The New Costume Vs. The Trunks

[Sacred Knight]

I liked the New 52 suit better than the pre-Reborn suit. I didn't like the blue boots, and wasn't a huge fan of the belt, which I felt was too thin, and I hated the gauntlets. Of all the potential inspirations that could be taken from the MOS suit, the gauntlets should be last thing, as they just don't translate well to a drawn form. They look very out of place. They don't even look good on the movie costume but they're less noticeable there.

[DragonPiece]

Yeah, you definitely have a problem when even Doc Shanner can't make a Superman costume look good.(regarding the pre Reborn suit)

[Sacred Knight]

This particular Shaner piece I think is the best the costume had ever looked, especially since he reworked the belt some:

Overall though if I had to rate the newer costumes it'd be something like:

1. Reborn suit
2. New 52 suit
3. Earth-2 suit
4. Smallville suit
5. pre-Reborn suit

[superduperman]

I've always been partial to the Kingdom Come one myself.

[Truman Burbank]

I'll always favor the classic look. The current look is fine, and probably the closest the higher-ups will allow to the classic look, but it's not the same. It would help if artists could get the belt consistent.

The classic suit, trunks and all, is iconic in a way no other comic costume is.

[Lvenger]

The current Reborn suit is basically a happy medium between the classic iconic costume and the modern updated New 52 costume. Some subtle changes but keeps the colouring and design of the classic costume. I'm happy with it just as I was with the Rebirth suit, except moreso due to the red boots and lighter colour scheme. I won't object to the trunks coming back but I'd be happy with this costume for a while.

[Kuwagaton]

I actually loved the pre Reborn suit, it was sleek and very different. I guess Shaner likes it, too. If they had to replace it with a more traditional look, I would have wanted that Gleason tweaking of it.

[JBatmanFan05]

I'll always favor the classic look. The current look is fine, and probably the closest the higher-ups will allow to the classic look, but it's not the same. It would help if artists could get the belt consistent.

The classic suit, trunks and all, is iconic in a way no other comic costume is.

This is absolutely my opinion as well. Same with Batman's trunks.

The trunks are the best.

[victorsage]

I prefer the classic suit, and will always be arguing that it should come back.

That said the new suit is a huge improvement over the New 52 with its damn high collar, and "armor" style.

[Last Son]

This particular Shaner piece I think is the best the costume had ever looked, especially since he reworked the belt some:

Overall though if I had to rate the newer costumes it'd be something like:

1. Reborn suit
2. New 52 suit
3. Earth-2 suit
4. Smallville suit
5. pre-Reborn suit

How does the long-forgotten John Romita Jr. suit fit in?

superman-38-page-28.jpg

[Atomic Man]

I'll always favor the classic look. The current look is fine, and probably the closest the higher-ups will allow to the classic look, but it's not the same. It would help if artists could get the belt consistent.

The classic suit, trunks and all, is iconic in a way no other comic costume is.

Amen, brother! It's the first superhero uniform and doesn't need to be "updated" one bit.

I predict its permanent return to comics in Action #1000.

[Last Son]

It has been updated some, at least in the early days. If they never updated it, he'd still be going around with blue boots that look like Roman sandals and a yellow triangle for an S symbol.

[qwerty3w]

How did they ever distinguish his torso from his arms?

Seriously, I think a good 99.99% of readers can distinguish between those body parts without a colour coded costume.

There are naturally stronger visual cues to distinguish arms and torso in a tight jump suit, than torso/pelvis/legs, those parts need some help.

Yeah, everyone can distinguish those body parts perfectly if they are at least paying a little bit of attention. But what matters is how they are intuitively, unconsciously perceived. Weaker cues would make the character looks less human, and less comfortable to look at.

The belts in the newer costumes also serve that purpose, and the artist can emphasize the folds at the base of the legs, like this one:

Or having gaps in those positions:


But I think so far none of these attempts are as effective as the trunks.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

Trunks.

I don't buy comics to see artistic license on costumes. I enjoy seeing the same costume/status quo decade after decade, which is the whole basis of the medium.

Like seriously every lapsed fan or guy I know not reading DC right now, many of whom could care less about DC right now, would drive to the comic shop at 3 a.m. in their pajamas and pay $10 bucks a piece for every variant cover just to see Superman in his classic outfit. Ditto for Wally West in the Flash suit.

DC is aware of this.

[Atomic Man]

Trunks.

I don't buy comics to see artistic license on costumes. I enjoy seeing the same costume/status quo decade after decade, which is the whole basis of the medium.

Like seriously every lapsed fan or guy I know not reading DC right now, many of whom could care less about DC right now, would drive to the comic shop at 3 a.m. in their pajamas and pay $10 bucks a piece for every variant cover just to see Superman in his classic outfit. Ditto for Wally West in the Flash suit.

DC is aware of this.

If the trunks come back and Wally is back as the Flash in his own title instead of what they've just done to him over in Titans, I'd buy titles I'm not reading to support the company. As it is, Batman has gone off the rails, JL is a regular disappointment, and now Titans has eliminated the one reason I was buying that book. That's three books down the drain for me, leaving only Action, Superman, Super Sons, Trinity, and HJ & The GL Corps. That's 5 versus the 10 I was reading when Rebirth started. Some of the cuts I've made are financial, but most have been due to quality.