Rank And File: Seeing Red and Enjoying It!

Martinex1: I am partial to a particular color being used for comic character costumes - and that is the color RED!  For some reason if the hero's garb is red, it just jumps out and grabs me.  Without knowing anything about the character, the story, the writing, or even the overall art - a character in a predominantly red uniform captures my eye and my attention.   We talk about covers that made us buy books, well I am here to say that red characters have captured my dollars and cents. 


Today we will rank our top five red-clothed characters.  Plus (if you care to participate) we will list our three worst examples.  This is obviously a purely visceral exercise, so if you are partial to blue, yellow, green,  or purple costumes, feel free to tell us so.


I am sure there are many characters I missed in the selections below (and I purposefully left out Spidey but you can include him if you like), so please make your own additions to the lists if you see fit.   Enjoy the pictures and scroll down for my choices in today's Rank and File!

 

How could we not start with the prime warriors in red - DC's speedster Flash and Marvel's adventurer Daredevil (although Matt Murdock premiered in yellow)?

 Likewise Falcon debuted in green, but quickly changed color schemes.  While Plaz has always been classic in red.

Red Raven has been around since the Golden Age; more recent to the ranks is Deadpool; his costume caught my eye in The New Mutants.

Magneto won't be on my favorite list because in my mind the purple always dominated (I suspect because of the cape).  And just say "no" to Red Hulk!

And then there is the Red Guardian (or Red Guardians)!  I always liked the costume, particularly when the female Red Guardian appeared in the Defenders.

They were of Russian origin, and then later with Alpha Flight there was Guardian and Vindicator who were Canadians.

Early silver age female characters also used the color well; Scarlet Witch of course embraced the shade.  While Medusa prefers purple, her locks definitely define her look.

DC also had Deadman and Adam Strange (both appearing in Strange Adventures) garbed in red.  They remain two of my favorite finds when I first went searching through back issue bins.



 

Captain Marvel - one of the first great super-heroes to jump into the red long johns.  Who can forget the Big Red Cheese?

Although the book was not at the top of the charts, the Human Fly costume is one of my favorite designs from the Bronze Age.  It really jumped off of the covers.

The Wasp changed her costume a lot, but this example from 1979 is eye catching.   Red Wolf  had "red" in his name but it was in a stereotypical way; it would be good to see him return in a modern guise.

 

Whether Jim Hammond or Johnny Storm, the Human Torch always looked good in red.  Johnny adopted the costume during a mid-Bronze Age run in Fantastic Four, and Hammond returned to it in West Coast Avengers. 


And then there are the female powerhouses from the house of ideas and the distinguished competition: Thundra and Wonder Girl

 I much prefer Captain Britain's original fighting togs to his later versions.   When he first met Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #65, I had no idea who he was but it did not stop me for an instant from buying the mag.  I think it was his costume that drew me in.

Was Giant Man more noticeable in his red costume?  In The Avengers, he changed rather quickly to his blue and yellow guise as Goliath, but I always look for the red costume and I was glad to see him wearing it in Avengers Academy.  I think it harkens back to his Ant-Man days well.

Ruby Thursday was such an odd character, but who amongst us can forget that red orb for a head?   It was strange and scary and only something that could happen in comics.  I always liked Ruby's self-confidence despite her self-inflicted  odd predicament.  I wonder if we will ever see her in the cinema.

Red Ronin was never much of a character, just a robot shell.  But those few issues of Avengers (issues #197 through #199) were entertaining.

Robin of course had his bright red tunic.  Some of our commenters pointed out that the bright color is counter-intuitive particularly in light of his partner's demeanor and approach to crime fighting.  I think it is bold.  And the character doubles down with his Red Robin persona.  In the above cover, the Avengers highlight a few of their red costumed heroes: the Falcon, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and even Simon Williams put on a red safari jacket as Wonder Man.

 The Red Skull is one of the oldest villains in Marvel's sandbox,  I am not a fan.

 And my final examples include the wondrous Spider-Woman and the android Red Tornado.

So now it is time to share my top five red-costumed characters; without further ado:

1) Deadman: his look is classic particularly how it contrasts the white ghostly skin and the blood red costume.  It doesn't hurt that Neal Adams rendered him so well.

2) Daredevil: In a box containing dozens of random comics from a cousin, I can recall gravitating to the bright red yet mysterious Daredevil.  With the horns of his namesake and the slight DD on his chest, the costume is a winner.

3) Captain Britain: I like the mask.  I like the iconic complexity.   I like the contrast.   I wish they never changed it. 

4) Human Torch: Flame on or flame off, I always liked the Torch's appearances, but when Johnny Storm decided to wear red I thought it was a cool homage to the WWII version and the stamp of individualism that Johnny needed.

5) Adam Strange:  I actually still know very little about this character beyond the basics, but every time I see his spacefaring suit I have to flip through the book.

And because I get to decide the rules, here is one outlier and honorable mention that I think deserves attention:

6*) Human Fly:  For a book that had so little going for it (a licensed property mimicking the exploits of real life stuntman with some shaky art) the design is spectacular.  Maybe it is nostalgic but I like everything about it, from the crosshairs across the full face mask to the rocket on the belt buckle.

And the worst of all of the "red" related characters (in no particular order):

A) Red Wolf:  I know he should not be on this list as his color scheme is not red, but Marvel has a lot of potential in this Native American character and I would like to see him return, but revamp him entirely and give him some powers and attributes that are not simplistic caricatures.  For one thing, give him a red costume.

B) Red Hulk: I may not have minded the character if it wasn't a retread of so many other Hulk characters from the Abomination to Doc Samson to the "Rick" Hulk.  Another gamma irradiated behemoth.  This time it is Thunderbolt Ross and he is red!  Big deal.

C) Red Skull:  It is time to put this creep to bed.  I know he is Captain America's nemesis, but this character needs to be thrown in a maximum security prison and never seen again simply because he is a Nazi.   His motivations are rooted in things too horrifically real.  I don't want to read about him.  I definitely cannot empathize with him.  And I've had enough of him.  Capture him and charge him with war crimes and move on. 

On that rather serious note, let's hear what you have to say.  Who are your favorite characters that wear red and why?  Rank them for us and let's compare notes.   If you prefer a different color let us know that too.  Take the conversation where you see fit and let's discuss all aspects of costuming today.  We are seeing red at BitBA; how about you?