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A costume is part of a hero’s look. For most of us, Superman is recognizable due to his powers costume. The same goes for Spiderman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, etc. Their costumes are as much a part of them as their powers.  You might think that costumes or outfits are an insignificant part of a hero, but they add so much to the character, their looks, their powers, and stories.

I, for one, am very excited when I see new character sketches. It reveals what characters will look like in future issues, but it also addresses a costume change. For example, take a look at Grant Morrison’s run on X-men. He took them out of their bright costumes and gave everyone street clothes and leather jackets. That gave the X-men a different look but also conveyed a new sense of purpose and direction for the characters and new way of looking at the book and its characters. It gave the characters stronger ties to reality, in some ways, but also gave them a different tone. This tone helped to tell the stories that Morrison proceeded to tell and, in my opinion, it worked great. The outfits fit well with the personalities of the heroes and matched the theme of the story arcs.

In comics, a visual art form, what a character wears for an outfit or costume means a lot. Spider-man is an agile and flexible character, so his costume is drawn pretty tight in whatever position he appears. The Hulk on the other hand is a big muscled monster and the lack of any other clothing displays that concept. The matching costumes for the Fantastic Four help bring to a point that they are a team and, on another level, a family. The black suit and cowl give Batman an ominous look to terrify his enemies.

When Mr. Fantastic is designing an outfit, he proceeds to think about comfort and creates unstable molecules. When Batman makes his costume, he probably considers some sort of flame-retardant material. They consider the look and wearability of their costumes. Sometimes they have to work with what they’ve got and wear a brown paper bag like Spider-man did when he didn’t have a costume readily available (Spectacular Spider-Man #256). Whatever heroes choose to wear, it says something about them and when you have to save the world, you want it to say something great.

For a hero, what they wear means a lot. Heroes have to be fashion conscious. It sounds ridiculous but makes sense. What they wear has to convey something; strength, confidence, fear, etc. Their costume can not be working against them. What good is body armor if it restricts your movement? What good is any uniform, or outfit, if it prevents you from doing your job?