Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Superman's look is classic and iconic; he's a great, great looking character, with the cape and boots and the shield. Wayne Boring used to draw it just the right size: big and chest-covering.

Though I can't help but feel those shorts are holding him back. Strictly speaking, they aren't "underwear." They're what dancers call athletic shorts; male dancers wear them over their tights.

Would it be possible to eliminate the shorts altogether, and have Superman's lower torso be entirely blue?

As long as Superman is demonstratably Superman, a lot of variations in his look could work. The fan art section of this website is full of very interesting designs. The black S-shield in the Fleischer cartoons was an intriguing case, for example.

How about gloves? Would gloves work for Superman? I think they would. Superman didn't leave fingerprints (except when smushing iron). But there are still many reasons to wear gloves even if you are indestructible and have no fingerprints.

As for the shorts, the Superman movie people were off and they ought to have not made them so "European bathing suit" small. If anything, it should have been bigger - perhaps even the size of boxers. Hey, that would certainly have captured the ladies in the audience's interest!  :D

I don't have access to early or Golden Age Captain America comics, but was it Don Heck in the 1960s that first started drawing Captain America's costume as being explicitly a kind of scale mail? That was an interesting variation, and an interesting and practical idea.

During the Satellite League, Aquaman wore a scaled chain costume that let him survive out of water for longer than an hour, which is how he got around his 60 minute weakness. I think this has since been forgotten, since Peter David had Aquaman survive out of water for a longer period of time without the costume.

We wouldn't want him getting his handy-pandies cold, now, would we? Why not mittens?

When you think of it, it's amazing how little the costume has changed since its first inception: though the emblem has changed, there always was one on the chest, and the other elements - blue union suit, red boots, trunks and cape, yellow belt - have always been there. The neckline changes quite a lot over the years, oddly, but beyond that, I can't think of any major changes. Personally I always liked the "S" at the back of the cape (it was sometimes drawn as a yellow S against a red background, my favourite), but that one comes and goes and I can take it or leave it.

I can't think of any changes I would like to make, never mind like to see, in Superman's costume. I quite like the trunks; if nothing else, they provide a bit of contrast. I'm no fashion designer, but I imagine that without them, you'd just have a blue bodysuit that would make Clark look like an oversized blue ballet dancer. With red boots. I share your view that the trunks were made too small in the film, presumably to mimic the (surprisingly enduring) fashion for hipsters. They looked stupid, frankly.

Probably my favourite version of the costume is the Iron Age; I always liked the way Kal looks in "The Luthor Nobody Knows" (not coincidentally the first Superman story I ever read), which offers a view of him without his cape. Maybe, for variety's sake, artists could play around with the cape a bit more, tying it toga-like under one armpit and slung over the other shoulder, or something.

Rather than change his original costume, it would be nice to see him wear something else on the odd occasion. He attends a lot of banquets - perhaps there could be a formal wear version of the costume, with epaulettes and buttons, a red stripe up the side of the trousers, a bit like a Prussian uniform?

Oh, and he like totally needs to accessorize. Listen ta me, yappin' about clothes like I'm some kinda twist.

Speaking of superhero fashoin, I always loved how Gil Kane used to draw Hal Jordan and Ray Palmer as wearing gloves when they drive.

Wearing gloves when they drive! Now that's class you can't BUY. I wonder if these two are what Morrissey meant by "last of the famous international playboys?"


Actually, I think he'd be rather sleek without it, perfect for a flier. It's funny: I don't mind Batman as much wearing athletic shorts, because that's what he is: an athlete.


Hehe! All good ideas. I should give these to some Superman artists sometime.

I did like how Batman in the Animated Series made use of that big black cloak of his, used it to highlight certain actions, stiffening when he jumps, or getting wider when he swings. I did like how his in the Animated Series came to rest over the chest and cover his bat-symbol like a vest; what a cool look that was and it would be interesting if the same were done for Superman with his red cloak.


I must say, there is something non-formal and everyday about his costume.

How about something not unlike the uniform that Miracleman wore in the Gaiman years, with a Superman seal on the chest broken in twain by a zipper?

Yes! That's the sort of thing I had in mind. Sort of like a brass band leader, except lose the silly hat. Maybe the seal could be small and worn on the left breast, where the medals go.

As for driving with gloves, my father used to do that, in those stringy gloves with holes in the knuckles. It's beyond cool. Another cool thing to do is to wear leather gloves with the cuffs turned up, like The Spirit.

Do you know, I got the idea for messing around with the cape more while watching a production of King Lear. The costumier (or whatever they call it) had Lear's cloak knotted in a different way in every scene, presumably to signify that some time had passed since the last.

No variation in Superman's look is acceptable. He should look as he does in the Silver and Bronze ages. Examples would be Wayne Boring's and Curt Swan's.

Gloves are a terrible idea. Actually, I always liked the fact that Superman had bare hands, unlike the other big guns who wore gloves or gauntlets. This is also in keeping with his lack of head covering or mask.

I agree with Aldous... no changes!  I can't even really accept the monor changes in Superman Returns... Even the rectangular belt buckle in Lois & Clark bothered me (as well as no spit curl)

Yes, nearly all other superheroes wear gloves.  The open-ness and unique nature of Supes costume are iconic and should be immutable.

I could give or take the shield on the back of the cape (it would tend to wrinkle anyway).  I like to see variations on the chest shield but no zippers (?!?) but am also content with the staus quo.

Formal attire maybe for Capt. Marvel, who costume is more of a uniform and comes and goes magically anyway.

The 40s Captain America was occasionally drawn with mesh, as I recall.

As someone who doesn't usually go in for Alex Ross comics, I like the way he sometimes reimagines classic costumes like on the new JSA covers (Green Lantern and Sandman being two of my faves).  I'm sure these may be designs that have been tweaked by other artists but his semi-realistic representations tend to highlight the absurdities of most costumes.  I've been thinking about costumes myself lately.  Superman's is often said to be based on a circus strongman's.  I like the GA Flash's pants/belt.  The shirt collar, belt buckle, and cape (but not the crazy "intentional" color scheme) of Alan Scott, and the practical/unimaginative yet menacing realism of Sandman.  My top 3 fave All-Stars costume-wise.  These are 60-year old properties that would not really be missed by the masses if changed but us fans are a conservative bunch, I think.  We only accept minor changes on dubious aesthetic grounds.

The stylized ring of the Hal Jordan GL is an improvement on the drawing of a lantern on Alan Scott's chest.

I'm going to agree with what seems to be the consensus here (and worldwide); Superman's outfit should be left alone.  It works perfectly as is.  The lack of gloves, like the lack of a mask, reinforces the notion that Superman has nothing to hide.  More than that, it suggests that he's the guy to handle your heavy lifting jobs...he's a hands-on, physical task type.  In contrast, Batman is all about stealth and cunning.  Beyond just protecting Bruce's identity, they reinforce that image of the cat-burglar/black ops figure.  With a lot of other heroes it could go either way...usually it comes down to aesthetics.  Spider-Man, for example, wouldn't look nearly as cool with bare hands, even though logically the gloves ought to sabotage whatever "stick to the wall" power he inherited from that goofy spider.

I agree with Permanus that losing the trunks would make Supes look MORE like a dancer, not less.  I believe Shuster designed the outfit in the vein of a circus or vaudeville strong man, with tights and trunks to protect the ladies in the audience from the sight of his sexy, hairy chest and limbs.  And for me, the trunks again reinforce the "strong guy" image whereas no trunks says girlie-man, or at best, narcissist.  Works on Barry Allen, though, because he's all about speed...hey, it's better than shaving his legs!

I miss the "S" shield on the cape, too.  There was something regal about that thing.

I'm okay with a few tweaks here and there.  I can take the "S" as small as Swan drew it or as large as Boring drew it (Boring's was the prettiest).  I prefer no "S" on the belt buckle, though...that's just a bit much.  Also the blues and reds can get darker and lighter and still be okay.  With the trunks, I prefer them bigger, like Kirby, Rude and now Darwyn Cooke draw them, and not "speedo" style as Brandon Routh had.  Also, Superman MUST have the spit curl.  He looked really dull without it in the Byrne years, and I was sorry to see the last Reeve movie follow suit.

Batman can change his duds as often as he likes, since he has different tasks and anyway his clothes are prone to being shredded regularly.  But the super-suit is almost a character unto itself, and a huge part of the legend, as evidenced in that great Kamandi tale where a religion grows up around it:

(http://nightwing.supermanfan.net/covers/kamandi29.gif)

That sort of multi-generational, cross-cultural iconography is simply not possible if you're changing the thing all the time, now is it?

Superman's Supersuit is so perfect it would be foolish to change it!

Acceptable changes would be playing with the shades of blue, red and yellow. (Teal blue or Blue or Dark Blue, I really don't care) and the size of the S logo. I don't like the tiny ones or the super large ones that take up his whole chest, I think that Curt Swan's version looks best, but it's almost a tradition to change it's size, LOL, so that's not a deal breaker for me.

Any other change is no good. If someone comes up with a new super suit that they think is the bee's knees then give it to a super robot or a superman squad member from Kandor, but keep it away from Kal-El.

Well, SuperMonkey, judging from your avatar, you're okay with reversing the "S" and adding face bandages.  :D

When I first saw that avatar, it looked to me like a cutting from "Superman's New Face".... but I'm not sure why it's around the wrong way.

I'm for keeping the traditional suit, preferably with a large \S/. I wouldn't rule out an alternate uniform, however, much like many sports teams have, to be worn on rare occasions. No gloves, though. Those just wouldn't look right.

I remember that many years ago,the Wizard magazine ask to various artist how they would update the Superman looks,some of the new design were really interesting,expecially the one designed by Darryl Banks,if i or someone else can find this images somewhere and put them here...

That's Super Mummy from the Planet Gjdrkzlxcbwq ;)

No changes.
Superman's uniform is what makes the first and still unique

Can anyone think of a reason why a change might be a good idea?

I think the shield on the back of the cape is essential, and it must be entirely yellow.

Why mess with it?

What brought this to mind is: I read Superman For All Seasons today for the first time, and there is a scene which shows Superman from the back, taking up most of the panel, and there is just this overpowering block of red (cape), and it's this picture that helps show why the cape emblem is necessary. It is very conspicuous by its absence.

So I ask: why mess with it?

The costume has been tweaked a bit from its first appearance.  The boots for example.  The original ones looked like Roman sandles with the leather cords wrapped around the legs(It must have been a real pain to draw that) and gave Superman a Roman gladiator feel and then he had blue boots(it made him look like he was running around in pajamas)

At any rate, the costume changing should be kept with Supergirl.  That S belt buckle was hers originally  ;)

You're probably going back a bit too far. See my other post about the more modern version I'm talking about. I am talking about the super-suit made from Kryptonian material. The "Roman gladiator" theme came way before the concept of a super-suit.

And maybe Jerry & Joe shouldn't have (unconsciously?) pointed to how much they'd swiped directly  from "Gladiator" to make Superman.

Supergirl is actually a good example of what happens to a character when you get lesser talents messing with a costume. In Supergirl's case it doesn't matter so much I suppose, but Superman is different.

Quite right, Aldous! People are always pointing out how Superman's costume has changed over the years, but they forget how much it has remained the same: it's the same premise even if the emblem has changed and the boots this and that. Basically, it's always been the same costume, and with very few changes it has remained the same since the forties. I'm put in mind of Barry Allen's grumble in DKR2 when he is presented with a new, black, Flash costume: "Kids nowadays can't tell the difference between old and plain classic." (Or words to that effect; I haven't got it to hand.)

Everyone, take a look at this again, or for the 1st time: http://superman.nu/Costumes/S.php

My favorite Superman look is Max Fleischer's design from 1941. Who are you to say that's not acceptable?
(http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/213/superbrighttakeoffuh3.jpg)

And Boring and Swan are only two artists who've drawn the character. Two. I don't see how or why they should be the end-all be-all for how he looks when there's almost 70 years of visual history to the character.

I once wondered how Superman's costume has changed since its inception---and if those same trends continued, what they would look like now.

Originally, Superman's s-symbol was relatively small on his chest, almost like a crest.

Also, originally, the boots were nonexistent or sandals with straps crisscrossed around him (sort of like Thor's boots, only without the essential boot at the higher part---they were crisscrossed around his lower leg.

So, let's imagine it going in the OTHER direction...

Supeman's s-symbol would expand to fill his entire chest, down to his belt, with the corner of each at the top where the cape comes up, and the lowest angle just touching the belt. His triangular symbol would fit well in an overall chest symbol...think the triangular chest costume of the original Ultraman of the Crime Syndicate as shown at http://www.supermanartists.comics.org/silverage/CrimeSyndicate-JLA29.JPG (http://www.supermanartists.comics.org/silverage/CrimeSyndicate-JLA29.JPG) only with a huge S-symbol filling the triangle.

And the boots would become even more pronounced, coming up to mid-thigh or higher, like Colossus' boots.

I dunno if it would be a change I'd approve of...I tend to like the original, especially with the smaller s-symbol---but it WOULD be an interesting variation of the costume, and might be an interesting costume for, say, a far-future descendent of Superman's to wear.---Al

I likes me a big "S"! The pentagon it's in fits a broad chest quite well; the bigger it is, the more it accentuates Superman's physique. I always like to think that it should look a bit like it was bursting, or at least stretching.

As for the boots, I'd rather not make them too long; I always associate knee-length boots with prostitutes, never mind what En Vogue say. I always like to think of them as cowboy boots. Except without the spurs, obviously.

I think it was Kingdom Come's "Brainiac's Daughter" - the daughter of Supergirl and Brainiac 5 - who's S logo was so big that it was too large for her costume.  All that was left was the middle curve of the S.  The rest of it had fallen off her torso.

On a live-action actor, an "S" that big swallows up their chest and makes them look stupid. Dean Cain looked like a total moron with that gargantuan shield. The smaller one he wore in the pilot suited him much better.

Besides, it's stupid to have the emblem be that big because it negates the whole point of a blue tunic. What's the point of Superman wearing a blue shirt if the emblem covers his entire chest?