Pop Culture from an Alternate Dimension

  The Green Lama started as a pulp character in Double Detective magazine in April 1940 moving to comics in the December 1940 issue of Prize comics. He was drawn in the outfit he wore in the pulps: green Tibetan robe over his everyday suit. By the time he got his own comic book he was wearing a cape and tights. Doc Savage started in the pulps with his first story "The Man of Bronze" in 1933 and moved to comics in The Shadow comics in 1940. In the pulp stories he usually wore a brown business suit. Soon he had his own comic title and in issue 5 he received a blue hood with a mystic ruby in the forehead. His costume became leather boots, tight blue pants and that hood with bare chest and arms. That's a good start but not "superhero" enough. I've added blue gauntlets and special "science" goggles that let him see infra-red, ultra-violet and whatever else the writer wants. Most importantly he gets full tights with a logo on his chest; the alchemy symbo...

  As superhero comics became more popular in 1940s the "cape and tights" look became the standard. When the Crimson Avenger first appeared in Detective Comics the year before Batman, he wore a suit, fedora, overcoat and mask. He carried a gas gun and had an Asian sidekick. Soon he was wearing red tights and cape. Sandman originally wore a green double-breasted suit, fedora, cool gas mask and a cape. His weapon of choice being a gas gun. At the end of 1941 he, surprisingly, no longer had a cape but now wore purple and yellow tights. The character they seemed to be based on was the Green Hornet. He wore a suit, fedora overcoat and mask. What if he followed the trend? I got inspiration not only from the Crimson Avenger and Sandman but other insect based heroes of the time, the Red Bee (I didn't make that up) and Yellow Jacket.  Obviously the Hornet should have a striped costume. I added a split cape that could look like hornet wings when in action. Above you can seen my vers...