As the greatest of our remaining heroes, the Surviving Eight deserve our thanks and praise. This, however, doesn't excuse some of them of having terrible costumes.

As our premier heroes, you'd expect them to have a bit more taste, but apparently not. Let's see what I'm talking about with a couple of examples.

Don'ts

Sure, Bastion is a robot or something, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have shoved a little fashion knowledge onto his hard drive. His lime green skin clashes horribly with his dark costume and is only going to make his head a target (which may not bother him... who knows with androids?). Plus everything about his look just screams 'chunky', like it all went to his thighs. It's just not a good look. Let's hope next time Bastion is destroyed fighting evil, he gets rebuilt by someone with a little style.

Infernal is from another dimension, but that's no excuse for a costume that comes straight from the cover of a heavy metal album. Yes, he looks intimidating, but do you think he gets invited out much socially? Infernal really needs to drop the medival chic and get modern in a hurry - the berserker look went out in the 1500's.

Malaise was obviously having a flashback to his days as a villain when he picked this uniform, because no self-respecting hero would ever go out looking like this. Dark blue and purple are two shades that just shouldn't be used together... well, at least like Malaise has. Also, someone has to tell him that the ponytail went out with the 80's. All in all, Malaise looks more sleazy than super and I wouldn't want him touching me, let alone training me.

Do's

If there is one signature hero that newbies can learn style from, it's Swan. Look at her - so graceful, so elegant, so Grace Kelly - it's no wonder she is as popular as she is. Swan is the perfect example of simplicity as style... that you don't have to jam a thousand things onto your costume to look good.

And I'm out of space. 'Till next time, ciao!

Powerset Weaponry has just launched the latest model of it's popular assault weapon onto the market for the heroes of Paragon City. Known colloquially as the Jackknife, this weapon contains all a gun- toting hero would want, including machine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher, flame thrower, sniper rifle and more.

"We're really proud of the Jackknife," says Don Kruger of Powerset Weaponry. "We've improved it in a number of ways over the old version and our testing indicates that both heroes and citizens really love it." New to this version is GuiltTech™ - a technology that means the gun will only hit villains, no matter where it is fired.

Commenting on GuiltTech™, Mr Kruger says, "One of the past problems of the assault weapon has been firing it in populated areas means that a citizen or two might be clipped while a hero is plugging the bad guys. We've recognised that isn't appropriate, so have developed GuiltTech™ to stop that happening. Now only villains can be hurt by the munitions of the Jackknife - you can fire a grenade into the middle of crowded area or go full auto on the streets and only the gang members will be knocked off their feet. It really is that safe!"

Complaints that the Jackknife was too bulky and lacked style were rejected by Mr Kruger. "Such comments are made by those who care more about style over substance. The Jackknife is one of the most effective ways of taking care of villains at range and our tests have proved it. Still, we recognise that some heroes want something more, so our R&D guys are looking into it."

Powerset Weaponry also manufactures Devices, which are commonly used by Blasters.

They can be seen on numerous street corners, preaching a political message that many find unsavoury. They look weird and often smell very, very odd. Most citizens cross the road to avoid them and heroes who choose to take them on often find their hands full. But are the Lost a valid political group who's free speech rights should be protected?

"Yes," is the response of Professor Freidus Ridge who's new paper Paradise Regained: An Examination of the Lost finds there is nothing insidious about the Lost on the whole and that those heroes who target them are just "repeats of facistic vigilantes who attacked card-carrying communists". "If you actually listen to the messages preached by the Lost, they are actually promoting a form of socialism," says Prof. Ridge. "Now, we all know that socialism is a dirty word in capitalist America, but believing in it doesn't make it okay for heroes to beat you up. If you watch - and you should, fellow citizens - often the Lost will be standing on a street corner, quietly discussing a political point, when a mob of heroes will swoop down and attack them. Often these same heroes will take blood from the fallen Lost for experimentation! How is that democratic or serving justice?"

Prof. Freidus Ridge says other politically motivated villain groups, namely the Fifth Column, are different to the Lost in that "they follow an outdated and despicable ideology - heroes should put as many Ratzis in hospital as possible!". The Lost do not display the same overt aggression as the Fifth Column and that not enough is known about their ideology to just let heroes walk all over their right to assembly.

"It may turn out the Lost are a group to be concerned about, but we don't know since the heroes won't let them speak freely due to their non-mainstream views. If we let things like this happen, god help a Green Party candidate or Ralph Nader if they ever make a speech in Paragon City - they'd be beaten into pulp in seconds!" warns the Professor.

The Professor also links the treatment of the Lost to the way most people view those who are homeless - "like human trash" who should be "swept into a corner" to keep them out of sight.

In response to Prof. Ridges's paper, the Hero Corps released a statement indicating they believe the Lost to be "of concern" and that Paragon citizens "shouldn't approach them or involve themselves with them".