GREEN ARROW ON SMALLVILLE (& COMIC COSTUMES)

Anyone else totally digging the addition of OLIVER QUEEN/GREEN ARROW on SMALLVILLE?! And some people say you can't make a costume work in a "Reality Toned" setting. Bah! BAH I SAY!!! Apparently the actor was supposed to be the new Aquaman in the died-before-became TV show of the same name. Which is good because 1) An Aquaman TV show just won't work in live-action, and 2) He's an awesome Green Arrow!! It makes me want to see a spinoff show of GA with him in the lead role..... it also makes me really really want to see Clark in the Superman suit!

And now, guest writer MAKER would like to say a few words:

"Someone, somewhere along the way, decided that costumes couldn't work, because they could only see spandex. And those people are finally proven wrong. Finally someone gets it. Costumes are just that...Costumes. If you can't see past the spandex..then perhaps you don't have the imagination to be reading comics. Comics have a unique style to them, and costumes are drawn to emphasise the characters themselves. But if you want to translate them into the "real world" you have to look outside the drawings and see them as uniforms, or outfits. There is no need to get rid of them, just use them as a template for your interpretation. GA proves that [on Smallville]. Super-heroes wear costumes ...that's one of the reasons why they're called SUPER-heroes."

Totally! Often I hear the argument that the comic version costumes will simply NOT work on film without looking silly, yet will hear the same people geek out on how cool Spiderman looks in the movie. Makes no sense. Like Maker mentioned, spandex does NOT work. And here's a bit of info for non-comic readers.... Superheroes' costumes were never spandex!! Somehow that's crept into the Public's Mind. I think a bunch of low-budget movies in the 80s used spandex (which was "in" at the time) and it stuck. Repeat: Superhero costumes are NOT spandex! So yeah, I think with some imagination, the comic book versions can easily make it to the Silver Screen and look awesome. The X-Men do not need biker suits... simply use the Spiderman approach and make it work!