If you do go to the link we just listed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s day of superhero fashion, you will see a rather telling indication of what the Met REALLY thinks of these superhero fans:
Metwarn
In many ways its comforting to know that as far are we’ve come, there are still some barriers.

UPDATE: a reader points to this disclaimer at the bottom of the page:

Super Heroes is a trademark jointly owned by DC Comics and Marvel Characters, Inc.


Which, actually, is true! They’ve owned it since 1981, but rarely enforce it. Unless you wants us to write “super-hero™” every time.

1 COMMENT

  1. Define “costume”. ESPECIALLY in this post-Post-Modern age when everything is an influence.

    Now, of course, it would be fitting to wear whatever long underwear, bodyarmor, and/or bondage gear strikes your fancies UNDERNEATH your everyday, 9-to-5, boring, work drone, don’t-mind-me-I’m-nobody, move-along-nothing-to-see on-sale-at-Wal*Mart clothing.

    Which makes me wonder… which is the costume, and which is the normal clothing?

  2. It’s quite possible to be a comic book fan and not dress up in public as Sailor Moon or Fanny Pack Spider-Man. Most comic book fans don’t do cosplay even at cons, let alone at the museum.

  3. I think the costume anxiety comes from security issues. If you want to make your local bank tellers worry, just show up at the bank on Halloween afternoon wearing a mask.
    (She is thinking:) “News report: A man or woman dressed up as The Watcher robbed the Empire Bank today., Descriptions vary.”

  4. As Todd said, this issue came to my attention when said comic book was basically stomped by the powers that be for it’s use of term in their comic book. It’s very odd and strange that they can claim a ‘term’ and seems petty that they keep it to stop other comic books from using it.