system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: why do superheroes wear capes? A piece of clothing that hasn't been in fashion since the early 1900s.
gpt
It has less to do with fashion, and more to do with the medium in which superheroes originated. It's difficult to relay a sense of motion to a reader if all they are seeing is a figure drawn onto a page. The cape assists with the storytelling by adding an extra element that can be used to get that point across. It's particularly useful in superhero comics, where there is a great deal of "motion" happening most of the time. Show the cape taut behind the character, BIF!: they're moving fast in the direction they're facing. Show the cape half-wrapped around them, BAM!: they're turning around quickly. Show the cape hanging from a coat hook, POW!: it's nappy-nap time for Batman.