And I have to say, it’s about time! I’m so glad Newsarama has a discussion about those red shorts our hero has been wearing for a while. They’re ugly, and what’s worse, they draw undue attention to the nether regions which just distracts from the story. It’s true that our hero’s cousin wears red shorts, making them seem like just part of the uniform. Still, whatever the reasons behind them might be, I firmly believe:

Superman’s red shorts have to go.

Oh – what’s that? People are talking about Supergirl’s red shorts? I thought we were talking about the underwear that the Man of Steel wears over his pants. Supergirl wearing shorts under her skirt makes perfect sense. I was very happy when Renato Guedes drew Supergirl with blue shorts back in Supergirl #20-22, and was pleased to see Jamal Igle bring them back in Supergirl #34 (not #35, Newsarama).

Now, what Superman’s got going on is underwear as outerwear, which is a whole ‘nother story. How embarrassing for him! His bright red briefs scream out to the world, look at my groin! My pants are so tight everyone would’ve stared at my crotch, so I wore my underwear over my pants! But that just made it worse! OH GOD!!!

Can we please give the poor man a costume update? And while DC is at it, I’d like to see those full length pants that Supergirl’s been requesting for years. The skirt as superhero costume is so Silver Age. Didn’t make sense when they brought it back in 1984, even less in 1988. But in 2004 – are you kidding me?

I don’t actually care about Superman’s shorts. They’re cute in a way. But keeping Supergirl in a skirt and cut off top is unfair. Making a point to show that she wears long shorts under her skirt is small, but important: it acknowledges that there is an obvious flaw in that feminized costume. Acknowledging that error is something that DC creators have failed to do until recently. I do hope that we’ll see Supergirl get some kind of full body costume very soon. She deserves it, don’t you think?