Dressed for Success... Fashion Accessories

Martinex1:  A good tailor is hard to come by.   A good spandex-sewing, color-coordinating, underwear-on-the-outside fashion designer is impossible to find.     What is the worst super-hero fashion accessory?  What makes you scratch your head and say, “Who the heck thought that looked good”?  Help the heroes so they don’t stumble on the red carpet.  

Why does Dum Dum wear a bowler?   Do you know why Cap has tiny wings on his head?   Should the Dazzler ditch the disco ball?   And does Ms. Marvel have a sore throat; what’s with the scarf?   All that and more today as we look at four color fashion faux pas!

Would You Rather...? Spider-Man's Webs

Doug: I have three questions today about your preferences toward the fashions of everyone's favorite Wall-Crawler. Over the years several artists have exerted their influences on Spider-Man and his sartorial splendor. Of note today are Steve Ditko, John Romita, and Todd McFarlane.

Doug: So here's what I'd like to know -- in regard to the web design on Spider-Man's costume, the underarm webbing, and the style of the webs emanating from his web shooters, what's the look you favor? And of course you don't have to stick to one artist as any sort of a package deal -- you can mix-and-match 'em if you prefer.

Suggestion Unboxed - Wonky-looking Teeth and Other Concerns

Doug: Back in October we ran a post requesting ideas from our readers. We promised to run all of those suggestions at some point. While we've covered many of them, it's been a while since some of those thoughts graced our blog. Here's another one:

DisneyMarvel: I know that there have been discussions of the Thing and his different artists, but I would like to read opinions on if he should be shown with teeth or not. The way Kirby would do it was only show them when great effort or anger was involved. A friend of mine feels that the Thing needs to have teeth to seem more realistic for modern audiences. For me, showing teeth makes him look ridiculous - especially if the proportions are off. He looks like a 'have a nice day' meme of a cat with human teeth. Even Buckler has redrawn Fantastic Four #159 showing the Thing's open mouth now with teeth and I don't like it.

Doug: And I'll add on -- what other aspects of certain characters can just seem "off" to you?

There's a Whole Lotta Wrong Here...

Doug: This is too easy...

I should have asked you all for a permission slip before allowing you to view this image!

Karen: So I guess one of Psylocke's super-powers is extra vertebrae? How else could she twist herself into a pretzel like that? Ughhh! And I'm sure having one's behind exposed is great in a fight. Oh come on!!

Would You Rather...? Sandman Fashions

Doug: So let's say you have a dinner date (OK, dinner meeting) with our pal Flint Marko (aka William Baker, aka the Sinister Sandman). How would you prefer ol' Sandy come dressed? Perhaps it depends on how high-end a restaurant you've chosen...

Who's the Worst... Costume for Functionality?

Doug: Thanks to everyone who sort of hit around today's topic without landing on it in yesterday's conversation. Today we're not looking for the worst costume -- but the worst costume for all your crime-fighting, swashbuckling, et al. activities. Of note from Tuesday's post were Yellowjacket's "wings" and capes in general. So have at it!

Who's the Best... Superhero Costume?

Doug: Design, functionality, color scheme - your choice how you want to tackle this one.

Would You Rather...? Human Torch Fashions

Doug: Getting in tune with the rest of the team, or homage to Jim Hammond? How do you like your Human Torch? Personally, I was a big fan of the red uni. It definitely harkened back to another time, but also came in an era when Medusa never switched to the standard-issue, unstable molecule driven Fantastic Four costume.

Would you rather see the Human Torch in a red suit or blue suit?

BAB Firsts (the 1st Dressed for Success): Part One: Do Real Men Wear Pink?

 This post was originally published on September 4 2009

 Doug: Hey, it's our inaugural look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of superhero suits. Karen's been wanting to do this, but since she's out of town on vacation, I'll get it started. Most of these folks, bulging in all the right places, look good in their longjohns. But, what about the longjohns themselves? Hmmm... not always a good situation, to say the least.

Doug: We kick it off with the leader of one of our favorite groups, the Legion of Super-Heroes -- Cosmic Boy! What do you look for in a leader? Someone who can play diplomat, someone who's tough? How about a guy who can delegate tasks, or who isn't afraid to admit when he's wrong? A fellow who is the first into battle, and the last to leave, making sure that all of his charges have made it out safely? I'd like a man who can handle the simple jobs, like inventory of resources, but also make the really difficult decisions. And it shouldn't matter that he actually looks good in pink...

Doug: It's interesting that when the creators of Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958, whether writer Otto Binder, cover artist Curt Swan, or interior artist Al Plastino) sat down to dream up the Legion of Super-Heroes that would torment our young hero Superboy, they chose some pretty odd color combinations for these three new antagonists. Saturn Girl originally wore a yellow top accented with black over a green skirt, Lightning Boy (-Lad by their next appearance, in Adventure Comics #267) wore a red shirt with yellow sleeves over green trousers, and then there was Cosmic Boy -- a pink top with a sort-of black vest around it, over lavender trousers. By that second appearance, Saturn Girl was dressed in her familiar red/white pantsuit and Lightning Lad was in his blue/black/auburn outfit. But ol' Cos -- he got to stay in the pink and black.

Karen: Those original costumes the trinity wore were just hideous. I don't know who chose the color schemes but they should have been shot. Fortunately Lightning Lad soon got a much better costume (and an even better one when Cockrum began drawing the book), and Saturn Girl had at least an acceptable outfit, color-wise. But Cosmic Boy really got screwed over. The whole outfit is just, well, dorky.

Doug: The next major costume change for Mr. Rokk Krinn didn't occur until 1974 as a continuation of the major renovations of then-new Legion artist Dave Cockrum. Gone would be the pink, as well as most of the rest of his clothes!!

Karen: We can blame artist Mike Grell for this one. He mentions in an article in Back Issue 33 (April 2009) that Cockrum had revised so many costumes, that he felt that Cosmic Boy looked out of place in his old one. He wanted to keep him recognizable so he kept the black part of the costume, and replaced the rest with flesh - not realizing that he had essentially given Cos a bustier! I always thought he looked like a male stripper in this outfit!

Doug: Keith Giffen, along with author Paul Levitz, were the next to take a crack at redesigning the look of Cosmic Boy. After the Crisis, DC wanted to revamp several key titles, giving us Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, John Byrne's Man of Steel, and George Perez's take on Wonder Woman in a series renumbered to a new first issue. One of the major players in Legends, the mini-series that would re-launch characters not in the above books, was Cosmic Boy. In fact, he was not only one of the supporting stars there, but he was featured concurrently in his own mini-series, titled simply Cosmic Boy. So, what did Levitz, Giffen, and cover artist (and then-Legion artist) Steve Lightle do? Well, of course -- they brought back the pink!!

Karen: Maybe they were all fans of Good and Plentys??

Doug: Lordy, I hate Good and Plenty!! But that is funny -- the picture to the left is exactly those colors!

Doug: Finally, finally, Rokk got a costume that didn't look so, so... well, whatever. Anyway, umpteenth re-boot artist Barry Kitson put Cos in a nice midnight blue and black outfit, still paying homage to the circles-on-the-chest motif that the character had worn for nearly 50 years. It was a nice change, much more believable and attractive than anything Mr. Krinn had previously worn.

Karen: Although I didn't enjoy this umpteenth revision of the Legion, Cos' costume did look nice. Hard to go wrong with blue and black.

Doug: I'll admit to never having seen Smallville (I was told early on that this was a mistake -- that it is really quite a good program). So I can't say much here other than Ryan Kennedy played Cos alongside Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad in an episode that aired in January 2009. This is certainly the most toned-down outfit in our portfolio of garish costumes!

Doug: So, what's the verdict on Cosmic Boy's sense of fashion? I vote for "Fashion Disaster".

Karen: I have to agree with you on this - I wouldn't say his costumes were dreadful, but they weren't good either!

Super-Villain Swag

 

Doug: It's been quite awhile since we talked longjohn fashion around here, so today -- that's what's happening! We'll focus on the evil baddies that attempt to corrupt society with their general nastiness. I'm going to put forth a couple of goons whose look I dig, and then hopefully you'll follow up with some "likes" of your own.

Doug: First up -- Tiger Shark. I've always liked Todd Arliss's get-up. Seriously -- if you want to scream "I am supposed to menace you while dressed as a large aquatic killing machine!", then this is the look you'd like to do that screaming in. I've pictured Mr. Arliss on my favorite cover that bears his toothy grin; there are others, but I bought this one off the spinner racks, so it's especially loveable in my opinion (plus Namorita...).

Doug: The other nasty whose threads are seriously cool (yet with a dopiness all their own) is Bullseye. I think if I was going to make one improvement, I might remove the concentric circles from around the assassin's neck. Other than that, though, the sleek black and the offsetting white of the gloves and boots make this one a winner for me. Hmmm... Now that I see those covers side-by-side, it's interesting how similar they are. And no, don't read anything into that...

Doug: Your turn!

Who's the Best... Hands and Feet?

 Doug:  It's a combination post today, folks, as we ask you to pick your favorite superhero accessories.  Which characters have the best gloves (or if you're partial to Benjamin J. Grimm, the best hands), and who sports the coolest footwear?

 

 

Face-Off: The Fashion of Donna Troy

Today it's a Face-Off and a Dressed for Success/Fashion Disaster, as you debate the merits of the Silver Age and Bronze Age togs on Wonder Girl.