To Costume Or Not To Costume

This is something that has been on my mind. Should the characters one day get costumes? Alot of people watching say NO WAY no costumes, but myself. Well, I know I grew up on comic books, and Im sure comic books exist in the Heroes world. If I was to get a Super Power, figure it out, and want to do some good with it, then I KNOW I would be running around the house screaming at the wife....I NEED A COSTUME! Something snazzy, but no capes, I saw the incredibles, capes lead to accidents!

So...To Costume, Or Not To Costume, is the question.

I say no to the costume. Maybe an outfit suited for fighting and stuff, but NO cheesy costumes. I think it'll ruin the appeal of the show if they do give them costumes.

I say no also, it'll be even more unreal and right now them being regular citizens and ordinary people makes it seem more real.

I'd go with no, personally, but I see where you're coming from.

Mainly no because Heroes' advirtisement emphasizes that these are normal people discovering supernatural abilities.

I say no as well, unless you're looking into the future about 5 years. If they're in the 5th season or so eventually they're going to need to hide their identities. But, during comic-con (in a TV interview with the station G4), Jeph Loeb basically said no costumes. I can't remember his comment word for word, but that was the overall gist.

Sence some one already beet me to it.

Will Heroeâ??s be â??spandex freeâ?�?

I read a review in my local paper that went something like this. â??Ordinary people discovery they have extraordinary powers and are distend to save/change the world. The first episode was surprising thoughtful and thankfully â??spandex freeâ???â?�

Spandex free?

Spandex free!

SPANDEX FREE!!

He said that as if this was a good thing. I mean you canâ??t have superheroes without the costumes. Itâ??s like Star Wars with out Jedi, I mean that is like the whole point. Of course this would hardly be the first time we go without costumes. Factor X (at least I think that was the shows name) featured four mutant types with our heroes constantly trying to keep there existents a secret. I never cared for that show because so much of it was little more than an X-Man rip-off. I never got into Smallville for much the same reason, I mean come on Clark, get-a-clue!

Now donâ??t get me wrong. The way Heroes starts out is right on. Most origin stories can of goes the route of â??oh, I am different, better think of a costume when I get home from the store.â?� So far, they are right on track, the costume will be a concept that will take time to form. However, the point I wish to stress is that eventually, the costume will be inevitable. And if our heroes come to gather to form a team of some kind, frankly the costumes will be inescapable.

In this case, the uniform/costume represents a common unity between every person. A sort of a pledge to each other as well as to one self, we stand together, we fight together, and we die together. Plus, when/if some one like Claire (the cheerleader) puts on a costume for the team, itâ??s a physical act that recognizes the idea that she is a part of something grater than her self. If she is truly suicidal, that may be an act that turns her around. For some one like Nathan (the politician), dawning the uniform will be a reminder that he can no longer just think of himself and his own ambition. And for some one like Hero? Well, letâ??s not go there just yet, but itâ??s bound to be a riot.

Clearly, we have come to that bridge yet, and we may not come to it for some time. (A season perhaps.) But at some point, our characters will have to go there or risk letting the story fall apart in a river of excuses why the costumes are not needed or are too hokey, or what ever.

There are other reasons why the uniforms and costumes are important. The most important of them all is the concept of the secret identity. Other than perhaps Hero (they just had to pick that name, didnâ??t they) none of them are going to want to surrender every thing they are to the things that they can do. Not to mention the law suits or other unwanted consequences such as the poperotsi. Costumes can be tailored for battle, heavy boots, armor, needed gear, and insulation that normal every day ware just isnâ??t suited for. And itâ??s a statement, not just to one self, but to every one around you as well, saying that â??I need to be respected.â?�

And a concept that I am going with for my own incarnation (I am trying to write a book about super heroes coming into existence.) is based off of observations in nature, like the poison tree frog or coral snakes. The color & pigmentation means â??warning, I am dangerous, stay away.â?� Your heroes are now quite that powerful, and it seems unlikely that they will ever get into any battles where the mall is destroyed or buildings collapse. But my heroes are not so fortunate, when they show up in public in costume; they will want people to run for there lives, for they truly are at risk. And not run up to ask them for autographs.

Okay, I said my piece. What say you? Spandex free or not?

I still say "spandex-free", but I'm all for the concept of disguise. Just not using costumes per-se.

Everytime I hear the word costume, I think if a padex, brightly colored, stand-outish outfit. I think of Sperman's blue suit with red underwear (that's what it looks like to me). I think of Spiderman's red and blue suit, with the web design. I think of Aqua man's orange and green suit, which looks partially scaled. The point is, costumes are highly stereotypical of heroes and makes them stand out above everyone.

The heroes in Heroes are meant to be everyday joes that just happen to disover their abilites. The main part of them is the "everyday joe" part, the one lets them relate to everyday joes like us. To give them these outlandish and segregating costumes means to set them apart from us, and severs the connection that many keep with the show.

As far as disguises go, there are ways to hide your identity without resorting to brightly lit spandex.

I still say "spandex-free", but I'm all for the concept of disguise. Just not using costumes per-se.

Everytime I hear the word costume, I think if a padex, brightly colored, stand-outish outfit. I think of Sperman's blue suit with red underwear (that's what it looks like to me). I think of Spiderman's red and blue suit, with the web design. I think of Aqua man's orange and green suit, which looks partially scaled. The point is, costumes are highly stereotypical of heroes and makes them stand out above everyone.

The heroes in Heroes are meant to be everyday joes that just happen to disover their abilites. The main part of them is the "everyday joe" part, the one lets them relate to everyday joes like us. To give them these outlandish and segregating costumes means to set them apart from us, and severs the connection that many keep with the show.

As far as disguises go, there are ways to hide your identity without resorting to brightly lit spandex.
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It all hinges on the contest. For Mutant-X (now I remember - that was the shows name) the heroes were much to powerful, plus they actually lived and trained together. Yet no uniforms. That is just as silly.

Our Heroes heroes are not that powerful, with much more low key abilities, so maybe they get away with it. It all depends on how circumstances conspire against them. It also occurred to me to wonder what one might mean by â??team.â?� To they actually work together, or is it more an alliance of necessity or convenience.

Keep watching. I will.

It all hinges on the contest. For Mutant-X (now I remember - that was the shows name) the heroes were much to powerful, plus they actually lived and trained together. Yet no uniforms. That is just as silly.[/b]

LOL I actually liked Mutant X. To me, that's what I wanted to see if Heroes. The no costumes, but yet all the goodiness of saving the world.

I am currently writing a novel about super heroes being discovered, and in my research, this is one of the issues I looked very closely at. First of all, we have some rather negative view points about â??costumes.â?� Usually they are for dress up or Hollowing, its kids fare that is usually beneath adults. The â??uniformâ?� however is a different story.

The use of the uniform is already around us. The military, police, fire department, even city sewer workers and campaign volunteers, all use uniforms. Though each one has different needs and uses them in different ways. The Army uses uniforms to tell friend from foe, identify their rank and division, and use armor for protection, they also camouflage with the background. The police departments use uniforms for a very different need; they identify authority and demand respect. If you see a police officer shouting at you, you are more likely to take notice and head his/her instructions than you would if it were some one in ordinary clothing.

As I said before, I have observed in nature how certain animals have evolved to stand out in order to service. Usually itâ??s because they are toxic, poisonous, or just extremely smelly, like skunks, spiders, and some snakes. With my research, this is a key observation as this is where I believe my superheroes reside in my fictional landscape.

This is a heroine I created that starts in my first novel attempt. All though I should note that when I work with prose, I donâ??t HAVE to be a fashion designer, so I wonâ??t be using this costume.

But every aspect about the costume is based on need. One of her abilities is that she can fly, so blue is intentional in hopes this will conceal her as she approaches a sight from the air; camouflage. This is not an original concept, the underside of military aircraft are frequently painted blue and white. The yellow trim however is hoped to make her stand out in a crowd and hopefully make people aware that danger is near by. I am taking a very gritty real approach with my novel, meaning innocent bystanders die with alarming frequency with large public battles. It is also hoped that if she charges onto a seen, that the bright colors will compel the villain to focus on her, and be less likely to snatch up a hostage. Of course you do not see the helmet and goggles here, but they are used to protect our heroine as well as to conceal her identity. Usually with most heroines, you have the cheesecake effect where you the artist are compelled to show off that supermodel quality face.

And then you have Batman, who actually uses his costume as a weapon, to install fear into his victim.

How dose this effect our Heroes? Well, that is sort of the mater we are debating here. The question probably should be â??spandex or no spandexâ?� but will they need uniforms?

I argue that the answer is yes, they will need them, but for entirely different reasons than any thing I disused above. Our Heroes are not that powerful, so they donâ??t have a need to stand out. It also means that they simply canâ??t walk onto a crime seen and elbow the SWATT team out of the way. They probably donâ??t even need them for battle, save for light leather or denim armor. If they should ever half to infuriate a corporate headquarters or something, they are probably better of with your typical black body suite.

What they will need them for is public relations. The uniforms will mean the difference between being respected or reviled, being taken seriously and being laughed at, between installing hope in the people, or fear. And if they chose to conceal there identity from the public, the uniform will make the face covering less garish. Uniforms can mean the differences of looking like a group that is organized and accountable, to a bunch of vigilantes out for themselves.

What would I have the uniform look like? I would start with Police Uniforms actually, something in a dark blue perhaps, with an ordinary cotton blend tunic and slacks. (They are also cheep. Have you prices spandex lately? ) With a less is more approach with only our familiar eclipse over the left breast. If they are feeling flashy, then perhaps you could put a flag of state/nationality over one of the shoulders.

But as I said with my first post, the uniform will mean far more to them, than it dose to the public.