One of the more interesting news stories to come out of Comic-Con last week involves the return of Batman's classic costume. As of Batman #53 next month, the Caped Crusader will be back in his pre-Flashpoint costume, external underwear and all. This comes just a couple months after Superman brought back his red trunks. While these might seem like an unimportant, superficial changes to iconic characters, these costume overhauls actually represent a significant change in DC's approach to superhero storytelling.

Batman #54 cover by Tony Daniel. (DC Entertainment)

Both Batman and Superman's trunks were casualties of the New 52 relaunch in 2011, with artist Jim Lee designing sleek new suits that removed the external underwear in favor of a more functional, armored approach. In general, superhero costume designs have shifted away from the circus strongman-inspired approach of the Golden Age, and DC clearly felt that both characters needed a good, modern makeover. The problem with those redesigns is that they failed to actually improve on an established formula. Both Batman and Superman's costumes felt like they were missing something without the trunks adding that extra dose of contrast. DC has debuted multiple new redesigns in the years since, but between Action Comics #1000 and Batman #53, it seems as though they've finally given up trying to replace the classics.

The return of these old costumes is important, because it represents a larger shift at the company in recent years. The New 52 was a flawed endeavor at best. However laudable DC's attempts to reinvigorate its comic book line and appeal to new readers were, there was always a forced quality to the New 52. DC seemed self-conscious and even embarrassed about some of the more outlandish qualities of their iconic heroes. Hence the shift from spandex costumes to armor and the emphasis on portraying these characters as edgy, young, brooding heroes. Why does a bullet-proof character like Superman need armor in the first place?

The New 52 also erased a good portion of the established history of the DC Universe. It's not just that Batman and Superman were given inferior new costumes, but that those costumes were the only ones they wore in their superhero careers. The trunks vanished into thin air, along with so many classic stories and key relationships.

The goal of DC Rebirth has been to address those storytelling mistakes and restore some of what's been missing in the DCU. The return of these classic costumes is a tangible sign of that shift. DC is no longer so self-conscious about its publishing past. There's a greater acceptance of the idea that heroes don't need to be edgy to be compelling. And by acknowledging that these old costumes exist, DC is also acknowledging the stories that the New 52 had swept under the table. Recent issues of Tom King's Batman have explored the decades-old relationship between Batman and Catwoman. King and his artists are directly referencing old stories like Batman: Year One and Hush, stories that would have been considered out of continuity just a year or two ago. For the first time since Grant Morrison's Batman run, a Batman writer is able to reference and explore the franchise's entire 80-year history.

Whether or not you actually prefer Batman's classic costume to his Rebirth suit, the fact that DC is willing to acknowledge the trunks again is a positive sign.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.