It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's the Superman Costume Thread! - Part 2

[moviedoors]

you're trying to bring to life a comic book character right? Then try your best to keep it as faithful as possible.

 

[KalMart]

The comics should serve the movie, not the other way around. If you were making a comic of a movie, then vice versa.

 

[DKDetective]

Frankly, I couldn't care less about the trunks. I like them in the comics and actually mind their absence in the New 52. But they always look off in live action to me. I don't know, for some reason, the absence of the trunks in Man of Steel makes the suit look more elegant, refined and majestic to me. It also works really well given the origin they have devised for the suit. When adapting something from one medium to another, faithfulness is not simply about copying things word for word or line for line. It is about communicating the same ideas in a way that is effective in the new medium. Viewing faithfulness in that sense, the trunks don't have much inherent value. They don't distinguish Superman in any meaningful way or convey what he is about visually like the S shield or the wide, manly collar and cape attachment do.

Personally, if anything, I think we should be more concerned about the cape length. TO me, the full length cape undermines what Superman is about for some reason. The fact that it touches the ground makes Superman look heavier and somewhat anchored to the ground. A slightly shorter cape that touches the back of his ankles or even slightly higher up the leg would look more elegant and aerodynamic in my opinion. The extra long, dragging on the ground cape is more suited to Batman with its almost gothic, vampiric imagery in my opinion.

 

[craigaat]

I disagree about the cape, but what you said before it was excellent. Great post.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I prefer the cape to stop about where the boots begin. It still looks majestic IMO.

 

[DKDetective]

I prefer the cape to stop about where the boots begin. It still looks majestic IMO.

Yeah, it's fine how it is and I agree it still looks majestic, but I think the overall design would appear more... I'm not quite sure how to describe it... but it would look less Earthbound I guess if you understand my meaning.

 

[DorkyFresh]

I really like the suit as is but I would've absolutely LOVED it if it looked like this...

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I wouldn't have minded that. I mean, if you're going to add details to the body suit to break up the blue, you might as well make those details stand out more.

 

[Manosman]

Personally, if anything, I think we should be more concerned about the cape length. TO me, the full length cape undermines what Superman is about for some reason. The fact that it touches the ground makes Superman look heavier and somewhat anchored to the ground. A slightly shorter cape that touches the back of his ankles or even slightly higher up the leg would look more elegant and aerodynamic in my opinion. The extra long, dragging on the ground cape is more suited to Batman with its almost gothic, vampiric imagery in my opinion.

The cape does not bother me. I'm guessing in the actual film we will not notice the length so much. Also, I'm guessing most of the action will be aerial....so

 

[Lencho01]

I wouldn't have minded that. I mean, if you're going to add details to the body suit to break up the blue, you might as well make those details stand out more.

Agreed.

 

[Young Superman]

I like the MOS suit as is, and I hope WB/DC don't change it in potential sequels.

 

[Manosman]

I like the MOS suit as is, and I hope WB/DC don't change it in potential sequels.

I highly doubt they'll change it, just for the sake of changing it. It's of Kryptonian origin, there'd have to be some kind of purpose written into the story to warrant a change, I'm assuming.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I hope there's a montage where Clark is in the Fortress of Solitude spray painting the piping red and then making a cellophane S while a hologram of Jor-El asks "Why cellophane, my son?" and Clark is like "Cellophane frightens me. It's time my enemies shared my dread". I think they missed a big opportunity to have Clark trying to cover up leftovers with cellophane and then breaking off too much and getting entangled in it like a cocoon. "The cellophane's too big, mommy." "Then make it smaller." And we can pretend the S actually stands for cellophane.. phonetically, at least.

 

[Manosman]

I hope there's a montage where Clark is in the Fortress of Solitude spray painting the piping red and then making a cellophane S while a hologram of Jor-El asks "Why cellophane, my son?" and Clark is like "Cellophane frightens me. It's time my enemies shared my dread". I think they missed a big opportunity to have Clark trying to cover up leftovers with cellophane and then breaking off too much and getting entangled in it like a cocoon. "The cellophane's too big, mommy." "Then make it smaller." And we can pretend the S actually stands for cellophane.. phonetically, at least.

It'd make backing out of the driveway easier.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I hope there's a montage where Clark is in the Fortress of Solitude spray painting the piping red and then making a cellophane S while a hologram of Jor-El asks "Why cellophane, my son?" and Clark is like "Cellophane frightens me. It's time my enemies shared my dread". I think they missed a big opportunity to have Clark trying to cover up leftovers with cellophane and then breaking off too much and getting entangled in it like a cocoon. "The cellophane's too big, mommy." "Then make it smaller." And we can pretend the S actually stands for cellophane.. phonetically, at least.

It'd make backing out of the driveway easier.

Oh you two!!

 

[The Shield]

I like the MOS suit as is, and I hope WB/DC don't change it in potential sequels.

You and me both.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I really like the suit as is but I would've absolutely LOVED it if it looked like this...

If they had done that first, I'd've been cool.

But I'm with Shield and Young , now that we have what we have I hope they stick with it

 

[Jim-El]

If they had done that first, I'd've been cool.

But I'm with Shield and Young , now that we have what we have I hope they stick with it

I think they wanted to go with a darker look, AKA Batman...

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I think they wanted to go with a darker look, AKA Batman...

To me, that sounds like a cop-out.

The ONLY comparison that I can make between the MOS and Batman suits is that both have a grounded explanation for both FORM and FUNCTION.

To say that Superman's suit is "a darker look" for MOS just doesn't make sense to me based on everything I've seen with this film, and I'm talking its reinterpretation of Kryptonian culture.

Just in the writing system they use, you can tell that there's a vivid authenticity, and so the suit has to be treated in the same way.

So, for me, to say "oh, they went for a darker look like they did with Batman" is, quite simply, bull*****

 

[Jim-El]

We agree to disagree.

 

[Manosman]

To me, that sounds like a cop-out.

The ONLY comparison that I can make between the MOS and Batman suits is that both have a grounded explanation for both FORM and FUNCTION.

To say that Superman's suit is "a darker look" for MOS just doesn't make sense to me based on everything I've seen with this film, and I'm talking its reinterpretation of Kryptonian culture.

Just in the writing system they use, you can tell that there's a vivid authenticity, and so the suit has to be treated in the same way.

So, for me, to say "oh, they went for a darker look like they did with Batman" is, quite simply, bull*****

I agree with this. FORM and FUNCTION are the key words here.

 

[Mad Love]

I really like the suit as is but I would've absolutely LOVED it if it looked like this...

No, that looks awful. If they were making a different movie where he's supposed to look like a toy, maybe. People don't get that they're trying to make the suit feel natural in a sci-fi context. It's not a garish costume. It's foreign clothing.

The point of the detail isn't to "break up the blue". That's a made up by brief defenders. They don't have to break up the blue at all. The point of the detail is to direct focal points.

 

[Infinity9999x]

No, that looks awful. If they were making a different movie where he's supposed to look like a toy, maybe. People don't get that they're trying to make the suit feel natural in a sci-fi context. It's not a garish costume. It's foreign clothing.

The point of the detail isn't to "break up the blue". That's a made up by brief defenders. They don't have to break up the blue at all. The point of the detail is to direct focal points.

Yeah, but it's still a costume. Because the original Superman costume was just that...a costume. Personally, I like the look of the suit, because I've always liked slightly darker colors.

And also, I would say the added detail was most definitely to break up the blue. That's just basic design scheme. It also adds focal points, but adding focal points breaks up the blue. If they had kept it one straight blue bodysuit, it would have looked very bland and flat.

It's not a negative thing. It's good design.

 

[Mad Love]

Yeah, but it's still a costume. Because the original Superman costume was just that...a costume. Personally, I like the look of the suit, because I've always liked slightly darker colors.

The original Superman costume had a different origin so no it's not a costume. It's Kryptonian clothing that will end up becoming a costume, but it wasn't created as a costume. There's a difference.

And also, I would say the added detail was most definitely to break up the blue. That's just basic design scheme. It also adds focal points, but adding focal points breaks up the blue. If they had kept it one straight blue bodysuit, it would have looked very bland and flat.

That doesn't make sense because it's also blue. It doesn't break up the blue at all. It directs focal points. It contours the body shape. But it has nothing to do with blue or color. The suit could be in black a white and the details still serve the same visual function.

 

[DKDetective]

UUgghh, that red detailing looks horrendous. It looks like an obvious attempt to break up the blue using only colours in the Superman palette because it is a fan manip that can't look at things objectively from a design perspective. Also, the primary yellow looks just plain bad. Seriously, the colours used remind me of kitsch playground equipment.