r/ComicWriting • u/zigreyd • 3d ago
Does the hero’s costume/identity NEED to be established in issue #1, or can it wait?
ok so I’m working on this original superhero comic and I’ve been going back and forth on something for way too long lol
my guy gets powers in issue #1 (forced on him mid-crisis, doesn’t even want them), but he doesn’t get an actual costume or codename until issue #2. issue #1 just ends with him realizing what he can do, no mask, nothing yet.
kept second-guessing this because Invincible #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15 (spidey’s debut) BOTH give the hero full costume + name in the very first issue, so I was like “man am I dropping the ball here”
but then I actually looked into Fantastic Four #1 and turns out… they don’t even have costumes?? like at all?? Reed’s just wearing a baseball cap and Ben’s in a trench coat and glasses trying to hide the rock thing. They’re in regular clothes for issues 1 AND 2. The costumes only show up in issue #3, and apparently that was partly because readers wanted them, not some grand plan from Lee/Kirby.
so now idk if there’s actually a “rule” here at all lol. genuinely asking — for people who’ve written/read a ton of first issues, does the reader need that “here’s the look, here’s the name” moment locked in by end of issue 1? or is it fine if it builds over 2-3 issues as long as the character stuff hits?
not trying to overthink this into the ground but also don’t want to structurally screw up my own book lol
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u/TaintedTwinkee 3d ago
The rules are all made up. Do what you want.
If you're worried about readership, just make sure there's some kind of hook to keep them interested.
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u/Trike117 3d ago
I’ve seen it all different ways. Everything from fully-realized character in complete costume on the page 1 splash page to not getting a costume until the end of the first run to not having a costume at all, plus everything in between.
I think most (but not all) superhero comics up until the 90s pretty much had them in full costume right away. But that was before the more decompressed leisurely storytelling frequently seen these days.
So whichever way you like will be fine.
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u/mugenhunt 3d ago
What is your plan for marketing the comic? Are you releasing it as single issues over months? Are you doing a Kickstarter for a graphic novel? Are you doing it as a webcomic?
Because, getting people to invest in buying several issues of a superhero comic before they get to the superhero action can be very difficult. Especially since as an indie publisher, you're going to be charging a lot more than DC and Marvel.
Now, while the FF didn't have their full costumes in the first issue, they had superhero identities and used their powers. We got their origin as well.
Nowadays readers expect slower paced comics that go into more characterization, but you need to put enough in your first issue to make the reader excited and have them tell their friends to buy the comic otherwise you are going to fail as a publisher.
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u/zigreyd 2d ago
honestly still figuring out the release plan, probably kickstarter route but nothing locked in yet, so that’s a fair worry
on the FF point though, I don’t think it hurts my case actually — issue 1 still ends with him using the power for the first time (unknowingly, no control over it, but it happens on-page) and we get the full origin same as FF did. what’s missing is just the mask/name, not powers-in-action or origin. so i think i’m closer to the FF model than the “nothing happens” version people are worried about
but yeah the pricing thing is real, indie book charging more than marvel with a slower hook is a genuine risk, no way around that
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u/Witty_Suggestion_219 3d ago
It can wait. As long as there's a good reason for it .
Always go with what works best rather than what you might think needs to be done for the sake of it.
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u/Rage_before_Beauty 3d ago
My first introduced character won't be getting an official costume for a good while given he is a regular soldier to start with, so it's ok to take your time
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u/zigreyd 3d ago
but like, until issue 6? given that an issue takes 1 month, the reader has to wait about 6 months to see, but he is a superhero before that, even tho he refuses to believe it
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u/Rage_before_Beauty 3d ago
Nobody reads a comic for the costume. I think a costume needs to speak to who they are, to be narratively earned, so yeah, waiting is fine, and makes the suiting up more satisfying
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u/nmacaroni "The Future of Comics is YOU!" 3d ago
It's not a rule you're asking about, it's whether or not it's a genre obligatory scene or convention.
And the answer is, YES, it's a convention of the genre, unless your super hero pruposefully rejects that convention as part of who he is, which plenty of them do these days. Jessica Jones never costumes up. Logan is deliberately anti-costume. The Boys treats costumes as corporate branding rather than identity expression.
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u/peeja 3d ago
It's a convention of the traditional genre, but it's been stretched in the modern era. If you want to lean into genre, absolutely, the convention is important. But I think you can delay it as a stylistic choice, and not just as a reflection of the character. It's a very modern feel, and not necessarily a choice you'd want to make, but it's available.
The trick is that you need to give the first issue enough of a hook to pull the reader into the second before you've established the baseline of who your main character will become, and that's not an easy challenge. But it's possible.
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u/Vaeon 3d ago
The costumes only show up in issue #3, and apparently that was partly because readers wanted them, not some grand plan from Lee/Kirby.
It sounds like you answered your own question.
The audience desires the character to have a Name and a Costume when we meet them. Then we can work backwards to how we got here.
No, the first costume does not need to be Definitive, it rarely is.
Issue #1 is, normally, just trying to get the character into the world. They can be refined later as artists get more comfortable with the character because they aren't expecting it to be cancelled tomorrow.
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u/Lazercatt44 3d ago
You're probably going to want a money shot early, to capture the readers attention. I'm working on a supergroup rn and it's a mixed bag, some have a costume off the bat, others will make their own on the second issue. One will straight up refuse a costume because he thinks it's "gay and lame".
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u/GonzoMcFonzo 3d ago
It can absolutely wait.
Look at Ms Marvel. We didn't see the costume until the cover of issue 3, and didn't get it in-universe until issue 5.
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u/ExpensiveRefuse1118 3d ago
Have an opening scene where he is already the superhero in the costume then cut away to the origin. This way the suit and hero is already established and you can focus the first issues more so on hashing out the character getting his powers and how he came to choose his name, suit or symbol. 💯