  WONDER WOMAN #1: