Image via DC Comics
17. Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern
It’s true that fashion is often a balancing act between simple elegance and innovation. Fun new designs and intelligent twists on a concept are more than welcome, in moderation. However, sometimes all you need is the equivalent of a little black dress with some smart accessorizing. Restraint can take you a long way. Indeed, sometimes it’s better to just step back and let the classics speak for themselves.
So, with that in mind, you can likely understand why the Green Lantern costume of Kyle Rayner is a bit of a mess. Rayner took over as Earth’s Green Lantern (a kind of intergalactic cop and diplomatic representative in one) after the Hal Jordan, the current Lantern, went on a mad killing spree.
Jordan’s murderous rampage devastated the Green Lantern Corps, meaning that Rayner at first had little contact with the Corps or other Green Lantern representatives. This also meant that he and his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt (whose demise, by the way, is the origin of the “women in refrigerators” trope) had to create a costume on their own.
And, with respect to the deceased DeWitt and Rayner himself, the costume just doesn’t work. Previous Green Lanterns donned a simple green and black bodysuit that was both sleek and effective.
Rayner’s suit has all sorts of unnecessary bits and bobs. There’s a big patch of white fabric on the front, for some reason. You may also see Rayner with a lot of clunky gear on his feet and arms, as well as an oddly elaborate mask. A redesigned Green Lantern symbol on his chest ends up looking a lot like a hazmat symbol of sorts. Thankfully, Rayner would eventually switch to a cleaner look.