Post by DedmanWalkin on Oct 8, 2011 2:58:56 GMT -5
Costume Color Choices in (DC) Comics
DC has gone to great lengths to explain that colors mean more than just a place on the EM spectrum. Through the character of the Green Lantern we have been introduced to the entire rainbow of the EMotional spectrum. I won't bore you with details that you already know but I will include a quick reference list near the end of the post.
While reading through Blackest Night and Brightest Day, I was admiring the changes made to the various Black and White Lanterns when they turned. The same can be said for when the various heroes and villains were deputized into the various Lantern factions. When they wore the Lantern Rings, the costumes did not remain the same, they changed to mirror the Lantern faction they joined.
As I started pondering this fact, I began to look at heroes costumes other than Lanterns to see if the colors of the spectrum could illuminate aspects of the character. Before I get started there I thought I should clarify that for the purposes of this thread, Indigo will be subsumed into Violet since compassion and love are closely related and Indigo is a shade of Violet unless the color is actually Indigo as it is a rarely used color. I started with the DC Trinity, namely Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Superman
Superman represents all that is good about humanity despite being an illegal alien with unearthly superpowers. His costume is primarily blue which represents the hope for tomorrow that he embodies. His “S” Shield is made of both red and yellow represent his potential for rage and fear that he holds at bay in the field of blue hope that surrounds it. Overall, the color choices for him could not be better given his character.
Batman
Batman is the Dark Knight, a man willing to bend the rules to bring about justice. Batman is usually drawn with either dark blue or straight black. Both of these colors represent something important about him, he is mired in death but still has hope for the future. The only other color in his costume is yellow which represents his use of fear and freedom from it. Again, here the color choices can tell us a bit about his character.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is an woman of war seeking peace. She has the same color scheme of Superman but the different distributions of colors show their inherent difference. She has more Red and Yellow in her costume showing that she is a fighter with no fear. She considers her most powerful asset to be her Lasso of Truth which is golden, or in this case yellow. It is the only thing she may truly fear.
Now, I realize that this may be a case of after the fact analysis but I think it is interesting that a concept created recently can have a retroactive impact on things created in the distant past. But I would like to open the floor to seeing what other characters may also be defined by their costume color choices. Also, feel free to call me a loon, I know I am.
While I would love to include Marvel, Image, Dark Horse etc., they don't have such as specific a definition of the color spectrum. However, if you think a particular character from a different universe can be analyzed in this way, feel free to post it.
DC has gone to great lengths to explain that colors mean more than just a place on the EM spectrum. Through the character of the Green Lantern we have been introduced to the entire rainbow of the EMotional spectrum. I won't bore you with details that you already know but I will include a quick reference list near the end of the post.
While reading through Blackest Night and Brightest Day, I was admiring the changes made to the various Black and White Lanterns when they turned. The same can be said for when the various heroes and villains were deputized into the various Lantern factions. When they wore the Lantern Rings, the costumes did not remain the same, they changed to mirror the Lantern faction they joined.
As I started pondering this fact, I began to look at heroes costumes other than Lanterns to see if the colors of the spectrum could illuminate aspects of the character. Before I get started there I thought I should clarify that for the purposes of this thread, Indigo will be subsumed into Violet since compassion and love are closely related and Indigo is a shade of Violet unless the color is actually Indigo as it is a rarely used color. I started with the DC Trinity, namely Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Superman
Superman represents all that is good about humanity despite being an illegal alien with unearthly superpowers. His costume is primarily blue which represents the hope for tomorrow that he embodies. His “S” Shield is made of both red and yellow represent his potential for rage and fear that he holds at bay in the field of blue hope that surrounds it. Overall, the color choices for him could not be better given his character.
Batman
Batman is the Dark Knight, a man willing to bend the rules to bring about justice. Batman is usually drawn with either dark blue or straight black. Both of these colors represent something important about him, he is mired in death but still has hope for the future. The only other color in his costume is yellow which represents his use of fear and freedom from it. Again, here the color choices can tell us a bit about his character.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is an woman of war seeking peace. She has the same color scheme of Superman but the different distributions of colors show their inherent difference. She has more Red and Yellow in her costume showing that she is a fighter with no fear. She considers her most powerful asset to be her Lasso of Truth which is golden, or in this case yellow. It is the only thing she may truly fear.
Now, I realize that this may be a case of after the fact analysis but I think it is interesting that a concept created recently can have a retroactive impact on things created in the distant past. But I would like to open the floor to seeing what other characters may also be defined by their costume color choices. Also, feel free to call me a loon, I know I am.
While I would love to include Marvel, Image, Dark Horse etc., they don't have such as specific a definition of the color spectrum. However, if you think a particular character from a different universe can be analyzed in this way, feel free to post it.
