One Panel #297-299: The Trouble With Capes

From Atom: "Trucker's War" by Bill O'Connor, Ben Flinton and Leonard Sansone, All-American Comics #22 (January 1941)
So what the heck is wrong with the Atom's tiny, tiny cape? It looks like a wash cloth sown to his hood.

From The Devil's Dagger: "The Hijacked Bomber" by Ken Battlefield, Master Comics #9 (December 1940)

The Devil's Dagger (that's quite the code name) sports a better model, but it flares up in a way that reminds me of the Atom's. Looks like it's made of thick felt. I don't know. Maybe capes flare up naturally when you're making that arm-breaking gesture.

(Wondering who The Devil's Dagger is? He's Whiz Comics' answer to the Green Hornet. Very similar premise.)

From Doctor Fate: "The Man Who Turned People Into Stone" by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman, More Fun Comics #26 (January 1941)

Now, Doctor Fate has a nice, long, flowing cape, but as this shot of his back shows, it awkwardly comes out of the upper back and not the neck. Magic couture, I guess.