Why are Batman and Superman usually shown as overly muscular?

[Milk.Bad.Choice]

That's one of my main gripes with DC, and comic books in general.
Seriously, I can see no reason for either of them to be portrayed in the Jim Lee-esque way. Batman is a martial artist who relies on athletic prowess to evade attack. While he obviously needs to be strong, he wouldn't let it hinder his ability to be quick. Christian Bale and Neal Adams' model have more the "Batman Body" than what we see most often. (My exception would be DKR, where Bruce would need to bulk up in order to compinsate for his loss of speed that came with old age).
And Superman: He is an alien who gets his powers from the sun, would he really need to get as yolked as he's more often than not portrayed as?

 

[Mee]

Artist's choice. Just one of those comic book quirks you have to live with. Like death not having meaning, and prisons having horrible security.

 

[Assassin]

Thats why i love Gary Franks Superman

 

[GNR]

what bugs me is the fact that both guys still wear the briefs over the trousers

 

[Hush]

Im big and Muscular but I have tons of flexibility. So do Gymnast.

 

[batnkevlar]

But huge lats take away from running speed. Ask any track runner.

But as for artists, the best way to portray strength through art is to make them muscular. If they wanted to realistically portray body types, they'd dress up people and take pictures...

 

[fifthfiend]

But huge lats take away from running speed. Ask any track runner.

Yeah but how much time does Batman spend running? As opposed to leaping / swinging / crashing through skylights / backflipping off narrow ledges / beating the **** out of twelve dudes at once. Running speed is really one of the less important physical requirements in Batman's skill set. Like Hush said, the relevant comparison is much more a gymnast or like a decathlete or something, and those dudes get pretty ****ing huge.

That said, Batman typically does tend to be depicted a level above that, like the kind of body type you'd see in a UFC heavyweight, or in extreme instances even just outright professional-bodybuilder levels of stupid hugeness. That said it doesn't bother me much, inasmuch as it's an exaggeration it's not so much of an exaggeration that I can't have with it in the pages of a comic book.

The Superman complaint I actually do genuinely agree with just in that while I don't have a problem with him being a big dude, there's no reason for him to be shown with like, stupidly huge Ed McGuinness / Jim Lee muscles because seriously, where the **** are you doing that kind of resistance training when your natural upper bench press range is a planet?

 

[Hush]

I think Jim Lee and McGuinnes just have that sort of style, its just how they draw. lol Heroes in there eyes look "big" its just how they perceive them. Jim Lee is my favorite artist so im a little biaist but even then I think when it comes down to it, the character still looks like they will move properly and thats what matters.

 

[batnkevlar]

Yeah but how much time does Batman spend running?

When he's running after people?

 

[Hush]

Yeah but he doesnt really need to look like a track runner to run after some one. He has spent years making his body pyshically perfect, he must have endurance.

 

[DJ Kornphlake]

I'm curious as to why the TC singled out Bats and Supes, as if they're the only ones portrayed this way.

 

[Milk.Bad.Choice]

^^^

That's one of my main gripes with DC, and comic books in general

 

[Ziggyman]

If Supes is so "super"...Why does he have to workout?

 

[batnkevlar]

He doesn't have to. Who's to say that Superman's alien physiology would need him to workout to get abnormally large muscles?

 

[Spike_x1]

He doesn't have to. Who's to say that Superman's alien physiology would need him to workout to get abnormally large muscles?

We can gather that, at least to some extent, Superman's muscles are big because of the sun's energy, since there was a story in the 90s where he was absorbing solar radiation at a dangerously uncontrolled rate, and he grew to the size of the Hulk because of it.

 

[fifthfiend]

When he's running after people?

Which as I said, he doesn't spend all that much time doing. Last I checked he had a grappling gun, Batarangs, and oh yeah, the ****ing Batmobile. He's the Batman, not the ****ing FunRunnerMan.

 

[Hush]

Well ould you rather your superman looked like Brandon Routh in the suit?

 

[sethcohen]

i can accept supes and bats drawn that way, but anyone care to explain why some artists draw the flash like that? that annoys the hell out of me

 

[Anubis]

Because you touch yourself at night.

 

[sethcohen]

lmao... i almost typed that but then i thought about the flash! hahaha

 

[batnkevlar]

What artists draw the Flash as overly muscular? More often than not, he's skinnier than Batman and Superman are...

 

[fifthfiend]

Because you touch yourself at night.

2005 called, it wants its meme back.

 

[sethcohen]

mcguinness and turner come to mind off the top of my head

 

[Hush]

I think the late Mr. Turner drew a GREAT Flash his covers rank among the best.

 

[Anubis]

2005 called, it wants its meme back.

1996 called, it wants this bulls**t that we're doing right now back.