Season’s Greetings Elite Cosplayers! It’s Halloween time, when the entire world, or at least the U.S. and parts of Canada, get that cosplay inch. In the spirit of things, I thought I’d throw in my two-cents on what ol’ GentlemanOtoku considers the best Comic Book inspired costumes.
I’m basing my list on recognizability, ease of purchase or creation, and overall style.
5. Casual Wolverine
Wolverine has a lot of different costume, but my personal favorite is the simple tank top and jeans version. It says a lot about the character’s straightforward appeal and demeanor. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to pull off. All you really need is a little gel and some claws, and you instantly become the X-Men’s resident berserker.
4. Rorschach
Again, I’m revealing my love for simplicity, but I can’t help it. The trench-coat/fedora combo is a classic, dating back to early 1920-30’s pulp novels. The key feature, however, is Rorschach’s trademark mask. And while you may not be able to afford an actual moving ink-blot mask, even people who’ve never heard of Watchmen will still say “Hey, it’s that one guy!”
3. WWII Captain America
When you look at Captain America’s normal costume, the first words that come to mind are anything but “subtle” or “realistic.” So color me surprised when the Captain America movie was able to pull off the First Avenger’s classic threads so magnificently. The costume was the perfect blend of “realism” and fantasy, which is what you want form a Superhero movie.
2. Modern Catwoman
If cats have nine lives, then do Catwomen have nine designers? Because this character certainly has the flare for costume design. Though the quality of Catwoman outfits have varied over the years, with the original being an actual cat mask, I really love the modern take of Gotham’s master thief. Introduced by artist Darwin Cooke, and obviously inspired by the Julie Newmar, modern Catwoman costumes are simple full body suits, with goggles that cleverly double as cat ears. It does a good job of playing up Catwoman’s femininity while not over sexualizing her, plus it’s exactly what a cat burglar would wear!
1. Superman Symbol
While I love Superman’s costume, I have to admit, Superman’s symbols is actually the outfit’s best part. You can stick that thing on anything, and it suddenly becomes a Superman costume. You can wear a regular shirt and be Superman. You can put a Superman S on top of a Batman costume and be Superman. The sheer versatility of a simple S inside a pentagon is really mind blogging when you think about it. That is, until you realize that Superman is just an idea, and don’t all great costumes start out that way?
Special Note: The Riddler (I love suits and I love Question Marks, so sue me)