The superhero costume: identity and disguise in fact and fiction

Part I: Origins and evolution : Superman: codifying the superhero wardrobe : Physical labor and the construction of masculinity ; Performance in combat ; The costume as biography ; Superman the brand ; The archetype and his imitators

Identity, role and the mask : The mask and issues of identity ; The identity of the mask ; Power, authority and the privileged few ; Face-ism ; How dress defines role ; The deceit of the masquerade

Evolution and adaptation: form versus function : "Sucked into silliness" ; Real-life references: the historical and the sporting ; Technology and utility ; The pursuit of credibility: hyperrealism and assemblage ; The decline of the costume

Part II: Identities and ideals : Wearing the flag: patriotism and globalization : Stars and stripes ... and spandex ; Conflicted identities: nation versus race ; Exoticism and primitivism in Batman incorporated

Dressing up, dressing down: a spectacle of otherness, and the ordinariness of the civilian alter-ego : Performing ordinariness ; Playing to the reader ; Unmasking Clark Kent ; Self-objectification ; Method in the masquerade

Channeling the beast : Physiognomy and anthrozoomorphism ; The bird men ; Ritual and the animal spirit

Part III. Harsh realities : Superheros and the fashion of being unfashionable : Fashion outsiders ; The gender divide ; The cycle of superhero fashion ; Evolution into eternity

Superhero cosplay : Participatory fandom/imaginative reconstruction ; "I'm your biggest fan": competition and authenticity ; Spectatorship and the cosplay spectacle ; Sewing and making: masculinity and manufacture

Real-life superheroes : Masked vigilantes and the reality of costumes ; Masks and manifestos ; Parent power

Part IV. Case studies : Watchmen : Deconstructing the costume ; Men without humanity ; Masks without men

Iron Man : Who is Iron Man? ; Automated dressing ; The hyper-abled hero

The X-Men : Uniforms and unity ; The yellow "X": marking the mutant "other".