You can throw out any number of explanations for the enduring popularity of superheroes - the flashy, larger-than-life battles, the never-ending soap opera storylines, the desire of readers to immerse themselves in worlds where good and evil are easily delineated, etc. But part of it has to be the costumes. Superhero costumes are inherently bold and eye-catching. They're designed to be plastered on the cover of a comic and sell it to any random 10-year-old that wanders by. Not that many 10-year-olds are impulse-buying superhero comics these days, but that's a topic for another column. That begs the question, what does make for a good superhero costume?
As I see it, there are a few essential qualities. They need to be striking but simple. Superheroes appeal to our innate love of the human form. They wear costumes made of this entirely outlandish spandex material that somehow sticks impossibly close to every muscle and curve of the body but still hides their naughty bits (or depending on the target audience, not even that). So it's almost like watching Greek sculpture come to life and take flight.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire