Wonder Woman of New Earth-Capitalizing On Controversy Edition!

Xylon: So you have probably heard about if you are on the internet or you like comics in anyway shape or form. The greatest female superhero of all time, Wonder Woman got the shaft from DC Comics. And for more on this we'll start it with Aris.

Aris: All joking aside this one almost broke the internet in half for real. I don't know how DC managed to keep this under wraps. But with the release of Wonder Woman #600 this week. There was no way to keep fandom from going into over drive.
And to tell the truth this Fanboy was surprised as well. Seeing the costume first I went wild. I mean not only was it completely unexpected as is the direction of the book, but it's really bad. Like the worst of the 90's with some 80's Mtv Pat Benetar thrown in ("We are young!").

So seeing this as you now have!!! And it cannot be unseen!!! You can understand why this whole thing is setting fandom on fire. right? Or am I missing something Xylon?

Xylon: I think this is worth setting it ablaze. I mean aren't we just seeing a marketing ploy here? People will buy it to say "Oh hey I checked it out" where as if nothing changed then everyone would just say oh hey what's Wonder woman doing nowadays? The question is, will we get a real Wonder Woman story out of this? Will we see the quality of work this character deserves?

Aris: I think JMS response is more then a rationalization as far as the story is concerned. All the complaints and crits on the costume are justified, its just bad.

I think JMS can pull off setting Diana on a odyssey of discovery and keep the core of the character in place. The only problem is that this is a serious power down grade for her. So that takes a lot out of her mythicness (I made that word up!) and makes her more..normal?is that the right term. She no longer looks like a part of DC's Trinity. I mean she looks like a Teen Titans reject and not the good ones either. I guess what I am saying JMS is a good enough writer, but even with that he has an up hill battle. I mean at least she isn't wearing a go-go outfit and doing Judo. She is still Amazonian and has that pedigree. Now it is up to JMS to sell it.

Xylon: I don't know about that, JMS is not the guy I trust for this book. so I move on to the question, how did you find Diana?

Aris: Early on in the 70's I was a kid and she was in Superfriends. I loved her then. Especially the perfect hair. I even had her colorfolrms set. Yeah Xylon. Colorforms. This is the world before the ipad.
I didn't read her comic. But I loved her in the JLA. She was an essential part of the team. I didn't give her her due until the Perez relaunch post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. Cementing her in mythology added a tremendous amount to the character. And the serious warrior edge as well. It redefined the character without corrupting the essence. Heck Perez even gave us a reason for her "armor".
Brilliant stuff. I recommend it to every one. Perez's run showed you how epic Diana can be. And at the same time an essential equal partner in the DC trinity.
But yeah it was Superfriends. Gotta love them Superfriends.

Xylon: Hahahha that's epic. I forgot you are sooo old. JK. Superfriends reruns made my childhood! So yeah I think my fave WonderWoman Story is The Hiketia what did you think of that story?

Aris: Oh man that was great. I just recommend it to my good friend Pete...the Company Man creator, go buy it on Itunes!!!. I don't want to diminish the works of other creators on the character. But I really don't have much connection to the pre-crisis character outside the JLA. Since. I loved Rucka's work on the character and Jimenez. And some of what Gail Simone did.

I don't think since Perez she has lived up to her potential. What Perez had was a spark.

Xylon, do you like the character? Are you going to pick up the JMS run or are you holding out for the Morrison launch or Adam Hughes All-star version?

Xylon: I love anything Grant Morrison and i love Adam Hughes, so they are on my list but JMS simply is not pulling me in with this. I read 600 and it just didn't deliver. I love Wonder Woman I love her. And admittedly I have purchased more WonderWoman merch than any other character. Because my mother is a HUGE WW fan, every b-day, Christmas and, Mother's day i get her something WW. She has a shrine to Diana and I paid for it most of it. But I do love the character I feel like there are better developed female characters who are way less deserving. So let's get onto the point of her look, is it misogynist in your opinion to want the old look back?

Aris: No. No way. These are superheroes. They wear bathing suits and capes.

The whole objectification argument has always been false.

Her character is the definition of girl power.

the issue is is the new costume good? No its not

And

Is it representative of Wonder Woman's character? No it is not.

I maintain she is a mythic demigod. Not a common street fighter.

Xylon: Agreed, she is not a character on GreekStreet she is a Heroine. What does her costume need? I feel like the best representation of Wondy ever was the one in Miller's DKSA where she actually looked of Mediterranean descent.

Aris:Her costume didn't and doesn't need alteration. I'm sure good designers could tweak it fine. I mean the people at Project Rooftop some nice designs. But it doesn't need it. I wouldn't touch it.

In comics more often then not it depends on the artist...not everyone can do different ethnicities. I mean look at Storm and Vixen. Mostly drawn like white girls with brown skin. So if they can do hellenic features and wavey hair it would be a plus.

I think the main problem with Wonder Woman is she often doesn't seem essential to the DCU. Except we are reminded she is. But it doesn't feel that way. DC needs to fix that.

Xylon: I feel like it is undermining female characters by saying "oh hey she is equal to Superman and Batman but i mean we can retcon her and change her costume" one would be crucified for this drastic of a change to Bats or Supes why is ok with Wondy? because she is lesser as far as the company is concerned and that's a sad thing.

Aris: I think although she shares a place in the Trinity and pop culture. She obviously doesn't share in comic Sales. That's an important distinction.

So the motivator is to get people talking and interested in Wonder Woman. People are certainly doing that.

JMS' job is to some how make it not end up a cheap gimmick. And to be honest...the first part in issue #600 wasn't bad. I'm not sold yet. But it was good enough for me to give it a shot.

Xylon: I would rather have good stories that make me think i want her to have a thing, like is their anything that Wondy does that no one else does?

Aris: Yes. She is supposed to bring peace to the world. Thats huge. She is the divine love of mankind personified. She is also the mythic champion.
She needs to be the first response to anything mythic or divine. And if she can't handle it get the resources to do the job.
I can't wait for a Morrison Wonder Woman book.

What do you see her role as?

Xylon: I see her role as the Liason between earth and the gods, she alone speaks for humanity. Same way supes protects against aliens and huge scale crazy and bats guards us against the crazies on the street. I think there could be more magic incorporated into her stories you? Morrison is incredible, nuff said.

Aris: Yeah. I like that. And make Captain Marvel and Aquaman reoccurring characters and of course my personal fave the Olympian.

I'm sure JMS' Odyssey has a purpose...DC seems to have blessed it and Dan DiDio seems to be all in too. So I'm in for the ride.

The cosmetic stuff...the Jim Lee design. All due respect DC deserves the lumps their taking.

Xylon: Absolutely! I think we can move onto another important point, should people care about Donna Troy?

Aris: I would argue more comic readers do care about Donna Troy. My entire generation was brought up on the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans. So she may have more cache with fans, but obviously not as powerful cultural identity.
Donna will remain part of the DCU. I just wish she would get some sort of version of her old costume back. I like Cassie too. Like the Bat and Supes family there is a lot of room for characters.
Not so much Wonder Pets.

Xylon: LOL. I feel like there is an interesting prospect that hasn't really been touched on, and that is that their are girls in bats and supes family but no boys in Wondy's so i feel as though if their is to be anymore characters in her family introduced perhaps her son from the future or something would be pretty kuul.

Aris: That would be something fun to explore actually. Never thought of that....although Simone did introduce Achilles. He can be considered DC's Wonder....man.

Xylon: NO. But the thing is that if Diana is the connection between The amazons, and man, then there should be a connection between the two, a child that is both a man and an amazon. He could be Wonderlad, I think it would be kuul to see that because it would show humans having an investment in Amazons and vice versa.

Aris: Well Simone did that sorta. Zeus essentially brought the Myrmidons(sp?) to accomplish what the Amazons could not. And After revealing Ares, the groups now live together. And Achilles has a role among mankind as an emissary of sorts.



Its not as cool as Wonderlad (although they have that too in the Titans from last year). I would love to see some one like Chris Batista or Pete Woods do an LoSH spin on Wonderlad even if was just for fun.

Xylon: Chris Batista could so do this(one of my fave LoSH artists ever. What would be your Wonder woman resolve in Comics?

Aris: ? Resolve?

Xylon: What would make this comic good and keep people coming back?

Aris: Oh. Brain fart. I think you need to make her connection to the mythical essential to the DCU. She is that connection and protects mankind from the whims of the Gods as well as from ancient evil.

I am certain it would start with the release of Ancient unfathomable gods, reality besieged and humanity unable to with stand the physical and metaphysical onslaught. Faith and Divine Mythic power is all you have left to fight. The pantheons unite chosing champions led by Diana and they save the DCU. Cementing that as her job. And in a way letting people know that the Divinities and mythic forces are not all malevolent.

It would involve the Big Red Cheese, the Olympian, Achilles, Aquaman and some others. That's my fanboy dream.

Xylon: I always wanted to tell a story where her and Jakita Wagner had an adventure together, I'm just sayin' is all. But yeah the Idea of ancient gods would be good coz it throws what she does into urgency and she could be on the frontline

Aris: Well she's on the frontline of comic book internet message boards and blogs that's for sure...and it looks like Fox News is linking the DCU to the vast Liberal conspiracy now too.

Xylon: Well the honest truth is that this unacceptable. You can't do this to her, and it objectifies women to even say "oh hey it's not like anybody cares we are changing her drastically" and the worst is that this an an attempt and being modern, the nineties were long ago, modern would be something completely different indeed, and why not just give her a mythological costume rather than a nineties one. She isn't black canary so why this? why now? And how long until I can just get Morrison to save this character for me? haha.

Aris: I have more faith in JMS then most it seems. But I can't wait for a Morrison Wonder Woman book. That will/would be awesome!

Xylon: Haha what will that be like, I mean All-star was incredible, will we see Wondy in the multiverse coz that would be incredible.

Aris: Well you don't have long to wait for some good Multiverse stuff. I think Morrison's Multiversity will be out by the end of the year, or early into the 2011.

Xylon : Alright everybody, this has been another great post, and I hope you guys are talking about this all over. Thanks Aris for another great discussion, and thanks for reading. I want you to comment and tell us how you found Diana. So long and thanks for all the fish!