Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

[Sketchpad]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Always been a big fan of Nova's look ... though I think he needs to loose the bucket these days. I like the generic X-Men uniforms when drawn Yellow & Black (rather than the high-gloss with blue). Black Widow's slicker outfit is well done when drawn right ... Hawkeye's outfit is awesome! One of the few people who can pull of purple. I also like Arsenal's original look, as well as most of the Titans "grown-up personas". The only exception is Troy's ... sorry, I dug the red Wonder Girl outfit I think I may also be one of the few people who liked the brown-red & yellow DD outfit

[Trained Chicken]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I always liked Adam Warlock's costume. It's not easy to make red & Yellow work. Maybe [it's] the soul gem

 

It's amazing that most everything in clshing colors that was not designed by Jack Kirby looks like crap. The only costume I like featuring red and yellow prominently is Mr. Miracle (who has judicious amounts of green, too).

I could never get over how a hottie like the Scarlet Witch (dressed quite appropriately) would be involved with the Vision, who had perhaps the worst fashion sense of any popuplar hero.

That was part of their charm; they looked beyond the costumes (or in Vision's case, his skin) and saw each other from the inside out.

Moon Knight had kind of an interesting look. Never cared much for the hero though.

Chuck Dixon, legendary Batman and Punisher scribe described Moon Knight this way (and I'm paraphrasing): "Moon Knight would have to stand up on a chair to kiss Batman's ***. He's a great costume with nobody inside."

 

You know, flagsuits are a very good basis for a costume, since they are already iconic both by definition and because we're so used to seeing the patterns. This does not detract from the costume designing skills of those artists who use flags as their "whole cloth" (punch me now ), but it does indicate why they are so nearly universally successful.

 

Three costumes I admire for their simplicity and strong asthetics all contain large amounts of violet and black: The old Huntress costume (don't get me started on the travesty of the new one), Marvel's Paladin costume (supremely rendered by Ron Lim in Captain America years ago as well as in other places), and the Prowler costume. More than any other work, I suspect Todd McFarlane based Spawn's costume on the Prowler's. If you can dig up his Prowler back-up story in ASM Annual 1989 (I think; it was Spidey's Totally Tiny Adventure), you will not be disappointed in the similarities.

 

Other than that, there are some really great iconic looks. Batman, of course, is the ultimate in iconography- his silhouette is literally a bat's. Cap's shield is transcendent of it's flagsuit origin to represent everything good and just in the world. Thor's hammer, Iron Man's facemask, Cyclops' visor... GL's ring emblem. Each evokes a very specific, heroic sentiment.

 

Furthermore, there are another group of costumes that are nearly as iconic: the serpent motif. Any villain in a serpent costume of any variety shows up, and you know he's a bad guy, and you should probably punch him before he gets too far. Serpentor, Marvel's Serpent Society, DC's Kobra, Loki's and Hela's head horns... all speak of evil and evil intent.

 

A third group of costumes which are very strong on superheroes is the "knight in shining armor" motif. Whether carried into the present day with characters like Steel and Iron Man or kept fairly authentic like Marvel's Black Knight in his more authentic incarnations, these costumes speak of martial prowess and the power of a solitary individual to be more than a man (or woman). Even characters who are marginally medieval in motif, such as The Swordsman or Hawkeye or Green Arrow seem to have this strong, martially-adept feel to them. Though this last style of characters has a more, and forgive me for this mangling of use, "chaotic good" feel to them, and less of a law-and-order feel.

 

What I do find interesting is that the characters I most admire or identify with are not necessarily the same ones whose costumes I like. But it sure helps.

[Trained Chicken]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

The Alex Ross' Captain Marval (Shazam) is great. Also I always liked Doctor Fate as well

 

Alex Ross' anything kicks ***.

[Marketeer]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

One of the few female heroine costumes that is both stylish and functional:

 

Big Barda's armor.

 

[starblaze]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Spider-man has one of the most graphically interesting costumes ever. Which was why the black uniform business was nearly criminal.

 

I like costumes that have a symbol—Superman, Batman, Spider-man, Wonder Woman, the X-Men—since that symbol can be used in so many ways. Remember Dark Knight Returns, as the Amercian flag subtly shifts it white to yellow? You just know who you're looking at. And what they're about.

 

Keith "And of course, Power Girl, for obvious reasons" Curtis

 

Ah, but with web-pits or without?

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Love the Hobgoblin. It's exceedingly rare when a knock-off look is better than the original, but Hobby did it. The addition of the cape & cowl is fantastic. Lots of shots of shrouded face emphasize the menace. I still remember one issue during the Gang War storyline where he's talking to the Rose on a balcony, looking like a total bad***. Great image.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Captain America's costume is a classic.

I like the classic lines of Superman as well.

I've always liked the FF's costumes.

Wildfire (from the Legion) has a cool looking costume/suit, as does Iron Man.

I dig Deathstroke's, especially the mask.

I love Samatin's with the odd cape thing that attaches at the wrist.

I loved Nightwing's first costume (yeah the owe with the yellow belt and "wings") sue me.

Badger's costume is pretty cool - the read and blue with the paw print.

[stitches]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I"m quite partial to costumes that included trenchcoats. Gambit's original blue, black, and purple costume (and even his days in the yellow and blue X-Men uniform) are great examples

[J.J.]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

My faves include Kid Flash (Wally) and Captain Marvel (seriel/Alex Ross style). Which gives me an odd red & yellow lightning bolt vibe. I don't use those colors often, myself.

 

I like Vortex & Morningstar (1st suits) from the Elementals, Aquaman's camo suit, Tarantula and Amazing Man from the All Star Squadron, Spidey remains a real nice balance (except the back spider design), and there were some neat things done with Faze 1 Fazers designs (not many know who they are) like Imposter. Iczer 1 & 2 rock. Ultraman (the giant japanese guy). Firestorm is slick, too.

[ArmlessTigerMan]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Not strictly costumes, but I've always liked the look of 'monstrous' characters: Sasquatch, The Thing, and alien Green Lanterns like Kilowog. They seem to provide a nice contrast to the clean lines of costumed heroes.

 

I also have a secret fondness for goofy golden age costumes:Flash's costume is a goofy helmet, a long sleeve red shirt, and what looks like skin tight jeans. It just works. Hourman, Starman, and Red Bee are all visually interesting to me. I don't know why.

[ShinDangaioh]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Guy Gardner's costume when he had the yellow ring. Blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a leather jacket with a stylized gold G on the chest.

 

Sho Fukamachi's Guyver armor(and the Gigantic upgrade) Its shilloutte says don't mess with me.

 

Linda Danver's Supergirl costume in the final PAD Supergirl issue.

 

Amethyst's normal costume. It's one of the few times purple and orange worked together.

 

In the villian category: Justice Lord Superman

[MK Blackout]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Am I the only one who LIKED Spiderman's black costume?

[Guest Suleyman Rashid]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Love the Hobgoblin. It's exceedingly rare when a knock-off look is better than the original' date=' but Hobby did it. The addition of the cape & cowl is fantastic. Lots of shots of shrouded face emphasize the menace. I still remember one issue during the Gang War storyline where he's talking to the Rose on a balcony, looking like a total bad***. Great image.[/quote']

 

 

I'll second this. Hobgoblin's a much better visualized character than the Green Goblin.

[Chuckg]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Visually, yes, otherwise, oh dear God no.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Visually' date=' yes, otherwise, oh dear God no.[/quote']

 

True. Hobgoblin's a powerful combatant (using inventions created by another), a criminal well suited to the enforcer role he played w/Rose. The Green Goblin, otoh, frequently qualified as a mastermind, and was a scientific genius.

[proditor]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I like Vortex & Morningstar (1st suits) from the Elementals...

I love Willingham's designs and art. The one thing that I really really liked about the Elementals was that there was a lot of white used in the costume designs. In "The Natural Order" (IIRC?) Someone else did the intro and talked about how stunning it was to have these huge fields of white in superhero costumes. Still, I'd put Morningstar's 1st costume up against pretty much anything created since then in terms of sleek style.

 

It was nice to see some love for Nova, he did/does have a clean and very good look. As to his headgear, I will admit to being partial to the bucket myself. He's getting the "Essential" treatment in like Febuary/March, so run out and grab 500 pages of Nova comics for like 17 bucks.

[MCMaenza]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Nova's original look was rather cool (looking forward to the Essential next month). About the same time, the original design for Firestorm's costume stood out at the time it debuted.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Another vote for red & blue Spidey-wear. Also possibly the only superhero costume that looks as good on the big screen as it did in the comic.

 

I also used to love Dr. Strange's get-up, with the cloak and the Eye of Agamotto or whatever.

 

As for women, one of my favorites was always Ms. Marvel's blue-with-lightning-bolt-and-red-sash.

 

Worst costume? I gotta vote for the X-Men's yellow spandex. U. G. L. Y.

 

 

bigdamnhero

"You got somthing against gutters?"

[Peregrine]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I always liked Brainwave Jr's (Infinity Inc.) costume myself. The open-top cowl has a certain appeal to it.

[Kelcyron]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

Am I the only one who LIKED Spiderman's black costume?

 

I liked it too. It's the costume that I use for the Spiderman homage I'm currently running (even bought the heroclix to use as a figure for it).

 

Kelcyron

[Tiree]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I guess I like the Dark Costumes - Black and Grey's. I mean how are you going to skulk the night without it?

 

I also like the utilitarian style of clothes, where you have the utility belt or combat gear and restraints. The stuff that reminds me that they are soldiers, and they are going to get into a fight.

 

For pulpish stuff, I like the trenchcoats and eye masks. Normal clothing used in a non-standard way. One of my favorites characters I played had a Tux and a black mask...

 

As for characters: US Agent, Dark Pheonix (she just looked hot in red!), and the White Queen in her lengerie!

[Mutant for Hire]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I tend to favor the more military uniform look. Utility belts, clothes that looked like they wouldn't rip when you looked at them. Things along the lines that you might actually expect paranormals in the real world to wear going into action.

 

Which is not to say I didn't love the swimsuit to fetishwear look for the women, but on the whole I tended to find that a little implausible for action. Of course it's perfect for lounging around the base tho....

[SatinKitty]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

I'm kinda neutral on most costumes, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: Invictus' new costume must GO.

The old Flare costumes were pretty cool.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

When it comes to teams, I do like a certain uniformity. I've always like the elegant simplicity of the FF's costumes. I'm not overly fond of Johnny's red outfit, but at least it still worked. I also liked it when the X-Men tried to do a more uniform look. Cyclops looked the best in it, but he was the prototype. Cyke looked best with his hair showing, i never liked the bald blue look.

[Sketchpad]

Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)

 

It was nice to see some love for Nova, he did/does have a clean and very good look. As to his headgear, I will admit to being partial to the bucket myself. He's getting the "Essential" treatment in like Febuary/March, so run out and grab 500 pages of Nova comics for like 17 bucks.

 

Oh I know I'm so there when it comes out!