How do you feel about costumes?

[Da_Lycan]

Hey guys...I'm asking this question because I recently got into a discussion about superheroes with my editor. I'm currently writing a teen superhero team book but I wanna go the whole nine yards complete with costumes and codenames. My editor thinks its lame cause Im the only writer that wants to go that far when it comes to super stories. He goes off about teens not wanting to wear costumes and would think they're gay. But the way I see it is whats the point of being a superhero if you cant go all the way with it. I asked people who dont read comics and only know superheroes from cartoons and movies what they think about superheroes and costumes and they shrug they shoulders and say aint 50% of being a superhero wearing a costume? People recognize superheroes by they costume. But at the same time they wouldnt know who Luke Cage is. So now I wanna know what comic readers think about superhero costumes?

 

[topnotch]

Superheroes don't need costumes. Why not do something different?

 

[Da_Lycan]

Superheroes don't need costumes. Why not do something different?

Shut up nobody asked you! lol

 

[BLACKVULCAN]

my thoughts on the subject (as if anybody cared )are:
1) i dig em. If you could split a boulder open with a judo chop would you really care about what people thought of the clothes you wore. No! because you could split them open with a judo chop
2) if you ever seen the movie "the warriors" costumes are like their "colors." like you know who a policeman or a fireman is from his clothes. you know that some cat in the brightly colored spandex is a superhero. In real life he's probably some drunk frat guy or an escape lunatic, but in comics you know that dude can split you open with a judo chop
3) i detest this trend of wearing regular clothes and fighting crime.That's like wearing jeans to the gym. you know how uncomfortable that is, yet i always see some chowder heads doing it. you need something that allows you to move freely and beat the crap out of someone.hence you need some unstable brightly colored stuff with room and room for chicks to show their goodies( any fanboy know you gotta show some T&A to sell a book too)
and finally. i think this t-shirt and jeans, no costume stuff is just to show some sort of "realism" in comics. if i wanted realism i would read an Agatha Christy novel. I want people in costumes, shooting lasers out their eyes & beating the *^%$#@ out of each other, but then again I'm a old schooler and dig Wolverine in yellow spandex

 

[Da_Lycan]

my thoughts on the subject (as if anybody cared )

I care. And appreciate your input

 

[Andy C.]

While they're not exactly necessary, a good costume can really make a character stand out (unfortunately so can a bad one). It's the finishing touch on the character, a look that defines who he is just by looking at him.

Besides, everyone and their grandma thinks they're "original" by going the no-costumes route.

 

[Optikal]

Going with no costume is just about the most un-original way of trying to be original! Costumes make the character... What would Batman or Superman or Captain america be without their threads? They'd just be Average Joes! Costumes are as integral to a good superhero as their powers are IMO.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

A costume is only as good as the purpose it serves. Besides bein' a callin' card, what function does it serve to make it essential and not just decoration?

I like costumes, I like the flair. As said, a good design says a lot an' so does a bad. What I hate about costumes is when they add uneccessary crap like all the straps to Cyclops' 90s suit, or high heels fer the women, etc...

 

[The Question]

It really depends on the character. Someone who's a bit of a goofball or a bit whimsical would probably slap together a fun costume. Someone who's totally pragmatic would wear something more subdued that simply hides their identity, but might have a bit of a sense of style. Someone who's too concerned about looking cool in a more classical sense would forgo it entirely. And someone looking to inspire people and be a symbol might take that into account when designing their disguise. If all of the characters in your teen book don't wear costumes because they think they're "gay", then I think that you're ensemble isn't varied enough when it comes to personalities.

 

[EdRyder]

A costume is only as good as the purpose it serves. Besides bein' a callin' card, what function does it serve to make it essential and not just decoration?

I like costumes, I like the flair. As said, a good design says a lot an' so does a bad. What I hate about costumes is when they add uneccessary crap like all the straps to Cyclops' 90s suit, or high heels fer the women, etc...

Yes and No.
They serve a purpose in design and color.Going to way back in the day they were colored that way to draw your eye toward the action.Your Supermans, Your Spider-Manses.
I'm reminded of a point Knowles made back when Matrix Revolutions came out; And how he could imagine the final fight between neo and smith if it was Supes vs Luthor in his supersuit. Much of the imagry in that sequence was drowned out by the lighting style in conjunction with both smith and neo wearing all black.It was muddy and hard to make out what was going on.This is why superheroes in comics wear brightly colored costumes.You could still have all that green dark concept lighting but brighter colors on the costuming makes the action pop more.Even if someone like Supes is far off in the distance in the dark of night,youll know its Supes.

 

[Majik1387]

It really depends on the character. Someone who's a bit of a goofball or a bit whimsical would probably slap together a fun costume. Someone who's totally pragmatic would wear something more subdued that simply hides their identity, but might have a bit of a sense of style. Someone who's too concerned about looking cool in a more classical sense would forgo it entirely. And someone looking to inspire people and be a symbol might take that into account when designing their disguise. If all of the characters in your teen book don't wear costumes because they think they're "gay", then I think that you're ensemble isn't varied enough when it comes to personalities.

I agree with this

 

[Da_Lycan]

It really depends on the character. Someone who's a bit of a goofball or a bit whimsical would probably slap together a fun costume. Someone who's totally pragmatic would wear something more subdued that simply hides their identity, but might have a bit of a sense of style. Someone who's too concerned about looking cool in a more classical sense would forgo it entirely. And someone looking to inspire people and be a symbol might take that into account when designing their disguise. If all of the characters in your teen book don't wear costumes because they think they're "gay", then I think that you're ensemble isn't varied enough when it comes to personalities.

He wasn't talking about the teens in the book thinking its gay. He was talking about real teens thinking superhero costumes are gay. My editor thinks only old people and loyalists think superheroes need costumes and that superheroes for modern times wouldnt wear one. Im just like...what the hell do you mean modern time superheroes??? Superheroes are superheroes in my book.

 

[Majik1387]

There's really no such thing as a modern time superhero

 

[topnotch]

You're only proving my point. Everyone that has posted was born before 1992. the genre needs new blood. I've asked a bunch of teens and none of them think costumes are cool except for batman. I understand that sometimes costumes are needed to protect someone's identity. But do the xmen, superman, wonder man, x factor, and new exiles really need costumes. Why? They serve no purpose. They don't prevent people from knowing who they are.

 

[Majik1387]

Well the teens you've asked are naive or they're Batman fanatics.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You're only proving my point. Everyone that has posted was born before 1992. the genre needs new blood. I've asked a bunch of teens and none of them think costumes are cool except for batman. I understand that sometimes costumes are needed to protect someone's identity. But do the xmen, superman, wonder man, x factor, and new exiles really need costumes. Why? They serve no purpose. They don't prevent people from knowing who they are.

Yeah, you're right. Superhero comics could really use a creative shot in the arm, and putting all of the characters in sweatshirts and jeans is just the thing to do it!

Superheroes are fantasies. You can see plain clothes outside your window. If you've got guys flying and shooting lasers out of their eyes and throwing things halfway to the moon, they should have fantastic visuals to accompany their fantastic powers, as far as I'm concerned. Plain clothes are just boring.

That's not to say that some practicality couldn't help sell the character. Look at Thor, for example. Clearly wearing a costume, but with his recent redesign, there's an air of practicality to that costume that sells the idea that this is a born warrior who's outfitted for combat. Captain America's chainmail looks better when it's not snugly hugging every part of his pecs, but rather looks like realistic chainmail, and US Agent benefitted from a redesign that traded in his tights for more practical cargo pants like the kind real soldiers wear. Batman's costume is often touched up with some detailing that makes it look more like body armor and less like tights. If some real-world touches help the character or make them look more convincing, great. But doing away with costumes altogether leaves you with a bunch of regular joes who happen to have powers, not superheroes. Costumes are a conceit of the genre.

 

[Mrh7448]

I think it depends on the character. When you have iconic characters like Batman, Superman and Captain America the costume serves a purpose. In Batman to instill fear in his opponents while in the Supes and Cap it's more to become a symbol.

Characters like Wolverine and Punisher on the other hand really don't need a costume it doesn't serve a purpose.

Personally if I was doing a story like this I would mix it up. Have a couple of the characters decided costumes are "cool" and try to design them for the entire group only to be made fun of. Or something to that effect. It would give you something to play with when they go out in public to fight crime, or when they get caught in a sudden situation the costumed ones try to figure out what to do to change from their street clothes. Could lend to some funny situations depending what type of book you're doing

just my 2 cents.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wolverine's costume serves a purpose. With both Department H and the X-Men, he's a very public superhero doing public superheroic things. That means superhero costumes.

Personally, I prefer it when it's simply considered a given that super-powered individuals are gonna pick out costumes and try to become media sensations. It only becomes absurd when you start putting it under the microscope by having other characters comment on it or show disdain for it within the narrative.

But I agree that it does depend on the type of book you're going for. If it's a comedy, sure, poking fun at genre conceits is always funny. If you're trying to present a convincing superhero-filled world, though, best to just consider the costumes a natural part of the superheroization process when someone discovers they have powers.

 

[Mrh7448]

Wolverine's costume serves a purpose. With both Department H and the X-Men, he's a very public superhero doing public superheroic things. That means superhero costumes.

Personally, I prefer it when it's simply considered a given that super-powered individuals are gonna pick out costumes and try to become media sensations. It only becomes absurd when you start putting it under the microscope by having other characters comment on it or show disdain for it within the narrative.

But I agree that it does depend on the type of book you're going for. If it's a comedy, sure, poking fun at genre conceits is always funny. If you're trying to present a convincing superhero-filled world, though, best to just consider the costumes a natural part of the superheroization process when someone discovers they have powers.

I agree with all of that. It depends a lot on what you are going for. In a Marvel or DC universe where costumes are the norm it makes sense to have characters. Depending on the flavour of the book having them with or without costumes is a consideration.

I personally never felt Wolvie really needed a costume. Not that it bothered me that he had one, just that it didn't seem to matter if he wore it or not.