DC Comics Debuts New Costumes for Superman, Wonder Woman

[R0NIN]

You're welcome to your opinion, of course. I think people take comics way too seriously, and silly costumes are part of the fun. If they embarrass you, you may be reading the wrong genre. No amount of costume changes are going to take the absurdity out of comic books, but they can certainly take away the charm and fun.

This!!!! If you think superhero costumes are silly and stupid perhaps superhero comics aren't for you.
Nothing screams superhero costume more than a cape and trunks. Nothing and even if the other heroes have dropped them by now, Superman the progenitor of the look and the genre should have the uniform that is intrinsically tied to the public's concious of what a classic superhero costume looks like.

[LoneNecromancer]

You're welcome to your opinion, of course. I think people take comics way too seriously, and silly costumes are part of the fun. If they embarrass you, you may be reading the wrong genre. No amount of costume changes are going to take the absurdity out of comic books, but they can certainly take away the charm and fun.

Okay, great job inventing several arguments that I don't recall making. Let's have a look at the reasoning here.

I said "people think trunks look silly".

This was then turned into "you take comics too seriously" "you're saying you're embarassed by superhero comics" "you're opposed to charm and fun in comic books".

Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

You want to know how old I was when I first thought Superman's trunks looked silly? About seven when I first heard the joke on the playground "if Superman's so smart, why does he wear his underpants over his trousers?"

[Sacred Knight]

Well, we all know where this is headed. Whenever Superman ditches the t-shirt and jeans and gets a new costume that once again doesn't feature trunks, there's going to more trunks threads because some people got their hopes up.

[Auguste Dupin]

I have. Have you ever learned that an adjective might mean something different depending on what it is describing? For example saying this water is frozen and this computer is frozen can mean two different things.
In this case what would a superhero who was trying to be ironic look like? When since Superheroes are all about looking grand and majestic a hipster superhero would probably try to be "ironic" by wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans.
What would a broke homeless superhero wear? A simple t-shirt with an emblem sounds about right.

Perhaps use some context clues next time before posting a snarky remark.

So, what you're saying is that superheroes are "ironic" when they choose to wear something that is simple, practical, and functionnal. So what you're saying is that regular superheroes wear costumes that are overly complicated, unpractical, and that always get in the way. Interesting.
Also, a homeless superhero by definition would wear his usual clothes (since he probably doesn't have any spare, what with not having a home to keep them), and since homeless people wearing "just" a T shirt rarely last long in the winter, that would be fairly unlikely. Not to mention that T shirts and jeans are, like, the most common piece of clothing ever, so associating it with homeless people.....kinda doesn't make sense.

[manofsteel1979]

Well, we all know where this is headed. Whenever Superman ditches the t-shirt and jeans and gets a new costume that once again doesn't feature trunks, there's going to more trunks threads because some people got their hopes up.

Maybe DC will mess with all of us and bring back the trunks.....but instead colored yellow.

[Sacred Knight]

That would look really, really weird, lol.

[andersonh1]

Okay, great job inventing several arguments that I don't recall making. Let's have a look at the reasoning here.

I said "people think trunks look silly".

This was then turned into "you take comics too seriously"

No, I said PEOPLE take comics too seriously. You generalized, and so did I. And people do take them too seriously. Or rather, they're very selective in what they find silly and what they don't. Apparently red shorts on Superman are silly, but that blue body stocking, red cape and red boots aren't. I don't quite get that line of thought, but it's there.

"you're saying you're embarassed by superhero comics"

Actually, I said "if" they embarrass you. And I should have said "if people are embarrassed" because I was still generalizing here, so sorry about that.

"you're opposed to charm and fun in comic books".

I said "No amount of costume changes are going to take the absurdity out of comic books, but they can certainly take away the charm and fun". That was directed more at DC who keeps trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Superman's costume. It won't change people's perception of Superman. If they think he's outdated, old fashioned, whatever, a different set of clothing isn't going to change that. However, putting Superman in a t-shirt and jeans can make him no longer look like a traditional superhero. I think the costumes are an inherent part of the genre. Scratch that... I don't just think they are, they definitely are, all the way back to the beginning. That may change, and it may be changing, but until it does, removing Superman from something close to his traditional look makes him no longer look like Superman.

You want to know how old I was when I first thought Superman's trunks looked silly? About seven when I first heard the joke on the playground "if Superman's so smart, why does he wear his underpants over his trousers?"

That is a subjective opinion. And as I said, you're certainly entitled to it. The fact that some people joke about "red underpants on the outside" doesn't affect my opinion. They can laugh at Superman, and they can laugh at me for not sharing their opinion. That's fine. The trunks aren't underwear, and the costume isn't supposed to look like normal everyday clothes. It is supposed to be distinctive and different and to make the wearer instantly recognizable. That's the point.

In jeans and a t-shirt, Superman no longer looks like Superman.

Just as an aside, my daughter looked at the jeans and t-shirt Superman with his red hand wraps and short haircut and said "he's not Superman, he's Punkman." So there's a contemporary 10 year old's opinion for you.

[The World]

This!!!! If you think superhero costumes are silly and stupid perhaps superhero comics aren't for you.
Nothing screams superhero costume more than a cape and trunks. Nothing and even if the other heroes have dropped them by now, Superman the progenitor of the look and the genre should have the uniform that is intrinsically tied to the public's concious of what a classic superhero costume looks like.

Then why are the three of the highest grossing Super-Hero movies of the 30 years star people walking around in clunky suits of armor?

Look I get adhering to tradition, I really do but you gotta admit the time of the trunks are over. None of the Avengers have them, Bruce doesn't have them, Magneto doesn't have them, and Superman has abandoned them too. Time to move on, the general public has moved on from them just fine.

[jimmy]

this!!!! If you think superhero costumes are silly and stupid perhaps superhero comics aren't for you.
nothing screams superhero costume more than a cape and trunks. Nothing and even if the other heroes have dropped them by now, superman the progenitor of the look and the genre should have the uniform that is intrinsically tied to the public's concious of what a classic superhero costume looks like.

preach it brother, preach it...

[jimmy]

No, I said PEOPLE take comics too seriously. You generalized, and so did I. And people do take them too seriously. Or rather, they're very selective in what they find silly and what they don't. Apparently red shorts on Superman are silly, but that blue body stocking, red cape and red boots aren't. I don't quite get that line of thought, but it's there.



Actually, I said "if" they embarrass you. And I should have said "if people are embarrassed" because I was still generalizing here, so sorry about that.



I said "No amount of costume changes are going to take the absurdity out of comic books, but they can certainly take away the charm and fun". That was directed more at DC who keeps trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Superman's costume. It won't change people's perception of Superman. If they think he's outdated, old fashioned, whatever, a different set of clothing isn't going to change that. However, putting Superman in a t-shirt and jeans can make him no longer look like a traditional superhero. I think the costumes are an inherent part of the genre. Scratch that... I don't just think they are, they definitely are, all the way back to the beginning. That may change, and it may be changing, but until it does, removing Superman from something close to his traditional look makes him no longer look like Superman.



That is a subjective opinion. And as I said, you're certainly entitled to it. The fact that some people joke about "red underpants on the outside" doesn't affect my opinion. They can laugh at Superman, and they can laugh at me for not sharing their opinion. That's fine. The trunks aren't underwear, and the costume isn't supposed to look like normal everyday clothes. It is supposed to be distinctive and different and to make the wearer instantly recognizable. That's the point.

In jeans and a t-shirt, Superman no longer looks like Superman.

Just as an aside, my daughter looked at the jeans and t-shirt Superman with his red hand wraps and short haircut and said "he's not Superman, he's Punkman." So there's a contemporary 10 year old's opinion for you.

Precisely,
It is beginning to seem like all of these changes to the "Flagship" of flagship in comics is shock value and, or to lure in new sales - while forgetting about the establishment.

Good responses and you have to ask yourself where do the changes stop? and, or what is next for the "Man of Steel"?

In order to appease trends - Superman (or, his temp-replacement) already has the jeans and T-shirt - does this Superman shave his head and wear a beard / Fu Manchu Next?

[Sacred Knight]

I'm no fan of street clothes as superhero costumes, but I think you guys are exaggerating. This is clearly temporary, and not unlike things they've done with Superman numerous times throughout his history. It has nothing to do with trends, it has to do with the meaning behind the look as Morrison intended it when he relaunched the character. Since Superman is temporarily going back to that year one level of power, they're going back to a similar look for a while. Its an homage to that first six issue arc more than trying to trend to any current fashion sense.

[Ascended]

Wait, are people really thinking that the t-shirt and jeans look is supposed to be tying in with current fashion trends or something ? Because that look has been around a lot longer than the current Batgirl, Spider-Woman, or anything other example of the current "movie-ready" designs we're seeing.

There's nothing fashionable about a t-shirt and jeans. In fact, that's about as timeless a fashion statement as you can make, and it's a look that has barely changed in a century. Moreover, most of these other designs are just a early 00's era remix of the black leather look inspired by the original X-Men films and popularized in comics by Morrison's X-run.

Beyond all that, this is so clearly a short term thing I don't understand how anyone could be bothered by it. I doubt this will last as long as Superman's beard in Action Comics did. Its a story line, not a new design that'll stick around for years and decades.

[Sacred Knight]

By the way, found myself getting tired of my hair a few weeks back, and decided to go with a short cut in preparation for spring. Only afterwards did I realize I gave myself the Superman post-Convergence do....the one I'd been complaining about, haha.

[Francisco]

Wait, are people really thinking that the t-shirt and jeans look is supposed to be tying in with current fashion trends or something ? Because that look has been around a lot longer than the current Batgirl, Spider-Woman, or anything other example of the current "movie-ready" designs we're seeing.

There's nothing fashionable about a t-shirt and jeans. In fact, that's about as timeless a fashion statement as you can make, and it's a look that has barely changed in a century. Moreover, most of these other designs are just a early 00's era remix of the black leather look inspired by the original X-Men films and popularized in comics by Morrison's X-run.

Beyond all that, this is so clearly a short term thing I don't understand how anyone could be bothered by it. I doubt this will last as long as Superman's beard in Action Comics did. Its a story line, not a new design that'll stick around for years and decades.

I think it was the Matrix which inspired the black leather craze

[Auguste Dupin]

I think it was the Matrix which inspired the black leather craze

Blade did it first.