Superman is the only superhero with a costume that looks exactly like his name. So why does he wear it? Because it works.
The Science of Super Man Costumes, Part 1: What makes a superman costume work?
Superman’s costume is the only one that looks literally like its namesake. Spider-Man’s costume may have eight legs, but it doesn’t look like a spider any more than a Maserati Quattroporte looks like an ant. Batman doesn’t wear a bat costume, and Wonder Woman isn’t dressed as an Amazonian warrior. Superman is the only hero who literally dresses like his name – because his costume works. When you think of Superman, you think of the red cape and blue tights with the big yellow “S”.
It’s easy to dismiss Superman’s outfit as silly – but if it was dumb, he wouldn’t wear it. In fact, the suit has all sorts of features that make perfect sense when you consider all the things Superman needs to do in a day’s work. Let’s take a look at all the ways in which the Man of Steel’s duds are more than just stylish.
The science of superman costumes is a funny thing. It’s pretty simple, and it’s a hard one to take seriously. But it’s there.
The science of superman costumes is a funny thing. It’s pretty simple, and it’s a hard one to take seriously. But it’s there.
The science of superman costumes is a funny thing. It’s pretty simple, and it’s a hard one to take seriously. But it’s there.
In the past few decades, the world has seen the dawning of an age of the superhero costume designer. The designs in these films are truly works of art, in that they are both aesthetic and functional, but their appeal comes from neither their artistic merit nor their functionality; it comes from their ability to make us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
The cool thing about Superman is that he’s basically the best at everything. Even when he gets weaker, he’s still super strong and can fly and uses heat vision, so his worst is still pretty good. But being the best at everything isn’t that interesting, so writers like to give him weaknesses — Kryptonite, magic, etc. I don’t think that makes Superman a bad character, but it does make me wonder how they could make an interesting Superman story with a really well-designed superman costume.
I’ve been thinking about this question for years, but I realized I didn’t have a good answer. So I put together a list of questions about superman costumes:
1) What makes a superman costume work?
2) What are the minimum requirements for a decent superman costume?
3) What are some of the design choices writers have made over the years?
4) How could you design a better superman costume than anything that exists now?
5) How do you write stories with a well-designed superman costume?
What makes a superman costume work? It’s not as simple as it might seem. A good Superman costume is not just a bright blue leotard and tights with a big red S on the chest. From the beginning there have been many different versions of Superman in many different media, but they’ve all had one thing in common: they are recognizably Superman at first glance.
The reason has more to do with the psychology of perception than fashion or graphic design. If you look at any picture of Superman from the past 70 years, you’ll notice that most of them share certain basic elements:
1) The colors red, blue, and yellow.
2) A cape.
3) A belt (though sometimes it’s part of his trunks).
4) Trunks over his legs.
5) High boots or shoes.
These elements don’t seem related to each other; what could those colors have to do with wearing a cape or boots? But they are related; you can see why when you take them out and try to replace them with different things.
Take away the colors, for example, and replace them with shades of gray, and there is nothing left that makes him recognizable as Superman. Take away the colors and
The question of what makes a superman costume work is a tricky one. There are many contributing factors, including the cut and shape of the suit, the color palette used, and the way the costume is accessorized. In this series, I will be exploring these individual components that make up a superman costume.
The most important factor in determining whether a Superman Costume works is color. The right combination of reds, blues, yellows and blacks can make or break your superhero ensemble. Superman’s primary colors are blue, red and yellow. In some cases he has worn a black cape instead of a blue one. These colors have been used since his inception in Action Comics issue
Since the choice of costume was critical to the success of Superman, Siegel and Shuster took special care with their design. Siegel’s first sketch of Superman in 1933 shows him wearing a costume similar to the circus strongman’s, but with an open-necked shirt like Doc Savage’s. By the time Siegel and Shuster sold Superman to National Comics in 1938, the costume had evolved into its familiar form.
The professional artists at National Comics made some further changes to the design. The underwear became trunks instead of shorts. The cape was changed from red to blue and attached at the neck rather than at the shoulders. These changes were probably designed to give Superman a more heroic look and make him more distinct from other costumed heroes such as Captain Marvel (who also had a flowing red cape).
The costume is also important because it makes Superman seem more real and less fantastic. Think about how you would react if you saw a man fly or lift a car over his head; you’d probably be astonished, maybe even frightened! But if he did it while wearing a red cape and blue tights, your reaction would be different: you’d believe it was happening because super-heroes wear that kind of costume all the time!
The costume helps us
The world has been fascinated with super heroes since the 1930’s. Superman has been the most popular hero and his costume has evolved over the years. The first movie version was in the 1950’s and featured George Reeves as Superman, wearing a simple blue costume with a red cape and belt along with the famous “S” on his chest. In 1978, Christopher Reeve made his debut as Superman wearing a costume that was a lot more flamboyant; it had blue tights, red boots and an over-sized red cape. Most recently, in 2006, Brandon Routh wore a costume that was a cross between the original George Reeves version and the Christopher Reeve version.
Michael Wilkinson designed what is considered to be one of the best costumes ever for Man of Steel (2013). The design is very similar to previous versions but is much more modern looking. There are many things that make this costume stand out from all others. First, it’s made from specially designed fibers that make it look like it was made for Superman’s body. Secondly, it has an undergarment which gives an appearance of being naked under clothes without actually having anything there at all – which makes it even more realistic! Finally, this particular costume uses digital printing techniques instead of traditional screen printing methods