What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

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DungeonmasterJim
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What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

Post by DungeonmasterJim »

Different from favorite character. Just wondering what some of your favorites have been?


Thanks,

DM Jim
Alan Davis
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Re: What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

Post by Alan Davis »

I do have favourite costume designs but I’d need to qualify my choices with some aspect of either character type or illustrative style. As a very young reader I thought the Superboy and Supergirl costumes looked great but didn’t like it so much on Superman. It was only in adulthood that I could understand my choice was (and still is) influenced by an illustrative style or the physical stature and posture of the character/wearer.
Daredevil’s costume is one of the few that survives a poor illustrator but Wally Wood’s version somehow seems best. Possibly because it was the version I saw first.
Other favourites, in no particular order. The Flash (on a skinny physique), Green Lantern, Atom, Adam Warlock, Captain Marvel (all best on ripped Gil Kane physiques). Doctor Strange—absolutely unique, like so many Ditko designs (although some haven’t aged well... like The Creeper. A truly novel design but clearly from another era) Captain Atom-- the original gold and red version—is another that holds up very well.
Jack Kirby has undoubtedly designed far more than any other single creator— as I kid I was amazed by Klaw, Psycho Man, the Rigelians, the Skrulls... (do aliens count?) But as some designs often varied from panel to panel, I prefer those rationalised by John Byrne. Like Galactus, Annihilus, Diablo. Whereas others I prefer the Neal Adams rationalisation. Gorgon, Karnak, the Sentinels. John Byrne is obviously also a great designer in his own right. Dark Phoenix and Silver Banshee both have an elegant simplicity I love. Whereas Neal Adam’s Havok is simple and absolutely unique.
I must also mention Dave Cockrum for his innovation. Nightcrawler in particular because of my long association with him.
I’m sure there are many, many more like the Doom Patrol (as a group??), Black Orchid, Spectre, Deadman, Eclipso, Black Widow, Iron Fist, The Vision, Yellowjacket,... to name a few off the top of my head.

Alan
gursikh11
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Re: What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

Post by gursikh11 »

Batman's mask, Thor's hair and green lantern costume.
Love to read books such as Comic,Novels & story books for children stories.
Audeley
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Re: What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

Post by Audeley »

About what comic costumes you want to know that is my favorite because the link which you share with us for the sale of your comic are not properly working.
DungeonmasterJim
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Re: What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

Post by DungeonmasterJim »

I updated my profile and signature Audeley. Thanks for the heads up on the dead link.
Manuel Tavares
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Re: What are some of your favorite costumes in comics?

Post by Manuel Tavares »

I think I can complement some of the ideas here already expressed.
Comic Books have three things designed to grab any kid’s imagination: great drawings; Dizzying action; bright colors.
The part that goes with the bright colors is also about bright costumes. These super hero costumes were created, most of them, seventy years ago; others were first published fifty years ago and others twenty years ago. The first group that I mentioned above were created during de 1940’s; the second ones during the 1960’s and the rest during the 1990’s. Each era here represented had its own style to lend to fashion. When creators came about with exotic costumes (for their time) they did their best to call for attention providing them with a lot of colors and bold designs. And of course the most influential super hero costume of all was and still is Superman’s. A tradition was realized, the tradition of the super hero costume. That tradition is the same as Superman’s had its origins in the old circus strongman’s costume and in the male and female swimsuits of the late 1930’s and 1940’s. Due to how the common denominator recognizes trends and icons consolidate this approach in their minds for a long period of time allowing for the association with the trademarks. Again, we have here two distinct points of interest, the first one deal purely with the profitable facet of the company making a trademark recognizable for everybody, thus keeping the looks of the characters frozen for decades just like the logo of the Coca Cola Company. On the other hand the reader’s affectionate relationship with the characters doesn’t allow for variations or any kind or deviation from the standard character design. Nonetheless over seven decades superhero characters kept change discreetly every time they’d been given the chance. In spite of tradition today any of the original costumes hardly matching part the visual trending of more sophisticated times. In the name sake of “be familiar with” and the notion of tradition which stubbornly hold onto outmoded outfits continue to have most of the male characters dressed in skin tight spandex getups which would adequate better the ladies. And I think they actually do look passable as ladies wear. We arrive to the era of design where “designing often necessitates considering the aesthetic, functional, economic and sociopolitical dimensions of both the design object and design process. It may involve considerable research, thought, modeling, interactive adjustment, and re-design.” Hence every major super hero character is branded by the blazon of a very specific emblem which reflects his or her identity as heroes to be recognizable by the criminals and the police worth the same as a badge of law to coerce. At least that’s from the character’s point of view. In point of fact the real reason is to have a symbol appealing enough to sell merchandizing including magazines and comic books. That’s all correct. As it happens with the classic super hero industry necessities to do is to keep their trademarks with their respective logos and symbols and placing them over their characters making them recognizable enough to connect the trademark over the company. Independently the sky should be understood as the limit in what it comes to re-design the character’s costumes under the principles of Design underneath the light of a functional dimension. Not so much Styling, more Design.
:idea: :wink:

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