Current Obsession: Dark Knights and Caped Crusaders

I love comics. Transmetropolitan quite literally changed my entire outlook on life when I read it my freshman year of college, and to shy teenage me Tank Girl was a blinding revelation. I firmly believe Sandman is one of the great pieces of modern literature and art. I've read indie comics, webcomics, manga, and weird dystopian fantasies. But until a few weeks ago, I had never really read superhero comics. The closest I'd come was Hellboy. I've been tearing through issues and trades like there's no tomorrow, DC and Marvel alike, and consuming other forms of superhero media just as voraciously. I've become a little bit obsessed.
It's not the stories that get me, though. For the most part it's not even the characters (though I have a serious soft spot for the Avengers' Hawkeye). It's the clothes. I'm completely captivated by the logic- or lack thereof- of superhero/supervillain costumes. I spent an engrossing couple of hours the other day browsing Wikipedia's entries on Marvel and DC characters, during which I learned that Superman's outfit, upon which many other such costumes were based, was modeled on that of a circus strongman.

I don't know what he thinks he's doing here but I'm sure he's got a good reason for it. Source: Comicbookdaily.com.

The thing that really gets me about these costumes is that they're patently ridiculous- I mean, he's wearing red underwear and a blue unitard, for crissakes. He's got a cape.

Edna Mode, my fashion fairy godmother.

And look at Batman! Okay, yeah, he's hella intimidating, but he's a grown-ass man dressing up as a bat. And don't even get me started on the villains. Look at Marvel's extraordinarily weird contingent of aliens, terrorists, Nazis, and giant floating heads, not to mention all the fashion disasters Batman fights.
...Oh, who am I kidding. I love it all. I love it because these characters' designers got to just go to town. My training is in theatrical costume design, where the focus is mostly on realism and period accuracy. I always wanted to let loose and do something totally crazy like that. The thing is, though, that they're not just crazy- they really work. I'm going to talk about a few of my favourite superhero and supervillain costumes, and why I love them.

Mockingbird

Source: marvel.wikia.com.

I'm totally in love with Mockingbird's costume. I don't really know the character, as the only place I've encountered her is briefly in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but she's got great style. The look is elegant, clean, and simple. The bell sleeves are a nice and unique touch too, and combined with the foldover boots make a balanced silhouette.
The Joker

The Joker in Detective Comics #475. Source: rocketllama.com.

Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Source: batman.wikia.com

The Joker might be my favourite comic-book villain (he's tied with Harley Quinn, see below). I was fascinated with him well before I got into comics. He's just got such fabulous and original style, no matter what incarnation of him you look at. Purple and green is a really fun colour combination.
Harley Quinn

 

Source: batman.wikia.com

It would have been so easy for whoever designed Harley Quinn's costume for Joker's Favor (the Batman: TAS episode in which she first appeared) to make her look like a female version of the Joker, but they didn't. Instead, she has a related but totally original look that I'm sure contributed to her taking off as a villain in her own right. I'm a huge fan of bodysuits and pixie boots. Both her costume and the Joker's help make their actions even more sinister and their characters more terrifying: they're not serious, cold-blooded killers, they're silly, fun-loving people who just happen to have a total disregard for human life.

Hawkeye (Movieverse/New Hawkeye)

Hawkeye in Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon. Source: conventionscene.com

I love Hawkeye's new look about as much as I dislike his old one (I don't have any particular reason for disliking his traditional costume, I just think it looks kind of silly). His costume in The Avengers and in the new Hawkeye comics is simple and functional, which seem to fit Clint's personality pretty well. I'm a sucker for really well-done minimalism, and that's what David Aja and Javier Pulido have done in My Life As A Weapon. And I mean come on- tight black t-shirt, black jeans, black combat boots? The look just screams badass.

Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

David Aja's sketch of Kate Bishop from Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon. Source: lavvyan.tumblr.com

More Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon. It's just such a stylish comic. I love this version of Kate Bishop. Bodysuits, pocket belts, thigh pockets- it's practical, cool, and gives off this great air of don't fuck with me. If I was a superhero, I'd want to look like her.

I'm going to start setting myself weekly (or biweekly) design challenges, based around a couple of themes. The first few will just be in black and white, as I foolishly packed my coloured pencils and they are now in storage until July. The first themes will be superhero/supervillain, in honour of my current obsession, and the music of the Pillows, this awesome Japanese punk band I'm also currently obsessed with. They're probably best known for doing the soundtrack to FLCL.

Expect the first challenge post within the week!