Because YOU demanded it! My initial videos with fashion authority Tim Gunn is what gave us the idea to start the Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. column. If you missed them, check out Part 1 and Part 2 already! Anyway, we had such fun that we had to reunite! This time, we’re joined by my partner-in-crime Jennifer Ewing.

Last week, we discussed the Green Lanterns Alan Scott, Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. This week, we take a look at John Stewart and Kyle Rayner. Enough talk, though! Play the video and enjoy for yourselves!

Alan Kistler writes the comic book history/fashion column Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. He is an actor and freelance writer living in New York who has been recognized by Warner Bros. Films and major media/news outlets as a comic book historian. He is also a creator/host of the web-show and podcast “Crazy Sexy Geeks: The Series.” He knows entirely too much about the history of comics, Star Trek, Doctor Who, time travel, and vampires that don’t sparkle.

You can find him on Twitter: @SizzlerKistler

Like some of the other crew at Newsarama, I am currently running around like a madman at Comic-Con International. As such, between attending panels, interviews and the occasional live-blogging, there just wasn’t time for a full-blown Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. piece this week.

But for those of you who need a quick superhero fashion fix, here’s something you might like in the interim. A video where I and Jennifer Ewing, one of the co-hosts of my web-series Crazy Sexy Geeks, reunite with Tim Gunn, fashion authority, host of Project Runway, and one of the leading minds at Liz Claiborne, Inc.

In the first of this two-part video segment, we bring the fashion of the Green Lantern to Tim’s eyes. Particularly, the major costumes of Alan Scott, Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner.

Enjoy, everyone! And if you see me wandering the halls of the San Diego Convention Center, please feel free to come up and say hi!

Alan Kistler writes the comic book history/fashion column Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. He is an actor and freelance writer living in New York who has been recognized by Warner Bros. Films and major media/news outlets as a comic book historian. He is also a creator/host of the web-show and podcast “Crazy Sexy Geeks: The Series.” He knows entirely too much about the history of comics, Star Trek, Doctor Who, time travel, and vampires that don’t sparkle.

You can find him on Twitter: @SizzlerKistler

In a few months, DC Comics will evidently have a new origin and backstory for Hawkman. But for the moment, this is where his history and continuity stand.

It began when the planet Thanagar, a humanoid culture that worshiped birds and the power of flight, sent out scout ships. One such ship crashed on Earth during the days of Ancient Egypt and its power source, the gravity-defying Nth metal, was discovered by Prince Khufu Kha-Taar. Khufu discovered that this metal allowed him to fly and believed the scout ship had been a chariot belonging to Horus, the hawk-god of light. Later, Khufu and his love Chay-Ara was killed by a knife made of Nth metal. It’s unique psycho-reactive properties bonded their souls together and so Khufu and Chay-Ara were reborn time and time again, always finding each other, always fighting for justice in some way while wearing the symbol of the hawk.

In the early 20th century, they were reborn as Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders. Upon discovering the Nth metal knife of old, Carter now remembered his first life on Earth and was driven to become a warrior again. With the Nth metal and a wing harness, he became the superhero Hawkman. Shiera (who also became his wife later on) took on the identity of Hawkgirl. Carter became a founding member of the Justice Society of America and later served as its chairman for many years until he, along with most other costumed heroes, finally retired in the 1950s.

During his career as Hawkman, Carter met a man named Paran Katar from the planet Thanagar, a scientist who had traced the journey of the lost scout ship that had crashed in Egypt centuries before. Inspired by Carter’s exploits, Paran returned to Thanagar with his half-human son Katar Hol and he started a new police force known as the wingmen, each member being armed with wing-harnesses, hawk helmets and Nth metal. Eventually, the wingmen became a militaristic arm of an increasing corrupt, totalitarian government. Katar Hol became a wingman but learned the truth of how far his planet had fallen. After coming to Earth with his partner Shayera Thal, Katar decided to remain on Earth and was hailed as the new Hawkman while Shayera was labeled Hawkwoman. (more…)

Some have said that corrupting a life is worse than simply ending it. Harleen Quinzel entered was a young woman with a genius level I.Q. who entered college on a gymnastics scholarship. After graduating and becoming a psychiatrist, she went to Arkham Asylum and began having private sessions and interviews with the Joker, claiming she intended to publish a book on the subject of serial killers and mass murderers. To gain the Joker’s trust, she consented that he could call her “Harley Quinn” rather than Dr. Quinzel, as  reference to the term “harlequin.” But as time went on, the Clown Prince of Killers pushed and manipulated the psychiatrist further and further, convincing her that she loved him.

Over the years, Dr. Quinzel helped the Joker escape Arkham Asylum many times until she was discovered and became a patient herself, her license revoked. Some time later, she was able to escape and decided that now she would publicly join her beloved “Mr. J” as a costumed aide. After her first adventure as Harley Quinn, the Joker left her for dead and she only survived thanks to treatment from the toxic criminal Poison Ivy. Ivy’s chemicals had a curious effect on Harley, enhancing her strength and agility greatly, enough so that she was now able to provide quite a fight for heroes such as Batman. Seeing the advantage of having such muscle around, the Joker apologized for his actions and recruited Harley to his side.

Despite her strong feelings for Gotham’s most notorious murderer, Harley has attempted to live a life that does not involve him, spending more time with folks such as Poison Ivy and Catwoman. And in DC’s newly relaunched Suicide Squad title, coming soon, she’ll evidently find a new role in the near future.

Originally introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley has graced not only comics and cartoons but also video games. Let’s take a gander at all her different interpretations, eh? As usual, we’ll be sticking mainly with mainstream reality (and the aforementioned other media), so there won’t be any pics here of how Harley may have looked in a parallel universe or Elseworlds story. (more…)

We’re doing something a little different here. Sometimes you get ideas that just need to get out there.

First, it seemed that DC Comics was basically starting over, replacing many of their titles with new #1 issues. Then we were told it was a reLAUNCH, not a reBOOT, since only a few characters are being redefined from scratch. Now we’re being told that most of the DC Universe history will remain intact, it’s just getting tweaked here and there and that the new wardrobe should not frighten us away.

I’ve discussed what I think about many of the new fashion trends from the forth-coming DC relaunch. You can feel free to check out Part 1 and Part 2 elsewhere on this site. But with all this in mind, I started wondering what would happen if this were a reboot? What kind of changes would I like to see in the DC Universe? I posted some of those ideas on Twitter and some folks asked me to expand on them, so here we go. This is just my own personal collection of ideas, posted purely for fun. In other words, if you hate them all, that’s cool. Instead of freaking out, just remind yourself that this isn’t “real” and I have no power or effect on DC Comics at all. (more…)

So many of you have been asking for my thoughts on the new costumes we’ve been seeing in some superhero films. Well, Grace Randolph of Beyond the Trailer and Marvel.com’s The Watcher wanted to discuss that very same topic with me. Witness as we team-up to discuss the Green Lantern movie, the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger, and what we know of the Avengers film.

Last week, we checked out several of the designs that will be featured in DC’s relaunched universe, the DCnU. Although DC is now telling us that most of its previous history will be intact, the previews show that several of these characters are definitely getting new origins and altered pasts and nearly all of them are getting new outfits. Confusion aside, let’s check out the new fashion styles of some of these characters.

MR. TERRIFIC

In the 1940s, Terry Sloan was a prodigy and a polymath who decided to use his various skills to help others. As a costumed crime-fighter, he not only took down villains but also attempted to serve as a role model for people, advocating high standards of morality and “fair play.” Many decades later, Michael Holt, a genius and skilled combatant, followed Terry’s example and became the new Mr. Terrific. Along with his own skills, Holt relies on special technology he’s developed, such as his flying “T-Spheres” that can access databanks, act as communicators and project holograms.

Okay, is there a rule in the DCnU that you’re not cool unless you have red eyes? It seems to be happening with a lot of folks. I like that Michael Holt will still be with us in the DCnU. And, truth be told, this costume isn’t all that different. But I miss the jacket. Although Michael does take the concept of “fair play” seriously enough to get a tattoo, I’m never a fan of a design that involves bare arms but has gloves. And not crazy but the little changes they made to the mask, I dug how it looked before. (more…)

Everyone’s talking about the DCnU. If you don’t know about it (and really, where have you been?), here’s the deal: In a few months, DC is relaunching (not “rebooting”) it’s universe with 52 new titles hitting the shelves. Some characters are getting a modernized origin. Others are getting new costumes. We all have questions and very few answers at this time. But we do have some new designs to look at and discuss.

Now, keep in mind, I have not gone to the future and read these new titles coming out. So I don’t know if some of these costumes that are drastically different will be perfect for the new version of the character coming out. I can only judge these based on gut reaction and my familiarity with how the character has been presented in the past. I’m also only selecting a few of the DCnU titles to look over, otherwise we’ll be here all day.

So let’s start the action.

HAWKMAN

Here we have some of the old school flavor. Carter Hall, archaeologist, who became Hawkman with help from anti-gravity Nth metal and a cool wing harness. He also enjoys maces, katar blades, spikey gloves. Anything that would have TSA tackle you to the ground.

Wow, DCnU Carter is angry. Now, initially this seems a bit much to me. But the title is Savage Hawkman now and this look definitely carries that. We’ve been told for years that Carter is a fearsome warrior you have to sometimes hold back from tearing his enemies apart (which makes it odd to me that he was able to be leader of the Justice Society for so long, but that’s another discussion). Now he actually looks as fearsome and bloodthirsty as everyone says he is. Even the handle of his weapon is designed to mess you up. Interesting. (more…)

We’ve talked about Norman Osborn, the villainous Green Goblin, and those who used his mantle after him. But Osborn’s legacy of evil has grown some interesting branches. It began when Roderick Kingsley, a businessman with a lust for power, used Osborn’s old weapons and technology to become a super-villain of a different color: the Hobgoblin.

In his new guise, Kingsley became a formidable enemy of Spider-Man’s, escaping the wall-crawler and the police even when his schemes were defeated. A few times, Spider-Man caught a person whom he believed to be his mysterious new enemy only to find out that they had been framed by the real Hobgoblin to act as a red herring. When another criminal named Jason Macendale attempted to have the Hobgoblin killed, Kingsley faked the death of his costumed alter ego and retired from the life.  He convinced Macendale (and the world) that the original Hobgoblin had been journalist Ned Leeds, leading to the man’s assassination.

Macendale then stole the Hobgoblin identity to use for his own, continuing his work as a mercenary. But without Kingsley’s great strength or cunning intellect, he was not nearly the same kind of threat. His desperation to prove himself and increase his power led down different paths, including making deals with demons. Years later, Kingsley became insulted that the identity he had created had become synonymous with a “loser” and killed Macendale, taking back the role of the Hobgoblin.

Recently, Kingsley intended to make another dramatic comeback but his life took a tragic turn. Now Phil Urich, who once attempted to use the Green Goblin’s technology to act as a hero, has become a new kind of Hobgoblin, one unlike any who have come before.

Got it? Good. Let’s get on with the show then! (more…)

For decades now, fans have been reading comics featuring the X-Men. These heroes, “sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them,” have been translated to various media and have spawned many spin-off titles: New Mutants, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur, and others. Soon, we’ll be getting the new live-action movie X-MEN: First Class in theaters. But what about the true first class of Charles Xavier?

In the continuity of Marvel Comics, Charles Xavier was a mutant with telepathy. Unlike other superhumans who get abilities from biological alteration or fantastic outside factors, a mutant is a human being born with a genetic bonus known as the X-gene. When activated, usually during puberty, the X-gene gives this person strange traits or abilities. As more and more mutants became known to the public, many people feared that humanity was being replaced by a new race: homo superior. Many people began to lash out at mutants, out of fear and hatred. Some mutants abused their abilities for profit or simple amusement. And some mutants felt that they had been chosen by evolution to take charge of the Earth.

Xavier decided to create a school where new mutant teenagers would be able to spend time with each other and learn how to temper and hone their abilities. He also decided that these students would work as a strike force to take down those mutants who chose to be criminals and terrorists, showing the public that they were all cut from the same cloth and that they could all benefit from co-existence. In reference to the X-gene they all carried, his called his team the X-Men. His first class included: Scott Summers (Cyclops), Warren Worthington III (Angel, later called Archangel), Hank McCoy (Beast) and, the youngest, Bobby Drake (Iceman). Weeks after his class was assembled, the team was joined by Xavier’s very first student, Jean Grey (who used the codename Marvel Girl).

Each of these heroes has worn a variety of costumes over the years. But for the purposes of this column, we’ll be focusing on the outfits they wore when they were still the first class to attend Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngers in Westchester County. Let’s begin, eh?

THE ORIGINAL UNIFORMS

The original X-Men class was introduced in X-Men #1 (later on, retroactively referred to as Uncanny X-Men #1), published in 1963. They were brought to life by the magic of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Kirby had previously worked on The Fantastic Four and Challengers of the Unknown, two teams of heroic adventurers who wore jumpsuits rather than flashy superhero costumes. With the original X-Men team, the same strategy is used.

Marvel had only begun producing superhero comics again two years earlier. The Fantastic Four was a family and the Avengers team was basically a club where loners occasionally joined forces. But the X-Men was a school. All five members were teenagers who were under the leadership and instruction of Charles Xavier, whom they lovingly called Professor X. (more…)

Welcome back, gang. Last week, the TV series Smallville came to a close after ten successful seasons. For the first several seasons, this was a TV show that insisted on avoiding all tights and capes. But eventually, that rule fell away as more and more superheroes showed up. Even Clark began wearing outfits that were meant to act as prototypes of the famous costume we knew he was fated to wear, a costume we knew would finally arrive in the finale.

Last week, we checked out the Smallville interpretation of several heroes who aided Clark over the course of the show. Now let’s see who else was there. And let’s take a look at the Kryptonian hero himself.

DR. FATE

In the DCU, there have been a few people to use the name Dr. Fate. The most famous was a hero who operated during the Golden Age of comics. Kent Nelson was a boy trained in the ways of magic by the mystical Lord of Order named Nabu. When Kent wore the helm of Nabu, he became a host for the mystical sorcerer and this combined being was called Dr. Fate.

In Smallville, Kent Nelson is played by Brent Strait and is a man driven out of his mind by having to wear the helm of Nabu over and over again. Apparently, he was able to see everyone’s fate but his own and this knowledge destroyed much of his grip on reality. But when he resumes his role as Dr. Fate, Nabu’s power is able to help balance his mind and restore his sense of purpose.

Technically, this isn’t a bad translation. It’s certainly accurate in getting all the basic elements there. Helmet, cape, amulet, all there. Definitely a good idea to do the belt rather than shorts over trousers. But there are a couple of details not working for me. The double-F on the belt (for “Fate”) is a bit sill for me, I’d do away with that. The muscle outlines don’t really work for me. Dr. Fate is a sorcerer, not a character who focuses on physical strength, and this comes off too much as decoration for its own sake.

And like all fashion, material is key. The outfit Dr. Fate is wearing comes off as a Halloween costume, even in the world of Smallville. Maybe if they had him in a loose blue silk tunic? I don’t know. I do know for sure, though, that I would’ve preferred a metal helmet that seemed like it might have been made centuries ago rather than a plastic one.

This costume should be given a lot of credit for trying to be as accurate as it could and it actually looks quite nice in the right lighting or with the right computer-generated filter. But just misses the mark of being cool.

And what’s with the cod piece? (more…)

Has it been ten years already? My God, how time moves. Tonight is the final episode of Smallville, a series that began with the idea that it would show a young Clark Kent years before he would operate as a superhero, when he was just a teenager in Smallville, Kansas. Initially, the show went by a rule of “no capes, no tights.” Some familiar faces would show up, but in normal clothing rather than colorful costumes.

As the years went on, that rule began to weaken and then got thrown out the window. For the past few seasons, Smallville has taken place primarily in the city of Metropolis and has featured a large host of super-villains and superheroes. Let’s see how some of these comic book characters translated to live action, shall we?

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In the DC Comics Universe, there are different types of magic aligned with either order or chaos. And long ago, there were also forms of magical energy that were aligned to neither of these fundamental forces. The Guardians of the Universe, near-immortal beings who created the Green Lantern Corps, believed that these random, unfocused magicks were too dangerous to leave alone. So they collected the energy and imprisoned it in the heart of a star.

Years later, the Starheart developed a mind of its own and released a piece of itself into space. It landed on Earth as a meteor and the first man to discover it carved it into a lamp. It passed through many hands over the centuries, later influencing another man to carve it into a lantern, perhaps because the Starheart sought to emulate the technology of the Guardians. After granting death to some and new life for another, the Starheart lantern decided to give a human being power, to have its own Green Lantern warrior just as the Guardians did. In one account, this was due to the lantern having merged with the soul of a dead Corps member.

Alan Scott was an ordinary man who found the Starheart lantern just before a bomb meant for him wound up killing several other people. Wishing to avenge these deaths, Alan took a piece of the lantern and made a ring, as he was instructed to by the magic force that then empowered it. Calling himself Green Lantern, Alan Scott was the first Earth-born human being to use this title, even though he was not a member of the Corps. As the Emerald Crusader of Gotham City, Alan’s ring protected him from most forms of harm while allowing him to fly, phase through solid matter, deliver blasts of energy and fire, and create physical objects he imagined. It’s major weaknesses were Alan’s own concentration, the need to recharge the ring regularly with the lantern, and that the green flame had difficult with plant-matter and especially anything made of wood.

Guarding Gotham City for years, Alan Scott also became a founding member of the Justice Society of America, history’s first superhero team. As the Golden Age of Heroes ended, Earth’s first Green Lantern retired for decades along with many of his peers. He only operated on rare occasions, such as when he decided to investigate the new vigilante Batman who appeared in Gotham years later. Soon after the modern age of heroes went into full swing, Alan Scott finally returned to the fold along with many other Golden Age heroes who still had some fire in them. Along with the surviving members of the old JSA, Alan now helps to guide and train a new generation of heroes. Over the years, he’s sported quite a few different outfits. Let’s take a look then. As usual, this column is focusing on mainstream continuity.

BIZARRE MASKED HERO

Alan Scott debuted in July, 1940 in All-American Comics #16. He was created by artist Martin Nodell and writer Bill Finger, the same writer who penned most of Batman’s early stories and came up with the Dark Kngiht’s origin. When Alan Scott first went into action, he just wore his normal clothes and was surrounded by a halo of green light and flame. After taking down the criminals who had intended to kill him with a bomb, Alan Scott decided that it didn’t need to stop there.

He could become a masked vigilante, like the ones that had been showing up in the last few years. He needed a mask to protect his identity, of course. As he considered a design, he thought to himself, “I must make myself a dreaded figure! I must make a costume that is so bizarre that once I am seen I will never be forgotten!”

Well, “bizarre” is right. Alan Scott was not exactly a fashion designer and it showed. This costume looks as if he grabbed a lot of stuff from the storage room of a theater. A swashbuckling shirt, laced boots, simple canvas pants and a high collared cape. And many different colors. For a guy called Green Lantern, green doesn’t seem to be the dominant element here. (more…)

Last week, we checked out the fashion evolution of Luthor in the comic book medium. But Luthor is a villain who has been interpreted across the board in other forums. And there’s also been a few heroic interpretations of the character. Let’s take a gander now, eh?

BUSINESSMAN OR ATOM MAN?

In Atom Man Vs. Superman, Luthor was depicted by Lyle Talbot as a corrupt private businessman who was also quite the scientist in his spare time. Depending on the scene, he either sported a black suit or had thrown a lab coat over it. It was simple but let you know both aspects of the character pretty quickly.

Ah, and here is the famous titular villain of the movie serial, the Atom Man himself. My God, that’s a ridiculous helmet. So big. So sinister. So bald. Hey, you don’t suppose… Yup. That’s Lex Luthor in a big honking mask and robe, masquerading as a villain called Atom Man. Because what better disguise is there than a mask that looks like a cartoon version of yourself?

Now some of you might be thinking, “Wait, I thought the Atom Man was a super-villain with cool powers that fought Superman.” Well, in the radio show, you are correct. But in this movie serial adaptation, it was just Luthor playing dress up.

Lex Luthor did not appear in the live-action series that starred George Reeves and it would be decades before he showed up in television media again. (more…)

Alexander Joseph Luthor is a self-made man. His father was an abusive alcoholic who often took out his anger on young Lex and his sister Lena. Unlike his father who had trouble holding down a job, Lex was cunning, with a natural talent for manipulation and a scientific mind years ahead of his age. Lex felt stifled by those around him, angry that they were unable to keep up with his science or understand his desperate desire to leave Smallville and be part of a larger world. Only Clark Kent, a boy who was a few years younger, seemed to ever understand Lex and occasionally offer him any kind of friendship.

After arranging for his father to die, he used the man’s life insurance policy to leave Smallville and travel. Luthor’s life led him to many vile teachers. He studied under the centuries old terrorist Ra’s al Ghul, the same man who would become one of the Batman’s arch-enemies. For a time, he worked under Bruno Manheim, the mobster in charge of Intergang. Briefly, Lex worked on the planet Apokolips, studying the advanced technology of the New Gods before attempting to kill his “master”, the demonic and nearly-immortal Darkseid. After being thrown off of Apokolips and returned to Earth, the alien technology he copied, added with his own ingenious inventions, gave Lex a small fortune and he began a company in Metropolis that would become LexCorp.

As an adult, Lex was hailed as one of the richest men in the world and the most powerful man in Metropolis. And then “the alien” came. Superman’s appearance caused people to be inspired by someone else. What’s worse, Superman disrupted many of Luthor’s criminal operations and refused to be threatened, defeated or bought off. Envy and hatred mixed in Luthor and he convinced himself that he needed to destroy the Last Son of Krypton, that people needed to be inspired by a self-made man whose greatest power was his intellect and that hero-worshiping an alien actually hindered human progress. Over the years, he’s dedicated many operations to try and destroy Superman, while also making sure to acquire greater power by any means necessary.

For a time, Luthor served as the President of the United States. But newspaper articles by Clark Kent and Lois Lane proved to the world that he was a criminal not to be trusted and a hostile takeover by Wayne Enterprises took away much of his fortune and influence. After attempts to win back public trust, Luthor dropped the facade and now openly operates as a would-be world conqueror. Whether he’s fighting superheroes directly with his high-tech “warsuit” or whether he’s manipulating people and events from behind the scenes, Lex Luthor is one of the most dangerous people alive.

So that’s the basics. Here are the different styles he’s employed over the years. As usual, we’re sticking with mainstream DC Comics continuity for the most part here. No Earth-3, Anti-Matter Earth, Elseworlds or “imaginary stories.” Those can get their own theme columns later.

GOLDEN AGE LUTHOR

When our villain first appeared in Action Comics #23 in April, 1940, he called himself simply “Luthor” but whether this was his first name or last was not revealed. He was clearly a brilliant man, adept at manipulating people on a large scale and also at creating incredibly advanced technology. In this first adventure, his initial goal was to manipulate major countries of the world to war with each other and then pick up the pieces. Since World War II had just started, this didn’t seem like too far out an idea, making our boy much scarier.

When they first met, Superman found Luthor dressed in robes and seated on a throne, surrounded by loyal followers and agents. This definitely let us know his intentions, while also associating him with the image of someone who commands a cult or secret society. It’s simple but effective. Luthor wasn’t married to one outfit, though. He quickly ditched the robes and strutted about in a purple jumpsuit. (more…)

The original series of Doctor Who lasted 26 seasons, from 1963 to 1989. Thanks to his ability to regenerate his body when he’s close to death (as long as it’s not damaged too greatly and death isn’t instantaneous), the Doctor displayed 7 different incarnations over those many adventures. With the exception of a TV movie in 1996 that introduced the 8th Doctor, the TV show did not return until 16 years later in 2005 when we met the Doctor’s new 9th incarnation.

The first four incarnations had a strange dress style, a mixture of Edwardian and Victorian touches with a flair for the ridiculous. The 5th, 6th and 7th Doctors comprised what later came to be known as the “costume era”, wearing strangely stylized outfits decorated by question marks. The 8th went back to a more classic, slightly steampunk look before later (as we recently discovered) adopting a leather, Naval jacket.

The new series Doctors have gone for more modern looks but have each maintained a style that has made them stand out in many environments. So let’s take a look, shall we?

(more…)

The Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic police force of warriors who are all chosen for their honesty and the ability to act without fear. They wear power rings tap into the emotional spectrum of the universe, drawing on the collective will of all sentient life and pouring it out as green energy. These weapons are among the most powerful in the universe and are mainly limited only by the bearer’s force of will (which must harness and shape the green energy), their imagination, and the need to occasionally recharge through the use of a lantern-shaped power battery. Green Lanterns patrol the universe and sometimes will venture into parallel realities when they recognize that there’s evil that they need to take down.

This is pretty epic. And the Earthmen who have been chosen to be Green Lanterns are all pretty formidable characters. And fortunately for these folks, a hero can’t always be judged by his or her enemies. These days, the GLs fight the likes of the Red Lantern Corps, the conqueror Mongul, the necrotic Black Lanterns, and other terrifying menaces. But back in the old days, for every great villain that existed like Sinestro, the rogue Green Lantern, there were a couple of losers who just had no sense of style and couldn’t help but make you chuckle. Let’s look at some of them, shall we?

MYRWHYDDEN

A powerful mage who is a little crazy and has a serious revenge fixation on Green Lanterns, due to one of them (Abin Sur) forcing him into exile for a time. That’s not a bad recipe for a cool, scary villain. But when the mage in question looks like an old man who accidentally threw his underwear on outside his collared sweatsuit, you look creepy in a nursing home kind of way rather than as a super-villain. A few changes in this wardrobe and Myrwhydden could finally be ready to lay down some punishment.

MAJOR DISASTER

Paul Booker could create natural disasters whenever he wanted to. This is a scary thing, no doubt about it. The destruction you could cause, the terror you could inspire. You could hold entire cities or even countries hostage. Earthquakes and hurricanes could keep police and military forces from reaching you. This guy could cause volcanoes to form in front of him!

But then, we have this suit. Magenta and blue? And what’s the deal with that weird mask and hood? Those are strange enough, but then you add in a skirt and thigh high boots? Really? You thought all of these elements worked well together?

Booker later got a new look and spent some time with the Justice League where, surprisingly, no one really brought up this previous fashion disaster.

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We’re trying for something a little different this time, folks. Something a little fun and a little funky. This time around, we’re going to talk about a group of people who completely lack fashion sense and would need some serious redesign if they were ever translated into live-action media. With people everywhere talking and theorizing about the upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises, I thought we should look at the Batman’s worst-dressed enemies.

Get ready to giggle.

CRAZY QUILT

Paul Dekker was a painter who later suffered an eye injury. Now all colors seemed obscenely bright and garish to him, painful to look at. He became the criminal Crazy Quilt, dressed in a patchwork outfit meant to make other people feel as he did. Though, if you think about it, with his condition, this outfit probably caused more pain for Quilty than anyone else. I mean, if you see normal colors as bright and painfully clashing, wouldn’t a costume designed for such a purpose just exacerbate the problem?

Crazy Quilt later made himself a helmet the could hypnotize and disorient his enemies with crazy colorful lights. Alas, this did not prevent him from getting beat-up and imprisoned by Batman and Robin. In fact, Robin became Crazy Quilt’s object of vengeance, since the Boy Wonder beat him up more often than the Dark Knight.

Recently there’s been a lady Crazy Quilt and she actually seems to pull off the look better than Dekker ever did. Either way, once you’ve seen this outfit and that helmet, you never forget it.

SIGNALMAN

Some people, when they become a costumed hero or villain, get inspired by a specific symbol or icon. Batman was inspired when a bat crashed through the window. The Green Lantern’s symbol is the lantern that acts as the source of his power. But Phil Cobb wasn’t a guy to sweat any details. He just liked symbols and signals and became fascinated by how society seemed to be driven by them, so he became the Signalman.

He fought Batman a few times, once turning the Bat-Signal into a heat beam, another time trapping Batman inside it. He also briefly became an anti-Green Arrow called “the Blue Bowman.” In general, he’s never done anything major to register on the super-villain scale in a big way. And why should he? That cape. Those clashing colors. And those ridiculous shorts! What is with those shorts?

The main problem here might be that there’s no cohesive identity and it shows. This is just a bunch of random decorations and images thrown together. Signalman, it would be good if you picked a single symbol or icon. Otherwise, you’re as generic as “Theme-Man” or “Guy in Costume.”

Moving on…

CALCULATOR

Remember when the pocket calculator was new, cutting edge technology? Naturally, DC decided that there should be a villain who corrupted said device for evil uses. Enter Noah Kuttler AKA the Calculator. Now, if you break it down to what this battle suit could do, it was actually pretty cool. Its sensors and operating system could scan an enemy and accurately predict what they would do in battle. Give the suit enough information, it could even enter the realm of psychohistory (one of Asimov’s cooler ideas) and predict how the general populace would behave. And the helmet could project solidified holograms that could be operated as weaponry in a way that mimicked the Green Lantern power ring.

Sadly, it’s hard to get people to listen and acknowledge that you’re potentially quite dangerous when you look like a tool. Seriously, a keypad with simple math symbols on it would get you beat up in high school, much less by the likes of Batman and Aquaman. After vanishing for several years, you might’ve expected Kuttler to re-appear with yet another costume based on cutting-edge tech such as the iPhone. But instead, he kept the name Calculator and simply dropped the costume, becoming a hacker and information broker for DC supervillains. He’s been doing much better now operating that way, but one still has to wonder if his old battlesuit isn’t hanging in a closet, waiting for someone to wear it again.

KITE MAN

Charles Brown (known as “Chuck” to friends) decided to use jet-propelled kites to commit serious crimes. Basically, imagine if Charlie Brown of the Peanuts gang got so angry at the tree that kept messing with his kite, he decided to use kites as an instrument of revenge against society. In fact, that would have probably been a cooler story that what Kite Man provided us. He dressed up in silly costumes and despite the fact that he had high-tech jets that could’ve acted as a rocket pack, he insisted the kites were necessary to make him a bad-ass super-villain.

So naturally, this kite-armed individual decided to take on heroes that surely even he had a chance of beating up. Or rather, that would have been the smart move. But no, instead, he decided to fight the Batman (big mistake!) and, later on, Hawkman and Hawkgirl (heroes armed with maces, bigger mistake!!!).

KILLER MOTH

Drury Walker was a no-name criminal who decided to set himself up as the anti-Batman. But unlike the Wrath or Prometheus, he decided to do it without being intimidating. By day, he masqueraded as rich playboy Cameron Van Cleer. By night, he was the Killer Moth, based in his Moth-Cave until criminals could summon for his aid with the Moth-Signal, at which point he’d arrive in his Moth-Mobile and take care of any pesky cops or vigilantes so his clients could escape. Of course, he wasn’t very good at this and criminals realized that shining a light into the sky to announce their presence was not the smartest idea.

And hey, look at what our boy is wearing. I know a couple girls who have knee high socks with that color pattern! Maybe Drury decided that an anti-Batman needs to be the opposite of intimidating, someone who would be invited to kids’ parties before guest-starring on Sesame Street. In the 1990s, they changed Killer Moth into a mutated creature called Charaxes, but no one can ever forget this outfit here.

THE TEN-EYED MAN

Wow. Hey ladies, I’ve got my eyes on you! Hey, now! I can see you in my pants! No, seriously, look at my belt. It has an eye!

Okay, weird jokes aside, let’s look at this guy. Phil Reardon, a guy who was injured in the eyes by a grenade and then, while he was guarding a warehouse, mistook Batman for an intruder and fought him. The real intruders had planted a bomb in the warehouse and it went off, completely blinding Reardon. But that’s okay, because an experimental operation attached his optic nerves to his hands, allowing him to see through his fingers.

Just think about that for a moment. You’d need to have your hands out in front of you the whole time just to walk and if you made two fists you would be instantly blind. On top of that, what is with this look? Mohawk and a lot of eye badges? Really? Like having eyes in your fingers isn’t creepy enough. This villain was so lame, writer Marv Wolfman made it a point to kill him during Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Recently, Grant Morrison re-invented the concept by introducing a cult of mystics known as the Ten-Eyed Men of the Empty Quarter, mysterious warriors who tattoo eye symbols on their fingers, hunt down demons and are able to cut out the darkness of people’s souls.

CALENDAR MAN

Julian Gregory Day (wow, named after not one but two calendars) was a very clever criminal who decided to commit crimes based on holidays, seasons, the days of the week, etc. To be fair, he actually did pull off quite a number of successful robberies each time he went on a crime spree, not being captured by Batman until the he finally tried one heist too many. If he’d stopped some of those crimes at an earlier date, he could have easily retired and enjoyed his riches.

But while Julian Day can be intimidating when he’s wearing the clothing of a simple patient of Arkham Asylum, that’s lost the minute he puts on his official costume. His default look was a rather ridiculous hooded outfit with a sash and calendar pages stapled or taped together as a very flimsy cape. Though, you have to admit, a man who runs around in this costume must not be afraid of anything.

But that’s not all. The Calendar Man adopts a different costume for different crimes. For a Wednesday crime, he dressed as Odin (whose other name Woden later gave us Wednesday). For a Thursday crime, he dressed up as his own version of Thor (from whom we get “thor’s day”). For a spring crime, he dressed up as a… flower guy… Yeah…

For a summer crime, he dressed up as a man bursting with fire and decorated by the sun. For a winter crime, he dressed up as a living snowman. That’s right. There is a comic where Batman fights what seems to be Frosty the Snowman. And all of these costumes were ridiculous, gaudy and lame. For a time, during the 90s, he adopted a different, creepier guise, but that was short-lived. So for sheer volume of awful costumes, the Calendar Man totally wins.

And that brings us to a close for now. There were other villains we could’ve talked about, but then again we could be here forever. Rest assured, there will be other best of and worst of lists in the future.

CONVENTION ALERT! If you are at WonderCon in San Francisco this weekend, I am wandering around. You can find me in panels dealing with superhero psychology and trauma, panels concerning the Green Lantern film, the Doctor Who panel, and probably just walking around the floor. So if you spy me, come up and say hi!

Until next time, this is Alan Kistler, Agent of S.T.Y.L.E., signing off.

Alan Kistler writes the comic book history/fashion column Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. He is an actor and freelance writer living in New York who has been recognized by Warner Bros. Films and major media/news outlets as a comic book historian. He is also the creator/host of the web-show “Crazy Sexy Geeks: The Series.” He knows entirely too much about the history of comics, Star Trek, Doctor Who, time travel, and vampires that don’t sparkle.

Alan can be followed via Twitter: @SizzlerKistler. His work can be found at http://KistlerUniverse.com or http://www.youtube.com/user/CrazySexyGeeksSeries

Most folks have heard of Batgirl, but not as many know about the Batwoman!

Kathy Webb was a spy who left behind her life of action to become a successful film director, later marrying the wealthy Nathan Kane. A woman of many talents and a thrill-seeker, Kathy was given a circus by her husband Nathan simply because she’d always wanted one. After her husband’s death from a stroke, Kathy felt directionless and didn’t know how to express her grief beyond courting danger as usual. But then she was recruited by the mysterious organizations Spyral and asked to learn what she could of Gotham’s mysterious Batman, who had recently begun operating alongside the first Robin.

Accepting the assignment, Kathy was surprised to find herself drawn to this dangerous, driven vigilante and decided that the best (and most fun) way to get close to him and learn about him was to join his war. Outfitted in a bright, circus-style outfit, she became Batwoman, armed at all times with a utility purse and a smile. After a heated but brief relationship with Batman, Kathy Kane seemingly ended her own mission by retiring from the life of a superhero and breaking up with Bruce Wayne. A couple of years later, she met her death when she was killed by the forces of Ra’s al Ghul and the O-Sensei.

Years later, Kathy’s relative Kate Kane left the U.S. Marine Corps when she was forced to admit she was gay. Driven by the memory of her mother and sister’s deaths, Kate was a warrior at heart who now didn’t have a fight. Inspired by Batman, she later became the new Batwoman. Since then, she has been a dedicated vigilante, hunting down some of Gotham’s most dangerous psychotics and becoming an enemy of the religiously-driven Church of Crime. With recent appearances in Batman, Inc. and a new on-going series coming out, Kate Kane is definitely a hero to watch.

So let’s take a look at these two women. We’re going to stick primarily with mainstream continuity, as usual.

KATHY KANE, CIRCUS STAR

Kathy Kane first debuted as Batwoman in Detective Comics #233 in 1956. Accusations of Batman and Robin’s adventures having a homosexual subtext had made many parents concerned. So Bob Kane (Batman’s creator) and Sheldon Moldoff created Kathy Kane to disprove this idea by becoming a romantic interest for the Dark Night Detective. To emphasize Kathy’s femininity, she had a utility purse and all her weapons were based on what could be a woman’s personal items. Strangely though, the stories often involved Batman avoiding Batwoman’s romantic attentions, unwilling to settle down or expose is secret identity to anyone.

Now look at Kathy’s outfit. Although she is modeling herself after the Dark Knight, she’s definitely not following his color scheme or basic imagery. We could argue that this makes no sense and that she should dress just like Batman, but let’s remember that just because you’re attracted to someone or trying to get their attention, it doesn’t mean you have to dress like them. Batman was a lighter-hearted character in the 1950s than he had been in his early days, but he was still someone who intimidated his enemies and who would make himself seem like a creature of the night when he operated in the shadows. If you see him as a silhouette moving across a rooftop, you could believe he was a creature rather than a man.

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Some heroes are part of a legacy. It began with Dinah Drake, a girl with a talent for physical combat who had trained for years to be a fighter and a detective. It was her father’s hope that she would become a police detective like himself. But the Gotham City police force of the 1940s didn’t accept Dinah into its ranks and so, following the death of her father, she decided to pursue crime-fighting in a different way. By day, she ran a simple flower shop, but at night she donned a blond wig and black outfit to operate as the vigilante called Black Canary. After several of adventures, she wound up joining the Justice Society of America, history’s first superhero team.

Years later, Dinah Drake married her long-time boyfriend, Detective Larry Lance. Eventually, they had a daughter, young Dinah Laurel Lance. Growing up with two crime-fighting parents, surrounded by superhero “uncles”, young Dinah wanted nothing more than to be the new Black Canary. Her mother was against it, but young Dinah persisted, especially after she discovered she had been born with the ability to emit sonic blasts (a side effect of her mother’s repeated exposure to supernatural forces). After years of intensive physical training, Dinah Laurel Lance got her own wig and outfit and became the new Black Canary. Soon after she started her heroic career, she even became a founding member of the Justice League of America.

Dinah Laurel Lance has been through a lot, over the years. She discovered that her mother had an affair with one of her “uncles.” She suffered through the deaths of both her parents. She has had an rocky on-again, off-again relationship with Oliver Queen, the hero called Green Arrow. A case that involved her being tortured robbed her of her powers and damaged her health. Later on, she began working as a “Bird of Prey,” one of several agents organized by Barbara Gordon AKA Oracle to act as international trouble shooters. Having now regained her powers and reaffirmed her direction in life, Black Canary (who now simply dyes her hair) continues to take down criminals, war lords and super-villains and always looks good doing it.

So let’s examine her fashion choices over the years. As usual, we’ll be sticking with what is/was considered mainstream continuity or else this becomes a novel.

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