Somewhere, William Shawn, John Hersey, and Rachel Carson are spinning in their graves, but I was delighted to read in the New Yorker this essay about superhero costumes, written by a guy who knows a thing or two about the topic, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay author Michael Chabon. Chabon’s thesis is that the superhero costume is an impossible paradox, one that reveals the musculature of the body it means to disguise, advertises the secret history (the hero’s origin story) it means to conceal, and divulges the secret it’s designed to hide: that this flamboyant hero is someone with a secret identity that needs protecting, lest the hero’s enemies find it out and use it against the hero. Also, don’t tell Edna Mode, but the superhero costume is literally impossible, as anyone knows who’s ever tried to wear one to a comics convention or squeezed into one on Halloween or dreamed he or she could fly like Superman just by tying a towel around his or her neck. The only places superhero costumes work is on the page and in the vivid imagination of the reader. Chabon manages to deconstruct the superhero costume without ripping it to shreds as an object of fantasy and wonder.
Tell us, PopWatchers: which comic book hero or heroine has the best costume, in terms of practicality, style, or fit? (By fit, I mean, of course, whose suit is least likely to bunch or ride up in a way that will create unsightly puckers and bulges?) And if you have superhero costume stories of your own to share, now’s the time; don’t worry, your secret identity is safe on our message boards.
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I’ve always liked the X-men costumes (from the movies) that bein said last Halloween I dressed up as Green Arrow and worked the look if i do say so myself.
I love Naked Lad
When I was younger, my aunt, uncle, 3 year old cousin and my family headed out to the Sandhills of Nebraska. We had a great time…that is until we actually went to the sandhills. At some park where there are a lot of rocks, my dad mentioned there would be a lot of snakes so we had to be quiet and careful. All of my seven year old body freaked out and cried/sobbed my way through the park. My 3 year old cousin? Good as gold because he had a towel (a ratty cabin towel) safety pinned to his shirt. Now 26 and 30 (respectively), my cousin and I howel laughing at the picture. He could (and would) do anything as long as you pinned anything onto his shirt.
The ladies in the office and I have debated, and we think the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have the most practical costumes for many reasons.
-They are full spandex body suits for comfortable, aero-dynamic movement.
-Their helmets offer full head protection, which is rare and necessary when defending the world against evil.
-Also, the helmets would prevent the enemy from seeing the Rangers’ facial expressions keeping the enemies guessing and on their toes during battle.
I think the best outfits are the X-Men outfits from all 3 movies, but when i was younger i would alway look at Batman and Supermans bulge. . .so those are hot too!!! I know with the remake of SuperMan there was controversy on what size to make his buldge. . .to be honest it seemed a bit small.
Well, assuming that Batman has a “best of all possible worlds” suit, I’d say his is the best. If it’s armor like in the movies, that’s practical, and a number of his capes have been useful. It also does a good job of hiding who he is and frightening the bad guys. Also, if it’s made out of Kevlar or something, I doubt it rides up much.
The most practical costume hands down has to be Iron Man. Practical? Of course it is. It gives to power to fly, be superstrong, shoot repulsor blasts, etc. Fit? Anyone can look good in the aromor, even if they have not spent time in the gym lately. Style? Tony Stark has revamped the armor several times over the years, changing colors, designs, features, etc. Seems like a no brainer to me.
Since you brought up Edna Mode, I’d say The Incredibles. It works for the whole family, and each has different abilities. I might have said Batman just for the utility belt, but I was reminded of Edna Mode’s cape montage.
Me, I’ve always been partial to the The Flash’s costume. Sleek, able to conceal the wearer’s identity and not too over the top. The Golden Age Flash’s is even simpler, with just the red top, blue pants and silver hat with Apollo’s wings on the side. And no mask. How’d he hide his identity? By moving faster than the eye could see.
Also, gotta agree with another one below — Green Arrow. Take the Robin Hood motif and crank it up.
Bill – did you see the episode of “The Big Bang Theory” when the four nerdy friends all dressed up as The Flash for the neighbor’s Halloween party? “This is why I said we needed a costume meeting!”
Also – Edna Mode is THE BEST!!
Edna! Mode! ~ best superhero costumes ever, she thought of everything! Need to watch Jack Jack Attack again soon.
Good call! I LOVE that episode of the Big Bang Theory…
NOOOO! Hollywood stop with the remakes already! This is an awesome movie, perfect as is. Leave it and other classic flicks alone. Go find some books to adapt instead.
Oops, posted in wrong area. Someone delete that please.
Oops, posted in wrong area. Someone delete that please.
I’m a big fan of Captain Underpants. I believe he conceals his identity by not wearing his toupe and acting way nicer than normal.
For anyone interested in seeing superhero costume designs critiqued for appearance and functionality, this site is prety amazing:
http://www.tencentticker.com/projectrooftop/
I’m really too casual of a comics reader to have a favorite costume, though.
I always thought Static had a good, practical costume. Not skin tight or anything, lots of pockets. But in terms of style, Batman all the way.
Comic book geekery: a lot of the X-Men don’t need “costumes” to hide their identities, because they don’t have secret identities, at least not these days. That’s who they are, they can’t hide it, they’re out and proud. DC heroes, on the other hand, are into costumes because it’s more a “role” they enter into, and sometimes (as in the Flash) pass on. In fact, the X-Men in the movies don’t have costumes. Those are uniforms.
The most problematic costumes belong to women, because they have to be so tight that they actually cling to cleavage, or so sparse that the cleavage shows. Strangely enough, not enough male superheroes have large crotch bulges. I mean, even assuming they all wear a cup (as most should), that should show up. You can see cups bulge in baseball uniforms, for crying out loud, and those are practically pajamas. They can’t all be tucking a la Buffalo Bill in “Crying Game”.
I would have to say the X-men in the comics have the best costumes. They are functional and different based on each mutants powers. Second, I would say Captain America because he made wearing a flag cool except for the wings on the head thing.
Nix, I hate to be “that guy” on a message board, but you have your movie references mixed up. Buffalo Bill “tucked” in “The Silence of the Lambs.” There was no, er, tucking in “The Crying Game” (only post-reveal vomiting).
I like Blade’s apparel. Tactical web vest for holding blades, guns etc. covered in a black leather trench coat. And he definitly rocks the shades. He’s bada– enough he doesn’t care who recognizes him!
I’ve always loved the old Wolverine Costume from the 1970s, as well as the old school Judge Dredd Uniforms. Neither is practical in any way (Dredd’s frakking gun holster is on his boot and Wolverine’s costume is a camo-unfriendly bright yellow), but both look cooler than a mofo.
For one Halloween I dressed up as Wolverine from the movies, and found the movie X men outfit to be less than flattering on my not so impressive physique.
But why take my word for it when a picture says a thousand words (I’ve lost weight since then, thankyou):
http://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/77ae720635.jpg
Sorry, the link didn’t work. Let’s try that again:
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4739/wolverinebs2.jpg
Namor aka The Sub Mariner has the best costume- he’s practically naked… all. the. time! im also a big fan of Carol Danvers aka Ms Marvel’s costume even though the sash belt is extremely unpractical.
hey sato! i never knew wolvie had a fro! lol
All I could get to look “right” were the claws. and that hair…good lord. I can’t even claim it was the 70’s or anything to explain away the “grooviness” of that hairstyle.
I’m gonna have to go with Batman. Who doesn’t love rubber nipples? His has all kinds of nifty gadgets attached, which is essential, as he has no actual superpowers.
Ooh, Snooks, where in the Sandhills? My family is from there!
you got the cigar right though!