Freedom Reborn

Today we start the Flash series of costume design ratings. We'll begin with the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and his long standing classic design:
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/podmark/JayGarrickClassicRating_zps0f99bf91.jpg)

What do you think?

Solid 3, too simple but recognizable, I like the small comparisons to Hermes (Like the winged hat, and his boots have tiny wings on them) I also like the fact he has no mask, I always liked his explanation of how people don't recognize him is becease he blurs his face with ultra fast vibrations.

I give it a 4, but that's primarily because I love pointing it out whenever people whine about "all these newfangled superheroes going around in tee shirts and blue jeans, in my day all superheroes wore spandex"

Quote from: Tomato on September 14, 2014, 04:16:03 PM
I give it a 4, but that's primarily because I love pointing it out whenever people whine about "all these newfangled superheroes going around in tee shirts and blue jeans, in my day all superheroes wore spandex"

Hipster Jay Garrick, superheroing around wearing casual clothing, before it was cool  :cool:

4: The costume itself isn't really fantastic, and the score I give it largely has to do with seeing it in context.  It's a product of its era, and as such, a good milestone in the development of the genre.  It's a good costume, but not great.  Something more interesting than the shirt/pants combo would be better, but the boots and helmet are great touches.

If Hermes had a job doing construction this would be it. I've always disliked Greek aesthetics so this is a 2 for me.

Quote from: murs47 on September 14, 2014, 07:30:42 PM
If Hermes had a job doing construction this would be it. I've always disliked Greek aesthetics so this is a 2 for me.

Murs, at odds with Western Civilization since 1600 B.C.  ;)

I had to give this a 4. While it's not an OMG, AWESOME costume, it was really good for it's time. As Benton said, "Its a product of it's era". Considering how many costumes of that time period included Shorts and Tank Tops/T-Shirts, this really went above and beyond the status quo. While it is a simple design, you have to consider that he was created in 1940, and he's still going strong today. That speaks volumes to me.

Quote from: BentonGrey on September 14, 2014, 09:56:58 PM

Quote from: murs47 on September 14, 2014, 07:30:42 PM
If Hermes had a job doing construction this would be it. I've always disliked Greek aesthetics so this is a 2 for me.

Murs, at odds with Western Civilization since 1600 B.C.  ;)

But, I've only been around since 1983. :mellow:

I went with a 1, but that might be a little strong. This costume is just very hokey, the hat silly, and design too simple, and it holds very little appeal to me. I'm honestly quite shocked he's never had a redesign after all these. It's not ugly or anything, but it doesn't get me excited in any real way.
I will grant that it may have been good in it's time but my rating is based on me now, today.

I have to disagree Pod, the Hat has always been one of my favorite characteristics of this costume, especially after seeing it thrown like Captain America's Shield for the first time.

Now, if this Costume had been designed today, I probably would have given it a lower score, but I'm judging it more on when it was created as opposed to current trends.

Honestly, I think the reason it works for me is that it speaks as much to the character of Jay Garrick as anything. From the very beginning, Jay Garrick was never a typical hero... he was a mediocre football player who ended up with superpowers and decided to do some good with them. He never had any dead parents, he never declared himself a warrior for truth and justice, he was just a guy who put on his lucky hat and did the right thing.

Was a toss up between 2 and 3 for me, but went with 3 at the end. It is a classic and product of its time, but I also think the design doesn't work today.