Question: Golden/Silver Age Costumes

Yep - Defense is a good example (and goes very well with Stripe 4 upper/Stripe 3 lower, fwiw).

edit: which I now see has been mentioned

And apparently Rund (round?) as the glove and boot options for the defense set, if you don't like the colour blending.

I'll be honest and say I find the Golden and Silver-age costume styles tend to look goofy as all hell to me. As I said before if you ask for spandex and tights I'm going to disagree because, well, those are nice for parodies and homages, but It can wear a bit thin on characters who are actual characters versus characters who are just one long in-joke. Which is probably where my disconnect came from. There is lots of "grandfathering" going on in modern comics that lets me turn a blind eye there, but if, say Superman were presented to me as a completely original and new concept today I'd very likely laugh. But more " Super hero Costume" minded things is good. I do like the new approach taken of a textured underlayer with bits added on.

Except this game was designed with Golden/Silver Age heroes in mind, and this thread is about Golden/Silver Age costumes. So what did you expect to happen when you posted this?

Better superhero costumes?

I'm not sure how many concepts these would be applicable to, but I just wanted to say I think they look sick all the same. Could definitely see it working for some Silver Age cosmic characters.

Well, you just came in here and basically said "I dislike Golden/Silver Age costumes, they look silly!" I was just wondering if there was anything more to your post than "I don't like this stuff, so you should give us this stuff instead."

sure, right here
In particular to the post that said that exact thing.
So I was agreeing with what was being said in this quoted bit and stating why.
Or, even better I was giving my reasons for posting things that are pretty in line with what everyone else has been saying.

I also said Homage, which probably got lost in my wording.

My point was more if the character isn't coming from something else of the past, AKA the intended response is "Oh I get what you're doing there, like X other thing!" then it has to stand on it' own, which the classical looks don't do by virtue of trying to be classical. Thusly they get all the context and connotation filled out by an outside source, often to the point of overshadowing. They're not judged on their individual merits(style wise, not character wise), but by how well they adhere to x conventions.

Some of the older styles look goofy but I go with them because they set the standard. It's goofy, but it's a goofy world, and I like to have fun. If I'm trying to emulate that, I'll follow suit. I wouldn't do anything I'd consider wholly original in that style, though. I'd pursue my own. And if I were to observe someone else's work or character in that style, I'd have t judge them less on their individual merits and more on whether or not it "fits" which I find very limiting and narrow-minded because it restricts creation to a narrow avenue.

I've wanted that for a long time now, and would LOVE to see it, even have a character I'd use it on the day it came out. That, and someone previously mentioning the mystic, psychedellic "Kirby Crackle" auras... I'd love to see something like that too. Not sure how it'd be implemented but still...

Thing is - the disconnect you feel for golden age costumes might be the very same thing that appeals to the people asking for them. To use anime as an allegory: I dislike anime due to certain visual elements it has, which are probably the very thing that drives most of its fans to love it.

Certainly, tastes differ, to be sure. There's few things here.

1: I'm AGREEING with you on what needs to be put in. We just differ on why. This is a common thing between us.
2: I feel the disconnect for new stuff, older things get grandfathered in, but a "New" never before seen character dressing like that would be met with either laughs or me turning on my "Well let's see how good this character parodies/homages the past" mindset.

Pardon the snip, but those images by Ross encapsulate what we're trying to express I think.


S.

A and C, really. The Golden/Silver Age is really not about textured costumes or textured anything, really. The Golden Age particularly is something whose roots you have to strongly consider.

Both Superman and Batman's early costumes (and Robin's particularly) are all modelled on circus performers, with the only precursor to that being Zorro (and by a few short years, The Phantom). So there's a lot of short boots and gloves, simple belts, trunks over tights, and simple yet clearly defined disguises like goggles and domino masks...ones that definitely do not show the eyes. And these are physical pieces as opposed to the thinner 'painted on' styles that are currently in game.

The other kinds of dominant archetypes you have are talented normal folks, The Shadow and Doc Savage along with The Spirit probably being the two most striking examples of their kind. As mentioned before, jodphurs and jackets, serious and 'responsible' hairstyles are the norm here. A staple of these types which even Indiana Jones paid homage to is the 'torn clothing' look that featured on so many Spirit and Doc Savage covers. Here's two examples:



There are 'torn' costume options, but they largely just float over the top of the body or feature little actual detail. I've been a proponent for 'battle damaged' costume options for a long time, but these are so intrinsic to the era (the Golden Age particularly) that it's very hard to go past.

There's one jacket in our options that deserves a look at, and that's the Retro jacket. A revamp of that where it's closer-fitting like the later Steampunk and Western sets would be very appreciated, as would a proper trenchcoat, again ala the Spirit and most famously, Rorscach.



And that's really the two biggest camps of the whole Golden Age era; I didn't post any actual costumes, as I think other posters (and I must echo others in saying Amendment's post of Alex Ross's references is absolutely spot on in terms of what we're looking for here) have well and truly done the job.

I should say accessories are an opportunity here; gas guns and bows and arrows and swords and sheaths are all over the place in the Golden Age. By and large these characters maybe have one or two special abilities (rarely powers) and reliance on a special gadget or gadgets is a big thing. Both chest and back details like ammo belts, quivers, pouches, that sort of thing is also a signature visual element of the era.

And jetpacks. I've almost lost count of the number of Golden Age characters (up to and including Saturday afternoon serials) that feature a hero with some sort of jetpack. They're nearly always a 'rocket pack' and are either very engine-like in design or sleek and silver, but that's very much more a Silver/Retro Sci-Fi thing.

I don't think it has to be said that sashes are a big thing here as well. Pirate or Zorro-themed characters abounded and Captain Marvel was the character with that look.

The only thing I'd add even though I said the Golden Age isn't about textures is well...textures. By that I mean Golden Age costumes are largely about cloth textures and leathers more than the advent of what would be in the Olympian Guard textures, for instance. Spandex is more of a Silver Age invention (the Silver Age Flash along with the late 1950's Superman are prime examples of this), whilst the Golden Age is still more of an exaggerated reality rather than a seperate genre.

Those are my thoughts, at least.



S.

Or to put it in more concrete terms. Too golden age makes this game Batman the Brave and the Bold(the cartoon). A fun, awesome cartoon, but not necessarily something that's open to EVERY type of SUPER-HERO. This game has an edge over the competition(for me) because of it's similarities to Justice league(the cartoon).

Not only that, but them filling in the gaps for things that are more quintessentially super-heroic such as masks and cowls, will, in combination with what we have, easily lend itself to superheroes of any type. Pushing too much for golden age in particular can often leave out some essential Super-hero aspects, as well as the Silver-age.Focusing too much on Silver age would leave out the Golden age as well as some essential costume aspects. Working on masks, cowls, capes, and some on tights, essential aspects of super-hero design, serves both better, serves everyone else better, and speaking selfishly, Serves ME better.

Much of "Golden Age" super hero design is just pulp costuming with a mask like The Shadow and Green Hornet, or Painted-on Circus tights like The Phantom & Superman, none of these characters in their original design is impossible in the current engine. Silver-Age costuming is more about taking the latter, and exploring patterning more. Or, taking some manner of mind-altering drugs and trying to create "Fantasy Armor" like Jack Kirby did. That's two opposing directions, but we can still do that currently in-game.

Focusing more on the things the two have in common, Masks, cowls, tights to a lesser extent. Is better than focusing on just one. Especially since we have those extremes(in various levels of perceived quality) already.

Pretty much all of this. Do it, dave.
Add in playing Card themes too. I really want that.

Oh lord, GIVE THIS TO ME! NOW!

You have NO idea how much I want that style of jacket, along with a proper military jacket/trenchcoat. Ideally something like this;

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.