Inane Subject of the Week #2

[DelBubs]

Over at the JBF (http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21154&PN=1&totPosts=4) they are having a convo about how Marvel have taken to calling Super types as 'Capes'. Going off at a tangent from what the JBF'ers are discussing... 'Why have a Cape'?

I can understand Batman having a cape. The whole Batman thing is a bit of a give away, prolly why he has them fin things on his Gauntlets, representative of bat talons, whatever. This does not explain why someone like Superman feels the need to have a cape, how does it help? What purpose does it serve ? Moonknight, Nighthawk and heroes and villians of their ilk may have capes to assist with gliding etc, but what about others who have capes for no apparent reason?

Just thought I'd ask.

(Topic Number 2000 :-) Oh Yea, Who's ya Daddy?)

[rplass]

Any Alphans have capes? I can think of:

Nemesis
Snowbird
Talisman (in her Omega Flight duds)

Ghost Girl had a capey thingy

Beta Ray Bill (from Omega Flight) has one too.

any others?

Love,
rplass

[XXL]

And why have colorful spandex too?! :D
It's just a graphic gimmick. Sometimes, the cape seems needless, but it's because the artist doesn't know what to do with it.

[bigbloo]

Spandex is thin, you wrap the cape around you when it gets cold.

Also, like a bullfighter, the cape is a bigger target, so it usually gets hit more than the hero in a long distance attack. Heroes buy capes by the gross from Capes-R-Us.

:D

[Flightpath07]

For misdirection.
In a close-quarters fight, move fast enough and the cape billows and twists like a frenetic kite in a vortex, catching the eye of your opponent briefly, and confusing him as to where you actually are at.

Wasn't Superman's cape originally suppose dot be mad eof bulletproof material? or was that his whole costume? Never understood the need, as he is bulletproof himself...

[HappyCanuck]

Personally I'm of the "anti-cape" camp. With a few exceptions - Batman (and his "flock), Snowbird, etc - most characters have no NEED of a cape other than to be more "showy". Characters like Batman and Snowbird, where the capes reflect the wings of their animal-totems, those make sense as it adds to their totemtry (not a word, I know, but I can't think of what fits better). Lets face it, a bat without wings is an ugly rat. But for people like DC's Captain Marvel, Superman and Marvel's Storm, Thor and Banshee (notice how they are all fliers) it's just to make them more grandiose and noticeable - larger than life. Then you have people like Moon Knight, the Shroud, and hell, the one that makes NO sense to me - Black Panther (why the hell does HE need a cape??) - to me, it seems very pointless to wear a cape, if not extremely cumbersome.

Then you have the villians who wear capes: Magneto, Dr. Doom... Both of these fall under the 'grandiose' designs for the capes, thus showing their insecurities, because they don't feel 'big' enough. They need the billowing cape as a way to make them look more intimidating, more regal.

But the REAL question should be: Superman. Pre-Whedon Wolverine. Batman. The first two Robins. Thing. Pre-Whedon Beast. Colossus. Why are all these people running around in their underwear - most of them wearing them on the OUTSIDE of their clothes??

[Legerd]

Moon Knight's cape doubles as a parachute/glider, or at least it use to. Also, I think a cape lends a certain sinister look to Batman/Moon Knight type characters, something along the lines of Bela Lugosi's Dracula. Of course, you can look at Dollar Bill from The Watchmen as a perfect example of why a cape is a bad idea. He got his caught in a door and was shot by the bad guys as he tried to free it. :cry:

[XXL]

You forgot THE big handicap of capes: they hide the back of our heroes, and so prevent any nice ass-shot we could have! :D

[cmdrkoenig67]

LOL!

[Le Messor]

Wasn't Superman's cape originally suppose dot be mad eof bulletproof material? or was that his whole costume? Never understood the need, as he is bulletproof himself...

I've watched episodes of Smallville where Clark walks into the fire, everything burns, and other songs, and wondered why he isn't naked when he walks out. He needs a bullet-proof costume because otherwise it'd continually be damaged. (Pre-Byrne, it was always Kryptonian anyway, and just bulletproof as a side-effect.)

Storm needs her cape to fly; she parasails, basic'ly, on winds she generates.

As for others; why not? Very few actually use them, but I like capes; I think they look cool, and that is entirely the point of the costumes.

(Alan, re: your Christ on 2 X 4 comment: No, you're not the first to notice. I just thought it was, like, the Romans adding yet another insult to yet another injury.)

- Le Messor
"Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film."

[HappyCanuck]

Storm needs her cape to fly; she parasails, basic'ly, on winds she generates.

I thought that too at one point, but we've seen PLENTY of examples - especially from Claremont's runs - that she doesn't need the cape to fly. If you look through the back-issues, you'll see several instances of Storm flying while wearing nothing more than a bikini -- UXM#109, iirc (which I might not be), has a perfect example of this.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Storm needs her cape to fly; she parasails, basic'ly, on winds she generates.

I thought that too at one point, but we've seen PLENTY of examples - especially from Claremont's runs - that she doesn't need the cape to fly. If you look through the back-issues, you'll see several instances of Storm flying while wearing nothing more than a bikini -- UXM#109, iirc (which I might not be), has a perfect example of this.

True...In her very first appearance she's topless and wearing a loincloth and she flies (sans cape) just fine.

Dana

[Le Messor]

It was one of those rules, then, that's been stated explicitly but completely ignored by creators.

You guys are right about this.

- Le Messor
"Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile."

[DaVeO]

I understand why Talisman has one, I mean, look at her current costume, brrrr. Actually hers looks more like a cloak.

[DelBubs]

I can understand Talismans cape, it adds to the traditional garb she wears, but as to heroes/villains like Scarlet Witch, Vision etc, slightly bemused as to why.