The new, improved Superman

Superman is about to get a shocking new image.

Although the cartoon hero's 60th birthday is fast approaching, his creators have decided to give him a makeover to take him Into the next century.

Out goes Superman's traditional red, yellow and blue outtit and in comes a modern blue and white outfit with a waist band far lower than that which made his old blue tights look like part of granny's laundry.

The triangular S which Superman has proudly worn across his puffed chest for the past 58 years also goes on to the scrap heap.

It will be replaced with a jagged-shaped S designed to look like a lightning bolt.

And in possibly the unkindest cut of all, while the new Superman will still be more powerful than a speeding locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, he will be without a cape.

"The costume is electric looking," said DC Comics executive editor Mlke Cariln, who confirmed the new Superman would make his debut in the March issue of the magazine, which sells worldwide.

In addition to the cosmetic changes, Superman's creators have also decided to fine tune his powers.

"Bullets don't bounce off him any more. They go right through him," sald Mr Cariln.

Fans of the superhero should by now be used to odd things happening to the crusader from Krypton.

Superman was killed off in 1992 before his creators miraculously revived him nine months later.

Then DC Comics put out the landmark 96-page "Superman: The Wedding Album" – a gushy edition aimed to coincide wlth the television marriage in the series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

DC Comics admits that since his marriage, the Man of Steel may have become a little fat and lazy and the makeover plan is to snap him back to his best.

"He tried different ways of boosting his energies and his powers and all of these things have combined to alter him," sald Mr Cariln, giving a sneak preview on how the DC Comics storytellers will explain the new transition.

Where that leaves Lois Lane has not been explained.