For all my talk about ghosts and monsters–and, you know, skeletons–Halloween pretty much boils down to two things for most people: Costumes and Candy!
Yes, in a tradition dating back to ancient times when people would disguise themselves as monsters in order to scare ghosts out of their fun-sized Snickers bars, Spooktoberfest’s heart lies in celebrating the many rewards that we can earn through earnest, good-natured deception. And while candy doesn’t really translate well to an online venue like the ISB, the pure visual fun of costumes is tailor-made for something like this.
With that in mind, it’s my pleasure to take a break from the frights and sights to celebrate this year’s greatest costumes from the world of comics!
Let’s see, who do we have this year…
Bruce Wayne as
Superman
Miura Hayasaka as
Cardbo the Robot
Brainiac 5 and Sun Boy as
Prince Projectur and Saturn Lad
The Hulk as
Mechano, the Robot Clown
Princess Peach as
Luigi
Yukari Tanizaki and Minamo Kurosawa as
Japanese Schoolgirls
The Mindless Ones as
Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Bucky Lasek, and Steve Caballero
Kraven the Hunter as
Spider-Man
All great costumes, everybody! But it gives me great pleasure to present this year’s award for Best Costume to…
Empowered as
Sexy Librarian!
Let’s have a big hand for Empowered, everybody!
Of course, they can’t all be winners, so this year’s Worst Costume award goes, once again, to…
Superman as
Hamlet
Man, Supes. I know you’re busy, but how about a little effort next year?
The costumes from this year’s contest can be found in DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories
Why not join in and post YOUR favorite?
That Hulk panel has appeared many times and in many places across the internet, and everyone always asks: “Why don’t they realize that it’s the Hulk?” My response is this: yes, it’s pretty obvious, and, in all likelihood, they know what’s going on. But the typical circus ringmaster isn’t likely to turn down a new attraction, especially when it happens to be THE MOTHER@#$%ING INCREDIBLE HULK JUGGLING A MOTHER@#$%ING ELEPHANT. And the audience is certainly getting their money’s worth.
And that Peach-as-Luigi panel *might* be awesome, as long as there is no such thing as “The Rat Pack” in the Mario Universe.
I just like the fact that the famously dexterous and composed Hulk, bewildered by sights, sounds and physical exertion of the outside world, became a juggler at a circus.
It would make a better comic if it replaced the text in the exposition-box with “and now, the hulk as a clown”
There’s a lot to choose in the Tintin series. And Onizuka from GTO as Kenshiro from FotNS is pretty cool (talking of easy costumes).
Also, I always liked Bruce Wayne as Matches Malone.
Is the Hulk panel from the Superman/Hulk crossover featuring the Shaper of Worlds? If not, does that mean that the Hulk has been a clown more than once?
Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised if he was.
You forgot The Sentry as Miracleman. Tsk.
I always wondered what that S was for!
I agree with guayec, Matches Malone was real cool.
If you want to get technical about it, that would be Batman as Matches Malone.
Sorry Chris, those were good, but the best costume image the internet has provided me with this year can be seen here.
The horse and the seal don’t look too thrilled but the elephant looks like he’s having a really good time.
The elephant takes his action where he can find it, I guess.
IIRC, way back in Incredible Hulk #2, after the public’s very first glimpse of the then-gray behemoth, one eyewitness described him as “a bear, probably escaped from some circus.” This proves that 1) Hulk’s career path was marked at an early stage, and 2) the Marvel Universe public are absolute morons.
Off-topic, but I figure that out of the entire internet you’re the best people to ask: I found the Michael Jan Friedman ST:TNG/X-Men novel second-hand today, but eventually decided it was going to be such a train-wreck that not even I would find it entertaining. Did I err?
One of my mates has read it. It caused him despair the likes of which the mortal mind can scarcely comprehend. You know the state of the Enterprise D after Generations? That book is the literary equivalent.
Empowered- is one of her powers being able to walk in those heels? I guess she was bitten by a radioactive Jim Balent at some early stage.
I know Matches Malone is popular, but I prefer the lesser seen disguise Bruce used in the Batman Vengeance video game where he had a dead eye, a scar, tussled hair, and raggedly clothing. I forget his name, but my best guess would be Fucked Up Fred.
Whenever I see things like that Avengers panel with the Hulk, I’m always awed and humbled by the wisdom of the old House of Ideas plot-art-script process. I can easily see Stan giving Jack a rough plot like “the Hulk has taken refuge at a circus” and by the time the Kirby-fied art came back for him to script, he just had to try to roll with it. This gets especially entertaining when you imagine the writer and artist trying to piss each other off.
Matches Malone is okay.
Batman KOing Ronald Freaking Reagan and dressing up like him in the Outsiders is a billion times more awesome.
It’s the Goddamn BatReagan!
“Batman KOing Ronald Freaking Reagan and dressing up like him in the Outsiders is a billion times more awesome.
It’s the Goddamn BatReagan!”
Shit, now I have to find that back issue. And also whichever manga features Princess Peach as Luigi the Mad Bomber.
At the moment I’d say:
Fredrick Foswell as Patch.
Logan as… a different Patch.
Batman as a Bizarro (and JFK as Clark Kent.)
Han’Nya as the book lender.
And The Masters of Evil as The Thunderbolts.
I’ve actually read that X-Men?ST:TNG novel. It is every bit as stupid and fan-ficy as I’d hoped it’d be going in. Picard and Xavier don’t technically meet, but Jean Grey does whip up a holographic version.
And I’m partial to the costume the Human Torch forced Spider-Man to wear for some reason I forgot; a Fantastic Four uniform and a paper sack over his head. I’m sure one of the commentors on this blog can remind why he had to wore that, but it just perfectly encapsulates Spidey’s role as the Charlie Brown of the MU and his long running prank war with the Torch (which made the Spidey/Torch mini Dan Slott did so damn awesome). Either that or Trish Stratus as Canadian Wonder Woman. I think I like that better now.
Amazing Spider-Man 258 — one of the first comics I ever read. Reed Richards figured out that Spider-Man’s black costume was alive, then had to blast it off his body after the symbiote panicked and started trying to bond to Peter. That left Peter in his underwear, frantically covering his face…so to get him home, Johnny dug up the old FF costume, the paper sack and (this is key) a “Kick Me!” sign on Peter’s back.
Then Peter went home and it started snowing on him because the Casket of Ancient Winters had been opened because Walt Simonson was busy being awesome over on “Thor.”
But what of Emp’s Shrodinger’s Catgirl costume?
The Sexy Librarian lacks a tail.
See, I knew I was asking the right people! Nick, Sam, thanks for the response. I’m still undecided, but hey…
Please tell me where the skateboarding mindless ones came from.
needs more deadpool as storm