Doug: I thought we had so much fun going through our greatest stories of the Bronze Age of Comics, that we'd jump right back into it. Our friend William made a suggestion several months ago when Karen and I were requesting a little creative assistance. William wanted to see a series of posts on Top 10 costumes, et al. So, just to show that we do listen (not only to that list of suggestions, which we've picked away at since our request originally ran, but to the Suggestion Box as well), let's have a little fun with this. We'll let the bracket be as large as you make it, up to 64 super-suits -- in our two previous series of polls we've had a 40-line bracket and a 64-line bracket -- so don't let "Top 10" hold you back. Additionally, let's use the following parameter: the character, good or baddie, who you suggest must have been active during the Bronze Age. So, for example, even though Superman debuted in 1938, he was certainly active during the Bronze Age. If Ms. Marvel's original belly-baring get-up is more to your liking, no problem! She debuted and was active during the Bronze Age.
As always, I'll find some way to stick all of your nominees on a bracket, and certainly in a manner guaranteed to tick some of you off! Hey, it's what I do! So, starting nominating!
UPDATE: As of 9:00 pm Central Time (USA) , here are the nominations you've made. I've left a comment in that section, so check out my thoughts there. -- Doug (further edited at 9:40 pm).
| Adam Warlock |
| Angel (blue/white) |
| Ant-Man |
| Banshee |
| Batman |
| Beta Ray Bill |
| Big Barda |
| Black Goliath (white/blue) |
| Black Knight |
| Black Lightning |
| Black Panther |
| Black Widow |
| Brother Blood |
| Captain America |
| Captain Marvel (Kree) |
| Catwoman |
| Cyclops (c. X-Men 94) |
| Daredevil |
| Darkstar |
| Deathlok |
| Deathstroke |
| Dr. Doom |
| Dr. Fate |
| Dr. Strange |
| E-Man |
| Falcon (green/orange) |
| Falcon (red/white) |
| Flash |
| Flash (Jay Garrick) |
| Galactus |
| Ghost Rider |
| Green Arrow |
| Green Lantern (Alan Scott) |
| Guy Gardner |
| Harbinger (Perez - Crisis) |
| Havok |
| Hawkeye |
| Hela |
| High Evolutionary Iron Fist |
| Iron Man |
| Jack of Hearts |
| Kid Flash |
| Lightning Lad (Cockrum) |
| Lightray |
| Loki |
| Luke Cage (Hero for Hire) |
| Manhunter (Simonson) |
| Mantis |
| Medusa (c. FF years) |
| Mister Miracle |
| Moon Knight |
| Ms. Marvel/Warbird |
| Mysterio |
| Namor (blue suit) |
| Nebulon |
| Nightcrawler |
| Nighthawk (w/ red cape) |
| Nova |
| OMAC |
| Phantom Girl (bellbottoms) Phantom Stranger |
| Phoenix (green) |
| Plastic Man |
| Poison Ivy |
| Polaris |
| Quicksilver (blue/silver) |
| Red Sonja |
| Rocketeer |
| Rorschach |
| Saturn Girl Scarlet Witch |
| Shadowcat |
| Shazam |
| She-Hulk (FF suit) |
| Shrinking Violet (Cockrum) |
| Snake Eyes |
| Spectre |
| Spider-Man |
| Spider-Woman |
| Star Boy (Cockrum) |
| Starfire |
| Superman |
| Taskmaster |
| Thor (armored up) |
| Thunderbird (c. X-Men 94) |
| Timber Wolf |
| Titania |
| Torch's red costume |
| Valkyrie |
| Vigilante |
| Vision |
| Wasp -- any version?? |
| White Tiger |
| Wonder Man (c. Nefaria trilogy) |
| Wonder Man (original) |
| Wonder Man (safari jacket) |
| Yellowjacket |
| Zatanna (Dillin) |
42 comments:
Hmmm, my favorite Bronze Age costume is actually a three-way tied between Red Sonja's chainmail bikini, Starfire's armor bikini and Cosmic Boy's corset, with the Black and White Queen's dominatrix outfits coming in at a close second... ;)
More seriously, though, can/should we only make ten nominations, or less or more? This is going to be kind of a tough choice: I can imagine it would be possible to do a separate bracketology vote for favorite Legionnaire costume or favorite Wasp costume (one which is definitely among my favorites).
Hi Doug – you’re very clear not to restrict this to heroes only, but for some reason, my brain is really not reaching for villains easily.
Batman & Superman are pretty hard to shake, however the Batman costume has transferred badly to the screen at times. In particular, Clooney, O’Donnell & Silverstone’s publicity pics looked like they were on their way to an S&M party. Holy Bat Nipples.
I like Wonder Woman, but let’s face it, that costume only makes sense on Cap.
I thought Loki looked great in the movies, esp. the Avengers. I would not have thought the horns would have worked, but they so did.
I hated Ms Marvel’s Mar-vell-alike cossy, but I liked her blue one.
For sheer simplicity, you can’t whack the cat suit, which to me is the Black Widow, but I guess Catwoman’s is exactly the same?
I have always loved Doc Strange’s getup, esp. the detailing around the cape.
Scarlet Witch. Oh yes. Esp. the chthonic version she debuted on Wungadore Mountain.
Phoenix - I liked the green one, but I wouldn’t kick Jean out of bed if she wore the red one. Probably just do whatever she said, actually.
And last, but not least, and certainly not Bronze Age, Hit Girl, just for the purple wig alone. (I know...but I’m willing to wait...).
After some thought, here’s my top 20: Hawkeye (original), Doc Doom, Ms. Marvel (2nd), Wonder Man (original), Magneto, Batman, Scarlet Witch, Phoenix (green), Doc Strange, Goliath (by which I mean Hank in the yellow & blue from Avengers #28 onwards), the Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Polaris (original), the High Evolutionary, the Vision, Banshee (loved the underarm thing), Adam Warlock, Captain Marvel (original....yes, I mean the green and white uniform), Mantis, Valkyrie (original), and, just for the mask, Rorschach.
And I just know there are going to be at least ten ‘I wish I’d thought of that’s’ in the posts that follow.
Richard
Ps Edo – completely agree about Red Sonja (for all the wrong reasons), but I actually did consider the Jean/Emma outfits because, although they were basically just parading around in lingerie, it fitted exactly with the vicissitudes and general atmos of the Hellfire Club, and was therefore less gratuitous. (Would I have cared if it had been gratuitous? Well ,what do you think?) :0)
Two of my favorite Bronze Age costumes are Star Boy's starfield costume (by Claremont) and the Angel's blue and white costume from the Neal Adams issues. I also had a think for Phantom Girl's bell bottom's & pig tails.
The Wasp really deserves her very own Bracketology!
Boy, tough one. When's the Bronze Age's boundaries, again? (I think I ask this every time. . . ) 1972-ish to 1988-ish? And naturally the costumes themselves would have to have been active during that time? (I'm thinking specifically of the original X-Men's short-lived exploration of color-- which I loved).
Well heck, let's see, in no particular order:
1) Mysterio-- Even the slight updates over time don't stray far from the unfathomable original.
2) Ghost Rider-- man, the leathers, the chains and the flaming skull. Few things on earth could be more intimidating.
3) Havok's all-black suit with the strange head-gear and shifting concentric circles. It made him look so hopelessly fragile, even though his power dwarfed most other folks.
4) Deathlok-- a great, gritty cyborg design that didn't surrender to the hopeless over-the-top abusurdities that later years would foist on most cyborg characters.
5) Dr. Strange, yes-- good call.
6) Nighthawk's first black outfit-- before the later over-large headwings were added.
7) Black Widow-- I do very much like both the "mod" black jumpsuit, as well as the grey one (w/ the tasteful collar) that she sported later.
8) I think Jan's gold-sequinned w/ scarlet sleeves and legs outfit made it into the bronze age, didn't it? With the yellow gloves? Geeze, there's no way to fairly include her in this, is there?
9) I really did like the FF's inky-black and white look that Byrne came up with. Very sleek, much more of a professional uniform, in a way.
10) Cyclops' New X-Men look was also a tasteful adherance to tradition while still looking nicely updated. His bigger visor gear certainly added the element of necessary protection from potential danger that he represented.
11) Oh! Thor, circa like #382 or so, where he had a beard, big helmet, and was more heavily armored (brittle bones, I believe?). This was a hefty, impressive-looking thunder god.
12) Black Knight
13) Hawkeye, generally (his distinctive head-covering & mask are what work best for him).
14) Oh! The Vision! How could I forget my ol' pal? His iconic outfit is, honestly, rather silly (WAY too colorful for the kind of creature he was designed to be; his cape never makes sense; every inch of his skin perpetually covered, etc)-- but it's so intrinsically bound up in how we identify him, y'know?
Okay, that's plenty from me, eh? Use or discard any suggestions as seem fit by even the most subjective of standards.
HB
Hi HB – Mysterio is a good call. I always loved that mad orb head. I considered him, but I decided I more like what Romita did with him (classic Spidey covers, big hands etc) than his costume itself. Also, my all time fave Mysterio appearance is that REALLY early one (#23 or so) where he is ‘disguised’ as himself in a suit.
Regarding the Vision, well, there’s no point in trying to make sense of the Vision is there? How does mere intangibility enable him to fly with direction (other than whichever direction the wind is blowing), how does his costume, especially his cape, go intangible when does? If his costume actually responds to his density shifts, then why doesn’t it turn solid & rock hard in the same way that it turns intangible?
Richard
Another 'jeez, where do we start..?' question, to say the least. All right..,
1) Vision, original outfit, iconic and made menacing by Vish's grim look in the opening panels of Avengers 57, on that cold rainy night.
2) Hawkeye, classic Bronze outfit, didn't mind the '80s arms covered look, no significant improvements after that.
3) Cyclops, latter day old-team outfit, same as on new team.
4) Widow, black catsuit made me a quick fan of DD/BW, the grey was fine, but not a striking. Luckily the '80s comics focused on her tucus more..
5) Jan..? Just give me the classic red/blue, blue/red, red/black outfits.
6) Nighthawks' classic dark blue suit, HUGE improvement from his gray suit with beaknose.
7) FF suits..? Nah, preferring the original suits (STILL WISH the Legends sculpters can come up with that classic look. Waiting.....)
8) Doctor Strange..? Perfection.
9) Medusa's mid-70s pirate garb, made me appreciate FF more (see #4)
10) Hank..? His Sal-drawn tenure as Yellowjacket in the Defenders, best depiction of YJ with holster. Goliath..? I'd take either red/blue or yellow/blue, and
11) Original Kree Mar-Vell (white/green). It had a quite style to it, kinda hokey at first, it really grew on you.
Honorable mentions being Mantis, Valkyrie's original suit, Subby's cool blue suit, and Red Sonja (for reasons already mentioned). Sonja's outfit (or lack there of) was alright, but more titilation than anything 'classic', but being red-blooded, I'll throw her in.
DC..? I'd still go with 1973's Timberwolf and Kid Flash as my all-time favs. NTT's Starfire was fine, but just a bit too exotic to be anything near-practical. Her attributes must have defied gravity to be held by such flimsy support.
I personally think The Hulk will win this hands down. The man is a fashion genius.
But seriously, here are what I personally think are the best costumes. I'm going with a Top 10 format and sticking with only good guys:
1. Spider-Man
2. Daredevil (all red)
3. The Flash (Barry Allen)
4. Ant-Man
5. Plastic Man
6. Quicksilver
7. Black Panther (70's version)
8. Hawkeye
9. Ms. Marvel (black suit)
10. Black Lightning (original)
I'll probably think of someone else that should be on this list later, but off the top of my head, those are what come to mind.
Okay, I guess there's no limit to the number of suggestions we can make - William, I'm impressed with your discipline. Anyway, here's my serious list (in case there's any doubt, the ones I mentioned in my first post are NOT in fact my favorite costumes and should NOT be taken as nominations) in no particular order:
Ms. Marvel's lightning bolt outfit
Wasp's costume from Avengers #185-188 (it was red, with white & blue trim and highlights - my favorite ever)
E-man
Thunderbird (the original worn by the late John Proudstar)
Falcon's red & white suit
Lightray of the New Gods
Shrinking Violet's costume from the '70s (the green body suit)
Manhunter from classic Dectective run in the early '70s (that is a masterpiece of design by Simonson - it's separate elements, like the flowing sleeves and weird shoulder pieces, should seem ridiculous, but it just works)
Lightning Lad's '70s costume
Valkyrie's original blue and black costume
Darkstar's all black costume with the pale yellow/gold trim and highlights
Nova (the Marvel hero, Richard Rider, not E-man's sidekick, although that one's pretty good, too)
Spiderwoman (think what you want about the series, that was a really nice costume)
Big Barda
OMAC
(as in the case of Manhunter, these last two are just wonderfully designed even though the individual components and colors should make them seem fashion disasters)
And in case they count, a few villains:
Nebulon
Hela
Deathstroke
Taskmaster
Brother Blood (it struck me that the last 3 were all designed by George Perez - he often came up with ridiculous designs for heroes, but his villains always looked stylishly, well, villainous).
Oh! (I'm gonna be coming back all day, I can just tell. . . )
Don't throw things, but-- Black Goliath's second (or third?) costume-- the Blue & White one. . . even with the silly gold rope lace thingies. His first costume, though, could well be a nominee at the other end of the spectrum. . .
HB
. . . And Guy Gardner's Bronze Age Green Lantern outfit (the vest-jacket, the turtle-neck, the big clunky boots). A jerk of a character wearing a jerk-styled costume--- and yet it worked! Vastly more practical than spandex, right?
. . . And I somehow forgot the entirety of the JSA. I suppose their recent incarnations aren't bronze age at all, but "legacy" is/was such an over-riding theme in that book that it seems unfair not to include them. And their costumes are among my favorites, really. Jay & Alan's Golden Age outfits (Flash & Green Lantern/Guardian) made the complete fashion-history orbit, and I honestly love both of them now. The fact that they're both so obviously aged carries it off wonderfully. In fact, if Jay makes the brackets, he's gonna get my vote against anyone else. I also like Mr. Terrific's get-up a heck of a lot. It is like NO ONE ELSE'S in the super-hero world. Dr. Fate has also always had a great look. Really, the JSA if filled with offbeat, classic, retro AND new costumes and outfits-- their visual appeal is surprisingly good (well, except for that silly girl dressed like a witch. . . her I could do without. . . ).
Oh! And anyone want to stand up for the Phantom Stranger-??
HB yet again--
I'm one for wishin' Sam Wilson could go back to his original green/yellow suit just once, but that's what building custom action figures are for, I guess.
- Also a plug for T'Challa's original. No cape, No spiked belt, etc...
- Wanda, lovingly cover-featured on Avengers 161.
- Yes, I'll throw in my plug for Ms. Marvel's black suit as well. I remember wincing at just how unoriginal the initial mimic'ed CM suit was, especially paired with the short 70s hairdoo.
Whaaat, no Simon Williams love today..? I thought his pre-hunter coat outfits were loud, but cool.
Well, if we're going for goofy/campy, the Legion had quite a few in the 70s (Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Tyroc, etc.), but if we're being more serious:
Luke Cage (yellow silk and a chain belt...say what you want, the man had STYLE)
Snake Eyes (everyone else in olive drab and Snake Eyes all in black...cool)
Titania from the Secret Wars (the spiky leather costume really suited her powers/personality)
Shadowcat's all blue costume from the mid 80s
Jack of Hearts (just a personal preference)
Black Lightning (someone already mentioned him, but he deserves all the mentions he can get)
Green Arrow's 70s costume (and beard)...way better than the old one
Deathstroke (I loved that two-toned look back then)
Cheshire's green outfit...it just seemed to suit her perfectly
Vigilante (Adrian Chase)...I always thought his costume was cool
Mike W.
Black Widow
Thor- majestic
Saturn Girl
Earth 2:
Flash- helmet
Green Lantern
Dr Fate- helmet and those shoulder things
Rocketeer- helmet again
Shazam- I like lightning bolts
Batman- classic that's always great
Zatanna- now I like her outfit from the late '70s. I think I'm in a slim minority here, but the top hat and bowtie look doesn't do it for me. Here's the outfit, sleek and impressive, at a site where the blogger hates it:
http://bigglee.blogspot.ca/2010/08/zatannas-greatest-blunder-justice.html
...and finally,
Iron Fist
I agree with a lot of the choices above but a weird one came to mind while I was thinking of ones that hadn't been mentioned. Don't know if this counts but it is Bronze Age. Kiss in Marvel Comics Super Special # 1 and # 5. The Destroyer / Rock and Roll Over and Love Gun costumes. This probably won't make the list but I'll toss it in for consideration.
I like some of Edo's suggestions, such as the original Thunderbird. Loved his look. In fact he was my favorite of the All New, All Different X-Men for about 5 minutes until they killed him off. Bastards!!!
I also loved the look of classic Nova and Deathstroke.
I'd also like to add Wonderman's second costume to the mix. The red, green and yellow one. It was a bit loud, and it was only around for about 5 issues, but I really loved that look. It was also the costume he wore in my 5 all-time favorite Avengers issues (161-162 and 164-166). After that he went to the safari jacket look, which was actually kind of cool too.
A few others to consider would be the original White Tiger, Moon Knight and Nighthawk. O.K., I'm done for now.
Mister Miracle
Johny Storm's red outfit
Spider-man (the test of a great artist is if he can pull it off; some can't)
Starboy's redesigned costume
Nightcrawler
Iron Man (the one after the pointy gold section)
Moon Knight
Iron Fist
Havok
Polaris
Vision
Black Panther (pre-cape)
Have to get my two cent's worth in on this topic!
Heroes:
Spider-Man; perfect from head to toe, especially with the underarm webbing. Really love Ditko's expressive eyes.
Batman; an automatic choice. Classic great design.
She-Hulk's Fantastic Four outfit; looked great against green skin.
Beta Ray Bill; okay, it's Thor's suit. Bill looked so cool in it, though.
Harbinger; Perez did her up nicely for the Crisis.
The Spectre; haunting and memorable. Also makes him look a bit pasty...
Villians:
Mysterio; I heartily agree with the above comments. The dome and eyes are quirky yet work terrific visually. Theatrical costume for a stunt man.
Galactus; where else do you see hockey sticks as a fashion accessory?
Poison Ivy; yes, I too am red-blooded.
OK, kids --
I've received a whopping 96 nominations! That works on a bracket, but I hesitate to stop there. Check out the list back on the main post and chew on it for awhile. Should we add more (because this is pretty overwhelming), or pare down? Keep commenting, and I'll try to get this pulled together for release on Sunday.
Doug
Hey Doug, Iron Fist is missing. Also the Zatanna I'm backing is the Dillin version--I think Perez drew a later outfit.
Garrett --
Thanks -- list has been updated.
Doug
Great list -this should be fun!!
Awesome list. I'm thinking that Spider-Man should have a listing for his classic red and blues as well as his black alien suit, because that was very cool as well.
Some of my favourites are Silver Age ( bearded Green Arrow. Deadman, Phantom Stranger). My Bronze Age picks are:
Moondragon; Wein's Nighthawk; Nightcrawler; Perlin's Moon Knight; Union Jack; 1st Ms. Marvel; Neal Adams Earth-2 Robin; Timber Wolf and Lightning Lad; and Simonson's Manhunter.
I agree that Perez's designs were generally awful, the worst being his Legion efforts and the fussy sword and sorcery outfits of Troia and Jericho.
This may sound almost blasphemous, but maybe the Wasp should be disqualified - that "any version" doesn't really seem fair, as in all other cases everyone nominated specific costume designs. Perhaps it would be better to hold an all-Wasp bracketology instead, as I suggested in my first comment.
Saw this and wanted to add or buttress some choices.
Spider-Woman's IS a great costume.
Moon Knight is excellent. The first time I remember seeing him was off a Werewolf by Night cover when I was very little.
'I' will give love to Phantom Stranger and his look. I think choosing him would be amplified because of his mystique and persona.
I think The Spectre's look is very memorable; the design, and the green and white are great together.
Red Sonja DOES look good in what little she wears. Maybe someone should just admit it, instead of falling back on these politically-correct apologetics that have taken over everything; increasingly lame world we are living in. So, Sonja IS arousing.
Also arousing, but who I think genuinely has a neat costume design is Power Girl. I do like the version with the bared chest, however, I really think all around she wears a great outfit. The colors, design- it seems to just 'fit' the character (any pun only semi-intended).
A few other might be: Huntress, Yes-- Adam Warlock, Doctor Doom, Punisher, and I think Stingray stands out with his cosume.
In the end, Spider-Woman has a very well designed costume, and is one of my favorites.
Phantom Stranger's is great when combined with his mystical appeal, and really goes with the character.
And, that makes me think of, and someone mentioned Deadman earlier- his outfit is well conceived also.
Of course, Power Girl is a favorite. I always liked, too, the way her cape was attached over her.
I like the fact that the Falcon got in for both costumes. Not so sure about Wondy. I love the original. That 2nd one that Wanda made for him was like the love child of a paint chart and a traffic light. I think when Ultron blasted it clean off him, it was less super-villainy and more fashion critique. The Safari suit is just hilarious. Even Wondy said he was wearing it because he had given up on costumes. It would be a triumph for sheer bloody-mindedness if that won.
Richard
Hey Doug....on behalf of David B and myself, we’ve got issues, Dude. We both wanted Wanda (probably in every sense of the word), but, more shockingly, we both asked for Goliath in the classic yellow/blue, David actually has it as his avatar, and, most worryingly....that’s your all time favourite hero in your all time favourite costume. A fatal mistake, my friend. Now... who are you and what have you done with the real Doug ?
Richard
Richard --
Was Hank Pym active in that outfit during the Bronze Age? We have Ant-Man (Avengers #161 and Scott Lang version) and Yellowjacket on the list. I don't believe, unless I'm really forgetting a story, that Hank wore that outfit after 1970.
Doug
Using Doug's outline, he's correct in Hank as YJ (or Antman in Avengers #93 as well..), so forgo my mention of Hank's earlier costume stylings from the Silver Era.
As for Wanda, it's a classic look, but is it considered snazzy..?
Wanda looks great and it's certainly memorable, but in reality, it's a single-colored swimsuit with matching boots, gloves, cape and tiara.
My apologies for the omission of the Scarlet Witch. I meant to type that in and just missed it.
It's been corrected.
Doug
Ooo-- and I'm gonna stump one more time for the Phantom Stranger, 'cause I did an image-search, and if anything, he's even cooler than I remembered! I do think I have a slight preference for his Silver Age look, where the dress shirt and suit were adorned with a simple, conservative black tie-- but it's simply impossible for him not to look great. Sort of Green Hornet, Dr. Strange, and "The Adjustment Bureau" all rolled into one. . .
HB
PS-- Hmm, are we going for a 128-slot mega-bracket then, y'think?
Ugh... My apologies (again) HB! I thought I had the Phantom Stranger on the list. I think all the going back-and-forth from the comments to the spreadsheet I was creating caused me to miss a few. PhStr has been added.
This is becoming a daunting task...
Smiles,
Doug
Hmm. Three Wonder-Mans (Wonder-Men?), but no Woverine?? The indisputable Face of the Bronze Age?? Wow, that's hard to believe. Personally, I kind of liked the tan/brown version of his outfit over his "classic" or the "original"-- but I think I'm in the minority on that one.
Am I right that we need, like, 28 more or so? I'll happily toss some more in that are perfectly suitable to be rejected by any and all-- will that work?
Like the Prowler-- always liked his outfit, in fact.
The Shocker has been MUCH improved over the years, and yet has remained visually quite distinctive.
Man-Wolf: George Perez' Sword&Sorcery gear, in Creatures on the Loose (boy, does that take ya back!)
Jack O'Lantern: A third-rate knock-off of the Hobgoblin (a 2nd-rate knock off of the Green Goblin, mind you)-- but that blazing, leering pumpkin head on the green body suit was a great modern-day Ichabod Crane nightmare.
Hmmm-- and now I really am starting to run up against the wall. About 90% of the characters out there (villains, heroes, men & women) tend to fall into whatever the generic popular "look" of their time period may have been. But heck, I'm SURE I've contributed enough at this point-!
HB
Um, no -- I do not believe we need 28 more. To be honest, I wasn't wild about heading to 96. It does take some time to create the brackets, update them, post the individual polls, etc. So I'd actually like to cut some characters off of the list.
I will abide by Edo's suggestion to take the Wasp off -- as some have suggested, she could occupy a poll all her own (although I am not stepping up to do any sort of picture poll, which that specific one would necessitate).
So, I am hereby closing nominations, and I will be trimming the list back to 96. I really do appreciate everyone's enthusiasm, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a bit selfish about this and look out for my own personal time.
I hope that doesn't diminish anyone's enthusiasm -- this should be fun.
Look for the brackets and the first set of polls (this is going to take us quite awhile to get through) on Sunday.
Thanks again for participating,
Doug
Doug- Commented earlier. Know you are closing this, but would really like you to consider POWER GIRL.
Thanks, ADAM
Adam --
I'll remove Galactus from the list; he was my own personal nominee. Consider Power Girl added.
Doug
Doug, we must add Conan! Those furry shorts..!!
Just kiddin'...: )
Well-- thank you, Doug. I feel very fortunate to have her included- and appreciative. I did not intend that you take off one of your favorites.! I think she is a worthy inclusion.
Thanks for listening to my voice in this- it makes me feel good to have my opinion acknowledged.
ADAM
Oh my goodness-!
Then TOTALLY disregard those 4 or 5 middling additional suggestions I made above, right? (Personally, I've been so over-Wolverined for so over-long that I find it a relief to not see him represented. Not one to shy away from blasphemy, is ol' HB. . . )
I'd also suggest adding Galactus back in (he'd get my vote, very likely) and generally take the excess out of the bajillion submissions I made. WAY too long of a list. . .
HB
Yes, I believe there is a lot of chaff in the list -- I began to wonder if some of the suggestions blurred the line between "really cool costume" and "I really liked that character or liked that character in storyline X".
I mean, Plastic Man?? I'm no maven of fashion, but that's an ugly get-up.
But I'll leave him on the list.
Doug
Hi Doug, apologies vis Hank. I hadn’t read your guidelines clearly enough.
I think you’re right about people confusing the costume with the story and/or era but it’s very easily done. I had to correct myself a few times. When you think of classic Captain Marvel issues, you think first of the Starlin issues and secondly of the Gil Kane issues (all red & blue costume), but I really preferred his Kree uniform, hence I nominated that.
I also think there’s something in way certain artists draw certain costumes as opposed to others i.e. a costume could be great in the hands of some artists and rubbish in the hands of others. Byrne drew Cap like his upper body was in chain mail, but lazier artists drew it like Spandex. Similarly, we were laughing about Red Sonja being 4 colour Viagra, but actually she always looked great because she was drawn by artists with a feel for her form...not just Byrne’s steel bikini, but also Smith’s mythril chain mail vest (Song of Red Sonja) and Frank Thorne (whose autobiography ‘Drawing Sexy Women’ pretty much lays out his manifesto). I think they got that if a character’s clothes/costume hide their shape, you can do what you want, but if they’re running around half naked, then you bloody well have to draw them properly & consistently.
Likewise that Goliath costume was OK by Kirby & Heck, but it really came into its own from the get go under Big John ( picture him under Dragon Man’s arm on the cover of Avengers 41...that costume had never looked so good).
Richard
Dave Cockrum's bronze age redesign of The Legion of Super-Heroes sort of stands all by itself, but Frank Thorne also comes very close to being my favorite, with his iconic Red Sonja.
I'm a Bronze Age fan, so virtually all of the listed options rank highly with me. Label me too biased to select a single one (or ten)!
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