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If you were a street level hero would you wear one

It could be useful to distract 30 silver backs that one to kill you

Or a liability if on of them grabs you when trying to jump them

Street level? No.

Herald? Maybe.

Yeah, I feel a cape can be a huge hinderance if your not strong enough to effortlessly rip it off

Cape, definitely.


1) Increases concealment/camouflage/blending in to shadows ability.

2) Has pouches to conceal weapons.

3) Gives protection from the elements.

4) Pads against blows to the body, especially from the sides and rear.

5) Offers some protection from radiation when lead-lined

6) Enables emergency transfer of objects too hot or cold to touch with bare or even gloved hand, in some cases.

7) Usually has just enough aerodynamic qualities to save your life when you find yourself falling from a great height.

So bat cape?

Please vote, thanks

They look dumb, they're a hindrance in a fight, kinda like having long hair, (you're just begging for someone to grab it and chop you in the throat, or pull it over your face and beat the mess out of you). Female characters can get away with it ( to conceal the bottom regions ha ha), but I've always thought that they looked a bit flamboyant to say the least Lol. Ask yourself this, would you walk around with a cape on? Now Lobo, Thanos, Pitt... well they have the right idea.

I dont care what power level you are. capes are lame and inexcusable. they oughta be purged from comics altogether.

Street Level, definitely no. However there are a very rare exception like batman who actually has uses for his cape rather than some redundant body wear.

For class 10 upwards, who cares? They are strong enough to warrant non-relevance in this issue.

Trench coat > Cape

Originally posted by bluewaterrider
Cape, definitely.


1) Increases concealment/camouflage/blending in to shadows ability.

2) Has pouches to conceal weapons.

3) Gives protection from the elements.

4) Pads against blows to the body, especially from the sides and rear.

5) Offers some protection from radiation when lead-lined

6) Enables emergency transfer of objects too hot or cold to touch with bare or even gloved hand, in some cases.

7) Usually has just enough aerodynamic qualities to save your life when you find yourself falling from a great height.

1. Maybe
2. Who puts weapons in pouches in their cape?
3. I suppose...if you're planning on fighting in the tundra
4. Have someone punch you in the side. Then wrap yourself in a sheet and let someone punch you. I doubt you'll notice the difference.
5. Now it's lead lined? You want a 100lb cape?
6. Gloves do that better
7. Jump out of a tall tree. Then jump out of a tall tree holding a sheet. Notice a difference? Didn't think so.

As for a cape or not, it depends. I agree with Pr mostly, but there's some streets that rock a cape well, e.g. Batman. There's also some herald levelers who absolutely look better without a cape. And then there's some who look equally good with and without the cape.

It depends on the overall aesthetic of the character, but as a general rule I'd be more inclined to cape up a more powerful character, up to a point.

Then, there's a difference between a cape (e.g. Superman) and a cloak (e.g. Spectre)....


Originally posted by dynamix
Trench coat > Cape Only on Constantine.

all iconic heralds with capes look better without them IMHO, starting with superman and thor

The only street leveler it really works for imo is Batman. Everyone else(save maybe taskmaster) looks dumb with one unless they are Heralds or close to it.

Depends on the "gimmick" you're going for as a hero, imo.

No. I wouldn't wear a cape. But then, I wouldn't wear spandex either.

Originally posted by Cogito


1. Maybe


See Batman.


Originally posted by Cogito

2. Who puts weapons in pouches in their cape?


See Batman.


Originally posted by Cogito

3. I suppose
... if you're planning on fighting in the tundra


Rain? Snow? Sleet?
Average cold night on stakeout in a city?



Originally posted by Cogito

5. Now it's lead lined? You want a 100lb cape?



See Batman.



Originally posted by Cogito


4. Have someone punch you in the side. Then wrap yourself in a sheet and let someone punch you. I doubt you'll notice the difference.




You just told me this thing is far heavier and thicker than any sheet because of the lead, remember?

Think more along the lines of a reasonably thick leather jacket, though.
Those DO blunt the force of punches in a fight, and noticeably.
I know that from experience.

That's far more along the lines of the durability and thickness of the cape Batman wears than a sheet.


Originally posted by Cogito


6. Gloves better



Sometimes it's good to have both. Keep in mind that a cape like Batman's has some insulating and fire retardant chemicals and materials.


Originally posted by Cogito

7. Jump out of a tall tree. Then jump out of a tall tree holding a sheet. Notice a difference? Didn't think so.


You won't notice a difference if you jump out of that same tall tree with a parachute.

The thing won't even open before you hit the ground.




Entirely wrong analogy.

Think "40 story tall building", where a cape can catch enough wind to direct you to the roof of a 10, 20, or 30 story building and save your life.

Originally posted by bluewaterrider
See Batman.

Yeah yeah, see Batman. Well, you see, Batman's really not human. He kicks down heavy steel doors and does ridiculous metahuman physical stuff that's really not possible. A lead lined cape cape that protects you from the elements and radioactive fallout, stops bullets, is a parachute, etc. doesn't work with real physics.


Originally posted by bluewaterrider
You won't notice a difference if you jump out of that same tall tree with a parachute.

The thing won't even open before you hit the ground.

Entirely wrong analogy.

Think "40 story tall building", where a cape can catch enough wind to direct you to the roof of a 10, 20, or 30 story building and save your life.
Ok...jump out a 30 story building with a sheet and tell me how it goes.

I'd never wear a cape. The most I'd do would be similar to Batman Beyond.

Uh....for those of you worried about the "strength needed to effortlessly rip a cape off", most streets could do that.

This is really an aesthetic thing.

Originally posted by Cogito


jump out a 30 story building with a sheet and tell me how it goes.





You keep getting the analogy wrong.
Any sensible hero taking gliding considerations into account is going to modify their cape to work with the rest of their costume.

Think more along the lines of the following:

If your a street level hero a cape would just get in the way. We all can't be batman lol. First thing I thought when I saw night wing was "ah no cape. Smart"

Me personally, I narrow it down to whether I can fly or not. Flying? Cape. No flying? No cape.

Originally posted by -Pr-
Me personally, I narrow it down to whether I can fly or not. Flying? Cape. No flying? No cape.
So your in it for the dramatic flare, eh?

Originally posted by -Pr-
Me personally, I narrow it down to whether I can fly or not. Flying? Cape. No flying? No cape.

yeah that sounds about right.

Originally posted by SevenShackles
So your in it for the dramatic flare, eh?

That, and how bitchin it looks.

Capes look dumb in real life Pr.

Originally posted by Blair Wind
Capes look dumb in real life Pr.

If I'm a herald level guy that can fly, I'm really not going to care if people think it looks dumb, tbh.

Originally posted by bluewaterrider
You keep getting the analogy wrong.
Any sensible hero taking gliding considerations into account is going to modify their cape to work with the rest of their costume.

Think more along the lines of the following:

No, I'm not. That was your analogy. And then you changed it to what's more of a glider, which a cape is not. It has no structure. Except I guess for yours, which is made of lead (which will make it all the more fun for you when a 100lb lead lined cape lands on you after a fall from, well, any height).

Not as a street leveler

Originally posted by Cogito


you changed it to what's more of a glider, which a cape is not.




Batman's is.


Originally posted by Cogito


a cape ... has no structure.




Batman's does.



Originally posted by Cogito


Except I guess for yours ...



Batman's too.

And anybody who realizes they need to have their costume aid them in gliding.

And it's not all that far fetched. It is, in fact, nearly exactly what the first people who designed hang-gliders did:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8WEJ8fHQv0
(Otto Lilienthal)

Originally posted by bluewaterrider


Think "40 story tall building", where a cape can catch enough wind to direct you to the roof of a 10, 20, or 30 story building and save your life.

Originally posted by bluewaterrider
Cape, definitely.


1) Increases concealment/camouflage/blending in to shadows ability.

2) Has pouches to conceal weapons.

3) Gives protection from the elements.

4) Pads against blows to the body, especially from the sides and rear.

5) Offers some protection from radiation when lead-lined

6) Enables emergency transfer of objects too hot or cold to touch with bare or even gloved hand, in some cases.

7) Usually has just enough aerodynamic qualities to save your life when you find yourself falling from a great height.




Number 8:
Can be removed and placed on something else to act as a decoy.

how does superman keep his cape from ripping off when he's flying a light speed?

Heh.


I was just thinking yesterday how obvious the answer would be if we were allowed to have the cape worn by the PRE-CRISIS incarnations of either Supergirl or Superman, along with all the protective, reality-bending features THOSE came with.

No street-leveler with any SENSE would leave home without the cape either Kryptonian wore if given that option ...

I happened upon 2 rather remarkable YouTube programs which talked almost exclusively about the batsuit.

Posting the shorter one here.

Strongly recommend watching it. The last 2 minutes are especially relevant to the gliding discussion we'd been having.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdiSk8XyBu8

Originally posted by Raisen
how does superman keep his cape from ripping off when he's flying a light speed?

it's made of kryptonian materials and is very durable.

At Street level, your cape would need to be functional and more than just there to look cool. Like one of those Spider-Man heroes who helped him out. The bulltproof one whose cape let him fly/glide. Or Batman's whose is bulletproof, etc.. To just have one would be more of a hindrance than a help.

Batman's fighting allows him to have heavier armour and cape than say, Nightwing, whose tendency is to dodge. Batman would rather block or just flat out take the punch and keep advancing, so he can afford it.

Is his cape bulletproof though?

It's been bulletproof at times. Or lined with Kevlar and stuff like that. But with the way he's written, it might as well be bulletproof.

Yeah, that's true.

I just asked because I've seen it pierced a few times.

if I was a herald I'd fly around with a cape, because why not? Who's gonna do anything about it?

Street level? Nah.

Originally posted by Zack Fair
if I was a herald I'd fly around with a cape, because why not? Who's gonna do anything about it?

Street level? Nah.

If I was a herald I'd beat people with my cape. "HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GET DEFEATED BY A PIECE OF FABRIC, B*TCH?!"

Superman has used his cape to beat villains before.

That's why he's the best. I'm thinking of something like a towel snap, but by a high end herald with a really durable towel.

That would be epic.

I know right? Imagine a sonic boom you can hear throughout the galaxy. The shockwave alone flattens buildings and shakes the planet to it's core. The poor victim is "snapped" into oblivion.

Originally posted by KingD19
I know right? Imagine a sonic boom you can hear throughout the galaxy. The shockwave alone flattens buildings and shakes the planet to it's core. The poor victim is "snapped" into oblivion.

Now I want to see it in a comic.

A cape could only be practical for a street-level hero in comic books, where they can somehow assist in stealth (Despite the fact that it makes your overall frame larger and that it sort of, you know, catches wind and air), can be used to conceal solid weaponry, be thick enough to pad blows from superhumans, be lined with lead making it radiation resistant, and, despite all of these traits that would make your cape too cumbersome, heavy, and frankly much more akin to a large greatcoat than a cape at this point, still light as a feather, incapable of hindering you when performing physical tasks, and even allowing you to ****ing glide.

Operating under comic logic, whether or not you have a cape means shit in terms of what is practical. Only your popularity with the fans/writers does.