"Worlds Collide"
Throughout the history of comic books, many artists have added their own little visual touches to characters. When Jules Schwartz first started on Batman in the early 60s, he added the now classic yellow oval around the Dark Knight's chest symbol. When Todd McFarlane got his hands on Spiderman in the late 80s, he made the eyes on the mask very large and gave the webslinger webbing that looked like spagetti. And for Plight, Tony gave him striped sweatpants and a muscle shirt.
Okay, so the last one didn't stick, but I can't argue with Tony's logic. He felt that while the costume I designed was cool, it wasn't fully going with the idea that Erik's costume was made up of clothing you could easily get ahold of. Maybe he was paying me back for my constant mocking about his first pin-up, but for a long period afterwards, he liked drawing the 'Sweatsuit' version better than the original. This is his interpretation of that clash; deliberately done in a cartoony style. Not a bad picture at all.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of realistic items: yes, there ARE such things as one-strap backpacks. I just happen to own one myself. :) - Jake