That’s all I have. I’m too tired to think of anything else except stuff I think we’ve already talked about. (Matrix-esque perception, etc.)

I’ve thought about it and I’ve decided that the Victory Streak will not have a costume in the traditional sense but he will wear one outfit consistently when he is in action. I think I’ve settled on a look, and am slowly improving the weaknesses in my drawing skills. I will attempt to have another sketch posted this week.

Thank you all for your support and suggestions. Please keep both coming!

i like the “anti-costume”concept. there is a consideration, though. i am reminded of the Pixar film “The Incredibles” in which the costume designer had made special uniforms for each of the family members depending on their abilities. the boy had super-speed and so his had to be made of material to handle the friction.
perhaps at the end of each burst of speed his clothes can be tattered and shredded like coleslaw as part of his visual identity. then each panel you can change the logo or saying on his shirt because it would be neccessary.
and another identifying visual can be a “V” tattooed on the back of his hand or something. and when he has chredded his clothes from power usage he should always be wearing a “Hello Kitty” banana-hammock.
i like the idea of him not having to be visually ego-centric. heavy crowd-blendability makes him the everyman-hero a large percentage of the male half of humanity wants to be.

Caveat Wombats

And this is a serious thought here—-

What if, depending on what Steve VS is WEARING, that determines the color of the visible streak? If he was the Steve from the first sketch, the streak’d be blue. If he was in a dark business suit, the streak’d be black. If he was in sweats, it’d be gray.

What, I can see you thinking, is the point of that?

Different color streaks, leading people to think there’s a Victory Streak TEAM. You could have a news crew at the scene of one event where the streak is blue, but since Steve would be moving faster than the 30 frames per second camera, all the camera would see would be a solid streak of color, and some eager beaver news person would conclude from the different colors that there’s more than one. They could even have the station art department come up with a “Probable Team Uniform” design that is completely goofy looking like a Jack Kirby acid trip or something.

Why would Steve be talking to Commisioner Gordon?

Or maybe not. It depends on how you conceive the character, so long as you keep the milkshake idea. Strangely, few superheroes are known for their desserts.

Okay, maybe not that last one.

Anyway…

1) Superhero costumes are kind of passe, but on the other hand you are going for the kind of classic feel for your hero, secret identity and all.

2) Superheroes don’t need a costume per se if they have a distinct appearance, i.e. a costume or hair style. Buffy and Clark Kent are not good examples, for the reasons you stated, but Dr. Who (who’ve I only discovered in the last few weeks) or Wolverine are distinct even if drawn by different artists. Another example is Pete Wisdom of Excalibur, who wears a gray suit and tie. Lara Croft also. Bruce Willis in Unbreakable. Constantine. A coat, a sweatshirt, sunglasses, can be used. There was an Israeli Super Hero in a comic that only had two issues who had a KISS T-shirt.

I like your idea of Steve wearing T-shirts with different logos, but I’m not sure it could work if you want to make Steve distinct.

3) Another approach was to have a costume, but not spandex, like in the X-men movies, or PAD’s Fallen Angel, who wears a hooded cloak.

4) Part of the thing here is that Steve, unlike say Wolverine or Buffy, seems to want to be recognized under the separate secret identity of Victory Streak, which is why super heroes wear costumes to begin with.

5) Another question is how Steve hide who he is? Or is it like Superman wear nobody makes the connection despite the similar face? Maybe the super speed makes him a blur without noticeable features?

So, what’s right for Steve?

I think the direction could be something along the lines of the first spiderman costume in the first movie, when he was wrestling. It was a costume, but it was clearly amateurish and made of regular clothing, since Steve is a wannabe hero. I’m not sure you could have a changing logo. but maybe he should wear a T-shirt or sweat shirt with some obscure logo, maybe a V, which the media will come to associate with Victory Streak but would actually be the symbol of something silly, like a dry cleaners or an old school? A forgotten rock band? I’m not sure.

We’ve been working on logos in the class I’m taking. Difficult job. Hard to come up with the right one. One guy kept coming up with logos that were similar to logos of real companies, like Pepsi, HP and Atari.

By the way, have any of you seen a British show called Jyckyl (a modern day Jeckill and Hyde)? It’s pretty good.

I’ve got ideas about heroes in costume, but I have to run and get my wife lunch, so I’ll put it in later.

As to yours and Jerry’s questions: I don’t know. I think I’m going to try some different looks and post them here to elicit your reactions.

I’m becoming more “anti-costume” with each passing day, but that leaves me with the challenge of creating a distinctive and easily recognizable look for the character. The only successful “costumeless” heroes I can think of are on T.V.: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Clark Kent on “Smallville,” and Doctor Who, for example. They don’t need costumes because the *actor* in each case provides the distinctive and easily recognizable look, along with a unique voice and mannerisms. You can’t replicate that in a comic-book. The rigors of drawing a 22-page book on a regular basis make it all but impossible to spend enough time to nail down your hero’s face perfectly in every panel.

I think there’s a way to create a distinctive look without resorting to spandex. I’ll be posting some alternative designs over the next few days.

In the meantime, does anyone else have any views on whether costumes are still necessary for super-heroes? Discuss.