Last time I talked about comics, I trashed a JMS-written comic and some poorly drawn pants, and while I had intended to follow up with a post about my visual reading habits, I had to interrupt that post with another–this one also about a JMS comic and some poorly drawn pants (since that went over so well last time). This time the post is brought to you courtesy of my mom.
Yeah, my aging mom, who mostly uses the internet to surf YouTube for James Taylor videos and Yo Yo Ma concert tickets, not to mention quack remedies for her aging kids’ various ailments, called me into her room in a quiet sort of disgruntled fury in order to explain to me (the comics ‘expert’ in our family) all about Wonder Woman’s new look.
“She’s so un-American!”
I had no idea my mom even knew who Wonder Woman is. Much less that she would care about her look, no matter how much the big corporate yahoos could screw it up. I figured they ditched her vambraces or whatever, maybe recolored her panties again, and sighed. “Yeah, OK, mom.” But she was really upset, so I went to check it out.
And my jaw dropped.
“She looks like some kind of Eastern European vampire!” my mom wailed. “What happened to her? She looks like a villain! And kind of like a Spider Man.”
My mom, god bless her, was right. She does look like some kind of Eastern European vampire, and the shirt has that weird Spidey-thing going on. It’s got some kind of nearly spider-line contour coloring. (There is no need to tell me that the lines are to emphasize her boobs; I am not interested in such trifles. It’s possible to draw generous chests without added contour lines, and if nice looking boobs were the point, they wouldn’t have replaced a freaking battle corset with some kind of tank top.)
In the interview piece linked above: “It’s a look designed to be taken seriously as a warrior, in partial answer to the many female fans over the years who’ve asked, ‘how does she fight in that thing without all her parts falling out?'” said incoming series writer J. Michael Straczynski.
And look, I’m sorry, but no. No and no and no. She’s not going to be taken seriously in a pair of indigo-blue-black leggings if she’s still wearing a freaking lycra Spidey top and a goddamn tiara! If she was going to be ‘taken seriously as a warrior’, she’d need to be wearing fugly urban cargo pants in shades of gray and with all her metal enameled to unshininess. Also: newsflash! Indigo-blue-black leggings have been out since the 80s.
These comics are about capes (yes, yes, she doesn’t have a cape, but you know what I mean). These are people who fight in their underpants. That’s just how it is. Questioning the underpants leads either to a rejection of underpants for more civilian garb (in which case, give her real warrior clothing or give her real civilian clothing, ie American blue jeans) or to accepting the trope, in which case, at least keep the parts of her outfit that are HER.
Where are the shiny red boots that kick so hard? Where are the tap pants with stars? Where is her American flag of freedom theme? For the first time in my life, I’m with Fox news: this is an un-American change for our girl, and I don’t like it one bit. Yes, she’s an Amazon, but she’s here in America, fighting for freedom and good, and she’s the chief female superhero who stands on her own and is not a sidekick of any kind. She’s not a OtherCape-girl, or OtherCape-Woman, she’s her own hero in her own right and part of that is being American. I may not always like my country’s politics, but I quite like that we happen to have an Amazon princess who fights space kangaroos, thank you very much and I don’t want her watered down.
Neither, apparently, do most of Newsarama’s readers, who at the time of this column, have mostly voted that they hate the new look (41%, versus 12% that they love it).
You know what gets me the most? (I’m sure you’re all dying to know.) When I was a little girl, I used to have one of those cheesy kids’ Wonder Woman outfits, and so did my best friend, and we would twirl around and around until we were dizzy, shouting “Nunununununun…Wonder WOMAN!” and then strike a pose. We used some ancient garden rope for our lassos of truth and we used to fight bad guys and we used to have a great time being the Power For Good in the World. And I just cannot imagine that little-girl-me buying a pair of black legging and a boring 80s style jacket (reminiscent of those terrible MembersOnly jackets) and red tank top and doing anything like that. No. Just no. Which is a shame. Cause twirling around and being a kid and thinking those thoughts just seem part of the whole point of the capes genre.
Call me old and cranky, but I want my old Wonder Woman back, dammit.
I have no nostalgic attachment to the star-spangled panties (despite having recently posted 30 WW covers that say otherwise), but everytime DC comes up with a new outfit for WW, it’s invariably worse than what she normally wears. If they secretly want to convince me that her swimsuit is awesome, they’ve succeeded.
From a superhero comics perspective, her outfit is very 1990s. Jim Lee must think it’s still 1991, when adding a leather jacket to an outfit was the height of cool.
Wow… there are no words. You want wonder-naked-except-for-panty-woman back. . . .
Richard,
Yeah, it looks very early 90s/late 80s to me. Unattractive and strange. I did love the old look, but I probably would enjoy a change if it was–I don’t know, anything besides this. It’s just–weird. Pointless and bland and kind of sad.
Seafire,
Yup. If it’s the choice between Eastern European WW and spangled-panties, then spangled panties it is. I’d be cool with jeans and red boots, though.
I can’t believe you’re citing that Fox News report and agreeing with it.
I don’t agree with the whole thing, but I do think she looks a lot less American, and that that’s a shame.
I agree with everything you said — except I kind of like Eastern European Vampire Wonder Woman.
Long as they keep their revisionist hands off Isis.
Yeah, but it’s not just about whether she looks American or not. It’s the tone of the Fox News piece that I find extremely offensive. (Not to mention filled with incorrect information and an obvious lack of understanding of how comic books operate.) It just kind of baffles me that you would align yourself with that position, regardless of whether you happen to agree that she looks “less American.”
What does that mean anyway? Because she doesn’t have an American flag motif on her costume, she’s less American? (Which is not even accurate, by the way, since the stars are still part of the costume. They’re on the jacket now – a detail that seems to have escaped Fox News… and your mom.)
For the record, I don’t like the the new costume. I think it’s ugly and poorly designed. I just cringe whenever I hear the word “un-American.”
OH, she looks Eastern European because she’s wearing Blue, Red and GOLD — the colors of the Romanian flag.
I mean, obviously people who look Eastern European can’t be trusted and are not fit to be American heroes.
I’m not aligning myself wholly with Fox News. They’re the main ones I read who said she looked un-American, and since that is also my opinion, I am agreeing with them on that point. I generally hate them, but I happen to agree with that one point and yes, I like to cite my sources.
And I do think she looks less American. Her overall color scheme is blue-black, with red and gold, very Romanian, as Caro beat me to it. Her previous color scheme was red and blue with white stars. I know they put stars on the shoulder patch, but the stars in the picture are *gold* not white and that is nowhere near the same thing, as many flight jackets have decorations there and some military stars are also on shoulder patches.
Um, what’s with this idea that Eastern Europeans can’t be trusted? There’s nothing wrong with being Eastern European, jeez. But uh, she isn’t Eastern European. She happens to be an American comic book hero. And since there aren’t a whole lot of positive, female American comic book heroes, I’d like to keep them.
You’re really missing the point.
Need I point out that Wonder Woman isn’t actually American to begin with… but, yeah, ugly costume.
…Could you put up a link to that Fox tantrum (no doubt) , please ?????????
Actually , I had been wondering if there would be some reaction amontg this line , especially when Jim Lee , IIRC , said something about ” making her more international ” for that eternally planned MOVIE! by removing the S&S imagery .
It should be pointed out , tho , that , at least , de-emphasizing the American-based imagery goes back to the early 80s , IIRC , when a ” WW ” logo was put on her chect replacing the eagle , or something like that .
Some years back I was a regular on a conservative-leaning ( Which I’m not myself . ) mainstream comics site and some mild complaining started up , among the lines of ” Bring back her Stars & Stripes !!!!! ” .
…And then , again…Maybe the Eighties really ARE!!!!!!! coming back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:-)!!!!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I differ to my pal Kelly Thompson
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/07/05/she-has-no-head-wonder-woman-600/
I would only add, I love Derwyn Cooke’s depiction and they have failed to keep the cultural aesthetic of her character.
As the resident WW-obsessed blogger, I know I should have something to add here…but I’m hard pressed. The new costume looks wretched and ridiculous — but, on the other hand, it’s not like recent iterations of WW were so great that anyone can be said to be exactly ruining her. I guess, VM, I’d just buy your Mom some back issues. The old version of WW are still around (for better and mostly worse) — why pay attention to the new one?
Not that you shouldn’t make fun of the new costume! Ridicule is clearly the correct reaction….
Although I have not worn a dress since 1993 – and that only because my sister was getting married and I was in the wedding party, I’d REALLY like to see Wonder Woman return to a skirt. That’s far more Greek warrior looking than the briefs. I know, I know, they took the Greek out of her (anoth thing with which I strongly disgree) but this outfit is basically nothing. I mean that – it’s got no style, no personality. Its not tough and butchy, it’s not femme and sexy. It’s just pants, a tank top and a jacket. Whee
VM, don’t forget to tell your mom that superhero costume changes are usually temporary gimmicks to help turn around flagging sales. It’s the capitalist way!
At least FOX didn’t pick on her because she’s an immigrant.
It doesn’t look like they planned this very far in advance. The costume design is clearly dashed off. It doesn’t even veer far off from the mid-90s design. Just another missed opportunity.
Ben, I’m crraaaaazy about Darwyn Cooke’s aesthetic.
I don’t understand what was so incredible about the old costume that this new one is getting so much shit. If this new costume had been the original, and they switched it to the one most of us are familiar with, the internet would have absolutely shit its pants with rage and confusion, moreso then they have for this new look.
Her old costume looked like a clown designed a stripper ensemble on the 4th of July. At least now she looks like a RESPECTABLE stripper.
Carp, he draws her like an Amazon, not a barbie…
Chris, it is not the change itself. Her design has always had issues since her conception was founded in S&M just as much as feminism. But the rewrite gimmick is not deserving of her pantheon. She has been robbed of any iconic symbolism and design that rivals Clark and Bruce or even relates to being an Amazon. She deserves her 600 issues and a design that ebraces that history more then a pair of pants and a 90’s make over.
Comics is a male dominated industry and DC is primarily run by dudes. Speaking as a dude I know for a fact that when I see a hot woman who likes to parade around in a bathing suit I never offer her a pair of pants and a coat.
If said attractive/hot woman asked me for pants and a coat I would try to scrounge up something for her that actually fit.
As for the “American” aspect, Diana Prince has been in the employ of the US government so often since WW2 she must at least have duel citizenship between the United States and Paradise Island.
In all honesty I have enjoyed exactly two runs on Wonder Woman, the original by William Moulton Marstonand and the one from a few years ago by Allan Heinberg.
I got nothing.
I’ve never heard of the Heinberg run. The reviews don’t look especially promising…what did you like about it Chris?
Aside from the fact that Heinberg hooked me with the “Who is Wonder Woman” mystery he introduced, I was very impressed with the fact that someone finally took her crap rogues gallery and made them interesting and not just sneaky girls in pajamas. The whole thing fell apart at the end when Heinberg took a year off, came back and wrapped everything up in a sloppy annual or double sized issue; can’t remember.
Take that for what it is worth; I did say that it was one of two runs I liked, not loved. I have never really cared about Wonder Woman, except for maybe that one page re-imaging by Chester Brown.
I take that back, I really liked Darwyn Cooke’s take on her in the New Frontier.
And that is about all I have to say about Wonder Woman. Wait — why can she fly now?
As far as reviews go, I don’t pay much attention to them and read, watch and listen to what I like. No disrespect to to critics intended, but I just don’t really read many reviews. I buy books the day they come out, show up at the theater opening night, watch shows as they air and buy music that makes my foot tap.
Eastern European vampire comments aside, I HATE the idea that so many people have that a woman can’t be powerful or taken seriously if she’s wearing a revealing or feminine clothes. It’s frickin’ Wonder Woman, people. She’s badass in whatever she wears.
To be fair, I don’t think most superhero guys can really be taken seriously either with their underwear on the outside and what not….
i hate the new wonder woman!!! she is my absolute favorite superhero and they can’t go and change her after 70 years! if they want to make that her outfit for when she’s not fighting crime, fine with me but this is not a super hero costume! it would be harder to fight crime in tight black leggings versus underwear!!!! DON’T CHANGE WONDER WOMAN!!!!!!