>>110786769Why were heroes wearing them in the first place you might ask? They're based on outfits worn by circus performers, athletes, daredevils, etc. Apparently the redesigns are meant to have a more modern feel, something the new readers could relate to.
There's also the thing about the increasing role of live action. Painted-on clothes look good in comics and cartoons but faithfully transferring them into real life is not without problems. More practical designs likely offset these problems.
Finally, comics are a product and products have their packaging changed every so often to keep things from getting stale. Maybe one day underwear worn on the outside will become fashionable again and Batman will get silly again?
