Why does Superman wear underwear over his pants?
Seemingly trivial questions often plague the minds of curious people, and often these simple questions end up generating long and very thought-provoking answers. A good example that goes out of mind is one of the most famous heroes in the world: why the hell does Superman wear a red underwear over his pants?
Published on Quora, the site of one of the 7 small companies that could become giants in the future, the question generated several answers. The most voted by site visitors, however, is Ariel Williams, who explained in detail the technical reasons that led to this unconventional combination for us, but has become something of a standard in the uniforms of many superheroes. Ready for class?
Cost and Impression: Limiting Factors
In the early 1930s and 1940s, comic book printing came in two forms: black and white or in four colors. Typically, this type of magazine was made for the lowest possible cost, so the worst possible paper weights and fastest and cheapest printing methods were used.
Color printing was reserved for the cover only, as it was more expensive and required that the inks be applied in four different stages, one for each color. However, there was a problem with this method: when a very large magazine production was to be printed, the machines needed to work at the fastest speed possible. As a result, they misaligned and needed frequent adjustments, which explains, for example, the fact that many comics bring the color of the image out of the outline.
To avoid this kind of imperfection, magazines began to be made with very precise contours and printed in a very dark black, and usually had objects that could be painted in a single color.
These restrictions led artists to adapt their work to work better in this way. To do so, the use of two main methods helped to circumvent the problem: a pointillism technique, known as a halftone, and the use of very dark solid colors that flattened an area. In other words, it was necessary to keep the colorization of art simple without abusing the colors.
The aesthetics of underwear over pants
The problem is that, with the limitations described above, artists have experienced some difficulty in trying to demonstrate characteristics of strength and power. Thus, the industry began to emphasize the male or female details of each character, with variations of colors or lines that help to divide waist, pelvis, feet, hands and chest regions.
The problem is that these divisions may be too small and insufficient depending on the scene in which the character appears. In the image above, for example, we can see that the center figure has a pelvis that merges with the Steel Man's legs, making it flat and weird. The figure on the right highlights the pelvis with lines that give the sensation of volume in a region that could be problematic for morale of the 40's. However, putting a pair of underwear over the pants would solve all problems, as can be seen in left frame.
In fact, even heroes in single-color uniforms sometimes need a pair of underpants so the design can make up for these limitations. In the table above, for example, you can see that even the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four is wearing one besides Reed Richards.
Today, the look of heroes is changing. With better printing techniques, we can already see a big change in Superman's current uniform. You can still see a few lines separating the pelvis from the hero's legs, but at least he got rid of the red underpants over his pants, something that fashion experts would surely approve of.
The Hollywood industry also agrees with the change, as this will be the look adopted by the hero in the movie "Man of Steel", which is scheduled to premiere in July 2013.
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