superman uniform redux 2

My Design - Click for larger view

As I mentioned in recent post, I've had these ideas about redesigning--and simplifying--Superman's uniform for a while. Its an idea that's been rocking around in my head for a while but I think it may have been the collective nerd whine that went out following the recent movie version of Superman that eliminated the traditional red short pants from Superman's suit. is suit better than uniform? proly more standard [this shrug is for you, nerds]

I've always thought the short pants looked like super-tightey-whiteys, or something,  so my earliest thoughts were about getting rid of those. Just looks like he got dressed in the dark. The little yellow belt helps a little, but its still a little like a European style swimsuit, you know, hot pants for gentlemen.

 

1947(?) comic, used w/o permission

I've also had some other issues with the suit, that are really based on usability and practically. Yes, I get that Kal-El is an alien, and I'm projecting my petty human fashion sense onto his more advanced cultural ways, but come on, I'm not sure it was absolutely clear to his parents what his powers would be when he got to earth, so the cape idea seems a little odd to me, and what has bothered me for a while now is not the idea of a cape. This isn't one of those "No Capes!" mandates laid down by Edna from The Incredibles, this is a design issue. The cape makes no sense, and adds no value to the uniform. Actually, where the cape meets the collar of the suit, it just kind of tucks in, all bunched up on either side, like... no other cape, anywhere. A cape is an article of outerwear, like a coat. Its not just tucked into your crew-necked jersey. 

Its like sewing your scarf onto your shirt: dumb.

Christopher Reeves Superman used w/o permission

The Superman played by Tyler Hoechlin on the Supergirl* TV show tries to solve the dumb cape connection with some heavy straps to anchor it to the suit. Henry Cavill's Superman also has some anchors built into the collar for the cape to engage the suit in a more sensible way.

Why do I point out these examples of other cape connection ideas, simply because other designers have noticed that the cape jammed into the shirt is dumb, and they've all tried to solve this problem. I've eliminated the problem. what holds the cape inside the shirt, safety pins?

Lastly is the red boots, with the pointed tops. Not sure why they're necessary, and they just complicate the overall design. I've streamlined the boots out, integrating them into the suit. And streamline is the word,  the driver, behind my redesign. I've tried to recall the idea, or flourish of a cape by pulling the red down over the shoulders and engaging the El crest. I envision this front and back, by the way.

I've also added a mandarin style collar instead of the boat neck that has traditionally been used, probably because they needed the extra room to jam in the cape. Boat neck just doesn't say uniform. No boots, no cape, no hot pants, no make-pretend belt Henry Cavill suit, I'm looking at you just a simple, identifiable supersuit. More about my redesign of the Superman crest is here.

UPDATE: While working on my recent Wonder Woman suit redesign post I ran across this article from DC which shows a superman suit redesign with a very similar red triangular section on the chest which incorporates the insignia, and eliminates the cape. Still looks they've got him in underpants and red boots but its hard to tell. This also looks like one of their different universe editions, but I'm not a comics guy.

*The original uniform (with the skirt) that Supergirl wore in the current TV show still had the cape-collar-jam, which was even worse than Reeves, given that her collar was more open because shes a girl and we need to see some collar bones? but the current suit (with pants)** has a similar cape anchor strap design to her cousin's in the more recent seasons.

 **I've also been looking at Wonder Woman's uniform, and I have been since before Supergirl got pants. When I saw that Supergirl got pants, my first thought was, hey, I was thinking the same thing for Wonder Woman. Its just looks odd when she stands next to Superman and Batman, and she's half naked, and they are dressed head to toe. More soon...

boooooo

January 6, 2021

Boooo!

Boo on terrorism on your own front lawn, dressed up as patriotism.

Boo on violence as a vehicle to deliver your message.

Boo on disrupting the work of our elected officials, and maybe more importantly, the regular people that work as public servants for all of us everyday.

Boo on asking armed militia to stand down and stand-by, presumably to "stand-by" for a day like today.

Boo on lies and incitement to violence by a sitting president.

Boo on a halfhearted, recorded message from the president that led with more lies, and buried the most important part of the message, which is to disburse.

Boo on the obvious glee the president feels--and showed in his video message--at the unrest he incited, and fools himself into believing has spontaneously arose in the people. (It didn't)

Boo on the end of peaceful transition of the power of the presidency, created by the pettiness and insecurity of the president.

Boo on the toxic fusion of bottomless fear, dread, and ego that drives the president's actions.

Boo on thinking that you, personally, are more important than the office you hold, the people you serve, or the nation whose very freedoms allow you to achieve what you have thus far in life.

Boo on those foolish enough to follow fools no wiser than themselves.

Boo on those who allow themselves to believe it was their own idea to terrorize others.

Boo on those who allow themselves to believe that their protest is patriotic when it it is not peaceful.

There is no such thing as a violent protest. As soon as violence begins, protest is no longer possible. Once violence begins, or is even contemplated, protest is long longer possible. Once violence begins, you are a rioter, a terrorist, or an enemy combatant.

Boo on insurrection. yeah, thats you

Go home. 

And apologize to your family and your neighbors.

superman logo redux

superman logo redux by Philip O'Brien (c) 2021

 

I've had some ideas about re-designing Superman's uniform for a while, and I even did some sketching a few years ago. More recently, while on on vacation between the holidays, I downloaded a new application: Sketchbook by Autodesk, and decided to give it a go. Sketchbook was pretty easy to learn, reasonably powerful, and best of all, its now free! so I'd go get it if I was you

I used Sketchbook to try out a few of my re-designed uniform ideas, and one of them included a more streamlined version of Superman's logo. its, um... actually his family crest, durp * so I took a look around the internet to see if any of these ideas had come to life elsewhere, because who wants to be the guy that spends an afternoon fooling around with Superman's insignia only to find that he's independently created what someone has already done. Its also possible that someone HAS done this already, or something very similar, and I just failed to find it.

One of the logo re-designs I found was this one by Daniel Beadle, who not only did a great job, but went into the reasons why a re-design was needed. I have a lot of the same reason's Daniel Beadle does, so I won't repeat them all, you can read his post here. In summary, I'll say that the S shape in the traditional Superman insignia looks like a capital typeface letter S, with serifs on it (a slash at the top, and a round at the bottom.) These serifs make the insignia read like the letter S, rather than an alien crest for the House of El. Superman, as storyline, is essentially science fiction, so my idea is to create a family crest (and a new uniform design) that is more alien, modern, and wouldn't be confused with a capital S. It was also important to retain the elements that make Superman's insignia so recognizable, so that when you see the redux I've done, you can tell what it is without being told.

I feel like I've achieved the goals I set for myself. In fact, when I finished, I felt that that someone must have already came up with something very similar. If at some point I find that to be true, I'll post that information here in an edit. If you know of another design similar to this, please let me know!

I'm also planning on posting my drawings for Superman's re-deigned uniform, soon. And I also have some ideas for Wonder Woman's uniform as well!

* The S originally stood for Superman in the comics. The change to family crest came about during the 1978 movie 'Superman.'