Frustration

I

really

wish

people

would

stop

making

fun

of

Superman's

"underpants."

The

joke

is

as

tired

and

juvenile

as

"hurr

hurr,

Batman

and

Robin

are

totally

gay"

and

other

inane

clichés.

Can

we

please

finally

put

it

to

rest?

Seriously, it's a component of costume design. It has been since before there were comic book superheroes. Steve Ditko used it, Jack Kirby used it, Dave Cockrum used it, Neal Adams used it, Jim Lee used it. In most cases, it's a way to break up the colors of the lower body; in some cases, it's just to add seams, apparently. What it emphatically is not is uncommon, or even necessarily a sign of bad costume design. Check out lists of the best costume designs, and you'll see some consistent entries: Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Wolverine--all dressed in external underwear. Can we all please stop acting like Superman's red briefs are some terrible and unique crime of fashion?

I mean, Moon Knight wears white all year long. Seriously.