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  1. #1
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    Default Superheroes looking cool or silly, is it one or the other or both?

    So based on a recent thread regarding people hating super hero redesigns, some have argued that superhero characters should look silly and dislike redesigns to make them cool in media like games or movies. However, I don't see the issue with having cool looking heroes. I mean, the MCU adapts costumes for a reason and people really dislike Cap's Avengers costume for a reason. I mean cool doesn't have to equal boring like those god awful outfits from the fox's movies. I'm all for embracing comic roots and all but I don't think that means we need to get really bad stuff like Bat nipples. So what do you think of this?

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    Astonishing Member Zelena's Avatar
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    I think that someone that looks good in a comic maybe works less in a movie.

    But why don’t you post pictures of what you mean? It’s true that movie makers are less adventurous, audacious than their comic counterparts in their creative choices but without examples, it’s hard to figure out.
    “Strength is the lot of but a few privileged men; but austere perseverance, harsh and continuous, may be employed by the smallest of us and rarely fails of its purpose, for its silent power grows irresistibly greater with time.” Goethe

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShadowSJG View Post
    So based on a recent thread regarding people hating super hero redesigns, some have argued that superhero characters should look silly and dislike redesigns to make them cool in media like games or movies. However, I don't see the issue with having cool looking heroes. I mean, the MCU adapts costumes for a reason and people really dislike Cap's Avengers costume for a reason. I mean cool doesn't have to equal boring like those god awful outfits from the fox's movies. I'm all for embracing comic roots and all but I don't think that means we need to get really bad stuff like Bat nipples. So what do you think of this?
    If you can get the entire fandom to agree to a definition of "cool," I will be deeply impressed.

  4. #4
    Amazing Member Adam Allen's Avatar
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    I feel like, on some level, the "cool" versus "silly" question is based not so much on how costumes can look in live action compared to comics -- because there legitimately does need to be some distinction there, if for no other reason that traditional "spandex" superhero costumes look mostly like colors painted in incredibly well-defined and muscled flesh, and in the case of many female heroes, way too much bare flesh with costumes that would never stay in place or offer protection from cold temperatures, let alone battle -- but more the distinction of whether a person could conceivably wear the costume in public without looking like it's clearly a Halloween costume or something.

    For the one category, I think of your 90s looks like Blade's kevlar and trenchcoat look, or Neo's similar look -- biker-look Lobo versus his original spandex look, or even when Kon-El got his jeans and black t-shirt look. The full trenchcoat or biker look might catch some attention, but you don't look like you're necessarily playing pretend. That's all in contrast to the more traditional spandex and tights in bright day-glo multicolor and capes. If you're out in public wearing that, when it's not Halloween or a convention, you'd better have superpowers, or people will probably think you're insane. I think that kind of look for a superhero is what some would call "silly".

    You know, it's Hawkeye's old purple masked look, versus when he was a cool guy for some reason wearing sunglasses, even though his effectiveness depends on him being able to see clearly. Without the bow and arrows, the sunglasses look is something you could just walk around in -- without looking "silly". The purple mask and flared boots thing would be decidedly sillier, to wear around if you're not a superhero.
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Allen View Post
    I feel like, on some level, the "cool" versus "silly" question is based not so much on how costumes can look in live action compared to comics -- because there legitimately does need to be some distinction there, if for no other reason that traditional "spandex" superhero costumes look mostly like colors painted in incredibly well-defined and muscled flesh, and in the case of many female heroes, way too much bare flesh with costumes that would never stay in place or offer protection from cold temperatures, let alone battle -- but more the distinction of whether a person could conceivably wear the costume in public without looking like it's clearly a Halloween costume or something.

    For the one category, I think of your 90s looks like Blade's kevlar and trenchcoat look, or Neo's similar look -- biker-look Lobo versus his original spandex look, or even when Kon-El got his jeans and black t-shirt look. The full trenchcoat or biker look might catch some attention, but you don't look like you're necessarily playing pretend. That's all in contrast to the more traditional spandex and tights in bright day-glo multicolor and capes. If you're out in public wearing that, when it's not Halloween or a convention, you'd better have superpowers, or people will probably think you're insane. I think that kind of look for a superhero is what some would call "silly".

    You know, it's Hawkeye's old purple masked look, versus when he was a cool guy for some reason wearing sunglasses, even though his effectiveness depends on him being able to see clearly. Without the bow and arrows, the sunglasses look is something you could just walk around in -- without looking "silly". The purple mask and flared boots thing would be decidedly sillier, to wear around if you're not a superhero.
    I'm pretty sure the mask would also hinder his aim. He'd be better off not wearing anything on his face at all which I believe is the case now.

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    Amazing Member Adam Allen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Agent Z View Post
    I'm pretty sure the mask would also hinder his aim. He'd be better off not wearing anything on his face at all which I believe is the case now.
    Kind of like how Wolverine's mask would also hinder his vision, and Batman's, and how Spider-Man shouldn't be able to see at all. I wasn't suggesting he would somehow be able to see better with the mask than the sunglasses, the point was that one is part of a "cool" look and the other part of a "silly" look.

    Neither option really prioritizes practicality, usually. Batman's a martial artist with a giant cape to hinder him, but it's not like doing martial arts in a giant trenchcoat is much better. I guess Kon-El's jeans and t-shirt thing was practical, but only because he's bulletproof and able to punch through tanks.
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  7. #7
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    Every era has its design sensibilities I would say we had

    strong men look with trunks, cape , domino mask, trench coat era
    the spandex era
    the leather era
    The extreme era with tons of skin, pouches, armor, guns era
    No costume or more military based and everything has be about more "realism" era


    this era puts out stuff that looks like this, I called Kevlar, carbon mesh and hoodies era





    Every era has its own sense of cool. Here is the funny thing these changes are not made for realism or practicality but at some point the design sensibilities for how heroes look just changes, The big heroes with classic designs are the last to be changed but everyone around gets changed tho. I think every hero has to be changed to be brought in line with era because everyone else around them changes and they stand out weirdly if they don't. Now I am not saying they should go over the top like DC did with Nu52 Superman suit but something like the Superman rebirth suit keep most of classic aspect while bring it in line with era.
    Last edited by Killerbee911; 06-09-2021 at 01:58 AM.

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    I will say as far as tastes go, the shades/leather trenchcoat thing in the Matrix for example was so jarring to me that I had a hard time taking it seriously (as seriously as you can take a sci-fi action movie with Keanu "Whoa" Reeves doing the heavy lifting in the acting department). It bumped me from the story, took me out of it. But that's me comparing it to a regular sci-fi/action movie, whereas comic book movies I judge against the comics so there's a bit more leeway in the silliness factor. When I see a Superman or Spider-Man costume that looks like it was made of body armor-style material that doesn't make me think "Ooh, realistic. Now I can accept this." It just looks like a bad half-measure to try and not be silly. I guess I'd have to see full silly to judge whether it was a good decision or not. Think the '70s Superman costume looked OK, but then I am older than their target audience today so hard to say if what worked then would work now.

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