"A design worthy of the mantle of Wonder Woman but one that didn’t scream classic superhero! So we played down and scaled back the iconic elements—the stars, the eagles, the double WW’s, lightened up the motifs and added armor which could pass as street gear."What, exactly, is WRONG with "scream[ing] classic superhero"?? Why is this a problem? Why do our heroes have to be dark and "edgier"? UGH!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Not-so-Wonderful Woman, Part 2
UGH. So I just found Jim Lee's commentary on the new costume, which wasn't up earlier when I was writing. He says, in part, he wanted
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I'm all for dark heros, I read them however, I hate dark for dark's sake and even I still want my classic superheroes. Wonder Woman always stood for nobility and strength periond. Her gender wasn't really a big deal. she was the classic noble warrior and now...she's Ahsoka who can fly *yuck*.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly the problem. Dark heroes certainly have a place - Wonder Woman just really doesn't need to be among them.
ReplyDeleteI have been a fan of Wonder Woman since she first appeared in the SuperFriends and later on her own TV show. Then later I discovered she had a comic book series. Finally I had someone in a genre that was dominated by men. As I grew older I realized more and more that despite it being written and drawn by men, this was a heroine for me. There are many good life lessons in her series regardless of being a man or a woman.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, I have always stayed a fan of WW. I found her series, funny, inspirational, life teaching, fascinating, adventuress, and above all a great joy to read. Wonder Woman has stood the test of time. In a genre that spouts "girl comics always fail", WW has lasted for 70 years. During that time she has been hailed as a heroine for women everywhere, a role model, and at times a horrible curse against women.
I have stood by her side, always telling people "you must read it to understand it". Now I will say the following in regards to her outfit. I've never fully understood the idea of a strapless cuirass, and that's what it is really. Given her natural attributes, a good sneeze should have popped herself out or even burst the seems. However, I never really complained. The message was too powerful to me. Her outfit was sexy yes. Designed by male artists to be that way. There is nothing wrong with a woman being sexy. In fact I highly encourage it, I think all women should be thought of as sexy. But still despite WW's sexiness, she still stood out with the message of "women are equal! there are far more things to a woman than her looks!"
Now Jim Lee and JMS are saying her look needs updating. Why? What was wrong with her look? It honestly seems to me that both of them have totally missed that part of WW's message. I find this sad as Jim Lee is one of my favorite artists and JMS is one of my favorite writers. But they really missed this wonderful part of WW. She really does say that it's ok to be thought of as sexy, but you have to realize that there is far more to any woman than looks. She is smart, creative, artistic, caring, energetic, and loving. Wonder Woman encompassed all of these and displayed them for all to see.
I have the issue 600 of Wonder Woman. I have read it. To me the greatest moment of the issue is from the first page of a great letter written by Lynda Carter to the beginning of this horrible new storyline. I will give it time, but "change for change sake" never works. It didn't work when they changed Superman into a red and blue energy being. It didn't work on anyone that I can recall off hand.
Oh and by the way, as a side note to both Jim Lee and JMS, Wonder Woman in fact did get a new costume back in the early 90's. Artemis assumed the mantle of Wonder Woman and Diana was forced to wear an entirely different costume. That didn't work either.
I can't express my feelings for this. I think it is a terrible idea. Making Wonder Woman a common everyday "edgy grittier urban" superhero seems to be falling into a pit. During reading the "reasons" that JMS posted in his letter to the fans, I noticed that he cited only 2 opinions on changing WW. I wonder truely if he listened to the fans or just a few friends. No one I have talked to seems to think this is a good idea.
Kudos to you and LG for stating your opinion.
I'll see you soon in City of Heroes.
Snowy