Why do they wear them? The hoods and masks many superheroes wear I can understand (secret identity and all that). I’ll even accept the longjohns (superheroes need to show off their muscles).
But capes? They’re not practical (liable to getting stuck at the worst possible moments), and they haven’t been considered fashionable for at least a hundred years.
Who was the first comic book character to wear a cape, and why has the fashion continued?
Why? Because they’re cool.
The only cape-related injury I recall is from The Watchmen; one of the earlier generation got his cape stuck in a revolving door and one of the bank robbers shot him.
Ethilrist - you’re thinking of Dollar Bill - his cape got trapped when a bank vault door closed, IIRC.
As for capes - the most obvious first that I can think of was Superman, in terms of the Golden Age Superheroes - wasn’t he the first modern comic book superhero, and the fact that he has a cape would influence other superheroes?
In terms of why, a complete WAG, but if you look at characters that appeared just before Superman that inspired drama, how about Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Jack the Ripper - they were often portrayed with Victorian capes. Didn’t it lend dramatic flair?
Frank Miller in The Dark Knight Returns makes a good plausible case for Batman’s cape being useful: slowing and controlling his descent while falling, obscuring his shape and exact location (useful in a firefight, I guess), and as an overall aid to creating fear in his opponents by making himself appear larger, darker, and somewhat less human. Since much of the story focuses on the psychology of fear involved in him becoming succesful (only touched on even remotely in the Tim Burton version of Batman, cinematically speaking), the psychological impact is important.
As for the rest of them… no idea. How about tights? What’s the deal with them, other than showing off muscles?
Wordman
You’re quite right i what you say, but you should also consider:
Comic Book characters before Superman (I think you’re right about his being the first costumed super-hero) also wore capes. Look at Zatarra the magician.
The pulp heroes that inspired the comic book heroes were notorious cape-wearers. In particular, The Shadow wore a voluminous cape or cloak, and it certainly helped his “aura of mysteru”, making for impressive magazine covers.
Both good points; both make sense…I didn’t remember that Zatarra pre-dated Superman, but regarding the pulps, absolutely…
As for tights - I would also look at the serials of the 30’s that were coming out - weren’t Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers a few years before Superman and they wore tights…
MILLER!
MILLER!
MILLER!
That was the best damned mainstream comic book I EVER read. Frank Miller’s portrayal of Batman as a lunatic fighting other lunatics was pure genius.
We now return you to your previously scheduled discussion.
A lot of heroes wear trenchcoats nowadays, but aside from the oldies (i.e. Superman, Batman, Cpt. Marvel) do any of them wear capes anymore? Spawn did at first, but I haven’t read an issue in a while, and last I checked, he kinda stopped. And the reason for that was that McFarlain studied a lot about capes/cloths/drapes/etc., that he wanted a his hero to have one. Aside from that, I really can’t think of anyone nowadays that wears one.
The cape of course used to be a common form of outerwear. Some schools of fencing included a cape technique, in which the cape was used to misdirect and entangle the opponent. So capes are included in period and later literature such as the Three Musketeers and the Scarlet Pimpernel. I can’t verify the realism of such techniques but they certainly exist in the pre-pulp era.
Once the pulps began several characters continued or reestablished the use of capes. The Shadow had a cape, but as with all pulp characters he is just a proto-superhero. He used it to confuse opponents and misdirect attacks, just like the old fencers. Not to mention the long flowing black cape fit the character. Zorro also used a cape in this period, and might be considered a transitional character from the Dumas characters to Pulps. I know there were other pulp characters that also used capes pre-superheroes, but I can’t recall any offhand right now.
Superman is generally considered to be the first “true superhero” and he appeared, full cape and all, in Action Comics #1 in June of 1938. These guys have a picture of the cover http://www.dereksantos.com/comicpage/index.html . Batman appeared less than a year later in Detective Comics #27, also with full cape. So capes have been with superheroes from the beginning. In fact they are a lot less common on characters today than they were in the golden or silver ages of comics.
As to what purpose they serve, generally they don’t serve any purpose. However some characters do use the capes for more than looks. Misdirection is still probably the most common. Some use them as camouflage, to hide in shadows etc. (like Batman). Some are lined with reflective coatings and used to deflect attacks (like the Ghost). Some are used as armor/protection both for themselves or for others to hide under (Superman used to do this as his costume used to be of Kriptonian origin. Now his costume is of Earth origin and his invulnerability extends slightly from his skin protecting his suit, but not his cape. No more hiding behind the cape for Ms Lane). One character (Cloak) even uses his to transport victims to an alternative dimension.
I think most modern writers agree with you though. I can’t think of very many new characters that use them aside from Spawn, and his is mobile and telekinetic.
Dang it. I just previewed and Everyone beat me to the punch. Oh well.
CalMeacham:
Zatara did not pre-date Superman. They both debuted in Action Comics # 1.
Cal
Not if you count Popeye (which I do).
Bartman
Technically, I think Cloak’s body is the portal and as a portal is not well defined. Cloak uses his cloak (and it’s a cloak, not a cape, although really it’s a big wad of fabric that he found while mutating) to help him mentally define the area of the portal.
Aside from the heroic look muscles provide, they’re also a shortcut for artists – drawing realistic-looking clothes hanging on a person is harder than drawing muscles, from waht I’ve read.
Capes are as popular today as they ever were. Check out Shaft, the Matrix, Face Off, etc., etc., etc.
The trenchcoat is just a fashion-reasonable cape.
If Superman didn’t wear a cape, what would there be to wave in the breeze behind him when he flies?
[quote]
Originally posted by Captain Amazing
If Superman didn’t wear a cape, what would there be to wave in the breeze behind him when he flies?*
That’s actually a really good point. Most clothing (especially tights!) fits so close to the body that it can’t give any indication about the movement of the wearer. When you have to convey action in a series of stills, capes are a great way to show movement and speed. We know how fast heroes are flying because of how their capes stream behind them, we know they’re falling (and at what speed) by the way the capes billow around them, we know they’re turning by the way the capes wrap around them. Capes really pack a lot of information, for a piece of clothing.
And maybe if I wore a cape, I could code correctly. Damn. Sedond botched quote in as many days for me.
I agree that tights make things easier for the artist. Marvel once had a character called “Jack of Hearts” who only appeared a few times (he had a 4-issue miniseries, as well as a couple of other appearances). The writers liked the character, but artists would talk them out of using him because of his complex costume (like the jack in a deck of cards). They’d get tired of drawing him rather quickly.
As far as why the hero would choose tights, ease of movement is often stated as a reason. I guess it works for dancers, so…
Capes also cater to artists. Almost every artist uses drapery studies to practice drawing dramatic, contrasty hightlights and shadows. It is natural for them to want to use that technique in their work. McFarlane took it to an extreme with Spawn for the express reason that he could make really eye-catching visual drama by filling the entire frame with billowing cloak.
Well there obviously is a continuation of previous themes. One could argue that the Shadow was a “costumed superhero.” However all sources I have read agree that despite the existance of “proto-superheroes,” Superman was the first true Superhero.
Well I haven’t actually read the Cloak and Dagger title. They have just appeared in some titles I used to read. Admittedly I was stretching to include Cloak as an example of a cape but the two garments are related.
As far as the portal is defined, every instance I have seen of the character in action, he uses the cloak to wrap around the target and pull them into the portal. Now I am more than willing to accept that he is the source of the power. But he still uses the cloak as a snare.
My point still is that, despite the artistic reasons that such characters are drawn with capes, some characters have story internal reasons for cloaks, capes etc.
Quite right. During this period, a fighting style evolved to take into account those situations where someone was accosted while wearing only normal streetclothes, which at the time included a short cape. It was also common to carry a knife.
If you weight the bottom hem of the cape with lead weights, and use it to misdirect your opponent and entangle his weapon hand, while attacking with your knife, it can be a formidable defense. Known, of course, as cloak and dagger.
I studied it briefly as part of a stage combat course. Fun stuff.
I remember a Captain America story, back in the 80’s I think, where he either quit being Cap or got fired or whatever. He became the first(?) Nomad and had a cape.
He was all happy with it.
“Look at my pretty cape! Wheeeee!” 
The first time he went after a thug he tripped on the cape, fell, and the thug got away. Then he angrily tore off the cape and did without it because it would just get in the way.
Yes, I have no point.
Thank you