10 Superhero Costume Redesigns That Were Laughably Misjudged

Crime-fighting in style, but not exactly practicality. And yes, there are boob windows.

Last month Batgirl's new costume redesign got unveiled by DC, and everyone's reaction was pretty darn positive. The costume hit all the right marks: it didn't oversexualise the character, looked practical, stayed true to the character while bringing them up to date and even added a couple of (but not too many) bells and whistles, chief among them the heroine's cool new ability to unclip her cape whenever she pleases. If only all superhero redesigns turned out like that. Alas, unfortunately for every 2014 Batgirl redesign there are at least ten others than go down like lead balloons, either for fetishising a female character's body to caricaturish levels or ruining the classic feel of a costume by adding too much unnecessary noise and (shudder) 'piping' everywhere. It's fair enough when you're creating a new hero that artists want to try to create something that's going to both fit their abilities and look kick-ass enough to sell a few copies, but when it comes to established characters, if it ain't broke then why fix it? But that sentiment seems to fall on deaf ears when it comes to The Big Two, who seem to redesign their heroes every other issue these days, for better or worse. Here are ten of the most ludicrous re-designs ever to grace the pages of a funnybook.
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Film history obsessive, New Hollywood fetishist and comics evangelist.