Comics -- Marvel advertising for the opposition

I tried to let it go. I read Deadline, and although I of course caviled to whatever geek or wife would listen, I didn't make too big a deal about it. Occasional references would come up here and there -- I recall a bit in Alias, and the whole Civil War storyline perpetuated the offense.

But in "The Initiative: Avengers", it's run amok, and I can't keep quiet any more.

What is the slang, in the Marvel Universe, for superheroes? The answer, obviously, is "capes". Capes are referred to in Avengers #1 (not New Avengers, not Mighty Avengers, just Avengers -- little too much vengeance, people?) four times. Admittedly, sometimes they're used to mean the superhero, and sometimes they're used to refer to the expected costume of a superhero, but nonetheless, capes are clearly what superheroes wear.

Only, of course, it isn't, unless all these Marvel people only read DC comics.

Go down the list of Marvel superheroes, and just like kid sidekicks, capes are in extremely short supply. Rather less common, in fact, than your average ren-faire. Spider-Man? Captain America? Hulk? Iron Man? Wolverine? Fantastic Four? Nope, capes are definitely NOT superhero standard issue. Here's the most visible heroes with capes in the Marvel Universe that I can come up with (let me know if I missed someone).

Dr. Strange -- (Yeah, it's a cloak, still counts)
Storm, old costume (I've got no idea what she wears these days)
Thor
Marvel Boy/Justice/Vance Astrovik
Sentry
Vision
Quasar
Stingray
Sabra
Ghost Rider (Western)
Nighthawk's wings sometimes kinda look like a cape.

I might've missed someone more visible than Stingray, but overwhelmingly, the Marvel Universe is filled with costumes that DON'T have capes. Why would anyone start referring to heroes as "capes"?

Unless they've been looking at Batman and Superman, that is. Unsurprisingly, I don't recall any instance of Marvel Universe denizens seeing a DC comic book in-story, while we DO know that in-universe comics include "real" characters such as Captain America (at one time drawn by Cap himself).

"Masks" would be more appropriate (though still with many exceptions to the rule). But if you're going to go to the effort to make up a fictional jargon, shouldn't it have some semblance of internal consistency?

I feel like this promulgation of "capes" has to be some sort of intentional but misguided "irony". In the entire aforementioned Avengers #1, Justice has a cape, and no other character, new or old, including the Mighty Avengers that make a cameo, has one. Is this supposed to be some sort of dig at the distinguished competition -- when the Marvel superheroes are unpopular, they're referred to as capes? In my opinion, it just sounds like you don't care which company or comic culture you're writing for.

For my fellow obscurists, and in the interests of full disclosure: at the center page (where the staples are), thre's someone in the background with a cape, and someone flying in the background next to Stature who has semi-capelike wings. Are these identifiable characters, or just made up "new recruits"?

Update: I see in Avengers #2 that Phantom Rider (is this _not_ the Western Ghost Rider?) has a cape. Also, Hardball says, of the others flying away "half those guys have capes or wings, and it's not like we're gonna grow a pair of---" What? Capes give you the power to fly? Where would he have gotten such a notion?

Oh, and looking back at Avengers #1, I'd like to comment that artists' depictions of Warbirds outfit have really seemed pretty inappropriate for a while now, but (see p. 12, counting ad pages) I really wish they'd stop drawing it as a thong. She was the first feminist super heroine, for crissake.

And now I see that in Avengers #2, in the big splash page, they couldn't resist another look at Warbird tushie. Classy, the way the search for the next pussycat doll is classy.