why do heroes and villains put their underpants outside?

[hitokiri_]

that is a mystery for me.

[InfoBroker]

er... umm...

Flash didn't!
Spidey didn't!!


Hulk kept his pants on, outer and under. He didn't care much for shirts though.

Unless you are thinking of the entire suit as long-johns rather than just the waist to abdomen underpants part. Short-johns?

-jb the ib :cool:

[Cei-U!]

The earliest super-hero costumes, such as Superman's and the Phantom's, were based on the tights circus performers such as acrobats and trapeze artists had been wearing since the mid-Ninteenth Century. The shorts, which were usually a different color than the leotard, broke up the performer's silhouette so the audience couldn't "lose" him against the backdrop of the tent and also provided extra covering for his manly bulge so as not to offend the sensibilities of Victorian ladies. The outfit was deemed perfect for the action-oriented new genre with its primitive coloring techniques and it quickly became the standard.

Hope that was helpful.

Cei-U!
I summon the Spandex!

[hitokiri_]

The earliest super-hero costumes, such as Superman's and the Phantom's, were based on the tights circus performers such as acrobats and trapeze artists had been wearing since the mid-Ninteenth Century. The shorts, which were usually a different color than the leotard, broke up the performer's silhouette so the audience couldn't "lose" him against the backdrop of the tent and also provided extra covering for his manly bulge so as not to offend the sensibilities of Victorian ladies. The outfit was deemed perfect for the action-oriented new genre with its primitive coloring techniques and it quickly became the standard.

Hope that was helpful.

Cei-U!
I summon the Spandex!


damn!!!! i never thought i would get an explanation. how about the heroes that were created in the 80s?

[discostu]

They were designed that way back in the thirties and true to form, DC never changes anything! ever! Even ridiculous costume designs! ARRRRGH!

[Jonathan Bogart]

Because it would bunch up and ride up their butts if they wore it on the inside, of course!

(Just read Bizarro Comics 2. That's one of the jokes in there, though it misfires slightly due to a coloring error.)

[crankyoldman]

Cei-U! hit the nail on the head when it comes to why this mode of costuming flourished among early superheroes. As for why later heroes perpetuate the practice, it is simply that it has become a convention of the comic book superhero genre, and thus may be allowed to persist long after the cultural conditions under which it originated passed away.

However, don't some contemporary pro wrestlers make similar sartorial choices? I think they're a good analog for the strongmen and circus performers of past eras. I don't watch wrestling much (hardly ever, in fact), but I'm almost certain I've seen this trunks-on-the-outside fashion among them. Any wrestling fans out there can back me up or prove me wrong?

[comic_lover]

that is a mystery for me. It covers their Depends undergarments. :D

[discostu]

Cei-U! hit the nail on the head when it comes to why this mode of costuming flourished among early superheroes. As for why later heroes perpetuate the practice, it is simply that it has become a convention of the comic book superhero genre, and thus may be allowed to persist long after the cultural conditions under which it originated passed away.

However, don't some contemporary pro wrestlers make similar sartorial choices? I think they're a good analog for the strongmen and circus performers of past eras. I don't watch wrestling much (hardly ever, in fact), but I'm almost certain I've seen this trunks-on-the-outside fashion among them. Any wrestling fans out there can back me up or prove me wrong?
I think your wrong. mexican wrestlers maybe, but american ones usualy wear just the under wear or solid pants

[fumetti]

DC's kinda stuck with the underwear design. Supes' 40s-style costume is his most marketable feature.

Keeping the old designs on the characters is about trademarks and licensing. Those dorky red underpants earn millions for DC every year.

[Jesse Hamm]

Women's workout-wear often features this design. Tight black thigh-shorts or leggings with a colored thong over that. I guess this is purely for aesthetic reasons?

In comics, I'd add that the underpants part clarifies the fact that the characters are, indeed, wearing clothing. Without the sleevelines, neckline, and undy-lines, they end up looking like brightly colored nekkid people.

[Paradox]

The better to hold in their goodies, Red Riding Hood! :p

[Mike Kuypers]

Batman: "I ask myself that question every time I need to use the restroom."

Superman: "In the trade we refer to them as overpants."

Daredevil: "Give a blind man a break, willya?"

Thor: "Who be I to argue with Jack Kirby?"

Dr. Fate: "To head off that other annoying question: 'Boxers or briefs?'"

[Jonathan Bogart]

Dr. Fate: "To head off that other annoying question: 'Boxers or briefs?'"
Exactly. No need to ask when a quick glance will tell you.

[hondobrode]

Thanks Cei-U ! I had wondered that myself and had never heard this logic until now. It makes perfect sense. Yes, they do look kind of stupid, but I think in some instances it would look even more stupid without the extra cover for a guy's package. Not all characters have the shorties on the outside.

[Kirk G]

The earliest super-hero costumes, such as Superman's and the Phantom's, were based on the tights circus performers such as acrobats and trapeze artists had been wearing since the mid-Ninteenth Century. The shorts, which were usually a different color than the leotard, broke up the performer's silhouette so the audience couldn't "lose" him against the backdrop of the tent and also provided extra covering for his manly bulge so as not to offend the sensibilities of Victorian ladies. The outfit was deemed perfect for the action-oriented new genre with its primitive coloring techniques and it quickly became the standard.

Hope that was helpful.

Cei-U!
I summon the Spandex!
AWhile you may be correct, I was going to go with a similar answer.
Check out all the wrestlers that Jack Kirby draws in the Challenger of the Unknown/early Fantastic Four era. Every one has that same leotard/shorts motiff... and, I agree, most of his heroes...Hulk, Thing, Cap, Hercules, Unus, are all based upon Wrestlers... so I suspect it was an unconscious thing that kept cropping up. (Plus, think of all the kids imitating the costumed wrestlers on tv. Look at the first Spider-Man story of his origin in Amazing Fantasy #15.... Peter goes to a masked wrestling match to make money as a costumed hero..... That's the dead giveaway...) :)

[dr_cyclops]

The earliest super-hero costumes, such as Superman's and the Phantom's, were based on the tights circus performers such as acrobats and trapeze artists had been wearing since the mid-Ninteenth Century. The shorts, which were usually a different color than the leotard, broke up the performer's silhouette so the audience couldn't "lose" him against the backdrop of the tent and also provided extra covering for his manly bulge so as not to offend the sensibilities of Victorian ladies. The outfit was deemed perfect for the action-oriented new genre with its primitive coloring techniques and it quickly became the standard.

Hope that was helpful.

Cei-U!
I summon the Spandex!


Thank you so much, I thought it was some Italian thing.
Now can you explain why "Bazooka Joe's" eye patch seem to move from the right eye to the left eye, I mean really, which eye was he missing?

[Cei-U!]

Now can you explain why "Bazooka Joe's" eye patch seem to move from the right eye to the left eye, I mean really, which eye was he missing?

The first time I ever showed my artwork to a pro (I forget who it was but he was at the same con where I met you and Tony), he pointed out that all my drawings of Nick Fury had his patch over the wrong eye. I'd completly forgotten that until just now.

Cei-U!
It was... a... an LMD! Yeah, THAT'S the ticket!