Costumes, Costumes, Costumes!

[90'sCartoonMan]

Super hero and villain costumes come in all shapes and sizes. And colors, let's not forget the colors. Some of them like full blown brightly colored spandex (Batroc) while others are more subtle and are more like normal clothes we wear (Superboy). Then there are some in the middle, like the Fantastic Four. Of course, some of them have to protect their identity, so maks and gloves are essential. And capes? Sure, throw those in too!

I guess what I'm asking is what kind of costumes do you like to see superheroes wearing nowadays. Is black leather still in? The X-Men had their new costumes in New X-Men, but then it was switched right back during the new X-relaunch. Who'd have thought Wolverine always made sure to keep up with the latest superhero fashion?

By the way, sorry if my poll is confusing, it's more like:
1) The original Starman, Taskmaster
2) Fantastic Four, some X-Men, some Avengers, the most standard superhero costume
3) Self explanatory (X-Men, Ultimates even)
4) Jay Garrick Flash or Superboy
5) The Hulk or Luke Cage

[sdp]

tis just not a superhero if they don't have tihts and capes.

[Style]

The classic DC and Marvel approach. I don't know, I always viewed the plain-clothes superhero thing as kind of going against what Superheroes are all about.

But Leather S & M costumes are pure blasphemy! Fun pure blasphemy, but blasphemy none the less!

[Stuckey]

The classic DC and Marvel approach.
Agreed. I want my superheroes' dress code to fall into one of the first two categories you listed. However, Hulk is the exception. The fact that he's wearing street clothes is ok, becuase the fact that he's big and green is an acceptable alternative to a cape.

[Bearpod91]

I like it with the realistic approach and have then with dark street clothes and a symbol on because it feels more normal and average. I see how comic are those jumpsuits and spandex with bright colors superhero things but thats just a bit too silly. I say make the story good with the look of the "hero" being more real. Capes are like my number one hate for a character to have and the only one I see that should have it is Batman. Or have a long jacket that might have that appeal of being a type of cape.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

NO CAPES!! (http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/walt_disney/the_incredibles/brad_bird/key_edna.jpg)

I'd put The Matrix's Neo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer pretty squarely into the "superhero" category, but they don't have costumes as such. One could arguably call Harry Potter a superhero, too, although he does have a sort-of costume.

I'm not pathologically allergic to the capes-n-tights look, nor am I against plain street clothes or the X-Men black leather thing. I think my only general rule is that the more "realistic" you want to make your superheroes, the less believable I'm going to find it if you put him or her in spandex.

-- Ed/Ace

[randomguy]

I'd put The Matrix's Neo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer pretty squarely into the "superhero" category, but they don't have costumes as such.Well, I would disagree on the Neo claim. His "black sunglasses and long trenchcoat" look is pretty much a costume, and the long coat even has the (no doubt intended) effect of flapping like a cape in the wind when he flies. There's an obvious Superman thing going on there.

As for me, I have no specific preference. The way I see it, the costumes should match what the book is trying to do. The X-Men's black leather look was perfect for the kind of stories Grant Morrison was trying to tell, and the kind of tone he was trying to achieve. Similarly, the more old-school suits in Astonishing X-Men are perfect for what Joss Whedon is doing in that book, and the uniforms in Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates work well for their respective teams.

I will concede that there are some characters that should pretty much always be wearing spandex, because that's what works best for them. Examples would be Superman, the Flash, Spider-Man and Captain America (who even in the Ultimate Universe is still sporting the most traditional superhero costume in his team). But by all means, tinker around with the Luke Cages and X-Mens of the world.

[James Meeley]

I have to go with the colorful costumes approach. I mean, what good is being a superhero, if you aren't going to put on a gaudy costume? You might as well hide your powers and work as a cop (only using them secretly to fight crime when no one is watching). :sweat:

[90'sCartoonMan]

I'd put The Matrix's Neo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer pretty squarely into the "superhero" category, but they don't have costumes as such.
Comic books are their own medium, and thus they need a way for a hero to stand out. Bright costumes with interesting designs are a good way to do that. It wouldn't work for Buffy because she's played by an actress. She already looks distinctive enough, and a mask would limit her acting abilities (although a secret identity would've saved her a lot of grief in season 6).

Sometimes you need to look different from others, that way you can pick out which one's Havok and which one's Archangel.

Luckily, movies have real actors and you can tell who is who. And since live action is a different medium, the costumes wouldn't look right. That has since bled into comics, which I don't really like. Ultimates are fine because there is color in their costumes, but when the X-Men did it...eeeehhh

[Stuckey]

I like it with the realistic approach and have then with dark street clothes and a symbol on because it feels more normal and average.
Fair enough. Personally, I don't want my superheroes to look/feel normal or average.

[Anthonynotes]

While I don't have a problem with jumpsuits or leather, I still go with the traditional approach. Between the homicidal larcenous clowns and androids capable of duplicating an entire team's superpowers, opting to run around in brightly colored circus outfits doesn't seem as far-fetched. ;-)

[Sharklady]

I also gave my vote to the tights-&-cape look; it's closely associated with several of the greatest superheros there have ever been.