Superman's Red Trunks Return in Action #1000

[Zahina]

I love the trunks and all... but the Reborn suit was a great modernization of Superman. I feel this is a step backwards.

(Wonder if this means that Batman will get trunks and yellow oval back at some point.)

Do you think Wonder Woman will get her swimsuit armor back?

[Celestin]

I didn't expect this, but there wasn't a better occasion for the red trunks to return than 1000th issue.

The problem with removing them is that DC never managed to create a version of his costume that would become a new classic. Instead there was always something missing.

[Frontier]

I didn't expect this, but there wasn't a better occasion for the red trunks to return than 1000th issue.

The problem with removing them is that DC never managed to create a version of his costume that would become a new classic. Instead there was always something missing.

I think the Reborn costume could've grown into that if DC had kept it, at least compared to Supes' previous modern costumes.

[9th.]

But why? His Rebirth fit was perfect

[Jadeb]

Part of the problem with messing with iconic looks is that it opens the kitchen to many cooks. Nothing will get to become the new classic because someone will always want to change it.

[Ascended]

Not reading all these pages.

I'm actually very disappointed, and a little disgusted at how they're trying to sell it.

Lee called the trunks the most iconic part of the costume (or words to that effect)? Please. The trunks are pretty far down that list, well below the shield, cape, color palate, and spit curl. They're only slightly more iconic than the boots for gods' sake. He said it used modern and traditional elements? Throwing a tiny little cuff on his wrists isn't using modern elements, its adding two lines to the entire ensemble. To Lee's credit however, at least the wrist cuffs match the design sensibilities of the boot cuffs. The guy seems to have learned a tiny bit about design since making the New52 armor.

What disgusts me the most though, is the way they're being drawn. I have said over and over again that the key to contemporary looking costumes is in the texture work. I've said that the trunks can work if they're drawn in a manner that doesn't look like a throwback to a fashion that died decades ago. And here Lee is, who's supposed to be one of the industry's best, and he's drawing the costume like a poor Wal-Mart Halloween bargain bin discount deal.

Of all the "modern elements" they could have kept.....they settle on wrist cuffs?

F**k.

[Last Son of Krypton]

Not reading all these pages.

I'm actually very disappointed, and a little disgusted at how they're trying to sell it.

Lee called the trunks the most iconic part of the costume (or words to that effect)? Please. The trunks are pretty far down that list, well below the shield, cape, color palate, and spit curl. They're only slightly more iconic than the boots for gods' sake. He said it used modern and traditional elements? Throwing a tiny little cuff on his wrists isn't using modern elements, its adding two lines to the entire ensemble. To Lee's credit however, at least the wrist cuffs match the design sensibilities of the boot cuffs. The guy seems to have learned a tiny bit about design since making the New52 armor.

What disgusts me the most though, is the way they're being drawn. I have said over and over again that the key to contemporary looking costumes is in the texture work. I've said that the trunks can work if they're drawn in a manner that doesn't look like a throwback to a fashion that died decades ago. And here Lee is, who's supposed to be one of the industry's best, and he's drawing the costume like a poor Wal-Mart Halloween bargain bin discount deal.

Of all the "modern elements" they could have kept.....they settle on wrist cuffs?

F**k.

I think Lee just drawn the costume as the fans expect it to be drawn. It's not his fault.

[stillanerd]

Called it months ago. About damn time!

The cuffs are a useless addition; DC just can't accept the fact the new 52 and the DCEU are massive failures. I predict that artists will just forget to include it over time and it'll quickly fade away.

As others have mentioned, I'd like Batman too to revert to his more classic-looking costume, trunks and all. They might as well have all the characters switch over to their classic looks and fully match the images used in DC's merchandise.

Actually, with regards to the bolded part, it seems pretty clear the opposite is going on with this. DC has been systematically bringing back the post-Crisis, pre-52 Superman and having go back to the red trunks is part of that. As another poster said, it wouldn't surprise me if Doomsday Clock returned Clark's adoptive parents, or at least Martha Kent, back to life.

As for the return of the red trunks, I was okay with the "compromise" DC did after Superman Reborn, but I can understand why they decided to bring the trunks back. It totally fits with DC concept that Rebirth is a course correction after the New 52, a way to get things "back to basics" while, at the same time, developing their characters.

[Pohzee]

Superman is the archetypal superhero. It doesn't matter if people think that it is cheesy or dated. The trunks are associated with superheroes, so Superman must have them.

[Tony]

This makes me happy.

Rebirth took it's sweet time getting here but I'm glad it finally did.
Maybe Superman will be able to sell toys again. I know I read somewhere that the new costume on toys didn't move product. That may be the biggest motivator of all for DC.

The costume without the trunks never worked and hopefully the cuffs will be gone in less than a year. Shaping up to be a good anniversary issue already. Oliver Copiel back at DC is also exciting.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Except that there is nothing left to tell with the older continuity. What story can you write about Lex attempting to kill Superman which haven't been told before ? About Bizarro, about Metallo, about Doomsday ? They are attacking SUperman through Jon and that's all. Rebirth was already full of nostalgia, this thing reeks of it and nothing of worth will come out of it, just the same stale themes and stories, repeated again, and again, and again.

Your logic here doesn't seem to make much sense. In an established continuity, its actually harder to rehash old story points because, well, writers who do their research know what plot points have already been told, and try to craft new ideas. If anything, a rebooted continuity is what gives writers a free pass to retell and rehash stories already told because they can just throw out the excuse "oh well this is a new continuity, so...." The New 52 was a prime example of this. We don't need another story about Superman and Lex meeting for the first time. We don't need to see Clark and Lois dance around each other and have romantic tension. We don't need another retelling of how Lois found out Clark was Superman. We already read all those stories...a long time ago.

Also, it doesn't really ring true to say that a decades-long continuity cannot be maintained when DC's biggest rival maintains a decades-long continuity and not only that but outsells DC doing so. After more than 50 years you'd think Marvel would run out of stories to tell about Captain America fighting the Red Skull or Baron Zemo...but they don't. I don't see how DC should be any different when it comes to their characters.

[Flash Gordon]

Not reading all these pages.

I'm actually very disappointed, and a little disgusted at how they're trying to sell it.

Lee called the trunks the most iconic part of the costume (or words to that effect)? Please. The trunks are pretty far down that list, well below the shield, cape, color palate, and spit curl. They're only slightly more iconic than the boots for gods' sake. He said it used modern and traditional elements? Throwing a tiny little cuff on his wrists isn't using modern elements, its adding two lines to the entire ensemble. To Lee's credit however, at least the wrist cuffs match the design sensibilities of the boot cuffs. The guy seems to have learned a tiny bit about design since making the New52 armor.

What disgusts me the most though, is the way they're being drawn. I have said over and over again that the key to contemporary looking costumes is in the texture work. I've said that the trunks can work if they're drawn in a manner that doesn't look like a throwback to a fashion that died decades ago. And here Lee is, who's supposed to be one of the industry's best, and he's drawing the costume like a poor Wal-Mart Halloween bargain bin discount deal.

Of all the "modern elements" they could have kept.....they settle on wrist cuffs?

F**k.

As always, "What Ascended said".

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Lets agree to disagree. I don't think that comics, especially the D.C. ones are actually able to craft story which can progress, and therefore they have to resort to gimmicks ever more as time goes by. Considering the way Rebirth has been unfolding in the non-Bat books (i.e., a way that range from things I hate in WW, to an absolute lack on interest whatsoever in the Super books) I fail to see how ever more of the same, at the scale of what D.C. is clearly preparing can be of even remotely interest to me. In fact, it makes me regret even more that the Batman books are tied to the larger DCU and not their own universe so they wouldn't be impacted by all the return of pre-Flashpoint which is happening everywhere.

I find it kind of sad that Marvel is hinting at a potential return to the Ultimate Universe when D.C. is doing its best to erase everything New 52 and as almost succeeded outside of some select books.

You realize that, actually, a lot of Pre-Flashpoint stuff has come back in the Bat-books. For example, Tim Drake getting his old origin back in the pages of Detective Comics and even Snyder contradicting Zero Year in favor of Batman's first origin story in Batman: Lost.

[Flash Gordon]

I find this comment ironic when Rebirth gave Clark and Lois a biological son, the first time that's happened in continuity.

Is that really such a gigantic leap in the mythology?

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Is that really such a gigantic leap in the mythology?

Actually, yeah. Its a major progression to give DC's most iconic couple a child of their own. At least, I think most people would say so. Its something that we had at least a few Elseworlds about, but never in continuity.