Article Erik Larsen posted on Facebook concerning the "trunks"

[Mr. Holmes]

I'd be okay with that.

Hopefully I'm married and not reading superhero comics in 10 years.

[JayBay]

I can't wait to see the undies return in all their glory.

[Sacred Knight]

I doubt they ever will, at least not in the comics or film. The costume itself will most definitely undergo some changes to various degrees but outside of animation and classic imagery I'd be surprised if the trunks ever came back.

[mos]

I'd be okay with that.

Hopefully I'm married and not reading superhero comics in 10 years.

I'm married but I'm still reading superhero comics

I understand your preference that Superman should drop the trunks (that's also my stand on the practical level since it's one "obstacle" to hurdle to lure in the new. "sophisticated" and "mature" audience). However, the point that I would like to make is that you can give Superman the coolest costume you can think of or draw but as long as the story sucks the new audience will not stick. You said you were interested with Superman in the JLA in the late 90s even with the trunks. Why was that? My reasoning would be because you were "in" to the story more than the superficial nuances of Superman having trunks. Of course, I could be totally wrong and you were into JLA because it was the big 7 or because of the Batgod

[manofsteel1979]

I also think the trunks are history for the most part aside from the trademarked merchandise like halloween costumes, cups, mugs, shirts, lunch boxes, toys...greeting cards etc...but I also think the New 52 suit will also not last without major changes.

I think that the original suit, as was, would have worked just fine without the trunks and a redesign of the belt or the belt area to incorporate both the red and yellow elements that the trunks provided as a color break. Essentially, looking at the MOS movie suit, the texture aside, is very close to that idea, and works SO much better in live action and even on the printed page. In fact, if you just recolor some of the silver detailing around the waist red and brighten the coloring just a tad, it would be the perfect reinterpretation of the classic uniform. It has all the classic elements sans the trunks as is, The proper collar, the proper boots, the proper cape and chest insignia size.

Granted, the New 52 suit looks better and actually pretty good under the right artists (Rocafort, Jurgens, Lee, Scott), but it doesn't change the fact that there are elements about it that just plain suck and are bad design. Some artists were able to make the Electro-Superman look cool during that period, but it didn't change the fact that the design and the very idea of it, just was horrendous and screamed bad mid-90's design sensibility.

Like some have said in other forums and threads, the suit we saw on the last page of SUPERMAN #0, recolored in the proper colors, would be a nice redesign for the New 52. In fact with the suit having the ability to change and shift it's appearance, Supes could just decide to change what it looks like on his own without any story reasoning. Heck, it's possible the Black suit at the end of that issue IS the same suit just reconfigured by Superman for his time travel adventure.

I think we will see the suit change again sooner than later. In fact if MOS becomes a hit, don't be surprised if that design or some elements of it get adapted to the New 52 incarnation.

[Kurosawa]

I think with some simplification and brighter colors the MOS costume could be made to work. If instead of all the designs on the sides and back, if it was one solid red field with a belt and the strips down the legs of the pants, you could get all the effects of the trunks without having the trunks. I will never be happy with the idea that the trunks are stupid because that to me is just another way to deconstruct the genre as a whole, but it would at least look better.

[the Sun God]

I'd be okay with that.

Hopefully I'm married and not reading superhero comics in 10 years.

You can't get away from this simply by ceasing to read comics. In 10 years, all over the world, everybody will wearing underwear over pants. It's the future's fashion

[Chazro]

I don't get how some of you say underwear-on-the-outside is an outdated concept. While it was originally implemented with circus strongmen in mind, it's hardly old fashioned. Huge sports like prowrestling, mixed martial arts, & watersports use them all the time. I imagine many comicbook fans are fans of these sports and yet I never see them mentioned. Just yesterday while watching the Superbowl the Calvin Klein underwear commercial came on, just a stark B&W video of a body beautiful posing in a pair of briefs. Every female in the room was positively drooling! Hell, I'm totally straight and recognized the dude was gorgeous! AND being the Superman fan I am in my mind's eye I pictured the briefs red and the body blue and it totally worked!;) Perhaps the 1st thing to be understood is that it isn't underwear! If it ain't underwear when an athelete wears it, it certainly ain't underwear if Superman wears it! Underwear-on-the-outside is nothing more than a fanboy phrase that apparently a lot of fanboys think to be fact! I don't read Superman comix anymore but still love the character so I cruise around here from time to time just to see what's up. Just an old time fanboy with some spare time to kill chiming in on a very silly topic!;)