Superman's costume

[bw38]

This is partly coming from another post I made in the Superman Doomsday thread. I think it can have a thread of it's own. A lot of other popular superheros have had changes in their costumes. Some of them have been minor changes, others have been significant. Batman has gone from blue/grey to all black to changes in the bat symbol on his chest. Spiderman has gone from his red/blue to all black. That's not even counting the other versions of Spiderman where he has a metallic suit (silver/black) or is in all red w/ a blue vest. Flash has also had costume changes (although since I don't follow him much I can't say the specific changes he's had, but he certainly hasn't had the costume he's had now always, all three Flashes have had different costumes). I think Green Latern has had changes. And a couple of others I'm sure you can think of.

Superman however seems to have had the same costume for as long as I can remember. In DCAU, a future version of Superman is shown wearing all black which I thought looked pretty cool, but that's about it I think. Has there ever been a costume change to Superman? Adding suits over his costume does not count. If so when? And if you had to change Superman's costume (not that it's necessarily bad or anything) how would you go about changing it? What would you change? If you have any artistic abilities feel free to draw him in a new costume.

[Conner_Kent]

yes he had a very big costume change plus powers back in 1997, he went from the classic red, blue & yellow to blue & white, plus his powers where all electric based. Also for awhile he had a darker version of his normal one,the biggest change in that one was he "S", its normally red & yellow, then change was red & black, both have been stopped cause not to many ppl liked either one

[bw38]

it would be pretty cool to see pictures of these different costumes. do you have any images? clearly i was wrong about him not having any costume changes. although it seems that most people just didn't like the changes.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Superman's costume actually has undergone some subtle changes over the years, although the general look has always remained the same.

You can see the evolution of the costume and the S-shield in particular, here:

http://superman.ws/Costumes/S.php

[bw38]

that's actually pretty cool although it kind of goes with what i was saying in that his costume doesn't seem to have changed much, except well the S. I'd be interesting in seeing some of the costumes that Conner_Kent described Superman used briefly.

[Infra-Man]

Here are two images of the Electric Superman:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Superman_Blue... (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Superman_Blue.jpg/180px-Superman_Blue.jpg)

http://www.intuitivewebdesigns.com/comics/graphics/superman/NewSuperman2.jpg

In addition to this constume change, Superman once sported a mullet of justice. That is one thing that should never, ever be brought back.

[MaxofSteel]

Electric Blue Supes:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q109/calamax34/supeblue.gif

Back from the Dead Supes:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q109/calamax34/ROSBSSupermanFigBIG.jpg

(I couldn't find a better image for this one unfortunately)

Oh. Here's the Red version of Electric Supes:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q109/calamax34/20060721002842-superman-red.jpg

And both of them together:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q109/calamax34/mbailey-bluered.jpg

[Jeff-E]

I really don't remember, what was the deal with the Superman 2 Electric Boogaloo? or What the heck was the deal with the Blue and Red Sup's?

[Gernot]

Electric Blue Superman had been around for awhile, and The Cyborg (not to be confused with the Teen Titan) trapped and tried to kill Superman. Needless to say, Superman escaped the death-trap, but found himself split into two beings, one blue and the other red.

No one's quite sure as yet how/why Superman regained his normal super-powers.

[MythicBrawn]

I would like for him to lose the underwear on the outside and cape.

[4thHorseman]

There was one issue in the "Man of Tomorrow" back in 99 I believe that went through all his costume changes. He's had many. When he was...what...Gangbuster or whatever, when the Eradicator had made him start taking control of the planet in the krypton clothing, the Hunter Prey outfit...there's been several.

[Xanrn]

The Cape is fine, the goddam Underwear on the outside needs to go.

Same with Batman, Robin, Hourman and any other goddam Hero that can't understand the word UNDERwear.

[bw38]

superman without the underwears basically looks like the eradicator.

[Rik Levins]

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/rik_levins/supercostume.jpg

[Pinnacle]

It's an iconic look. If the Yankees changed their uniforms from the classic pinstripes, it would make them look like these stupid NBA teams with their 50 different uniforms that are not at all recognizable.

The electric Supermen were beyond stupid.

Eradicator Superman looked cool but it just didn't seem like Superman to me.

Keep the classic look. Underwear and all. There's a joke I've never heard before.:rolleyes:

[Dr. Drake Ramoray]

Since the red trunks are worn on the outside of the blue tights, with the belt and belt loops, by definition, they're not underwear.

[caboose]

I can understand why people take issue with the outer-underwear but honestly you can't permanently alter Superman's costume. It's so iconic. Besides the underwear being on the outside is as big a part of the classic costume's charm as anything else. Its funny because everyone is in on the joke.

[Kid Quick Foots]

as much as we'd all like to see the underoo's get gone, it will NEVER happen. You can thank the superman red/blue fiasco for that, they had a prime oppertunity for change and THAT was what they came with?

not to mention the superman property makes TOO much money and is TOO recognizable a character for DC to EVER change him perminetly.

[Joe Night]

as much as we'd all like to see the underoo's get gone, it will NEVER happen. You can thank the superman red/blue fiasco for that, they had a prime oppertunity for change and THAT was what they came with?

not to mention the superman property makes TOO much money and is TOO recognizable a character for DC to EVER change him perminetly.

I agree, Superman is much too recognizable, he is too big a pop icon too make major changes to. A few years ago VH1 (I know not the best source) did a top 200 pop culture icons and Superman was #2, the next comic character I believe was Spidey at #151 and Batman at #158 (although their tallying may be flawed since Oprah was #1)

Batman hasn't even had too many major changes, only small stuff like shades darker and lighter on the suit and different bat symbols.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

"If at first you don´t succeed, try, try and try again."

Publishers shouldn´t be affraid to experiment, to change, to seek out new formulas, to push the books to the edge of the envelope.

Get rid of the underwear, kill Lois, kill Jimmy, kill Ma and Pa Kent, blow up the Fortress of Solitude, blow up the Daily Planet, give Luthor superpowers, have Lois sleep with Batman (you know she wants to), have Supes sleeping around with Maxima, heck give them superbabies for all I care. More black characters, more diversity, better, more powerful villains, more soul... TRY EVERYTHING!


It doesn´t work, well, this is comicbooks, you can always retcon it.

The key word is : EXPERIMENT!

Don´t get caught up on boring old formulas just because a couple boring old men don´t like change.

[MichaelMogg]

Is there any reason for his cape? The only thing I can imagine is shielding others from harm's way. Batman, being vulnerable, has a reason to have his, not to mention, I think it has pockets inside where he can keep stuff he needs.

I agree with the above: experiment away. Look at the horrible mullet Superman; yeah it sucked, but it shows that Superman is a "normal" human who changes with the times. Who among us has the same look for 60 years. :rolleyes:

[MaxofSteel]

Get rid of the underwear, kill Lois, kill Jimmy, kill Ma and Pa Kent, blow up the Fortress of Solitude, blow up the Daily Planet, give Luthor superpowers, have Lois sleep with Batman (you know she wants to), have Supes sleeping around with Maxima, heck give them superbabies for all I care. More black characters, more diversity, better, more powerful villains, more soul... TRY EVERYTHING!

Ehhhhhhhh I dunno about all the other stuff.

The bold I definitely agree with though.

[shyguy]

Is there any reason for his cape?

It looks cool.

I don't see any reason to change the classic Superman suit and I can think of a lot of really good reasons not to.

For what it's worth, my favorite has always been the costume from the classic Max Flieschman cartoons. I like the darker tones.

[Black Atom]

"If at first you don´t succeed, try, try and try again."

Publishers shouldn´t be affraid to experiment, to change, to seek out new formulas, to push the books to the edge of the envelope.

Get rid of the underwear, kill Lois, kill Jimmy, kill Ma and Pa Kent, blow up the Fortress of Solitude, blow up the Daily Planet, give Luthor superpowers, have Lois sleep with Batman (you know she wants to), have Supes sleeping around with Maxima, heck give them superbabies for all I care. More black characters, more diversity, better, more powerful villains, more soul... TRY EVERYTHING!


It doesn´t work, well, this is comicbooks, you can always retcon it.

The key word is : EXPERIMENT!

Don´t get caught up on boring old formulas just because a couple boring old men don´t like change.

A lot of this stuff HAS happened if you look at Superman comics from the 60s. Well, there wasn't much sleeping around, but there was lots of dating around. We generally look back at those comics and mock them.

[Punch]

I like the S with the black background the best.

[Darth Joker]

"If at first you don´t succeed, try, try and try again."

Publishers shouldn´t be affraid to experiment, to change, to seek out new formulas, to push the books to the edge of the envelope.

Get rid of the underwear, kill Lois, kill Jimmy, kill Ma and Pa Kent, blow up the Fortress of Solitude, blow up the Daily Planet, give Luthor superpowers, have Lois sleep with Batman (you know she wants to), have Supes sleeping around with Maxima, heck give them superbabies for all I care. More black characters, more diversity, better, more powerful villains, more soul... TRY EVERYTHING!


It doesn´t work, well, this is comicbooks, you can always retcon it.

The key word is : EXPERIMENT!

Don´t get caught up on boring old formulas just because a couple boring old men don´t like change.

The funkier of these ideas (the ones that MaxofSteel didn't bold) are what Elseworlds are for. A major supporting cast character dying once every, say, 5 to 10 years, might be a good idea... if deaths meant anything in comics any more. Sadly, they don't.

DCAU Batman/Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane definitely liked one another a lot - I'm unaware of much interaction at all between these two characters in the comic book continuity, though.

Personally, I find the extremely dedicated Superman/Lois Lane romance to be charming and touching, and I love the fact that both Superman and his wife don't sleep around - that they take their marriage vows seriously.

Yes, Superman/Wonder Woman, or Superman/Maxima, can be fun to experiment with too... but that's what Elseworlds are for.

[matt_hatyber]

you want to know what i would like to see...its a really stupid idea..but would be funny....say some how sup's got turned into a baby or young kid(12-13)...and he had to fight crime as a kid or baby..then his costume would be like a little red diaper..and a superman shirt thats to big for him...but no cape cuz that would look bad

[casual Bat Fan]

I can't believe some people would want to see big changes to Supes. I mean look at the fiasco with the Electric Blue Superman. Superman is too iconic for such a change. It may look boring or ridiculous for some but it's like changing the Yankees or Red Sox uniforms to the point that they're unrecognizable as such.

Superman and Batman (yeah Batman has had big changes but his current look is more or less a modern take on how he looked in the early '40s) should never change for the forseeable future. It just kills the image and recognizablity factor.

Tho I have to say I love the Silver "S" symbol.

[bw38]

casual Bat Fan, it's interesting you bring up Batman. I was just thinking about this but aside from the fact that he changed his costume has changed a lot, i like how in the DCAU Batman at some point changed his costume in the future. I'm talking about the Batman Beyond costume. Now of course that costume was updated for the time he was in, but I found that costume to be really cool. Heck I thought seeing Bruce in it was pretty cool in itself. It's all black with a red bat in the middle, no cape, and wings that can be pulled out at voluntarily. Now I'm not sure that would work for Superman but would it be fair to say most people didn't have a problem with the change in costumes in Batman to Batman Beyond? I think something similar could happen for Superman. Maybe if his costume were changed in a way that it actually made sense and had a purpose it wouldn't be so bad. For example, the underwear make no sense and neither does the red cape. That's not to say the costume doesn't look cool (something about underwear over tights and capes just looks good on some costumes). But at least give the costume an actual purpose that's all.

[matt_hatyber]

well batmanis having a costume change i think..because in the dc 2007 preview art thing...you see batman with new costume and stuff.

[MichaelMogg]

The other changes in the past, like the electric blue and red Supes, are a bit too far gone. We're not talking about a whole character change, but just a little change, like I dunno:

Superman, in the process of trying to fly down to save Lois, gets his cape caught on something, so he rips it off. He swoops down to save Lois just in time. Lois, in his big arms, looks up and says: No cape, huh? Like the look.

There ya go. Supes then decides to ditch the cape seeing how A) Lois digs it, and B) it got into the way of saving her.

It doesn't have to be some over the top plot twist.

I really applaud those who have redesigned Batman, and kept him somewhat up with the times.

[Xanrn]

He doesn't need the damm overunderpants

His S is Iconic, his big red cape is Iconic.

The overunderpants are just sad.

Give him a decent red belt if you need to break up the blue or red panels.

Ultraman looks better than him.

[casual Bat Fan]

well batmanis having a costume change i think..because in the dc 2007 preview art thing...you see batman with new costume and stuff.

If this is true then i'm going to be one very unhappy DC customer and Batfan.

[bw38]

If this is true then i'm going to be one very unhappy DC customer and Batfan.
If it is true, you still don't know what the change will be. How can you be upset about something you haven't seen? The change could be minor, it could be big. Regardless, change shouldn't be looked at as a bad thing, it should be embraced if it's a change for the better. And I'm not saying I don't like Batman's costume but if he has a new costume that looks better than why not.

Btw does anyone have a link or knowledge of this dc 2007 art preview which was mentioned? It'd be cool to see a preview of the change of costume they plan to give Batman.

[bw38]

msg posted 3 times

[bw38]

msg posted 3 times

[casual Bat Fan]

If it is true, you still don't know what the change will be. How can you be upset about something you haven't seen? The change could be minor, it could be big. Regardless, change shouldn't be looked at as a bad thing, it should be embraced if it's a change for the better. And I'm not saying I don't like Batman's costume but if he has a new costume that looks better than why not.


It's just an assumption on my part. I'm kinda hoping they go back to the yellow oval :D

Wow...this really went off-topic a bit. Sorry about that.

[umbc8]

Well, Batman's only had about 5 changes in 68 years. He wore his first costume until the 60s, when all he did was add the yellow oval, then Bruce wore that costume until the mid-90s, this was kinda broken up by Azbats and his 3 variations on his version of the costume, then Bruce went to all black without the underwear through the end of the 90s, and then basically went back to his original costume in 2000 after No Man's Land ended. As far as the 2007 preview image, the Batman in that image was in a costume from one of his Elseworlds adventures, and since that image was mostly clues, I'm thinking it has something to due with Grant Morrison's upcoming story about an international league of Batman (similar to some stories from the 50s or 60s). I don't think Batman will be changing his costume (after all, Barry Allen is in the image too, and it has been confirmed that he isn't coming back). Other than Azbats, none of these changes have been monumental, and there really weren't any complaints.

As for the Flash, Jay Allen has been a super-hero since 1940, and has worn the exact same costume for 67 years (other than some minor changes due to artistic interpretation). Barry Allen got a different costume in 1957, since he was a different Flash, but it stayed the same until 1990, when Wally updated the look a bit with the white eyes and a slightly different design for the bolt design around his waist. Then, in the late 90s, he got rid of the white eyes, but nothing else change, and Bart is still wearing the same design. None of these were a big deal to anyone.

Superman has basically had the same costume since 1938, other than some minor changes like redesigns of the S-Shield and cape length. He had the black outfit for a few months, but it was only temporary. For a year, he had different powers and a new costume, and it made headlines because the original plan was for it to be a permanent change. People were pissed about it (enough that they printed a bunch in the comics for the whole year), and eventually the change was made temporary and his original powers and costume came back in a confusing way. Then, after the Our Worlds at War story (and 9/11), the costume went a shade darker and the yellow in the shield went to black. This was meant to be temporary, although there was a little bit of a hoopla about even this very minor change.

Now the classic is back, and people want it to change again? Everytime there is a change, there are more complaints than anything. Honestly, I think the costume looks awesome just the way it is. It is iconic and has a timeless look that still looks cool. There is no reason to change it.

And, since someone asked, the cape is basically for looks, but is also an artistic tool to show motion. It also used to illustrate just how tough Superman was when he would come out of some incident unscathed while he cape was in tatters. I don't think that comes into play in the new continuity though.

[King Krypton]

Is there any reason for his cape?

It looks cool.

I don't see any reason to change the classic Superman suit and I can think of a lot of really good reasons not to.

For what it's worth, my favorite has always been the costume from the classic Max Flieschman cartoons. I like the darker tones.

I love the Fleischer costume, too. But the minute it was used as the basis for a live-action costume, people rioted and are still rioting. That should tell you something about how close-minded the fandom is when it comes to Superman's visual history.

And for the record, I loved the red and black shield post-OWAW, much more than the standard yellow. I just wish they'd gone all the way and ditched the yellow from the suit completely and gone for a Kingdom Come-like look.

[Gamiel]

Is there any reason for his cape? The only thing I can imagine is shielding others from harm's way. Batman, being vulnerable, has a reason to have his, not to mention, I think it has pockets inside where he can keep stuff he needs.


Superman couldn’t fly back in the 30's & 40's he could just "super"-jump. He used the cape to steer his fall and to glide fly.

[dupersuper]

For a year, he had different powers and a new costume, and it made headlines because the original plan was for it to be a permanent change.


I SERIOUSLY doubt that.

[Kara Zor El]

Well, Batman's only had about 5 changes in 68 years. He wore his first costume until the 60s, when all he did was add the yellow oval, then Bruce wore that costume until the mid-90s, this was kinda broken up by Azbats and his 3 variations on his version of the costume, then Bruce went to all black without the underwear through the end of the 90s, and then basically went back to his original costume in 2000 after No Man's Land ended.

He also had purple/pink gloves, which were short and had cuffs, in his first appearances. He's also had fins on his boots in the black costume period.
And the ears were long at first and then became very short for a long time, then longer in the 70's and 80's and fluctuated from artist to artist from then on. It wasn't until the 80's that they became incredibly long, with Bernie Wrightson doing them about two foot long.

[Alex A Sanchez]

I SERIOUSLY doubt that.

Well that's what the newspapers were claiming. I still have a clipping from out local newpaper- it features the first inline image displayed in this thread.

[I] have Supes sleeping around with Maxima, heck give them superbabies for all I care.

Heck, I know if I had superpowers like Clark's, I'd be come a Super-slut. :p

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Well that's what the newspapers were claiming. I still have a clipping from out local newpaper- it features the first inline image displayed in this thread.


Yet another example of journalistic excellence....

[chriskenny]

The changes I would make to his costume would actually be a return to an older version of his costume. I would return his cape to being a cape and not a cloak. I find that his cape ends at his ankles, which always seemed like it would be something he tripped over. He doesn't use it in any practical way like Batman does (i.e., to conceal himself in darkness) so just make a classic cape. Movie-length---to the back his knees or top of his calf.

I also think that the growing S-shield needs to recede a little bit. It has gotten a little too big over the years. It now stretches from shoulder to shoulder. I liked the size of his shield during the Curt Swan era.

So I would re-tweak his costume to return it to a more classic look, not to make him newer or edgier. Kind of like how the "new" Batman costume made him closer to his original conception. People haven't rejected that costume tweak because it seems in keeping with the essence of the character. In a similar fashion, I feel like my tweaks would make Superman look a little more heroic and swashbuckling.

[Jaspert]

i love the cape, its just an icon but the underwere should go. i dont know if you guys ever saw this pictures:

http://www.universohq.com/quadrinhos/images/stann_lee_superman.jpg

http://www.comicsvf.com/scans/vf/semic/justimaginestanlee/superman.jpg

this is a stan lee version of superman, i dont think its the best desing but it shows that the underwere its not really neccessary and i like the dark blue too

[Jaspert]

i love the cape, its just an icon but the underwere should go. i dont know if you guys ever saw this pictures:

http://www.universohq.com/quadrinhos/images/stann_lee_superman.jpg

http://www.comicsvf.com/scans/vf/semic/justimaginestanlee/superman.jpg

this is a stan lee version of superman, i dont think its the best desing but it shows that the underwere its not really neccessary and i like the dark blue too

[shyguy]

The thing is that if you get rid of the underwear, you still need something red down in that area to break up all that blue (and just the yellow belt doesn't cut it).

They addressed this on Wolverine's latest outfit by extending the blue sides of his costume down to his legs.

In Supes' case, I can't think of anything that works as well as the red briefs.

[BoosterBronze]

So I would re-tweak his costume to return it to a more classic look, not to make him newer or edgier. Kind of like how the "new" Batman costume made him closer to his original conception. People haven't rejected that costume tweak because it seems in keeping with the essence of the character. In a similar fashion, I feel like my tweaks would make Superman look a little more heroic and swashbuckling.

In that vein, I think a darker blue would be cool, harkening back to the navy suit in his first appearances.

[Titan76]

I love the Michael Turner Superman look.

http://www.hillcity-comics.com/graphic_novels/new_graphic_novel4926.jpg

I wouldn't mind this being Supes new look but old school fanboys would kill DC if they did this. Which makes the look even better.:D

[Titan76]

I love the Michael Turner Superman look.
http://www.brokenfrontier.com/img/2005/mar/DC/SupermanGodfallTP.jpg

I wouldn't mind this being Supes new look but old school fanboys would kill DC if they did this. Which makes the look even better.:D

[bw38]

now that looks freaking hot.

[marshal99]

Why have a costume at all ? ;)

http://paris.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/superman_naked.jpg

[Murrocko]

I love the Michael Turner Superman look.
http://www.brokenfrontier.com/img/2005/mar/DC/SupermanGodfallTP.jpg

I wouldn't mind this being Supes new look but old school fanboys would kill DC if they did this. Which makes the look even better.:D

What's that from and how long did it appear for?

[Titan76]

What's that from and how long did it appear for?
Its from the story arc "God-Fall" and the new look lasted for only that story arc. The story was written at least 3 years ago, here's a link (http://www.comix-shop.co.uk/cx-dc/dc-comics/godfall.html) that shows the other covers to it and what issues the story takes place in or you could just get the trade if you are interested.

[Kid Quick Foots]

the perfect Superman costume imho

http://superman.ws/ultimate/usuperman.jpg

[bw38]

the perfect Superman costume imho

http://superman.ws/ultimate/usuperman.jpg
That's a pretty hot costume too. Goes to show you that you don't need the underwears over the tights.

[brahmabull]

http://www.spawn.com/news/events/mocca/images/piece.50.jpg