The Official Costume Thread - Part 4

[Stephen K. Hone]

Well, the first explanation given was actually in the Sunday Newspaper strips in 1940:

Spoiler

Yeah, the same blankets that were used as his playsuit later became the Superboy costume, and finally the Superman costume...it stretches with his body and of course his cape is indestructible and can be stretched and actually he sometimes uses it to hold items, or as a super-slingshot, etc.

We must have read the same comics lol. You are right that it is not actually the earliest explanation, but afaic it's THE best.

 

[JAK®]

It seems Luthor is in the early stages of basically being the Ultra-Humanite with a different name.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

At first glance, I thought he was Mr. Freeze/Zero because of the suit.

 

[The Caped Knight]

I just came back from seeing Thor. I gotta say I really hope Zack delivers on creating a Suit for Superman that is as detailed and faithful to the source material . Because Seriously Kenneth Branagh nailed it with Thor, The cape look brightly red and majestic on film as did the royal Blue and silver armor.

 

[Kurosawa]

It seems Luthor is in the early stages of basically being the Ultra-Humanite with a different name.

Well, in his earliest EARLIEST stages, he had a full head of red hair, and really came off like a European despot more than anything:

Speaking of Ultra, I would love to see him in a Superman movie, especially in the Albino Gorilla form.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I just came back from seeing Thor. I gotta say I really hope Zack delivers on creating a Suit for Superman that is as detailed and faithful to the source material . Because Seriously Kenneth Branagh nailed it with Thor, The cape look brightly red and majestic on film as did the royal Blue and silver armor.

I think there's more freedom with adapting characters like Iron Man and Thor to the big screen, their outfits have changed more since they were created, so fans are much more used to change. The only thing that ever really changed about Superman was the logo, and by the end of the 40s it stopped changing.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

Well, in his earliest EARLIEST stages, he had a full head of red hair, and really came off like a European despot more than anything:

Speaking of Ultra, I would love to see him in a Superman movie, especially in the Albino Gorilla form.

I was thinking European despot Lex might be a possible interpretation to draw on for the new movie. I think, in a sense, he'd still have the untouchable nature of corporate Lex.

 

[JAK®]

Well, in his earliest EARLIEST stages, he had a full head of red hair, and really came off like a European despot more than anything:

Speaking of Ultra, I would love to see him in a Superman movie, especially in the Albino Gorilla form.

I know, which is why I find it interesting that he basically changed into the Ultra-Humanite. I would also love to see Albino Gorilla Ultra-Humanite.

 

[Kurosawa]

We must have read the same comics lol. You are right that it is not actually the earliest explanation, but afaic it's THE best.

Yeah, it is the best and most iconic. Hence the Kill Bill speech, although of course Bill reads Clark wrong because he is a villain-Clark Kent is actually Superman's love letter to the human race, not his critique of it.

 

[Alien Anal]

Faithfully translated boots, would be to make them an integral part of the leg. Not seperate. Just like Curt swan drew them. They have no heel, and for want of a better word are socks. Also the trunks are not seperate. Everything from the waist down imo (excluding the belt, which is the restraining belt from the ship) is one piece seperated by colour. Look at Raimi's Spider-Man boot/socks because they are similar in that they don't have heels either.

Now you have completely baffled me.

This sounds nothing like the Superman suit that i know of to call it a faithful translation.

Where has this big one piece suit idea spawned from?
Surely we cant just look at one artists rendition of superman and all it The suit.

I believe this is the faithful suit. How you go about making that is any mans business and be relevant to the story

 

[Stephen K. Hone]

Now you have completely baffled me.

This sounds nothing like the Superman suit that i know of to call it a faithful translation.

Where has this big one piece suit idea spawned from?
Surely we cant just look at one artists rendition of superman and all it The suit.

I believe this is the faithful suit. How you go about making that is any mans business and be relevant to the story

Your horrible at reading aren't you. Where did I say it's a one piece costume? The trunks, the legs and the boots are one piece is what I said. The top/or torso region is a seperate element tucked in. If you search old comics he's actually been drawn (probably by Swan) sans top. I'm not saying Snyder has to do it that way but it would be a hell of a lot better than some of the mutant croc/ army/biker boot ideas been floated here. Superman should look muscular, but sleek and smooth. They don't need to add a bunch of extraneous BS to his costume, and I'll wager you that they won't. It'll end up being a totally dialed in version of the Swan/Lee look.

 

[camp Blood]

I kind of like the self invented fabric for the suit, let's supes show off his intelligence and science skills

Maybe he can weave his suit out of carbon nanotubes I think that would be interesting and open up to STAR labs and the phantom zone projector

 

[Adenjo]

Things that can be learned from previous onscreen versions of the classic Superman costume....
The colours of the suit are Vital, muting/toning down/generally screwing with the colours is not an option.
Superman is bold, bright, a vision of power and hope and so should his costume.


The boots need to be flexible, the boots in SR were over designed, we didn't need a boot that was covered in \S/ symbols but was practicallt impossible to manouver.. Superman points his toes when he flies, the clunky boots in SR made this practically impossible.

The cape needs to be magestic but practical too, the material needs to be able to move, to flap in the wind as Superman flies.. But be able to be utilised when needs be... Removed and wrapped around a rescued child who needs comfort, removed and used as a blanket to cover an injured persion until medical help arrives etc

The symbol needs to be as much a focal point of the costume as the cape is, but it has to be used wisely, not too much but then again not reduced in size so much that it becomes practically a background image.

The material of the suit has to be able to show the muscle definition of Superman but also be able to allow Sthe actor to move, Brandon Routh described the material of the SR suit as being like a giant piece of elastic, the actor must have free movement.

The first image of the new suit must be carefully chosen, not some throw away image that will imediately make people doubt the quality of the production, the first image should be bold, iconic.. Not an object of ridicule.

 

[Alien Anal]

Your horrible at reading aren't you.

Come on now this isn't what Supermans about.

Where did I say it's a one piece costume? The trunks, the legs and the boots are one piece is what I said.

Fair enough, but even the idea that the bottom is one piece is pretty ridiculous or BS as you say. I dont recall there ever being anything like that as far as the traditional faithful suit goes...Maybe you could help me and show me some images that suggest the idea.

 

[Binker]

@camp blood
The colors have been red, blue & yellow since 1938, and there are reasons why that has been that vary from comics to real life in terms of the character's creation.
I remember Siegel and Shuster saying that the reason why the colors were choosen were because they wanted to "...make him as colorful as we can and as distinctive as we can," and also they were "the brightest colors we could think of." But there have been insight on the colors, and one of the best ones in my opinion is from the graphic novel "It's A Bird...", that I recommend; red, blue and yellow are the hues to which all the colors are created from; makes sense as he is the first, as well as representing all colors as he stands for the world. Red can be seen as the color of war, to which Mars is the God of War, and Mars is another alien planet, just as much as red can be connected to energy, life, first, love and passion, and of course blood. Yellow can be seen as cowardness, corruptness from Chinese Theatre, but also noble from another form of yellow: gold. It's even brought up a connection to Siegel and Shuster; yellow was the color Nazis used to mark Jews. And blue can be represented as the color of the sky, depression, truth, infinity, faith, and blood from patrotic Americans (truth, justice and the american way). And this ends with the quote from the Greek stoic Epictetus: “Know first who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.”

In the comics; the origin of the costume being made from the blankets has been the case mostly, with blips within Superman's history. The 1986 reboot was regular material from Earth, and that was the case with STAS and L&C. Since the New Millennium; Birthright, Secret Origin, and Earth One have gone back to the blanket road. And of course, when it came to the colors, the reasons varied: pre-Crisis, it was never explained because things like that never were explained; 1986-, it was due to the colorful costumes of the JSA from the memories of Pa Kent; Birthright, because it represented Krypton; the same went to Secret Origin, including the costume design that Ma Kent saw and was inspired by. Even Earth One explained that the colors couldn't be changed even if they wanted to, but it helped because people will look at the colors and not his face so much.

Actually, this leads me to this question: what do you want the origin of the costume to be like in the reboot? Because there is this novel, my favorite book, called It's Superman! by Tom DeHaven. Ironically, while an origtin of Superman tale, it's very original, and one of things it was original on was the cvostume. In the novel, Clark gets the costume as it is a non-used product from a '30s sci-fi film that's been cancelled. Later, as the costume keeps on getting destroyed (due to the realism of the setting that no one what, Clark's clothes will get some kidn of damage when he uses his abilities), it is Lex Luthor who gives Superman a brand new costume made of thin indestructible material that won't be destroyed at all. That's original.

So what do you want the origin of the costume to be like in the reboot? Because f it can be original like that novel, I'd welcome it.

 

[Kurosawa]

I want it to be made by Ma Kent from the baby blankets. It's what works best and I like that Martha makes his costume from the blankets Lara wrapped him in. It is like they have dressed their son together.

 

[camp Blood]

But my idea was ok right

Carbon nanotube suit made by supes and STAR labs could lead into the phantom zone projector an maybe even brainiac

 

[Stephen K. Hone]

But my idea was ok right

Carbon nanotube suit made by supes and STAR labs could lead into the phantom zone projector an maybe even brainiac

I'll be shocked if Snyder doesn't go with the suit being made from blankets from baby Kal El's ship. Possibly he might go with Earthly materials, and the aura explanation if he wants the cape to shred in fights for dramatic effect. The problem with the 'Aura' version is that the cape would be destroyed pretty routinely as he flew into fire or re-entered Earth's atmosphere.

 

[camp Blood]

That's where the carbon nanotubes come in there extremely strong and durable and it's stronger than steel when turned into fabric
http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/22915

https://www.asme.org/kb/news---articles/articles/nanotechnology/carbon-nanotube-super-fabric



All I'm saying is that there is a earth bound possibility for his suits strength

 

[Godzilla2014]

First let me say I agree w/not being a fan of the S as a Kryptonian symbol. It's such a superficial attempt to ascribe some "deep" meaning to the symbol, but only comes off as either too coincidental or contrived when you think about it. Although when it comes to him having the name because of a career as Superboy, I don't see that ever working on the big screen, not because of anything inherently wrong w/the idea of Superboy, but just because the meager amount of time you'd be able to spend on Superboy in a SuperMAN film doesn't justify it. The concept works much better in the comics where you can delve into it every month. In a two-hour movie it would seem just thrown in "just cause". Much better to just focus on him becoming Superman as an adult, which by all indications they are going for in this new film. Given that, I'm personally a fan of Lois naming him that in the papers. Now I'd imagine that you(Pre-Crisis purist that you are) probably won't agree w/this but, while I hope for the characterization of Superman himself to lean more towards Pre-C , I still think that Byrne's version of his first public appearance was great, where he saves the space shuttle in just regular civilian clothes, leading to Lois naming him a "Mysterious Superman" not because of seeing an S on his chest, but because that's what he IS... a superman. If they MUST have some Kryptonian connection to the symbol, I'd prefer the Kryptonian symbol to be this....

.......and then have Clark reinterpret it into the S symbol in order to "make it his own" AND to go with the name Superman that the press and public have taken to calling him. My own idea on how he'd do that is that this....

......would be either the logo for Smallville High's lettermen's jacket's or it would be the lettering used on the "Welcome to Smallville" sign on the edge of town, hence Clark combines both of his heritages into his own, new insignia....the S we all know and love. But alas, since it has become the new standard since STM, the reboot will probably just default back to the S itself as the El family crest idea.

I like this idea.

Quite the opposite... I actually think Superman and his look is still good and relevant... There's an innocence and nostalgic majesty to it, IMO.

And I was also referring to fans in general. People for the most part won't accept modernizing of Superman. Look at the long hair and Electro Superman t:

I personally would like to see a Reconstruction of Superman for our somewhat cynical times. Instead of ignoring the criticisms of deconstructions, accept them and address them. We've seen this done in the comics in stories like "What's so funny about Truth, Justice, and the American Way?", and I think it's time audiences see it on the big screen.

We've spent the last 20 years trying to make Superman relevant, and it's done nothing for his popularity. Just tell good stories. That's all he needs.

Ideally, a good story should make Superman relevant.

I wonder if Clark could be inspired by an actual comic book superhero when making the suit. Kindof like Bruce being inspired by Zorro.

To me, that might invoke too much of a celebrity paradox. Superman was the archetypal comic book superhero, an example that influenced many heroes to come. Have him be such in the film.

Just a thought but...

How would the fans react if there were two costumes in the movie?

Costume 1) Put together by Ma Kent, looks good (very faithful to comic/Reeve suit/home made) for When Superman first reveals himself to the world.

Costume 2) Same design but sleeker, higher spec materials given to Superman by whover (government/Star labs/Luthorcorp?) as a gift after Costume 1 is damged beyond repair during climatic batle of M.O.S?

As I said.. Just a thought

I kind of like this idea.

That show became so hypocritical it's not funny "no tights no flights" for Clark but everyone else it's cool

I really liked it in the beginning though

Agreed. It should have been thrown out when other superheroes started guess starring in-costume.

 

[Man of Steel]

That's where the carbon nanotubes come in there extremely strong and durable and it's stronger than steel when turned into fabric
http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/22915

https://www.asme.org/kb/news---articles/articles/nanotechnology/carbon-nanotube-super-fabric



All I'm saying is that there is a earth bound possibility for his suits strength

So they finally made them?
My views on the suit:
I was thinking maybe a Kryptonian fabric similar to the carbon nanotubes, but much stretchier. Maybe STAR Labs can study it and make armor for the Metropolis SCU.
The red, yellow and blue are meant to inspire hope, and are Clark's favorite colors.
I like the explanation that the logo is a Kryptonian design that resembles an \S/, so Clark and Jonathan jus make it one, after Lois names him Superman.

 

[camp Blood]

His first outing maybe could be sans \S/

It can start as superhuman and then Lois shortens it to superman , that's if they go with the Lois names him route

 

[hobo123]

found these on a blog and personally i dont like any of them but just thought i should post'em here

Spoiler

http://leoarts.blogspot.com/search/label/comic art

 

[Project862006]

i have always hated designs that blend in the shield with the suit it looks so dumb

 

[DorkyFresh]

type in google '' wire harness''. and then come back and explain to me how they can use skin tight thin materials for the superman suit.

yes make manips. fantastic work in this thread.i love it. yes dream. but dont ignore the fact that the actor will be on wires for stuns and flying. and for that they need something under the suit. a harness.

do you understand that actors dont use muscle suits becuase they are small but because this is what they need to make the movie?

the Amazing Spider-man doesn't seem to be using a muscle suit, yet they're using wires and harnesses. they don't need a muscle suit for basic shot, but i won't be opposed to a muscle suit ONLY FOR the torso section if they need to rig wires and such. they don't need to provide fake muscles for his arms or legs in ANY circumstance.