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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 6, 2023 18:36:55 GMT -5
1.) Did you like or dislike Iron Man’s roller skates? Back when Iron Man was a guy wearing a tricked up armor, they made sense. Now that the suit is a quasi-magical machine, they're probably superfluous... I'd imagine that the modern Iron Man can use his transistor nanotech-powered suit to hover an inch above ground without any need for wheels. I actually quite liked Iron Man's nose! I wouldn't have wanted it to be permanent, but it sort of suited him. I also really what looked liked cooling vent sprouting out of the Heroes Reborn Iron Man; they made the suit look less streamlined, less like a costume, but more like a machine. The dragon tattoo that some versions of Shang-Chi wore on his arm. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 6, 2023 21:00:21 GMT -5
A recent tweet by Bob Layton reminded me of the fact that Iron Man utilised roller skates now and again (I didn’t see it often). Personally, I think it looked cool.  So, how about three questions for you fine people. 1.) Did you like or dislike Iron Man’s roller skates? 2.) What possibly superfluous aspect of a character’s costume/attire did you like?3.) What superfluous aspect of a character’s costume/attire did you dislike? As far as question 3 is concerned, I never liked the eyebrows on Adam West’s Batman cowl, not that it really detracted from what is one of my favourite TV shows. Krusty's third nipple. |
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Post by berkley on Feb 7, 2023 0:57:53 GMT -5
Capes are not only superfluous, they are actually detrimental in a lot of situations (e.g., their wearers could trip on/get tangled up in them, they could be grabbed by an opponent and used against the wearer, etc.). However, I also like them. Other costume features like that, i.e., look pretty cool but probably in fact counterproductive, are the high collars like the ones worn by Iron Fist or Dr. Strange or Yellowjacket's stylized 'wings' - in both cases they would actually obscure peripheral vision.
I think Alan Moore was the first I know of to point this out in a story - or rather in one of the text pieces in an early issue of Watchmen where he gives the reader some of the history of superheroes in the fictional world of the story. Something about a hero who gets his cape caught in a revolving door, if I remember.
I think the impairment of peripheral vision would also be a problem with Moon Knight's classic hood. But I like it, and the high collars (and capes) of Dr. Strange and Moondragon.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 7, 2023 1:10:54 GMT -5
Capes are not only superfluous, they are actually detrimental in a lot of situations (e.g., their wearers could trip on/get tangled up in them, they could be grabbed by an opponent and used against the wearer, etc.). However, I also like them. Other costume features like that, i.e., look pretty cool but probably in fact counterproductive, are the high collars like the ones worn by Iron Fist or Dr. Strange or Yellowjacket's stylized 'wings' - in both cases they would actually obscure peripheral vision.
I think Alan Moore was the first I know of to point this out in a story - or rather in one of the text pieces in an early issue of Watchmen where he gives the reader some of the history of superheroes in the fictional world of the story. Something about a hero who gets his cape caught in a revolving door, if I remember.
I think the impairment of peripheral vision would also be a problem with Moon Knight's classic hood. But I like it, and the high collars (and capes) of Dr. Strange and Moondragon.
Dollar Bill. He was sponsored by a bank and was killed, trying to stop a robbery, when his cape is caught in the revolving door.. Really, any mask is going to affect peripheral vision, to some extent. Pro wrestling masks had relatively large eye holes to minimize the problem; but, many guys hated them because it was hard to see and breathing wasn't fun, either (though later styles opened up the mouth area to help that). |
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Post by berkley on Feb 7, 2023 1:17:03 GMT -5
1.) Did you like or dislike Iron Man’s roller skates?
Dont think I've seen them until now. I would say I don't like them - also they seem impratical (how often is he going to find himself on perfectly flat surfaces for extended periods of time?) and kind of useless for a character who can fly.
2.) What possibly superfluous aspect of a character’s costume/attire did you like?
lots and lots:
- the capes and high collars of Dr. Strange and Moondragon (mentioned above).
- Moon Knight's hood
- the Phantom Stranger's hat (and cape + collar)
- the helmets of Orion and Thor: arguably of practical use, but I think they're mainly there for symbolic reasons, to convey the idea that these characters are warriors in a way most superheroes are not
- the Surfer's surfboard: he has the power cosmic (whatever that is), does he really need a surfboard to fly around? But it makes for a great visual, so no way would I want to lose it.
- Magneto's helmet: it looks so cool and menacing; kind of wasted on this character for me, to be honest; would have looked better on someone like Orion
3.) What superfluous aspect of a character’s costume/attire did you dislike?
- the gold jewellery some artists give the Black Panther: detracts from the classic simplicity of the old costume and the Panther's panther-like appearance
- the zipper down the front of the Black Widow's costume
- the vests they used to put on Conan and Kull in some comics: either go all the way and have them in some kind of Hyborian-Age or Valusian trousers, or lose the vest
- the dreaded swashbuckler boots on everybody unless they're a 17th-18th-century pirate; or maybe a musketeer.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 7, 2023 6:43:48 GMT -5
Capes are not only superfluous, they are actually detrimental in a lot of situations (e.g., their wearers could trip on/get tangled up in them, they could be grabbed by an opponent and used against the wearer, etc.). However, I also like them. Other costume features like that, i.e., look pretty cool but probably in fact counterproductive, are the high collars like the ones worn by Iron Fist or Dr. Strange or Yellowjacket's stylized 'wings' - in both cases they would actually obscure peripheral vision.
I think Alan Moore was the first I know of to point this out in a story - or rather in one of the text pieces in an early issue of Watchmen where he gives the reader some of the history of superheroes in the fictional world of the story. Something about a hero who gets his cape caught in a revolving door, if I remember. Luckily he didn't end up dead, but when Steve Rogers first adopted his Nomad identity in the '70s, he had a cape... on which he stepped during his first mission, causing him to kiss the floor! The bad guys escaped, and Steve angrily tore the cape apart. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 7, 2023 7:11:24 GMT -5
I just had a thought, Shazam Captain Marvel has a short cape so it doesn't present a tripping problem.
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Post by badwolf on Feb 7, 2023 10:26:58 GMT -5
As for superfluous aspects of a costume I don't like, I hate it when artists put sharp and spiky stuff on shoulder pieces, not taking into account what might happen when the character lifts his or her arms.
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Post by MDG on Feb 7, 2023 10:52:36 GMT -5
As for superfluous aspects of a costume I don't like, I hate it when artists put sharp and spiky stuff on shoulder pieces, not taking into account what might happen when the character lifts his or her arms. Yeah--the scythe things on that guy's hands in Batman: Year Two are one of the things that pushed me out of mainstream comics |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 7, 2023 11:50:12 GMT -5
I just had a thought, Shazam Captain Marvel has a short cape so it doesn't present a tripping problem. Yeah, although that is more a result of their costuming inspiration, vs Superman and the others who followed. Superman and his imitators and descendants were copying circus costumes, with long, dramatic capes which they would remove to reveal a flashy costume or a muscled physique. Captain Marvel was copying light opera/military costuming of the 19th Century; the "Ruritanian look" that was popular in film and comic strips, thanks to things like The Prisoner of Zenda (set in the Balkan state of Ruritania, which lent its name to the look). His tunic is meant to be a military jacket and the cape is based on the pelise, a cavalry jacket that was worn draped over one shoulder, as a cape. The uniform dated back to Napoleon and was especially worn by his Hussars and the fashion was copied throughout many European armies, especially the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was an impractical uniform element, though it was only worn off the battlefield. By the by; every time I see your new avatar, I hear Dick Dastardly in my head, for 20 minutes. |
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Post by mikelmidnight on Feb 7, 2023 12:36:06 GMT -5
As for superfluous aspects of a costume I don't like, I hate it when artists put sharp and spiky stuff on shoulder pieces, not taking into account what might happen when the character lifts his or her arms.
This dates back to the Golden Age Daredevil and his spiked belt!
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Post by badwolf on Feb 7, 2023 14:13:56 GMT -5
As for superfluous aspects of a costume I don't like, I hate it when artists put sharp and spiky stuff on shoulder pieces, not taking into account what might happen when the character lifts his or her arms.
This dates back to the Golden Age Daredevil and his spiked belt!
I was thinking of this:
Ouch!
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 7, 2023 14:55:55 GMT -5
High heels on any female who is supposed to be a martial artist or other hand-to-hand combat expert makes no sense. If they weren't breaking their ankles they would probably be snapping heels off, left and right.
There is a Cynthia Rothrock movie, from the late 80s or early 90s, where the opening has her as an undercover cop, dressed rather like a hooker, in tight skirt and heels and she is attacked and proceeds to kick ass, but her high-heeled pumps turn into black tennis shoes, while she is doing the kicking, then magically turn back into pumps, when the creep is on the ground, out cold. Similarly, there is an episode of Wonder Woman (first season), where she chases after an experimental jet and the boots go from high heels, while standing, to flat heels, while running, then back. I assume she could retract them for just such an emergency!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2023 16:33:28 GMT -5
High heels on any female who is supposed to be a martial artist or other hand-to-hand combat expert makes no sense. If they weren't breaking their ankles they would probably be snapping heels off, left and right. There is a Cynthia Rothrock movie, from the late 80s or early 90s, where the opening has her as an undercover cop, dressed rather like a hooker, in tight skirt and heels and she is attacked and proceeds to kick ass, but her high-heeled pumps turn into black tennis shoes, while she is doing the kicking, then magically turn back into pumps, when the creep is on the ground, out cold. Similarly, there is an episode of Wonder Woman (first season), where she chases after an experimental jet and the boots go from high heels, while standing, to flat heels, while running, then back. I assume she could retract them for just such an emergency! As someone who’s torn a ligament in his ankle, I cringe at the thought of any character spraining/breaking their ankle during a fight! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2023 16:38:25 GMT -5
I wonder if Tony plays this song in his helmet while he is using the skates...
-M
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