Costume design is one of the great strengths of the superhero genre, a way to establish distinctive visual shorthand for a character and reveal key details about concept, purpose, and personality. But which is the best superhero costume of all time? This month, we're asking you to decide, by voting up your favorites and voting down the rest. When we have your votes, we'll compile a list of the greatest super-costumes of all time.

This week we're looking at some quintessential costume designs decade-by-decade. Today it's five costumes from the 1990s, the era of the Image artist, the bad girl, big knives, big guns, big shoulder pads, leather jackets and lots and lots of pockets. We've picked out just a few costumes to represent some of these trends.

Standard disclaimer: Each poll is a simple binary choice. If the costume is a 10/10 perfect piece of design, vote ‘perfect’. If it’s anything less, vote ‘flawed’. Many of these costumes have been tweaked and re-worked by different artists over the years. When in doubt, assume you’re voting for your favorite version.

 

Design by Jim Lee
Design by Jim Lee
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Design by Michael Turner
Design by Michael Turner
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Design by Tom Grummett
Design by Tom Grummett
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Design by Todd McFarlane
Design by Todd McFarlane
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Design by Rob Liefeld
Design by Rob Liefeld
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