Tyranny of Style: Marvel has burst onto the Netflix scene to rave reviews with its new original program Daredevil. The first of four planned shows, capped off by a “Defenders” miniseries, Daredevil brings to the small screen one of Marvel’s most popular comic book characters, who has yet to receive live action success. With this new platform, Marvel has created a far grittier cinematic world than any of their previous endeavors, packed with more aggressive violence (be prepared for the “squishing” sounds), sex and language. Daredevil is grounded in a very realistic, and troubled New York City.
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I love that they are attempting to stay true and authentic to the original comics, but also giving it a modern flare. I feel that much of the success and failures of recent superhero films and television shows have been been because of this idea of staying true to the original comics. Superhero fans are among the most critical in the world, and they hate to see their favorite stories tarnished for the sake of mass appeal. So, the fact that the costume designers are developing their designs based on the comics seems like it should be heading in the right direction.
Chase Del Rey <54-102> 54102 <54102>
When I saw the posters for this TV show I thought that the costume looked very similar from the costume from Daredevil the movie. So I was curious to read this article to see what exactly inspired the costume for the TV show. I'm surprised to see that the designer didn't mention the movie at all. This seems very suspicious. I understand that the character should at least look like the comic character, but what about the movie? It did come out before the TV show and it is very similar. Yes there is a color and style that came from the comic, but the fabric? The pattern? I don't think designers should hide that fact they did research on past material. I mean if you're going to do an adaption you should do it right and take responsibility for every part of research you used to create you costume piece.
I am always so conflicted about gritty superhero reboots. On the one hand-- cool. Superheroes are a big part of our culture, and they are a huge financial boost for production companies. On the other hand, superheroes are inherently ridiculous. They are a ridiculous genre, and that is why we love them. the kitch, the origin stories-- superheroes as a concept are overblown and silly, in the best possible way. This is why gritty retellings never feel quite right. It takes away from the it-ness of a medium. That said, I am impressed at the designer's research. If you are going to do a superhero movie, you may as well go full hog. I love the myriad of sources they have been drawing inspiration, and how they try to include elements of personality in all parts of a character. I hope for the best for the show, because even though I don't like gritty reboots, I like getting proved wrong even more.
I’ve seen a few episodes from this new series, and I must say that what they said about the gore was maybe an understatement. I haven’t seen bone sticking out from a broken arm in a long time, and it’s something I never ever want to see again (unless maybe in a cheesy zombie movie). The costumes I think were very subtle. His suit, glasses, and stick are recognizable without being outstanding, and I like the everyday costumes for the other characters. I think the superhero suit was a little bit disappointing at first: it fitted the series, but wasn’t particularly standout or recognizable during the nighttime fight scenes, which meant I had a hard time figuring out who was beating up who. There were some interesting red seams on his shirt, but that was about it. I like the mask the most, as it was just a ski hat pulled down over his eyes that was both effective and looked homemade.
This article was extremely interesting. When a show takes place in modern times and in places with no unique forms of dress, it is easy to assume that less artistry and thought goes into the costuming. Therefore it is great to see an artist for such a program spotlighted and speaking about their process, especially as it pertains to the “everyday clothing” worn by the characters for most of the show. It was cool to hear about the emphasis put on certain accessory pieces like Matt’s glasses and Fisk’s cuff links.
I was young when the original live action Daredevil with Ben Affleck came out, but I remember how disappointed most fans of the character were at the time. The movie just failed to do justice to the down to earth, gritty nature of the Daredevil lore, but this time around the design team has certainly come up with something fans can be invested in.
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