...is this John Romita Jr. Colossus design from the mid 1980's X-Men.
Colossus is my favorite character in the franchise, and while he seems like a bland hero, his simplicity is part of his charm-- he doesn't speak much, but when he speaks or acts, it's either profound, awesome, or a combination of the two. Some of my favorite scenes in X-Men history starred Peter Rasputin acting uncharacteristically, showing just how serious the situation had become-- for example, nobody would've cared if Wolverine broke a Marauder's neck in the Mutant Massacre, and they'd only raise an eyebrow slightly if Storm or Rogue had killed one of those barbaric mutants, but to see Colossus do it with a single flick of the wrist drove home that things were so horrible even the team's gentle giant was seeking vengeance.
This costume works along similar principles; it's straight red fabric, covering the hands, feet, and torso. The arms and legs are bare, to show off enough of his armored skin without making him look like a male stripper (as the "classic" Colossus costume does, robbing Peter of his dignity in a fashion usually reserved for female character designs). The monotony is broken up by the small straps on the wrist and legs, the big black belt, and the single white stripe across the left side of his chest alludes to Russian military uniforms, a nice homage to his cultural background. It's definitely a superhero outfit, but Colossus' real "costume" is the fact that he's a big Russian guy who turns into metal. Whatever he wears should simply augment that fact, and not draw attention away from it.
As you can tell, I absolutely love superhero costuming, and since I'm doing a daily blog now, this topic might come up frequently as I work through my own characters and their outfits.
