Cinematical

C'mon, fess up. When you were watching Tony Stark construct his first Iron Man outfit in a desert cave, were you thinking: "Gee, I have some spare metal parts in my garage. Maybe I could make me one of those." Following that same impulse, Wired.com recently asked readers to submit their creations and has now posted the results, which you can check out over there.

Obviously, I'm not as knowledgeable about superheroes as some of our other writers and many of you reading this, but as I looked over the collection, my interest turned to incredulity. I mean: "Used Electronics Man"? "Captain Carpetfoam"? "Super David"? "Aquitards" (pictured)? Other than that last picture, Wired.com readers appear to have an aversion to spandex and leotards, which seem to be the building blocks for any good superhero costume

I would guess that our own Geek Beat columnist Elisabeth Rappe could whip up a better superhero costume with one hand tied behind her back. I was much more impressed by the Alamo Drafthouse Iron Man costume contest a couple of months ago. People in Austin evidently have a much greater grasp of their superheroes and/or have much more time on their hands. It's not a question of geography, though, it's a question of passion.

What do you think? Do you like the "winners" picked by Wired.com? Have you seen better fan-made (true) superhero costumes?