Probably old news now but anyone heard of the DC Reboot? Well they're doing a few changes with the costumes(at least the big three's ones):

So...what does everybody think of this? Like it? Hate it?

Man that art is tacky...
It looks more dickish without the undies, that's just bad design. The last thing Superman needs is LESS clothes -_-

I don't like 'em tinkering.. still it could be worse (see fig A.)
 
Fig A. (an example of it being worse)

Oh gawd. o_O
 
 Bulge overload!
 
Superman doesn't even need muscle bulges. In the mythology of his comic world he's basically just a normal man who only happens to be amazingly strong because of the colour of the sun on earth apparently, but on his native world he's just like a normal earthling... So he doesn't need big muscles because they don't add anything at all to his strength, only the "yellow sun" or whatever. So he could be skinny and wimpy or fat and blobby and still be the same super guy.
 
That said. He really needs at least three dick bulges! He's an alien afterall ;)

Here
 

O.O, I will never get that image out of my head...

I think spandex superheroes are a relic of the past.  They're something we accept to a certain extent, thanks to nostalgia, but when you stop to think about it,  the idea of suiting up in a colorful skintight outfit with an emblem on it to go do your good deeds is silly in this day and age.  Well, sillier than it used to be.  I know Heroes was a failed show, but it addressed the idea of heroes as regular-looking people, and that made the concept acceptable to people who aren't super-nerds or comic fans that grew up.  Maybe we're not ready for our favorite superheroes to fly around in jeans and sweaters, but I think designers need to explore functional alternatives to the current circus outfits of the past.
Changing Superman's underpants is just a way of trying to escape the silliness of the comic books golden era, but it doesn't go very far because DC is afraid of alienating nostalgic fans.  I wish comic fans were more willing to let things of the past go away, whether it's old designs, old characters, or old genres altogether.

I disagree Hawk.
 
Just because the very concept of utterly illogical, physics and science denying, god-like powers are NOT normal or everyday, so making the owner of such powers stand out visually makes a lot of sense: They are highly bizare and unusual, they are totally absolutely special characters.
 
So in literary terms it makes sense... but also in humans terms as well: "special" human characters have always stood out by their gregarious appearance and style throughout history. People that blend in do so because they've got nothing to back up their extravagant appearance :)
 
Some eclectic examples:
-Mark Twain.
- Neploean
- Hitler.
- Buffalo Bill.
-Einstein.
-Oscar Wilde
-Henry V111
 
It''s also pretty classical for a "warrior" (as opposed to a soldier) to make themselves extremely distinctive and individual- African warriors in their war gear, American Indians in their war gear, European knights, Japanese Samurai, even modern day wrestlers... even women tennis players are a good example...
 
So... I think spandex and crazy colours with undies over tights etc should always stay.
 
And if that doesn't sway you, how about captain Amazing from Mystery Men? With his super sponsor outfit? eh? Eh? ^_^

I do agree that heroes can and in some cases should look "special".  I just think it should be a more practical and functional type of special.  For example, in Batman Begins, Batman's outfit is a bit easier to swallow because they demonstrate the functionality behind it.  It looks an awful lot like combat gear with its kevlar and armor plates, the jagged wrist things had an applicable use in his martial arts training, and even the cape was justified by its ability to glide.  Maybe not completely realistic, but it lent a small shred of believability in a world where if Robin showed up as we remember him, we'd just laugh.
I'm not saying the act of looking different is outdated.  I'm saying the visual of a CMYK-friendly colorful skintight spandex suit is outdated, even if it did make the hero look unique and protect his identity.  It's the reason people fought over Wonder Woman's glossy pants.  It's why the new Lion-O is no longer wearing a blue pro-wrestler onesie.

I'd like to see a superhero, ANY superhero, wear suspenders.  And when they need to rev up their special power/s, they just insert thumbs behind the suspender, give it a little pull -- and
 
Gad ZOOKS -- thar be lightening in those suspenders.
 
just sayin -- in case someone's scouting for a new look.

Honestly... I like it...
Love how it looks like the Superman's costume on Red Son, with the high neck like a militar uniform. I could do without all the armor like lines (Wich look great on BATMAN'S costume on the other hand) but overall looks very cool, specially when he appeared on Swamp Thing, where the cape looks longer. It gives Superman certain majesty, IMO...  Then again, I'm a fool for Jim Lee's art.
It looks updated but at the same time keeps the core look. That's why I like this more than the Wonder Woman with leather jacket.
BTW, I've been reading all the series from the reboot so far, and except for a couple of issues (Hawk and Dove and OMAC were just awful), overall I think the reboot looks promising enough, so I do plan to keep reading for now...

Don't dis the underpants >_<

OMG... all those male superheroes either should wear combat fatigues, or they need their underpants back.  Without the underpants, they look like they're all sporting humongous codpieces.  I can't take them seriously.

WHAT THE HELL IS DC THINKING?! you can't get rid of the underwear on the outside! Sure it's dorky, but that's why it's so awesome. It's like saying "yeah I can wear my underwear over my pants and still beat the shit out of you because I'm just that badass." One of the thinks I really like about DC is how so many different eras of superhero are represented all at the same time. Classics like Superman and Batman are cast right alongside more recent heroes, and it gives it a more varied flavor. If you redesign every character to look more modern that flavor is gone.

Ozoneocean had once explained the realism of outside-briefs.  It's based on the costume of circus acrobats, who wear the briefs for a practical reason: it prevented the embarassing appearance when men wear tights and you can pretty much see their genitals and their buttcheeks.

But there's also an aesthetic reason on the comics page.  All superhero tights are basically an artistic excuse to draw the character naked but with body paint.  When you put briefs on Superman, you're really drawing a naked man with blue bodypaint, but at least has undies on so you don't have to be staring at his member.
 
Now look at that DC picture.  Superman has blue body paint, and a belt... and no pants.  The most disturbing part is I wish I could see his member, because right now he looks like a castrated eunuch and looking at him is even more uncomfortable than looking at a normal naked man.

mlai [..] wrote:
Ozoneocean had once explained the realism of outside-briefs.  It's based on the costume of circus acrobats, who wear the briefs for a practical reason: it prevented the embarassing appearance when men wear tights and you can pretty much see their genitals and their buttcheeks.

Yes, that's quite true ^_^
Plus, the other thing is that tights can also hang and sag at the groin, which is another extremely practical reason for wearing undies over the top!
 
 Your idea that he looks like a strangely neutered ken-doll is very apt! It's like those old animes where you'd see a character's boobs but the nipples would be airbrushed out... that sort of thing is such a mindf**k! This is the same situation.
 
Actually I get the same thing from looking at the chest areas of most superheros- the costumes these days are WAY more skin-tight than they were in the old days- you see the outline of every abdominal muscle (men and women), the deeply etched outlines of pectorals on the men and the knife-edge join where those perfectly spherical breasts start on the women, and yet no nipples...
Those costumes ARE painted on, there's no aesthetic logic other than that. You cant NOT have all those physical attributes on clear display and then omit what should be the most prominent of them all!
 
No wonder I hate the way they draw modern superheros... I actually owe Mlai thanks for making me see that.

Back in the late 30's and early 40's, when superheroes were a novel concept, most of their designs were derived from circus performers. That's why there were so many bright colors and trunks put on over one's ordinary pants.

I suppose that this look is a bit outdated now. At the same time, Superman is so classically iconic that I'd think that he's exempt from the need to be modernized. Yes, he looks kinda silly wearing red underwear over blue pants. At the same time, he's frickin' Superman. He's supposed to look that way.

And, as everyone else has so eloquently put it, if DC editorial wanted Superman to look less silly they should've picked a better sartorial option than "giant blue bulge at the crotch".