Wonder Woman has been taken back to its original numbering with issue #600, which was released today. Awaiting readers inside is a big surprise. In order to bring Wonder Woman into the modern era, DC Co-Publisher Jim Lee redesigned her costume. Writer of this new run, J. Michael Straczynski had this to say of the new costume:
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?”) She can close it up to pass unnoticed…open it for the freedom to fight…lose the jacket or keep it on…it has pockets (the other fan question, “where does she carry anything in that outfit?”, it can be accessorized…it’s a Wonder Woman look designed for the 21st century. The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side…and if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work…letting her enemies know that she’s getting closer.
I’m not so sure about this. On one hand, it’s a pretty cool design. On the other, is it right for Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman’s been in the same outfit for the better part of 70 years. It’s how people know her. Who else wears a star spangled bathing suit into fights? I guess we’ll see where this goes. I, for one, don’t think this is going to be a permanent thing. What do you think of this new look?
Jordan West
jordan@comicattack.net
I’m not sure if I should be happy or a little insulted. While I think fighting in her little bathing suit thing was pretty ridiculous, and many women disliked it besides, it’s iconic. It’s been around for decades, nearly unchanging. Also, is the solution really to go the other extreme? From skimpy to fully clothed? She also looks like she’s gotten an age-defying face lift. She looks about 10 years younger, almost a teenager. A bit thinner too. And…where’s the costume? Isn’t that the point? Those almost just look like every day clothes. I think he’s emphasizing the ease of change, from regular clothing to her uniform, and that’s fine, I guess.
What I’m really unhappy with is the total rewrite of her past and character. Taking her away from the Amazons, something that absolutely defines Wonder Woman AS Wonder Woman, and making her just another whoever with super powers. Just some kid who grew up in the city. So, with that said…I’m glad I decided to stop reading with the end of Gail’s run.
So, Wonder Womans origin was retconned to where she isn’t an Amazon in heritage?
No, she is. She was born an Amazon, but the whole island is essentially wiped out when she’s 3, and her mother sends her to live with someone else. So she grows up in an “urban” setting. So she’s by blood an Amazon, but the years of training and culture immersion are gone. That’s not even Wonder Woman to me anymore. Just another generic super heroine.
They didn’t retcon anything. Someone went into Diana’s past and changed things, that’s what the oracle is saying in WW 600, and what JMS has said in interviews. Her other history is still there, but it’s sort of been overlapped with this new history. I imagine it’s similar to what House of M did, where the history was there, but only a few people know about it. From what I gather of the new arcs in the series, she’s going to be trying to figure out who changed things and why.
I’m a hard-core Wonder Woman fan from way back, and I actually like the new costume. The jacket is a little cheesy, but her running around in spanx wasn’t really practical. Neither were her enormous breasts that surely must have hit her in the head all the damn time. Is this the best change they could have made? Eh, maybe not. The apparent de-aging thing bothers me, and I’m not a fan of her new attitude, but I think it will be cool to watch her gain back all of the confidence she once had. At the end of this I imagine we’ll get a costume that’s an amalgam of the one we know and love and this new one.
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Well, I was pretty unhappy on the outset but I have come to think of it as just another story arc in a long line of good and bad. The icons always endure. Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, just to name a few, have all undergone some drastic changes only to go back to the essence of the character that has been there all along. So, no, I am not impressed by the costume design. The bodice detail is nice but I really feel it is default generic Lee design. Certainly nothing either current in the fashion sense or new and fresh in a design sense. The story could be interesting but then with a good writer, buttering toast can be an exciting adventure. JMS is a very good writer, I only worry that with 3 monthly titles, he may not deliver the goods in time or with the quality we expect from him. They have made it pretty clear that this is an alternate timeline and since I was a kid watching old Star Trek episodes, I love the concept. It’s a well worn concept but I just love throwing characters into a totally different world and seeing what happens (Elseworlds, anyone?). Also the fact that this costume, the bodice anyway, greatly resembles the one Lois wore in an episode of Smallville gives me a glimmer of hope that they may give up the movie idea and go with a TV series, which I would love to see. I know that’s a leap but I can hope. So, I will give it a chance, I haven’t missed an issue in 30 years, why stop now?
Minority or no, I dig the new look.
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