History Stripperiffic / ComicBooks

Let's face it; if we had to list ''all'' the female superheroes and villains to whom this trope applied, we'd be here for most of the year. It's probably easier to list aversions and particularly notable examples. Heck, it overlaps into the dudes! ComicBook/TheCreeper fights crime in just a speedo and a red boa! It's also important to note that a lot of comic books, especially ones made by the [[Creator/MarvelComics big]] [[Creator/DCComics two]], [[StylishProtectionGear avert]] this [[DeadHorseTrope trope]] nowadays, either because they realize how odd the concept is, or just because they don't want to face the inevitable [[ValuesDissonance backlash]] from modern audiences.[[note]]More cynically, one could suppose it's also a decreasing trend because of OnceOriginalNowOverdone effect, with the rise in far more risque content available through the internet making it unnecessary and undermining suspension of disbelief more than it did in previous decades.[[/note]]

Let's face it; if we had to list ''all'' the female superheroes and villains to whom this trope applied, we'd be here for most of the year. It's probably easier to list aversions and particularly notable examples. Heck, it overlaps into the dudes! ComicBook/TheCreeper fights crime in just a speedo and a red boa! It’s also important to note that a lot of comic books, especially ones made by the [[Creator/MarvelComics big]] [[Creator/DCComics two]], [[StylishProtectionGear avert]] this [[DeadHorseTrope trope]] nowadays, either because they realize how odd the concept is, or just because they don’t want to face the inevitable [[ValuesDissonance backlash]] from modern audiences.[[note]]More cynically, one could suppose it's also a decreasing trend because SeinfeldIsUnfunny, with the rise in far more risque content available through the internet making it unnecessary and undermining suspension of disbelief more than it did in previous decades.[[/note]]

* Lampooned in ''ComicBook/{{Princeless}}''. When shown several suits of skimpy female armor (two of which resemble those of Comicbook/RedSonja and Franchise/WonderWoman), Princess Adrienne quickly points out how impractical they would be in a real a battle, especially when you consider how little protection they actually offer.

* ''ComicBook/FinePrint'': All of the Cubi outfits (fittingly as they're basically the {{lust}} spirits) show almost everything, with {{absolute cleavage}} a common feature. One's goes even further, with nipple clamps and her breasts otherwise shown naked.

* ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}. Her signature outfit is a red sling suit, complete with AbsoluteCleavage and ThongOfShielding, with a white collar and wearing shiny black knee-high boots. Notably, while provocative to begin with, it was actually possible as a swimsuit-like outfit, but Harris Comics made it more so. Averted with the 2016 reboot where she wears clothes which are almost (but not quite) practical. Post-2016 also saw an inversion for laughs - Vampi gets trouble at an all-nude beach for being overdressed.

!!Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}
* ComicBook/EmmaFrost is particularly notorious for this sort of outfit. As the White Queen, it was required attire for female members of the Hellfire Club, but she actually seemed to enjoy it, as it symbolized the power she could exert over men, using it for psychological warfare. (Not to mention that she admittedly [[AttentionWhore does it for attention.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she has worn outfits that have shown a lot of skin.
** During her time with the Phoenix Force, she ends up more covered than her usual outfit, if arguably more risque. But her fellow Phoenix-er Namor somehow contrived to look like a male stripper. [[note]]Keep in mind that Namor's "classic" outfit is just a green speedo. And his modern outfit is ''also'' designed to draw attention to his bare chest and (sometimes-bare) arms.[[/note]]
* The Invisible Woman of ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' fame is notable for being one of the relatively few comic book super-women who manages to avoid this trope, wearing for the most-part the same largely practical blue jumpsuit also worn by the male members of the team; however, Tom Defalco's run on the strip during UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks was notable for reverting to trope and putting Sue in another, more revealing outfit. Which, by the way, she still wore while she was in mourning after her husband Reed Richards' [[DeathIsCheap Comic Book Death]].
* There is one example of a (parody) female superhero that doesn't go for the skimpy outfits while on the job, despite her day job being a supermodel: Ashley Crawford of the Comicbook/GreatLakesAvengers. Then again, as a hero she's the [[SuperStrength super-strong]], [[NighInvulnerability super-tough]], super-''fat'' Big Bertha. Seeing her in the skimpier Emma Frost uniform is likely [[FanDisservice not what the average comic fan is looking for]]. Of the remaining girls on the team, Comicbook/SquirrelGirl has a more modest costume setup (she's still a minor), while Tippy-Toe wears just a ribbon. And is a true squirrel, so it doesn't count.
* Whiplash/Blacklash from ComicBook/IronMan. His Blacklash costume frankly makes him look like a ''prostitute'', being an entirely leather ensemble featuring lots of studs and a gimp mask! In all probability, the character himself didn't realize what that look implied, but his successors, a husband and wife who took on both the Whiplash and Blacklash identities, revelled in it.
* Comicbook/CaptainAmerica wears Nomad, which sports a Deep-plunging neckline exposing his chest and abs.
* Comicbook/CarolDanvers of Comicbook/MsMarvel fame used to be one of the poster girls for this until she went all Captain Marvel and started wearing an all body covering suit. The next two Ms. Marvels both lampshaded and cracked jokes on Carol's fashion choices: Karla Sofen (the villainess Moonstone, who wore the original black, blue and red suit as part of the Comicbook/DarkAvengers) [[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r2i1fLNNp0c/WNAG4lJirgI/AAAAAAAADmc/0hwvFkpMNzUps8jIWp3vp4iH5Cno_h_ZQCLcB/s1600/LATEX%2B.jpg complained about it]], and Comicbook/KamalaKhan (who after getting powers somehow got the black and yellow version) described the leotard as a "politically incorrect costume" and regretted wearing it because it gave an "epic wedgie".
* The female Comicbook/{{Runaways}} are mostly an inversion, since they fight in civilian clothing and are supposed to be underage.
* Comicbook/SheHulk sometimes plays with this in her comics, especially the series where she spends more time on the FourthWall. In one memorable scene Venom randomly breaks in to the courtroom (she's a lawyer) and webs her up, and in ripping the webbing, she rips her suit. Someone notes the readers have just gotten more interested, wondering if it's a popular villain or the [[ClothingDamage ripped clothing]] that excited them.
* A male example is the Comicbook/SubMariner, a superhero whose most common "uniform" consists of basically a speedo and wristbands.
* The Comicbook/UltimateMarvel version of the Franchise/IncredibleHulk, who is gray, not green, was originally depicted as wearing nothing at all! No ripped purple pants for that guy.
* Considering that she's gone through well over a ''hundred'' costumes since she was created, [[Comicbook/TheWasp Wasp]] has surprisingly few of these, sticking mostly to bodysuits that cover most of her from the neck down. The low-neckline ones or sleeveless ones are actually ''notable''.
* While most of the female ComicBook/XMen fall victim here (even Comicbook/JeanGrey [[BareYourMidriff bares her midriff]] in the ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' games), Comicbook/{{Rogue}} averts this out of necessity. Which somehow doesn't stop her from dressing like [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard Daisy Duke]] when she's out of uniform. The younger X-Woman Dust is a full-time inversion, being a devout Muslim.
** ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} in particular was (in)famous for her purple thong leotard which she wore from the 90s to the early 2010s.
* Comicbook/{{X 23}} wears many different revealing outfits, including a fanservice-y school uniform.

!!Creator/{{DC|Comics}}
* Any heroine or villainess featured in any of the ''Toys/AmeComiGirls'' books. Special shout-out to ComicBook/{{Steel}}, who somehow manages to have a Stripperiffic ''[[PoweredArmor suit of high-tech battle armor]]''.
* Martian Manhunter's pre-52 costume was quite literally just a pair of small blue shorts, boots, red bandoliers crossed in an X over his chest, and a blue cape. Around Blackest Night, they finally decided to give him some pants, then covered him from literally neck to toe in fabric after the World War III miniseries. Nowadays, his chest is partially exposed but the rest of him is covered.
* Mostly averted in the case of the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batfamily]]:
** [[PluckyGirl Stephanie Brown/Spoiler]]. The first iteration of her costume (relatively loose-fitting catsuit, cloak, hood, gloves, and full face mask) had nothing exposed ''anywhere'', not even her ''hair''. Later on she loosened up to the extent of allowing her ponytail and the lower half of her face to be seen. This is more notable in that she ''was'' a teenaged girl, and one who spent considerable time in her early appearances trying to catch the attention of a teenaged ''boy''. Apparently she felt that showing skin was for amateurs, and since she did eventually catch him, one can admit she had a point.
** [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} Cassandra Cain/Batgirl II]]. Her costume is more scary than sexy: head-to-toe black leather, a stitched up mouth opening, and black-tinted eyelenses (this combined with the black suit gives the appearance that she doesn't have ''eyes''). In essence, Batgirl's costume looks more like something you'd expect a male villain to wear.
** Barbara Gordon. As the original Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}, she wore a sensible costume that covered everything except for the lower part of her face; the [[CombatStilettos high heels]] weren't present in every version of her costume. As [[GeniusCripple Oracle]], she sat behind her computers in a wheelchair and dresses in comfortable, often casual clothes.
** Male example: the original Comicbook/{{Robin}} costume, with its green panties/short shorts, was for a long time the most stripperiffic costume of the Batman family.
** ComicBook/{{Huntress}}' costumes either offer good protection and cover her from the neck down, or have been designed by Jim Lee. Especially jarring since Huntress is a BadassNormal and very much the CombatPragmatist you can expect a Batfamily member to be, and showing her midriff when she once took four bullets in the stomach seems like a very, very bad idea.
--->'''Black Canary:''' By the way, what's with the new outfit?\\
'''Huntress''': Seven-hundred sit-ups a day.\\
'''Black Canary''': Say no more.
** The pre-Crisis Huntress -- the Earth-2 Batman's daughter -- wore a much better example of this trope, particularly for its time. Essentially a one-piece bathing suit with a low neck, [[DependingOnTheArtist sometimes]] with thigh-high boots, long before [[ZettaiRyouiki such things]] were anywhere near as common as they are now.
** Played with in her live action incarnation on ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. When she needs to go undercover at an actual strip club she dresses in a version of her comic book costume. Her target takes a look and immediately believes she works there.
** ''Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}'' wears a SpyCatsuit. The amount of skin showing is very, very little. However, that [[DependingOnTheArtist Depends On The Artist]]. She's often shown with a good amount of cleavage exposed, despite the otherwise practical nature of her costume. Especially noticeable in ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity Arkham City]]'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse''.
** Kate Kane as Comicbook/{{Batwoman}} goes on the list too, with a full-body suit that leaves just the lower half of her face uncovered. It ''looks'' like her hair is exposed, but that's actually part of the costume - it's a wig that pulls away with minimal effort, perfect for throwing off a villain who tries to grab it.
* ComicBook/HarleyQuinn of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is an inversion of this as her costume covers her body to the point that her pigtails, hands, and feet are covered. In the Comicbook/{{New 52}} however, her [[http://images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/f/f5/Harley_Quinn_0037.jpg original costume]] involved a pair of [[WhoWearsShortShorts short shorts]], stockings, a small cape, and a [[OfCorsetsSexy corset]]. She eventually switched to [[http://insidepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DC-Comics-New-52-December-2013-Solicitations-Harley-Quinn-1.jpg another one]] that was somewhat more modest, but still more risqué than her old one with short shorts and a [[BareYourMidriff midriff-bearing top]] with some cleavage exposed. As Harley herself put it:
-->"Nothing says l'chaim like a girl dressed in a stripper clown outfit wielding [[DropTheHammer a hundred-pound mallet.]]"
* In case you were starting to think that Batman and Batfamily related comics completely averted this trope, however, then [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] would like a word. As her thing is generally seduction and manipulation based on her looks, she's tends to reliably walk around in costumes that are incredibly skimpy at best. Her classic costume (and one of her more comparatively modest) involves a leafy corset and a pair of skin-tight green leggings, several modern versions have given her what's basically a prison jumpsuit top modified into a midriff-exposing tied-up shirt (an example can be seen on her character page linked previous), and her control of plants have given artists free-range to explore the... creative applications of fauna as clothing, to the point where some versions of her have been practically naked except for a few strategically-placed leaves and vines.
* One of the running complaints about [[Characters/GLStarSapphireCorps the Star Sapphire Corps]]. Their origins lie in a [[AmazonBrigade race of warrior women]] and their place on the emotional spectrum is "love". Their costumes involve bare midriffs and nothing to cover their chest.
* A Stripperiffic male outfit is the costume ComicBook/CosmicBoy wore in the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' back in the '70s. His costume was actually held on by his magnetic powers. There are reasons that period of the comic is referred to as the [[FanNickname Naked Legion]]. The costume was basically a black leather corset with matching gloves, booty shorts, and boots.
* Comicbook/PowerGirl's infamous CleavageWindow was actually deconstructed (or {{Hand Wave}}d) once; she wanted to put a symbol there, like Franchise/{{Superman}}, but could never figure out what to add. In the Comicbook/{{New 52}}, she [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_powergirlnew52_6447.jpg now wore a more modest outfit]] for a while. Critics and fans remarked that the creators were obviously not happy with this, and thus subjected PG to gratuitous amounts of ClothingDamage in order to compensate. She eventually returned to a variant of her old costume.
* Pre-Crisis Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'s costumes were -usually- relatively modest, but once she wore [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20rr5jO3yWw/UO8rwkQM-vI/AAAAAAAA8uo/QC1RMHAE1Xw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-10+at+3.57.56+PM.png this costume]]. Remarkably, it was designed by a female fan. The post-Crisis pre-Flashpoint version of Kara Zor-El was also notorious during the early portion of her career for her skimpy crop-top and super-low-rise microskirt with constant panty shots, which was one of the several issues which contributed to the period being widely seen as a DorkAge.
* Taken to its natural conclusion in ''Comicbook/SecretSix'', which has an actual strip club where the dancers dress up as scantily-clad versions of DC superheroes and supervillains. In what may be a subtle lampshading of the trope, several of them aren't actually that different to the costumes they were originally based on.
* Franchise/TeenTitans
** Ravager is an inversion; she dresses in revealing clothes as Rose Wilson, but her Ravager costume is neck-to-ankles chainmail.
** ComicBook/{{Starfire}}, on the other hand, plays this completely straight as the resident [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Gold-Skinned Space Babe]]. Most versions of her costume are swimsuits with boots. Starfire's already-revealing costume went UpToEleven in ''ComicBook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws''. She effectively had only a pair of pasties covering her nipples, and the bikini she wears late in the first issue actually manages to be ''more'' modest than her default costume. WordOfGod also said that they intended for the bikini scene to have her swimsuit be semi-transparent until DC issued an ExecutiveVeto on it. [[spoiler: The re-appearance of Blackfire also has her [[http://www.comicvine.com/blackfire/29-12502/all-images/108-206565/komand_r/105-2478245/ wearing less clothes]] compare to her pre-52 days]]. Funny enough, [[spoiler: Starfire was wearing a [[http://www.comicvine.com/blackfire/29-12502/all-images/108-206565/2456769-rhato_13/105-2456770/ bodysuit that cover her entire body]] sans her face when they face off]].
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''
** An odd LampshadeHanging occurs in the graphic novel, in which a character uses it as a warped justification for AttemptedRape. It's also noticeable that the costume was only very Stripperiffic by 1940 standards.
** And Dr. Manhattan, whose progressively-diminished costume provides a Stripperiffic clue as to how far back in his personal timeline each of his flashback appearances lies. The fact that he's first seen buck-naked, and is only later seen in skin-tight bodysuits or Speedos, may be a bit of a joke on this trope. The clothes are also used to show how disconnected from humanity he became over the years. He goes from full body suit, to what looks like a one-piece, then a speedo, then nothing at all. Each change in clothing represents a loss in his sense of humanity, with nudity showing [[BlueAndOrangeMorality his disconnect with traditional human values,]] such as modesty.
* Considering her stature (in both the comic book and real worlds), it can be a little jarring to ''really look'' at Franchise/WonderWoman and realize that her costume uses less actual cloth than practically every other superheroine's out there. There was a [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 period in the 90's]] where the bottom of her suit basically became a thong, which was followed by a mercifully short-lived stint where she wore a new costume [[http://comicsalliance.com/files/2010/06/wwcostume03.jpg that was even skimpier]].
** ComicBook/{{Artemis}}, Diana's AntiHeroSubstitute and later ally occasionally wore thong leotards (particularly a white and green number) even after she stopped wearing the already revealing Wonder Woman outfit.
* Parodied, as with all things, in ''Comicbook/YoungJustice'' on a few occasions. First was when Arrowette lamented that she'd have to become a super-villain and would have to start showing off her cleavage... then whining that she'd [[ACupAngst have to get cleavage]] (In a much later issue showcasing an alternate universe, semi-evil YJ, she is, indeed, wearing a cleavage-revealing outfit). Note that her costume was already kinda stripperiffic to begin with, combining BareYourMidriff and ZettaiRyouiki. Which itself was parodied when she complained about ANOTHER archer in a similar outfit, wondering how that other archer was supposed to be taken seriously in such a get-up. She realized the hypocrisy and grumbled.
** PlayedWith: Empress/[[spoiler:Anita Fite]] ''[[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/303218987388830882/ looks]]'' like this trope, but it's actually a full-body costume; all the "skin" in that picture is part of the outfit.
* Comicbook/{{Zatanna}}'s and ComicBook/BlackCanary's costumes both consist of fishnets and something with all the covering of a swimsuit (generally with a jacket on top). Zatanna is, admittedly, a SquishyWizard (with more [[MostCommonSuperpower squish]] than average) so it doesn't much matter what she puts on, but Black Canary is a martial artist. Justified in Zatanna's case because she is a StageMagician [[MagiciansAreWizards who can do real magic,]] and as such her outfit wouldn't be out of place onstage. The New 52 ''Black Canary'' gives a similar explanation: Dinah Lance is the lead singer of a famous rock band in the new continuity, so her Black Canary costume is designed to look like something that could be worn onstage.
* Nobody, male or female, wears much in the way of clothing in ''Comicbook/TheWarlord''. Somewhat justified given the tropical climate of most of Skartaris but, even so, you'd think the warriors would go for something a little more protective.
* Folding in the Quality Comics characters as the [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC Freedom Fighters]] into the DCU had DC inherit [[ComicBook/PhantomLady Phantom Lady]]. Infamous for being a "good girl" pin up from the 40s, no version of the character had anything resembling a modest costume. In one case aside from the cape, gloves and boots, Phantom Lady fought crime in a pair of panties and [[http://img03.deviantart.net/5c81/i/2009/105/d/b/burgos___phantom_lady_by_deaddog2007.jpg a pair of vertical straps to cover her top.]]

* In case you were starting to think that Batman and Batfamily related comics completely averted this trope, however, then [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] would like a word. As her thing is generally seduction and manipulation based on her looks, she's tends to reliably walk around in costumes that are incredibly skimpy. Her classic costume (and one of her more comparatively modest) involves a leafy corset and a pair of skin-tight green leggings, several modern versions have given her what's basically a prison jumpsuit top modified into a midriff-exposing tied-up shirt (an example can be seen on her character page linked previous), and her control of plants have given artists free-range to explore the... creative applications of fauna as clothing, to the point where some versions of her have been practically naked except for a few strategically-placed leaves and vines.

* In case you were starting to think that Batman and Batfamily related comics completely averted this trope, however, then [[ComicBook/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] would like a word. As her thing is generally seduction and manipulation based on her looks, she's tends to reliably walk around in costumes that are incredibly skimpy. Her classic costume (and one of her more comparatively modest) involves a leafy corset and a pair of skin-tight green leggings, several modern versions have given her what's basically a prison jumpsuit top modified into a midriff-exposing tied-up shirt (an example can be seen on her character page linked previous), and her control of plants have given artists free-range to explore the... creative applications of fauna as clothing, to the point where some versions of her have been practically naked except for a few strategically-placed leaves and vines.

* Folding in the Quality Comics characters as the [[ComicBook/FreedomFighters Freedom Fighters]] into the DCU had DC inherit [[ComicBook/PhantomLady Phantom Lady]]. Infamous for being a "good girl" pin up from the 40s, no version of the character had anything resembling a modest costume. In one case aside from the cape, gloves and boots, Phantom Lady fought crime in a pair of panties and [[http://img03.deviantart.net/5c81/i/2009/105/d/b/burgos___phantom_lady_by_deaddog2007.jpg a pair of vertical straps to cover her top.]]

* [[MartianManhunter Martian Manhunter's pre-52]] costume was quite literally just a pair of small blue shorts, boots, red bandoliers crossed in an X over his chest, and a blue cape. Around Blackest Night, they finally decided to give him some pants, then covered him from literally neck to toe in fabric after the World War III miniseries. Nowadays, his chest is exposed but his legs aren't, except for a few miscolored issues of JusticeLeague2016.