Picking on the mutant X-Man known originally as Angel feels a little bit unfair, because let's be honest, you can't exactly get your clothes off the rack when you're sporting a huge pair of wings from your back. On the other hand, he's a millionaire, so I declare him fair game.
All I can say is, if I saw this flying overhead:
I'd declare Open Season on flying mutants just to protect America from being subjected to such a heinous costume. How can an outfit using most of the same colors as Superman's look so completely hideous? One word:
Suspenders.
Can you recall ever being intimidated by anyone in a non-Deliverance fashion who was wearing suspenders? Seriously. My biggest worry would be that he might pull out some chewing tobacco and spit at me, or threaten to date his own sister. And the fact that they meet at his navel frankly makes me wonder just what they're holding up. Surely he doesn't need that much over-the-shoulder holding power just for those awkward 1950's style swimming trunks.
Also, it might be cool when you're five years old to cut up your older brother's tube socks to wear as handless gloves, but on a grown man (especially in this post-Flashdance era) it just looks ridiculous. I can just hear his theme song now:
I'm a maniac, MAAAAAAAANIAC,
In the skyyyyy-i-yyyy.
And these suspendered short-shorts pull my
stockings way up hiiiiiiiiggh.
Cap off this sartorial wonder with a hideous yellow-bellied color scheme (seriously, if you fly and have wings you should never wear yellow, or you deserve every "chicken" joke you get) and red stockings with combat boots and you quickly see why he's closer to fashion Satan than fashion Angel.
looks like Marvel really “laid an egg” with that design ;-P
I really hated Angel, he just seemed to be a afterthought of a character, like, hey Stan, we need a flyer on the team? well add some wings on a guy and give him a bazooka (cover The X-Men #1).
The best thing to happen to the character was getting his wings ripped out and becoming one of the horsemen for Apocalypse. He has since returned to his dull look and is pretty much a afterthought again in the comics. I hope that we can revisit his archangel look like in this redesign i found.
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/346/3/6/archangel_redesign_by_salvation_series-d34s3iy.jpg
The thing that was always awkward with Angel is that his only power was flight. While flight can certainly provide a tactical advantage it is diminished in a wold full of other super powered beings (many of which can also fly). Powers aside, any tactical advantage given by flight (and slow flight at that) is also diminished by firearms.
He didn’t really have even any other really useful skill sets to draw on to fight crime. Angel didn’t really stand out as a hero on his own and I have trouble picturing him being even remotely successful without a team to back him up. This of course leads me to the question; if the guy needs a team around just to make it, you’d think his team would knock some sence into the guy and make him change his costume. I mean the guilt by association here has to be noticable, “Oh Angel. Yes he’s part of the team. No I’m not color blind, why do you ask?”
I’m sure a team mate at least could come up with an excuse for another costume. Perhapsa birthday present.
You can call me a Golden-Age DC geek, but still, yellow, black and red colors on hands of this “Angel” remind me of classic Hourman’s legs
http://images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/0/02/Hourman.jpg
MMI (2) – Doesn’t Angel have very very good healing factor?
The thing I always found funny about this costume was it was the first one he was given post yellow & blue team colors. Think about the rest of the team, Jean with the green mini skirt, Cyclops with the all blue with yellow boots gloves and trunks, and Beast’s blue & red, all classic costumes. It’s like they just gave up on Angel’s. Plus storywise, Jean designed this nightmare. It was the 60’s maybe she was on an LSD bender.
Malfar (4) you might be right. I’m far from an Angel expert. I don’t recall a healing factor in any of the comics I read with him in them but truth be told I never read many.
Malfar (4): According to the Marvel Database, he does.
Dan (5): Really? Do you think he wore it in the same way someone wears an ugly sweater Grandma gave them for Christmas when they go visit her to give them the false impression that they enjoy their present?
See, my problem with Angel’s ugly costumes (Dan posted another hideous one) is that Warren’s been loaded with money since birth. And at some point after he initially left the X-Men (right after Wolverine, Storm, et al joined) he decided it was easier to have a public identity than to keep hiding his wings. So why didn’t he spend some of his money on a decent fashion designer for his costume?
Jeff, I’ve been sick, so finding new bad costumes has been slow going, but I figured you should be good for a week or few with the suggestions Dan and I (and maybe a few others) gave you. I do have a few ideas I’ll e-mail you at some point.
He didn’t get the healing factor until way later. I think he might of got it when he became Archangel, but I know he had heeling blood as part of his 2nd mutation which wasn’t until the 2000’s. He did have Enhanced vision and hollow bones, which really adds nothing.
@ Myro, I think he wore it because he was supposedly in love with Jean back then, and probably thought wearing this ridiculous thing would score some points.
I think if they lost the suspenders, and made the shirt any color than yellow i think they may at least have a decient costume. I also think he should lose the cowl!
Those look more like fetish boots than combat boots. Maybe Jean made him wear them.
I never really cared for Angel either. Maybe neither did the rest of the X-Men and this costume was their way of showing contempt for his useless existence.
I just have to admire him for wearing that thing with a straight face. 🙂
among my top 5 favorite x men, but the suit is among my top ten picks for stupidest costume approved by the silver age
I’m gonna go cosmic this week for bad costumes, and give you the horro that is Quasar.
http://marvel.com/images/gallery/story/1098/images_from_make_mine_marvel_marvel_universe_trading_cards_series_2/image/83691/full
and if that one wasn’t bad enough, try this one.
http://marvel.com/images/gallery/story/1089/images_from_make_mine_marvel_marvel_universe_trading_cards_series_1/image/83195/full