Uniforms. I have a few questions. Feel free to comment these or even add your own questions about uniforms if you like!
1) Would Red Sonja’s scale-metal bikini be considered the most impractical uniform ever designed? I mean, the metal scales surely had to rub her inner thighs and décolletage raw?
2) In Iron Man # 55 (earlier 1970s) Thanos steps on Iron Man’s wrist and literally breaks off pieces of his armor. I cannot recall any other instance of his uniform breaking during my IM-reading career which ended not long after that issue. Did it ever happen again? (Lots of melting went on as I recall?)
3) Is it fair to say that Marvel should have stayed with the green-white Cpt Mar-vell uniform instead of the red-blue? Nearly every letter I’ve read, or honest poll I’ve seen, indicate by far and away green-white was preferred by Marveldom. Why’d they ever switch???
By the way, did anyone else think the Blood Brothers from IM #55 looked like over-sized Simians?
1) Maybe. The usual explanation is that it allows her more freedom of movement. But I always think that if you have the bod to rock an outfit like that and the skills or invulnerability not to get hurt, why not go for it? Namor knows what I'm talkin' about.
2) I seem to recall a lot of scenes where bits of Iron Man's armor are shown being knocked off by hits of various sorts, particularly in Tuska's art (my fav), but also noting that in the following panels the armor appeared completely intact. Alas, I have no examples or instances I can cite ready to hand.
3) I confess to having thought about this, too. I think that, in theory, the green uniform looks as cool, if not cooler than the blue, but it just never seems to play out that way. Whether it was Colan's art in the first series, or whoever did the revival of it in the 3rd(?) series, it never seems to come off just right. Perhaps the change to blue was originally to signal his individuality as opposed to being another Kree uniform, and it is a great costume. I'd rank it up there with Nova. Ironically the change in Ms. Marvel's uniform from the Cockrum sash and thigh-highs to her current version was motivated to make it look more like a uniform to reflect her military background. Le plus ca change ...
I can remember occasional armour-breaking punches and the like. Guessing it was down to artistic interpretation? For sure though, metal behaving like masonry is quite a stretch.
The green and white Mar-Vell costume was certainly distinctive and made for interesting covers, but I do prefer the more generic later look. Much sleeker. Or maybe it's just that the later model was my starting point with the character.
Yes, Charlie, the Red Sonja "armor" is the least practical superhero/barbarian clothing. I'd add, though, that I've often been incredulous at how the Legion ladies stayed all tucked in with some of the outfits they wore!
I'm the wrong guy to ask about Iron Man's suit; I always thought Mjolnir was made of stone, as that's how it was depicted in the Thor comics. I cannot ever recall a sound effect that would have made me think it was metal, nor a gleaming on the finish. It always looked like it was made of some sort of stone.
I like either of Mar-Vell's suits. I'm not always the biggest fan of the open-topped masks, and question anyway why a guy with no secret identity needs to even wear a mask (see also: Inhumans).
Quite a lot of those comic-book costumes would be impractical in real-life but as long as they look good that's the most important thing!
I prefer Captain Marvel's red & blue costume. I didn't realise his original costume was so popular!
Red Sonja wore a metal bra and Belit wore a fur bra but in Robert E. Howard's "Queen Of The Black Coast" Belit is bare-breasted. I don't know why Marvel even created Red Sonja because in R.E.H.'s "Red Nails" Conan teams up with Valeria of the Red Brotherhood who is a sword-wielding warrior woman - basically Red Sonja in all but name. Why create Red Sonja when they could have used Valeria?
I don't know whether it counts as impractical, but Tyroc's outfit, which Mike Grell claims to have intentionally made ridiculous, must count as among the ugliest.
1. I really don't think many of the women's superhero costumes were designed with practicality in mind. (wink wink nudge nudge, If you know I mean, wink wink).
2. Speaking of Iron Man's armor, there's something I've been thinking about lately. I find it ironic that his classic look, (the original red and gold one from the 60's, 70's and early 80's) is actually the suit that looks the most highly advanced of all his armors. It seems that every time Tony Stark "upgrades" or "improves" his armor, it gets more bulky and robotic looking with more visible joints, and rivets, etc. But that classic armor is a true technological marvel. I mean it's a nigh indestructible, super powerful, "iron suit" that looks like a form fitting costume with no rivets, or gears showing. So, what gives? It's like Tony Stark is working backwards on his tech to the point that these days Iron Man is starting to look less like a superhero and more like a Transformer.
3. I always liked the more superhero looking red and blue costume for Captain Marvel. The green and white was just a generic Kree military uniform. Kind of boring to me.
1) I always assumed that Red Sonja had some kind of padding under the armor (like real-life knights did) even though it was never depicted. Otherwise, yeah, it'd chafe, or pinch, or stick-freeze to her in winter ...
2) Selenarch mentioned pieces of Iron Man's armor being punched off and that immediately brought the cover of Iron Man #97 to mind. As you can see, Guardsman's punch knocks off the reticule thingy on IM's chest; I don't know if that counts, since covers often take artistic licence, and I can't remember what happens in the actual story.
3) I never cared for the green and white costume; I thought the later one was better.
1) It wouldn't have been as self-injurious as Red Sonja's, but Vampirella's outfit is the least practical.
2) I haven't read a ton of Iron Man, but I have a vague memory of his faceplate being partially shattered.
3) I prefer the red & blue because the green uniform looks like a generic Kree military outfit. I didn't like the floppy silver hair, though. Mar-Vell looks better with a fuller blonde hairstyle.
To tag onto Mike Loughlin's post, Vampirella and Belit had basically the same outfit. One was fur and the other was red, so there's that...
Iron Fist, if I'm remembering right, wore silk. And slippers. And a huge collar that blocked his vision!!!
Also, Red Sonja was created by combining existing REH characters but different enough for Marvel to own the character and not REH's estate. But then again, isn't there some reason why Marvel can't include that Marvel Team-Up issue because it includes Red Sonja? Who's a lawyer?
Also, Tales of Suspense 90 has Iron Man facing the Melter in his old Golden clunky armor. I do believe there's melting going on there. And in Tales of Suspense 97-99, Iron Man has to face the Maggie's hired assassin, The Whip. He snaps some armor. And, unfortunately, Iron Man is at his lowest ebb... HIS.LOWEST.EBB. Anyway, I posted them on my site if you wanna see the issues. They're the Marvel Double Feature reprints... did i just do a commercial!?!
(Conquistador your stallion stands in need of company And like some angel's haloed brow You reek of purity I see your armour-plated breast has long since lost its sheen And in your death mask face There are no signs which can be seen And though I hoped for something to find I could see no maze to unwind Conquistador a vulture sits upon your silver shield And in your rusty scabbard now The sand has taken seed And though your jewel-encrusted blade has not been plundered still The sea has washed across your face And taken of its fill And though I hoped for something to find I could see no maze to unwind Conquistador there is no time I must pay my respect And though I came to jeer at you I leave now with regret And as the gloom begins to fall I see there is no aureole And though you came with sword held high You did not conquer, only die And though I hoped for something to find I could see no maze to unwind).
"It wouldn't have been as self-injurious as Red Sonja's, but Vampirella's outfit is the least practical."
As the producers of the direct-to-video Vampirella movie discovered! After having actress Talisa Soto pose for promotional pix in a picture-perfect reproduction of the comic costume, they discovered the thing wasn't practical for actual filming, where she had to move around and do stuntwork! So they re-designed it into, in essence, a hideous one-piece 1940s bathing suit! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DgZ1StVfdQA/TnaYTxNiNxI/AAAAAAAAA1I/X29git-VEA4/s1600/1.1.1.talisa_soto_vampirella07.jpg
13 comments:
Uniforms. I have a few questions. Feel free to comment these or even add your own questions about uniforms if you like!
1) Would Red Sonja’s scale-metal bikini be considered the most impractical uniform ever designed? I mean, the metal scales surely had to rub her inner thighs and décolletage raw?
2) In Iron Man # 55 (earlier 1970s) Thanos steps on Iron Man’s wrist and literally breaks off pieces of his armor. I cannot recall any other instance of his uniform breaking during my IM-reading career which ended not long after that issue. Did it ever happen again? (Lots of melting went on as I recall?)
3) Is it fair to say that Marvel should have stayed with the green-white Cpt Mar-vell uniform instead of the red-blue? Nearly every letter I’ve read, or honest poll I’ve seen, indicate by far and away green-white was preferred by Marveldom. Why’d they ever switch???
By the way, did anyone else think the Blood Brothers from IM #55 looked like over-sized Simians?
I love these questions, Charlie.
1) Maybe. The usual explanation is that it allows her more freedom of movement. But I always think that if you have the bod to rock an outfit like that and the skills or invulnerability not to get hurt, why not go for it? Namor knows what I'm talkin' about.
2) I seem to recall a lot of scenes where bits of Iron Man's armor are shown being knocked off by hits of various sorts, particularly in Tuska's art (my fav), but also noting that in the following panels the armor appeared completely intact. Alas, I have no examples or instances I can cite ready to hand.
3) I confess to having thought about this, too. I think that, in theory, the green uniform looks as cool, if not cooler than the blue, but it just never seems to play out that way. Whether it was Colan's art in the first series, or whoever did the revival of it in the 3rd(?) series, it never seems to come off just right. Perhaps the change to blue was originally to signal his individuality as opposed to being another Kree uniform, and it is a great costume. I'd rank it up there with Nova. Ironically the change in Ms. Marvel's uniform from the Cockrum sash and thigh-highs to her current version was motivated to make it look more like a uniform to reflect her military background. Le plus ca change ...
Many thanks for this and cheers!
Hi Charlie,
I can remember occasional armour-breaking punches and the like. Guessing it was down to artistic interpretation?
For sure though, metal behaving like masonry is quite a stretch.
The green and white Mar-Vell costume was certainly distinctive and made for interesting covers, but I do prefer the more generic later look. Much sleeker. Or maybe it's just that the later model was my starting point with the character.
Yes, Charlie, the Red Sonja "armor" is the least practical superhero/barbarian clothing. I'd add, though, that I've often been incredulous at how the Legion ladies stayed all tucked in with some of the outfits they wore!
I'm the wrong guy to ask about Iron Man's suit; I always thought Mjolnir was made of stone, as that's how it was depicted in the Thor comics. I cannot ever recall a sound effect that would have made me think it was metal, nor a gleaming on the finish. It always looked like it was made of some sort of stone.
I like either of Mar-Vell's suits. I'm not always the biggest fan of the open-topped masks, and question anyway why a guy with no secret identity needs to even wear a mask (see also: Inhumans).
Doug
Quite a lot of those comic-book costumes would be impractical in real-life but as long as they look good that's the most important thing!
I prefer Captain Marvel's red & blue costume. I didn't realise his original costume was so popular!
Red Sonja wore a metal bra and Belit wore a fur bra but in Robert E. Howard's "Queen Of The Black Coast" Belit is bare-breasted. I don't know why Marvel even created Red Sonja because in R.E.H.'s "Red Nails" Conan teams up with Valeria of the Red Brotherhood who is a sword-wielding warrior woman - basically Red Sonja in all but name. Why create Red Sonja when they could have used Valeria?
I don't know whether it counts as impractical, but Tyroc's outfit, which Mike Grell claims to have intentionally made ridiculous, must count as among the ugliest.
1. I really don't think many of the women's superhero costumes were designed with practicality in mind. (wink wink nudge nudge, If you know I mean, wink wink).
2. Speaking of Iron Man's armor, there's something I've been thinking about lately. I find it ironic that his classic look, (the original red and gold one from the 60's, 70's and early 80's) is actually the suit that looks the most highly advanced of all his armors. It seems that every time Tony Stark "upgrades" or "improves" his armor, it gets more bulky and robotic looking with more visible joints, and rivets, etc. But that classic armor is a true technological marvel. I mean it's a nigh indestructible, super powerful, "iron suit" that looks like a form fitting costume with no rivets, or gears showing. So, what gives? It's like Tony Stark is working backwards on his tech to the point that these days Iron Man is starting to look less like a superhero and more like a Transformer.
3. I always liked the more superhero looking red and blue costume for Captain Marvel. The green and white was just a generic Kree military uniform. Kind of boring to me.
Hmmm, interesting trifecta of questions.
1) I always assumed that Red Sonja had some kind of padding under the armor (like real-life knights did) even though it was never depicted. Otherwise, yeah, it'd chafe, or pinch, or stick-freeze to her in winter ...
2) Selenarch mentioned pieces of Iron Man's armor being punched off and that immediately brought the cover of Iron Man #97 to mind. As you can see, Guardsman's punch knocks off the reticule thingy on IM's chest; I don't know if that counts, since covers often take artistic licence, and I can't remember what happens in the actual story.
3) I never cared for the green and white costume; I thought the later one was better.
1) It wouldn't have been as self-injurious as Red Sonja's, but Vampirella's outfit is the least practical.
2) I haven't read a ton of Iron Man, but I have a vague memory of his faceplate being partially shattered.
3) I prefer the red & blue because the green uniform looks like a generic Kree military outfit. I didn't like the floppy silver hair, though. Mar-Vell looks better with a fuller blonde hairstyle.
- Mike Loughlin
To tag onto Mike Loughlin's post, Vampirella and Belit had basically the same outfit. One was fur and the other was red, so there's that...
Iron Fist, if I'm remembering right, wore silk. And slippers. And a huge collar that blocked his vision!!!
Also, Red Sonja was created by combining existing REH characters but different enough for Marvel to own the character and not REH's estate. But then again, isn't there some reason why Marvel can't include that Marvel Team-Up issue because it includes Red Sonja? Who's a lawyer?
Also, Tales of Suspense 90 has Iron Man facing the Melter in his old Golden clunky armor. I do believe there's melting going on there. And in Tales of Suspense 97-99, Iron Man has to face the Maggie's hired assassin, The Whip. He snaps some armor. And, unfortunately, Iron Man is at his lowest ebb... HIS.LOWEST.EBB. Anyway, I posted them on my site if you wanna see the issues. They're the Marvel Double Feature reprints... did i just do a commercial!?!
(Conquistador your stallion stands in need of company
And like some angel's haloed brow
You reek of purity
I see your armour-plated breast has long since lost its sheen
And in your death mask face
There are no signs which can be seen
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador a vulture sits upon your silver shield
And in your rusty scabbard now
The sand has taken seed
And though your jewel-encrusted blade has not been plundered still
The sea has washed across your face
And taken of its fill
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador there is no time
I must pay my respect
And though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
And as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no aureole
And though you came with sword held high
You did not conquer, only die
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind).
Thanks for your insights gents! As I suspected, the green Marvell is overwhelmingly preferred, lol!
"It wouldn't have been as self-injurious as Red Sonja's, but Vampirella's outfit is the least practical."
As the producers of the direct-to-video Vampirella movie discovered!
After having actress Talisa Soto pose for promotional pix in a picture-perfect reproduction of the comic costume, they discovered the thing wasn't practical for actual filming, where she had to move around and do stuntwork!
So they re-designed it into, in essence, a hideous one-piece 1940s bathing suit!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DgZ1StVfdQA/TnaYTxNiNxI/AAAAAAAAA1I/X29git-VEA4/s1600/1.1.1.talisa_soto_vampirella07.jpg
Adding to what Mike Wilson said.
That fight started in Issue 95, where in the last panel the Iron Man Armor was crashed (especially the right shoulder). See here.
The following two issues 96 and 96, Iron Man fights with a damaged armor. Here the last panels of issue 97.
The cover of issue 96 has a really damaged armor. Much more as in the story inside. There it is mostly the right shoulder.
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