Dressed for success
Another Superman costume makeover? Big deal – here are some real comic-book fashion statements.
FOR decades, Superman’s iconic “red underwear” worn on the outside of his tights has been both a fashion statement and a topic of ridicule. Despite DC, or rather Jim Lee, ditching the briefs for the New 52 relaunch in 2010, the new armoured look did little to boost Supes’ profile.
Last week, DC announced yet another costume change for Superman, one that is like a cross between his classic spandex look and the New 52 metallic look – and more importantly, still with no red undies in sight. Thankfully, they also removed the horrible-looking cuffs (introduced during DC Rebirth) and completed the metallic makeover with a red belt and red boots! In some ways, Superman’s new look seems inspired by his recent appearance on the Supergirl TV series.
Whether or not this new look will make him super-duper, only time will tell. But in the meantime, let’s revisit 10 costume upgrades that actually did turn out well.
Electric steel
While recent changes to the Man of Steel’s wardrobe have mostly focused on getting rid of the traditional look, there were two notable wholesale changes made exactly two decades ago in Superman #123 (1997), when DC reintroduced Superman Red and Superman Blue (the original idea came in an imaginary tale back in 1963).
It was based on the premise that Superman had been temporarily deprived of his solar powers and instead, developed energy-based abilities which forced him to wear a blue and white containment suit. An ensuing battle with the Cyborg Superman resulted in Superman Blue “splitting” into another Superman (Red), with both looking identical albeit in different colours.
Along came a symbiote
Replacing an iconic Stan LeeSteve Ditko creation is an act that is tantamount to sacrilege, but when Jim Shooter (Marvel’s then editor-in-chief ) gave Mike Zeck and Rick Leonardi the green light to give Spider-Man a more menacing look, it became a tremendous success. Spidey’s new black costume, obtained during the (original) Secret Wars event and fully revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #252 back in 1984, was one of the coolest things we’d ever seen ... but that was before it was revealed to be an alien symbiote that would later become Venom!
Dare to be yellow
Can you believe that Daredevil’s original costume was actually bright yellow? Yes, we know he’s blind, but the costume was so brightly coloured that even the most nearsighted villain could probably see it from a mile away! Thankfully, the Man Without Fear ditched his yellow costume six issues later ( Daredevil #7, 1964) for his now-iconic red duds, just in time to face off with Namor the Sub-Mariner!
Pants, just pants
Arguably the biggest contribution by Tim Drake to the Robin mantle was the fact that he actually wore a costume with pants ( Robin #1, 1991) instead of the skintight swimsuit-like shorts Dick Grayson and Jason Todd wore. Other than the fact that it looked so much better (and less embarrassing), it was also a change that made sense – after all, Batman’s always in his bulletproof armour and suit, so why shouldn’t Robin have effective protection too? And at least now Batman won’t have to only look him in the eyes.
Upscaling Cap
For decades, we were misled into believing that Captain America’s chainmail-laced costume was enough to protect him from anything, from stray bullets to vampire fangs! Post 9/11, a review of Cap’s modus operandi also extended to his costume. In came artist John Cassaday, who redesigned Cap’s costume ( Captain America #1, 2002) by replacing the chainmail with thicker scale mail!
Visually, it meant that the costume had more details on his chest, clearly distinguishing between the outer armour and the shirt worn underneath. This new look also set standards for future Cap illustrations, and made much more sense than the Golden and Silver Age renditions, which gave a false impression that the Super Soldier serum made Cap bulletproof as well!
The bland Widow
When she made her debut in 1964’s Tales Of Suspense #52 as an Iron Man villain, Black Widow actually looked more like an actual widow than the deadly spider she gets her name from. Dressed in evening wear and a veil, she was a walking fashion disaster that probably would have discouraged