Artist Alley: Superheroes In Their Ben Cooper Costumes

With Halloween only a day away, it makes sense to dedicate this installment of Artist Alley to comic art with the trick-or-treat spirit. Although, showing off artwork of costumed heroes doesn’t seem very different from past entries, given the nature of the superhero genre. However, in the case of comic book illustrator Karl Heitmueller Jr and his rendition of DC and Marvel heroes dressed in their poorly made Ben Cooper costumes of themselves, it’s a sight that must be witnessed for its comical beauty.

As Heitmueller explained on his blog, the superhero costumes produced by Ben Cooper Inc. through the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, came nowhere close to matching the original.

But kids who wanted to pretend they were Batman, Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Captain America, or any other DC or Marvel do-gooder had their bubbles somewhat burst the second they took the cheap mask and costume out of the box. Rather than being miniature versions of the actual supersuits, the Ben Cooper costumes were vague approximations at best, almost always enhanced with the name of the character plastered at least once across the chest, or head (or both!) of the flimsy smock and plastic mask. Even more head-scratching were the costumes for characters like Green Lantern, Aquaman, or Daredevil that—rather than imitate their sartorial preferences—splashed an illustration of the hero across the chest. So, you were Green Lantern wearing a Green Lantern costume that… uh, had a picture of Green Lantern on it. As if the fun-size Snickers doler-outers didn’t know who Hal Jordan was!

Below are Heitmueller’s artwork of Batman, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superman, and Wonder Woman dressed in their Ben Cooper costumes. Heitmueller’s artwork capture the vintage look of these characters wonderfully, as they pose proudly in their laughable apparel.

Given Spider-Man’s origin story, the luchador design is the only one that comes close to appropriate. The tiny print on Superman’s costume stating only he can fly is hilariously reminiscent of this famous line from The Simpsons. As for Wonder Woman’s costume. . . well, at least she has some pants on.

Have a happy Halloween everybody. Make sure to label the name of your character you’re dressed in on the top of your head, so you don’t forget who you’re trick-or-treating as. Also, make sure to check out this post by Heitmueller for an in-depth look at the costumes made by Ben Cooper Inc.