Developing a character to expedite the story quickly to deliver the movement in a comic/cartoon/movie in regards to a superhero(ine) should involve directness and speed. For me, the five tenets of great comic fare are: action, drama, horror, comedy, and sexiness, with a hefty bonus for great art. The focus of this blog, obviously, is Wonder Woman. No secret if you’ve read other posts is my desire to see the original mythos of the Golden Age Era be given modern sensibilities, and return the uniqueness of the icon while getting away from the flaccidity of the Sword And Sorcery trope- i.e. “Red, White, And Blue Sonja”. A lot of creators over the years (starting with Wein, Perez, and Newell in the 1980s) relegated that material to being silly and regressive. Those of us in the know realize that belief is bassackwards. Here’s an imagining I have for using the 1940s trappings with the eye of the now, delivering a quick view inside her head without requiring an excessive amount of steps:
Two pages with a repitition- three horizontal bars, split in the middle. A set of youthful female eyes on the left with blue shading, a ‘la the cast of a video screen. On the right, a different image.
Panel One: the eyes are wide with curiosity/excitement at the image of a diverse college campus, complete with hipsters, jocks, sorority girls, etc.
Panel Two: eyes of wide horror as a political hostage blindfolded execution occurs.
Panel Three: eyes of fascination at a couture fashion runway show.
Panel Four: eyes squinting with laughter at a cartoon rabbit dressed in drag.
Panel Five: eyes veer to the side in blush-y embarrassment at the image of a chiseled Hollywood actor dressed as a Demi-God.
Panel Six: eyes filled with warlike rage at the image of a Street-Pimp grasping the wrist of a hooker, punching her in the face with the other hand.
Page Three: to the left stands Menillipe, Oracle of the Amazons, with her hands folded to the front, arms dropped, with long white robes and a soft smile. In the center, a glowing, floating sphere with images floating through it. To the right, Queen Hyppolyta in her green bejeweled halter, arm directing to the Magic Sphere, scar through her palm from the blood she spilled in the clay to form her child saying “Diana, Princess Of Paradise… Welcome to The WORLD”.
The stage is set, and the story is ready to move with the original settings back in play.
OK, so you have been picked as a headhunter for The Justice League. They have ONE slot to fill, and the current roster is: Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Cyborg. You have TWO potential members to pick from in your queue. GO:
1) An anachronistic warrior, extremely skilled in the art of war (sorta like Batman, only better). Weapon of choice is a broadsword. Raised by a hidden, immortal, and ancient warrior culture, and left it due to wanderlust. Brash member of royalty (sort of like Aquaman), at times a bit arrogant. Unrepentantly kills enemies, if deemed necessary. Has first-hand knowledge of the Greek Pantheon. Very, very strong (but less than Superman).
2) Freedom-Fighter from an ancient and immortal culture more advanced in medicine, magic, science and technology, arts and humanities than any other on the planet due to an edict from their gods. Has an accessory that allows some level of telepathy, and to scan the happenings of the entire world. Controls an invisible flying vessel that can carry multiple passengers with total stealth, and can be morphed into virtually any vehicle imaginable, including offensive weaponry. Wears device that can translate and interpret any language. Main weapon can extract the truth from any enemy, as well as subdue them. Innately kind and humble, and capable of being perfect as a diplomat and confidante to anyone. Believes in total reform and always attempts to help, rehabilitate, or reform an enemy before reacting with battle. Once forced, a superhuman level of fighting skill, prowess, and strength are issued on the target. Works to change the world into utopia, and is constantly challenged as such.
If I were YOU, I’d not only pick #2 as a member, but I’d nominate them for leadership. Oh, before I forget- BOTH are intoxicatingly beautiful women, and a majority of the non-comic reading population knows the second one- sounds like the kind of character you might even make a MOVIE about.
Totally self-indulgent Comic-Nerd fantasy pitch here.
THE PARTICLES: The Atom, Nuklon, Bumblebee, and Microbe:
An experiment with a ‘Dwarf Star fragment’ gone wrong causes serious changes in a roomful of STAR Labs employees. As a result, they become an in-house exploration group for the parent company, and on their own they still manage to get into action/trouble. Sort of a FF for DC with a dash of Pym Particles:
Prof. Ray Palmer becomes The Atom, able to shrink to sub-atomic size with the ability to adapt to any of the environments in-between. He’s an incurable adventurer who is more comfortable being in the world under the Petri dish than looking into it.
Prof. Ryan Choi is Microbe, able to shrink down to an inch in size, yet retain the strength of himself at full size. A keen scientific mind with a charming demeanor and a reluctant passenger on a constant strange voyage.
Dr. Karen Beecher is the MIT grad newbie who gains the ability to also shrink down to an inch, but can also fly. A tech prodigy, she creates her own laser blasting stingers and becomes Bumblebee. She’s very in-charge personality wise and can be really, really bossy and hot-headed towards her team-mates.
Al Rothstein is a custodian at STAR Labs, who becomes Nuklon. Unlike the others, he grows in size instead of shrinking. He also has an explosion-impact power that occurs when he hits, kicks, or punches. He dropped out of high school to support his mom and sibs, and sees the act of being a super-hero in a very prideful fashion. He hates not being able to join his fellows on their ‘tiny adventures’, but when left to his own devices he always manages to find something to get into. He’s street-wise and heavy on horse-sense and very much the heart-and-soul of the group.
Lastly, there’s Sylbert Rundyne, a visiting Physics consultant who disappears as if atomized during the accident. He later turns up demented and psychotic and calling himself Dwarf-Star. He can now shrink or grow indefinitely and is bent on killing any and all other great scientists he can. He claims to have seen something on his ‘time away’ and believes he knows what needs to happen to the world if he can get all the obstacles out of his way.
In the early 2000s, billionaire Hershell Rich, the appropriately named industrialist went on a safari in North Africa. On his journey, he came upon a cheetah twice it’s normal size and poached it. Unbeknownst to him, he had in fact killed the avatar of the tribe of Urzkartaga, who worshipped a primal Cheetah-God of the same name. Chuma, a dwarfed member of the tribe was designated to carry out the tribe’s revenge. Being a master of stealth and subterfuge, he infiltrated Rich’s camp and managed to stow himself un-noticed in their wares. He even made the journey overseas back to the states inside the cargo deck of the plane, and made it all the way to Rich’s estate, a sprawling compound on a large hill in Gateway City, where he would live for years un-noticed inside the leviathan property. In pocket doors, closets, and nooks he observed the Rich family and laid his plans. By means of poisoning using archaic jungle-derived plant extracts he killed Hershell’s wife through her coffee (cause of death was found to be anaphylaxis resulting from an unknown allergy), leaving behind Hershell and his young daughter, infamous wild-child icon Priscilla “Prissy” Rich. Entering her 20s, Prissy was known for wild partying, extravagant spending, ‘accidental’ sex video leaks, and rampant self-marketing via everything from reality tv to cosmetic lines.
Over the next couple of years, Chuma was stealthily manipulating the young Ms. Rich. Putting oils from the plant said to carry the very essence of Urzkartaga into her drinks and performing archaic rituals in her room, Priscilla’s already jealous and caustically elitist personality became more and more amplified accompanied with abrupt mood swings. Diagnosed Bi-Polar by the family psychiatrist, she was medicated for her raged mania to little avail, carrying the secret that she was hearing voices and seeing strange movements in the night.
Then came Wonder Woman. A new figure of obsession in Gateway City, a beautiful and compassionate woman with super powers who took the city by storm. Her largely emotionally unavailable father developed a fixation on this fantastic creature and was determined to find a way to captivate her through sudden over-the-top philanthropy endeavors and a high profile visible presence. Priscilla’s boosted jealousy reached a boiling point mixed with the bizarre goings-on of her mind. One night as she sat in front of her bedroom mirror, her own reflection began speaking to her, telling her to take charge and exact revenge on her unfair life. Upon instruction, Priscilla went to her father’s enormous trophy room and found the taxidermy head of the giant beast and placed it on her head. Instantly, the spirit of Urzkartaga filled her mind, body, and soul. Next from his vast weapons collection, she found two fists worth of silver rings with curved claw-hooks he’d bought on one of his retreats. That night, when Hershell returned from an event, a lithe body with the head of his prized kill moved at him with lightning speed and ripped him to shreds on one of the decks behind the home in a very disturbingly and thorough fashion, leaving the police to begin hunting for a vicious animal throughout the area.
After Mr. Rich’s estate settlement, Priscilla was called to a meeting at Rich International with chairwoman Helen Sekowsky to discuss terms of a buyout. Sitting across a long table from her, Priscilla leapt to her feet and onto the long table and scurried to the far end in a matter of about 5 seconds landing her face an inch away from the board’s leader with a terrifying feral gaze leaving a thinly veiled threat to her about her role as a publicly ‘silent partner’ to the company’s controlling body and the understanding that any attempt to undermine her would incur strong loss in her personal life extending onto her families. Ms. Sekowsky is now her underling, giving her access to world-wide resources from weapons to agricultural products.
In Priscilla, Urzkartaga has found not only a powerfully connected body to share, but an avatar of power it had never known before. Any time someone buys a magazine with her face on the cover, downloads a video, or buys her fashions and make-up, Priscilla’s cult of personality works it’s way up to the Cheetah-God itself and increases it’s magic. This makes him even more empowered than Zeus himself at this stage of the game. Using her incredible speed, strength and weaponry in her first brutal attack on Wonder Woman, The Cheetah left the Amazing Amazon covered in deep wounds and breathless. The ancient siren-witch Circe decided to take her on for damaging her favorite ‘toy’ with a horde of her Beasteomorphs, who all threw themselves on their backs in total submission. The witch is now fairly terrified of her, and realizes she must help Diana any way she can in ridding the world of this creature.
The Cheetah can move at roughly 100 miles per hour, and her limbs travel in battle to a total blur. She is skilled with virtually any ancient weapon ranging from spears to blow-guns and swords. When she appears, animals in her presence go into a frenzy adding to the chaos. Her avatar mask can only be removed by Priscilla/Urzkartaga itself. Aside from her own abilities, she leans heavily on her servant Chuma to use his talents for stealth and espionage, as well as her lacky Ms. Sekowsky to do her global bidding. Whereas Diana is here to elevate society as the first step in bringing the Utopia of Themiscyra to it, Priscilla is her diametric opposite who seeks to raze society, destroy it’s trappings and sit at the throne in a world of jungle-law. Wonder Woman has no idea who the lady behind the mask is, as she is even impervious to the powerful magic lasso of truth. The Cheetah is clear in her intent of mass death and destruction, and Diana has realized her only option in the future is to stop her even if it means outright killing her.
This is my concept for two Wonder Woman villains from the 1940’s. Neither ever got a proper update on their origins with all explanations intact, and I like the idea of them being a twosome.
In the backwoods of Eastern Kentucky, Doris “Dori” Zool and Michael “Mick” Mosely hit the road in a stolen car and head for the open road. The pair of drug addled and hard drinking 18 year olds immediately descend into a joy-killing spree and staying one step ahead of the law, even taking down a couple of cops in the process (which they enjoy immensely).
Making their way to New Mexico, the pair stumbles upon a small group of Native Americans who have built a makeshift separatist community, complete with a seemingly ancient Medicine Woman. Biding their time until night-fall, the two singlehandedly murder the entire group. Raiding their shanty-town, they discover a bevy of what appear to be dried mushrooms and strange powders in the old woman’s domicile. Not being the most safety conscious (or particularly educated) people, they decide to ingest and snort anything in sight.
When they awake the next morning, Dori finds herself nearly 40 feet tall and cannot find Mickey anywhere. Finally, she hears his voice very faintly and discovers he’s inside her ear and is roughly 12 inches tall. Convinced they are still tripping on their stolen merchandise for a while, they discover they can change to normal size at will. After a day, they realize this is not a drug-induced hallucination. In addition, when Dori grows to her tallest size, she becomes invulnerable. When Mick shrinks, he can throw a punch like a regular sized man’s impact and leap incredibly high.
Deciding this is the best thing ever, they make way to the nearest town, hit a department store and begin wreaking havoc. Dori decides that in giant size she reminds herself of a lady she saw on a late night horror show, and decides a tiger striped bikini/sarong combo with sandals would make her look great as a giant. Mick walks off with a pair of children’s mouse ears and some cool sunglasses to go with his new powers-set. They take the names Giganta and Mouse-Man and head up the coast to Gateway City, where a certain Amazon is getting ready to have her hands full…
OK, I just had a really, really, really weird thought. I hate it when a character’s ethnicity, gender, and sexuality get re-conned. There’s the whole ‘love and marriage’ issue at DC now. Well, what if this happened- You know how Hawkman and his love Shayera always get resurrected and find each other? Well, what if Shayera came back as a GUY? Can you imagine? I would read this to see where it went. What if they both kept getting drawn together by circumstance, but were both straight? What if one of them was into it, but the other wasn’t? What if they were both tempted, but having to fight it? What if they DID fall head over heels? OK, discuss…
Did you know that in 1987, during the last DC reboot, that there was only ONE marriage in the new DCU? Yes, that’s right. No Mera. No Hawkman or Hawkgirl. No Atom and Jean. No Flash and Iris. No Superman and Lois. Marriage has never really been a DC trope for thirty years. Ralph and Sue were it for a very long time. In 1989, this was in full effect, and that’s exactly where we are now in the new timeline. The only reason you know or care is because the Batwoman issue got the conversation going. I keep hearing ‘Save Kate and Maggie’. No one’s taking them away from you. No one at all. ‘DC Comics and Dan DiDio are homophobes’. No, they introduced the first OUT gay character in comics’ history, long before it was in vogue, and later gave us the first mainstream comics title with a gay lead, not to mention a plethora of gay characters in twenty-five years. ‘Gay marriage is important in comics, because it’s new and needs to be shown. We’ve always been victimized and seen as miserable in past literature.’ That is victim culture rhetoric, and it’s kind of pathetic. Stonewall was 40+ years ago. Let go. We are at the point that over 70% of the population is ok with gay marriage. At that time, we weren’t even open to the possibility of being out of the closet for the most part. Yes, there is still discrimination, but we’ve come a LONG way, and it’s time to look where we are NOW and move forward from here. If you want equality, then accept the fact that you don’t get everything you want just because you wish it were so. The last 3 engagements and the last 2 weddings in comics were gay. Heteros haven’t had any in years. 4 weddings if you count the Apollo/Midnighter flashback (another DC property). If you want to hate DC for a number of reasons, they may be sound ones; I’m not a fan of a lot of the current fare myself. But after JH Williams himself came to their defense and said they were by no means so, and you KNOW it, and all the evidence points to the fact that this company has been pro-gay in the past, and you are still looking for reasons to call them anti-gay or homophobic, ask yourself- do you want to hate them just to hate them or do you want to know and face the truth? Do you want to be cool on the internet and show through intolerance how tolerant you are? Are you going to keep ‘lawyering’ the situation, just so you can be succinct with your initial reaction, even if evidence has shown that you were wrong, rather than being a grown up and having some humility? The label of homophobe in our culture is not a snapshot event that incurs loss of employment or status, it’s one you carry for LIFE. Think about that. Do you really have so much rage towards someone you’ve never even met that you want their whole life down the drain? If so, you are the problem and not the solution and you FOSTER homophobia. Yes, YOU.
I already went gaga over Darwyn Cooke’s costume design capability, then I came across this gorgeous style sheet for his Catwoman revamp. The notes alone are priceless. I’ve read articles bemoaning his changes, and they always seem to thinly veil the desire for her to be needlessly trashy and a fear of sexy women with class. I wonder why, in the age of unlimited porn, the need for such still exists? It’s everywhere- with super-heroes included, so why do you need it from comics too? If someone fails to see the sexiness and catlike grace in these images and the love behind them, I really wonder if they get the character at all. https://savingwonderwoman.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/super-heroine-fashion-vs-super-heroine-fad-lasting-statements-vs-losing-looks/
So, this is not a sequel to an earlier post, but an addendum and maybe even an apology. I criticized DC for the practice of fast-tracking the nuptials of Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer, and running with the gay marriage scenario to the point of cliche’. Now this happens. Turns out, W. Haden Blackman and JH Williams III were actually the ones who wanted this, not DC. In that case- here it is- maybe this was a wise decision on DC’s part. Maybe they didn’t want to paint a character into a corner. Maybe they didn’t want to have to do something bad to Kate or Maggie to keep the title fresh. I cannot even pretend to know the long-term vision of these two creators; not at all. I know them to do quality work, and I have a healthy respect for both. Perhaps they had an image in their heads of a type of couple we’ve not seen before, and again, I can only muse with conjecture here. Still, my first reaction to the proposal was pretty much an eye-roll after Kevin Keller, Northstar, and the introduction of gay Alan Scott, which was met with an almost instant proposal which met with a dead fiancee. As for their other charges, I can’t really speak to those very much. I do know that DC had plans with Killer Croc as part of the “Forever Evil” entire-line-over-sweep, and perhaps their ideas clashed with the big picture plan. Who knows? As for the corruption of the forward concept of the book, I can only imagine. I know they wanted a constantly forward-moving approach for the title/character, but sometimes, that’s not the very best thing. Characters whose stories move too quickly, and the titles they appear in, need a certain time in space that’s not in constant motion. It allows them to become cemented. It makes for great done-in-one stories (a concept nearly dead in the soap-opera driven mainstream market), and can be an injury to folks stepping on at mid-point who don’t know the total history of the character. I’m not anti-progress at all, but icons become icons when there is a stability in the mythos. Constant changes can derail the potential of a character, especially when you consider the time/space nature of ongoing titles, given the difference in comic-time and real-time. Enough about that, let’s talk about reaction.
I’ve already seen the torches being lit on social media against DC. It’s no secret to anyone who has visited this page that I’m less than delighted with what’s happened to the Tiffany’s of comics in the past couple of years. That said, if you think boycotting DC over this as a statement for gay rights is the answer, I would ask you to relax your knee and think about what I’ve said in the prior paragraph and decide if that’s the best thing to do. I have plenty of reasons to not be down with DC right now. Plenty. Homophobia is not one of them. I saw gays in comics from DC first. No, I didn’t like ‘Extrano’, but he beat Northstar out of the closet. Mindi Meyer’s brother Kevin. Obsidian. Phil Jiminez. The second Ice. Pied Piper. Mallah and the Brain (!). The Enigma. Maggie Sawyer. Batwoman. Tasmanian Devil. Starman. Bunker. Yes, it’s still a minority, but that’s what we are. We had to start somewhere, and there are ebbs and flows and we can look at victories and losses. However, I say Handle With Extreme Caution here. Calling someone anti-gay or homophobic is a BIG accusation. Huge, in today’s culture. Again, I’m not on board with a lot of the decisions they’ve made, I’d like to see them change, and so would a lot of others BUT let’s not throw this accusation in with the lot to fortify a point. If you don’t like the New 52, or Dan DiDio, or Scott Lobdell, fine. Don’t use this as ammo against them unless you can REALLY back it up. It’s not a fair way to fight.
For me, I hope this isn’t the doom of Batwoman. I don’t know how Greg Rucka would feel right now about anything. I’ve not heard a word yet, and this is largely HIS baby. I would really like to see him come back and do some nurturing. I’m afraid of what lesser creators might do with this potentially legendary character. Either way you split it, she won’t be married. Save Batwoman!
COME OUT OF THE CLOSET AND LET ME HEAR YOU. LEAVE COMMENTS/ARGUMENTS/FEEDBACK IN THE COMMENTS COLUMN. THANKS!
Before I even start, I want to make something abundantly clear about this piece. I am not in anyway accusing anyone of being the least bit racist at all. To me, that is one SERIOUS word. I consider it an epithet, and if applied it had BETTER be defensible, cited by evidence, and used with total caution. This is about tunnel vision only. Thank you, and read on.
Sometimes, the myopia of comic companies, their overlord entities, and their creative partners are more compelling mysteries than Batman could ever dream of. This is about one of those situations, and the deeper mystique/conundrum concerning the trappings of the situation itself. As you probably already know, especially if the title there made you intrigued, there was this character named Cassandra Cain, and for a while she was Batgirl. She showed up during the epic “No Man’s Land” storyline in the Bat-books where Gotham City is sealed off and abandoned by the whole country as an unsalvageable hell-hole after a massive earthquake. Cassandra arrives, and ends up becoming a Batman approved operative. In a short time she gets her own title. I’m more than a casual Batgirl enthusiast historically. I picked it up at issue one, and stuck with it until the initial creative team split after two years. She was an interesting girl to say the least. Raised by her dad, David Cain, a ruthless world-class assassin in solitude, never spoken to, or heard from, to be the most focused member of her dad’s trade ever. Her mother that she didn’t know was the infamous Lady Shiva, considered to be the world’s deadliest woman and maybe human. She was slowly learning language and the combined Batman and Babs Gordon were trying to overcome her deep-rooted killer indoctrination. She could predict her opponent’s next move and never lost a fight. She had killed before, and was ashamed and trying to make up for it, sometimes to a death-wish degree. She was obviously Asian, a rarity in the DCU and unheard of in the Bat-camp. To be honest, I loved her as a character, just not as Batgirl. Her full-faced mask was a trendy turn-off to me. She was also too dark and complex for that particular identity. She palled around with Stephanie Brown, The Spoiler, and she was my pick for the successor to Babs from her first appearance in the title. She had the spunk and endearing charm I wanted in the role. After she quit the job, due to Batman’s apparent demise in Final Crisis, she gave the name over to Stephanie, and I was more than ok with that. However, I didn’t want the baby thrown out with the bathwater. Cassandra actually becomes a heavy for a bit, a move that enraged throngs of fans, and winds up with a whole new identity as part of the resurrected Bruce Wayne’s Batman, Incorporated. Her new moniker is the Black Bat, based out of Hong Kong, with her old costume no longer brought down with the face covering cowl but a ’60’s TV Catwoman-style mask instead. I rejoiced at the wisdom of this decision. Brilliant, all the way. Next (wait for it…) came the New 52, and *poof!* she’s gone.
There was another character introduced to the Bat-camp in the wake of this new venue. His name is Batwing. His secret ID was David Zavimbe, an African national, who is a member of the ‘Inc.’ crew. As stated, he lives in the Dark Continent, and he gets a series that debuts with the first wave of the New 52, as well as a position on the doomed JLI title. David lasts 19 issues before he’s out of the title. JLI lasts until the release of it’s first annual, well under the other book and Batwing hangs up the name 7 months later. He is replaced by Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox, Bruce’s business associate for over 25 years. With heavier ties to the Bat-world proper, it’s obvious that the batty fans need an anchored character. His title continues with rocky sales to this day. He’s stationed in the Congo, once more fighting the good fight. Here’s my question: why is this character getting the special treatment and Cassandra is off the map? I appreciate the effort and all, but isn’t the Black Bat a hell of a lot more logical as a title-holder? I mean, first off let me be brutally honest and I hope I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings or sensibilities, but I think Hong Kong is a much more exciting mine of potential than Africa. Just do. It’s a vast city with a dense population that I’ve never seen explored in comics, unlike the African locales, which have existed in sequential art since the 1930s. Also, why take a random pick from BI, when you have a beloved and established character in the mix, whose ties to the central Bat-cast are in place? It just seems like such a no-brainer to me. Plus, look at the critical/fan success of Batgirl and Batwoman- people like a woman in a bat suit, apparently (especially when the art and story are great, obvs…). This is one of those true mysteries I was referring to. Maybe down the line someone in the power seat will figure that one out. Vague comments have been made at ‘Cons about her return, but no details over 2 years into the current vein.
Characters of different cultures, ethnicities, and locales have always been an issue in comics. For one, most writers are either from the US or England. The latter might tend to do a better job because of the international mix (particularly to Londoners), and the lively mixture that is Europe in general. Plus, readers are an issue here as well. Projects involving such are extremely varied in reception, and rarely that successful. Black Panther (I hate that name, BTW- it’s from a time when every character of color was “Black” something AND it denotes a militant political stance. “The Panther” would be fine, and would make him more accessible to multi-media), Mister Terrific, Justice League International, Milestone Comics, Static Shock, and Batgirl herself are all in that umbrella and went under the axe. Most folk want to stay on their home turf so they can identify with the title; it’s their comfort zone, and often, their only point of reference. My first multicultural exposure was in the Super Friends cartoon-to-comic adaptation with the Global Guardians, who wound up going mainstream and giving us Fire and Ice, most notably, as well as a handful of other characters, a lot of whom wound up in the pages of the ingenious JLI title of the ’80s-’90s. I was enchanted with them from the get-go. They were exotic and cool in concept. I was thrilled when they made the jump (Little Mermaid getting her head blown off really freaked me out, though). I didn’t pursue the latter day JLI title because I felt kind of “been there, done that” about it. The Giffen-DeMatteis run pretty much put the period at the end of the sentence for me. I’d just love a well-done series about Fire and Ice, Tasmanian Devil (a gay character, no less), and a whole lot more. There are also lots of other worldly locales I’d like to see in the books. Night and Squire was a great little mini-series about the eccentricities of superhero London. It can be done. Morrison, in particular, has tried to integrate the rest of the world into the DCU proper, and none of it has been seen so far to stick. The Japanese group the Great Ten was a fun ensemble of his making, followed by the Super Young Team, who exited me greatly when the pre-series released notebook of Final Crisis was received. It was a great reflection of Japan’s pop culture, which often takes our domestic concepts, then filters and reworks them into something different, and sometimes magical. Each member is a translation (but not at all literal) of US super-folk. Most Excellent Superbat (Heino) is the team leader. He wears a wild red and yellow uniform influenced by both Superman and Batman. His power, as stated is “being rich”, and he uses an array of gadgets, one of which can generate an energy-based exoskeleton, he also appears to have some training in the martial arts. He is joined by Big Atomic Lantern Boy, Shy Crazy Lolita Canary, Shiny Happy Amazon, Well-Spoken Sonic Lightning Flash, and Sunny Sumo. This pack are a gas, who become big celebrities in their home and suffer for their notoriety. They had a mini-series, and in common with most of the titles presented here, it was not a success. I wish they’d come back, but I have a feeling that’s not going to happen.
I don’t know what the solution is to getting invested readership for these kinds of titles. I realize a majority of comic readers are white (more ethnic minorities do seem to be getting into the act I’ve noticed-that’s a good thing), I know a healthy amount of the followers of this site are all over the world, too. Maybe there’s hope for the concepts, and hopefully they will be done well and stand the test of time. I really hope the Universes can move away from just White America, and get support.
I still think the Black Bat of Hong Kong is undeniably a good and sound idea, and I hope someone figures that out and brings it to fruition. It’s been so long, and a lot of miss our favorite quiet assassin. Save Cassandra Cain!
The first image was from http://jbramx2.deviantart.com/, and the bottom photo was taken by http://s3.photobucket.com/user/dstorres/profile/. Both are Bat-Badassed.
CASSANDRA’S THE QUIET TYPE, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE. LEAVE ME COMMENTS/COMPLAINTS/FEEDBACK. I DIG IT!
I originally did a post about this subject that was actually a bit hasty and not so thought out. I got a great single criticism for it, and when I delved into the respondent’s comments I realized that I wasn’t really looking at the situation with total self-honesty. That’s why I gave it a total re-write with a more fully realized take on the matter.
Who would you choose to give your love to if you were Superman? Would you pick Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, or neither? I’m just saying neither because it’s always an option, but it’s probably not one that’s going to be offered. In simpler times, it was examined ad nauseum. Lori Lemaris, Lana Lang, Luma Lynai, and every other girl who initialed her documents like Lex Luthor (I left out Barda, who he made a porno flick with. He was under mind-control then) got an issues worth of wooing. These days, it always boils down the former two. On the one hand, there’s Lois, the first and foremost. You know her, but here’s a sketch in case you were looking for a way back to your lost world online and Googled the word alien and ended up here: Earth woman, very assertive and empowered, diligent reporter who is very interested in seeking out and exposing truth at any cost, fearless, apparently pretty attractive, and is portrayed in most cases as being very balanced in terms of anima/animus. Wonder Woman? Depends on canon, so let’s go with a composite: Somewhat otherworldly, very assertive and empowered, diligent fighter, crusader for truth, gorgeous, very balanced in terms of anima/animus, not very likely to get killed by anything less than cosmic-level threat, wears costume and belongs to team of other superheroes that he belongs to as well. Well, I actually don’t have an answer I like when I look at it that way. Not the one I want to give, anyhow.
What do I want the answer to be? Lois OR neither. What I’m not into is Clark and Diana. Not NOW anyway. I was, back in 1988 when Action Comics #600 came out. The story is classic. After a few months of buildup, the two finally meet through parties close to the lady who contact Clark Kent, and task him with setting up a rendezvous. They meet at night in a private spot and immediately, they lock in a passionate embrace and kiss. This actually takes place before the issue, and when we open the cover to the actual book in question, we see a look of wide-eyed horror on Di’s face. Not good. Darkseid shows up and rudely interrupts their date and when it resumes the consensus is that he’s a doey-eyed farmer boy and she’s a nigh-goddess member of royalty and that a romance would be Super-ficial. Done. I, as a hormonally led teeny bopper was almost apoplectic. They gave up THAT easy? Not even a second date?? I felt robbed. The main reason for my zeal was how enthused I was about both of these characters. It was a brave new world then. Supes was a year into the classic John Byrne revamp, with Diana the same but with George Perez. They were exciting times, and I wanted even more excitement. There was Lois in the background, fairly devastated, and I did feel sorry for her, no doubt. Still, I thought a year of this at least could be smashing fun. Throughout the canon thereafter, the specter was there, stronger and lesser depending on the time, but never quite gone. I had some hope throughout and it morphed into incredulousness. Clark married Lois in two venues of media, and it STILL bugged me. She just seemed like the right choice and no one wanted to admit it. The creative decision concerning the pair was that they would become very best friends. This only happened, of course, when it was in HER book. External to that, it was either Bats or Jimmy or whoever. Still just seemed like a way to side-step something so damned obvious; in fact, bursting at the seams. In one storyline, the JLA winds up trapped on Asgard for a THOUSAND years. He’s with her the whole time, and nothing happens at all. They return at the time on Earth that they left, and he tells Mrs. Kent nothing. She finds out from Di, who proceeds to tell her that for that whole 10 centuries, he never stopped talking about Lois. Sweet? Sure. I loathe that story just the same. See, I want my Superman human, and given that we KNEW he was attracted to the princess, it made him seem ridiculous. Further, who would even want to be loved THAT hard? I mean, it’s easy to say, but if your partner was trapped somewhere for a thousand years would you not be wigged out by the fact that they never stopped blabbing about you, or didn’t stray with arguably the most attractive person alive, as beautiful as Aphrodite? I’d have to say I appreciate the gesture, but that doesn’t even seem right or righteous. Pragmatic little me, I guess. Diana had even stated that she was a know-nothing fool when she shunned him for being a hick. Again, super-human is fine, inhuman is another affair altogether.
So what’s my beef with the joining finally taking place? I’m not as much angry as I am apathetic, where the two central figures are concerned. I gave them a year to wow me. I went in with the excitement I had back around ’87, to be honest. I was ready for a new golden dawn, and was frankly getting bored with the DC Universe in general. So many Crises, an erratic, constantly re-tooled JLA, JSA was not the same after Johns left, Wonder Woman was rutted to distraction, and it needed to go fresh. Others whined when the news came out, but not me. I was totally the cheerleader. I finished my first issues with some hope and some concerns. I gave it a year, then I just decided I wasn’t into it at all, for reasons I can’t begin to cover here. I view it peripherally now, mainly online, some reviews and previews, and scans at the comic shop. Moreover, I have not seen Wonder Woman develop to the point that I want her sucked into a romance-action title. I don’t even know who she is yet, and from what I’m reading, no one else seems to either. The ire I have is, as usual, with company Creative and the tentacles of Warner Brothers. They made no secret before the line was launched that Supes wouldn’t be hooking up with Lois and that would leave time for Diana; totally pre-asserted. I felt my eighteen year old self stirring in newfound anticipation and by the time the story was set up, I was over it, and it’s nature as a flaccid marketing ploy was pathetically obvious. There’s a definite lack of excitement about it everywhere I’ve looked. I’ve seen no one voice a note of zeal or endorsement about this new title, it’s very “because NO ONE demanded it!”. Further, I’ve spent the better part of 40 years awaiting the return of Sensation Comics. Only seemed fair the the distaff Trinity member should have a second title to expand her mythos with. Now, it’s gonna be another damned Superman book. That kind of makes me ill. My ONLY hope, were I still invested, would be that when the relationship inevitably crumbles it would become a World’s Finest team with her in place of Ol’ Pointy Ears. I guess that’s something, even if it’s ultimately too little, too late.
So, as stated, he could choose nothing. Does he need an ongoing lover? Some heroes have them, some don’t. Some have slews of romantic liaisons, so why couldn’t he just be a serial monogamist? I don’t see him ever being loose or the cheating two-timer (though these days, who knows…) but it might be interesting for a few years to see him deal with a berth of different women of different stripes both as Clark and his high-flying alter ego to show us some decent character examination.
Of course, in the end it’s got to be the reporter. It just does. Again, the staff made it clear that this relationship wasn’t going to be there in the reintroduced story-line. Makes sense, given the marriage of the previous one. Super-hero marriages don’t usually make it for the longest haul, and are usually scratched when revamps occur. They were hitched for 15 years after dating for 60, so I think waiting a while to jump back in wasn’t really a bad decision. I do know that editors and writers are keeping Ms. Lane in the front of the bus story-wise, and that’s good. No matter the relationship, she should be there. What route will it take when the day comes? No idea, and I hope by then shifting will occur that re-invests me in the line so I can watch and enjoy. As far as versions go, I’m very enamored of the on-screen relationship from “Man of Steel”. I like the idea of Lois being the one who knows Clark, the real one- not the glasses wearing buffoon whose daily proximity to her makes her look like a fool. The dynamic therein is so intimate and understandable. That relationship is unfortunately not what’s been set up in the root media here. When they do come together, will it be fresh and exciting, or will it be more of the same from 75 years? Hopefully not. I’ve had this little idea for a few years now on how to spice up the affair. Allow me to be totally self-indulgent and lay it on you. Bear with me, and don’t dismiss it from the first sentence, please. What if they gave LL a little super-power? When I say a super-power, I don’t mean make her more like him, not at all.
Don’t make her a card-carrying super-heroine. I’m thinking something VERY specific, and it’s not a power that would make her every day advantaged by a long shot, and would embellish the nature of their union. Here goes: what if, by some accident earthly or otherwise, Lois developed an immunity to all things Kryptonian? What if she couldn’t be penetrated by heat or x-ray vision? What if, when slapped by one of the former natives, it was like she was being slapped by a human? If Kal catches her falling from a building they could both fall to their deaths, since he would be vulnerable and unable to fly when physical connection=loss of flight=no more damsel in distress. When in his woman’s arms, he’s a normal man, and only then. She’s the only person he’s truly human with. There’s some heart for you. If he goes rogue, she might be the only one on Earth who can subdue him and kick his Super-ass. Supergirl smarts off? Pop her one. Krypto misbehaves-grab that mongrel by the scruff and spank his tail. It takes away the archaic elements of our girl. It makes her free from the prying nature of her lover’s powers, even when unintentional. It makes the relationship itself more multi-faceted, and levels the playing field. The idea is pregnant with prospective story lines. Lois gets brought in by a covert agency to avert Kryptonian threats. Possessed or controlled Lois is the enemy he can’t beat with infinite advantage when she ambushes him, and she’s off the radar of his empowered ears. Phantom Zone jail-break? Here’s your next line of defense. She’d still be subject to being preyed upon by the average super-villain, and would have to use her noggin. Superman showing up to save the day would mean NO physical contact for him to get the job done with yellow-sun dependent abilities. No more carrying her to the skies, just two lovers on a stroll, holding hands. I could go all day.
There are so many needless revisions and omissions going on in mainstream comics re-boots these days, and few really fuel new and exciting aspects of the characters they would have us to believe they are trying to improve. I want character driven, not just sales driven and everything that’s happening seems so transparent and faddish. I guess to some extent it’s been that way for a long time, it just seems so much more-so now, and maybe that’s just the hell of wisened aging. Seems like a hefty amount of readers are seeing it too, and they could be in the same boat. Maybe it’s a little of all. I think if the people behind the decisions looked at the heaps of material that’ve become legend and are selling at 75 bucks a pop in Absolute editions and such, they’d see that stepping back from the hard-sell and letting creative types bring flair to older concepts like the Kent/Lane love story, they’d get a more devoted and excited audience. I haven’t abandoned hope, I’m just holding onto my wallet until something wows me back into the fold. Save the Super-Love!
LEAVE ME A LOVE NOTE OR A BREAK-UP LETTER- I LOVE FEEDBACK.
This is actually the impetus for the whole site. It’s a labor of love, with many angles and some strong emotions for me, personally. I’ve loved the titular character of this blog from before kindergarden. I’ve followed her on a monthly basis for almost 40 years. I’ve waited breathlessly for her show to debut, and each episode thereafter. I’ve anxiously awaited any portrayal of her in any media, to some excitement and lots of disappointment. I’ve bought toys galore. I’ve spent good money over bad for my fix, even when I really didn’t have the capital to do so. In recent years, it has become a major frustration for me, and I’ve analyzed why to the Nth degree, and this is my dissection, observation, and potential solutions. I hope you enjoy.
A TARGET OF MUCH DISCUSSION
I’ve taken to scanning a lot of comments about Wonder Woman lately. They are as varied as those about sports teams. Some I’m with, many I’m not. Here’s a sampling, with my responses that I’ll fortify later: “Comic fans are sexist, and won’t give her a chance.” Nope, not buying it. For one, I run a fan group page, and there’s so much love for her it’s astounding. Second, when DC announced the coming of the New 52, without a doubt I can say that fan excitement over Wonder Woman’s new title was through the roof. It was everywhere about Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s forthcoming take. Third, check out the internet and see how many articles/sites/groups there are about her. As the song says “All The World Is Waiting For You…”. I don’t blame fans, I blame creators. PERIOD. Also, in regards to sexism, Marvel has Captain Marvel, drawing in new fans, a large portion of which are female. “They should take her back to Perez era, and make her an ambassador for peace”. Not with you there, either. More later, but in a nutshell, Perez told his story sum and full. Totally. It wouldn’t be honoring the intent of the character, it would be back-peddling. As stated, MUCH more to follow. “I don’t know this character anymore.” Bingo! No one does, and again, it falls to Creative. This character is so blurry at this point, there’s no consensus. She’s been failed and revamped to no avail repeatedly. Every creator tries to undo the previous one and make it something new, and for some reason she winds up in the same pigeon-hole with even more inconsistencies and loosening of definition and purpose than before. The wheel has been recreated with stunning pace. Most galling is, like most characters, if you just go to the start to find the intention, see how it got lost, and then see how to bring it home again, it’s all right there. Let’s start from the start.
THE GOOD DOCTOR AND WOMEN
Charles Moulton, nee Dr. William Moulton Marston, is largely known for his sexual proclivities. Let’s get them out of the way first, if we must. He was into the bondage thing, and it showed in his stories. No argument. He had multiple wives and partners under the same roof. The same, and done. OK, now we can look at the rest. He believed in a principle of womanhood that involved matriarchy, with a fulfillment therein. The belief was that women were the only people who could save the world. Man would have to surrender totally, then women could undo their bellicose ways and make peace. Simple. It would take submission for us to get there, but then we could move toward Utopia. Paradise Island, it’s inhabitants, and Diana were borne of his logic. The island was not just a retreat for a weary bunch of women, it was a god(s) given place, where the Amazons were expected by their deities to make magic. Over centuries, these immortal gals created an atmosphere of magic, joy, love, as well as advancements in science and medicine. They were way ahead of our curve on every level. It’s this arena that was the groundwork for who Diana would be. The first incarnation of the character had an arsenal of tech. The invisible jet, a ‘mental radio’, earrings that allowed her to speak and interpret other tongues (and in some cases breathe underwater), and a lasso of pure godly magic. She was totally tricked out. The strength, speed, agility, and such were there, but they weren’t the sole source of her power by a long-shot. She was strong enough to pick up the back-end of a car to stop it from moving, but she couldn’t pick it up over her head and throw it or some-such. No flying or the like, either. Her mission, set in play by Col. Trevor’s plane crash and need for a lift home, was to be a freedom-fighting ambassador to the world. The first emissary from the race that could, and probably would, one day save us all from ourselves. One of the major ways she outdid her peers in this shade was how she handled her totally female population of foes. Upon apprehension, she would bring them to an island her “sisters” set up for her called Reform Island, where the anti-social were to be rehabbed. It was often successful. Paula Von Gunther, an Axis agent close to Hitler, ended up there and became a vital part of the Amazon science community and stayed in continuity way past the Golden Age model; the Cheetah got a new lease on life too, as did others. This was a marvelous component for showing Di as the great reformer and not just a generic crime-fighter. She got results as a social justice wunderkind. What ended up happening was the retirement of the good Doc from the book, and then the issue that was her Achilles heel from day one became the focus for years: her strange over-the-top borderline obsessive love for Steve Trevor. Her title morphed overnight into a romance book, then a pale silly imitation, a karate driven espionage book, a tv show adaptation, ending as a dark looking book with a cypher lead. Then, a cosmic Crisis with our heroine turned back to the clay she came from, the end. Next, George Perez.
GEORGE PEREZ: CREATOR, OR DESTROYER?
After the Crisis, Diana was a blank canvas ready for a new palette. The hottest artist in the DC camp, George Perez, was tapped to draw with industry vet Len Wein behind the keyboard. They attacked it with great aplomb. What they engineered was a truly cinematic take on the lady. It was not a superhero book anymore. It had a sense of identity that set it apart from the other titles, literally and figuratively. Other characters from the DCU were barely given notice nor presence. Paradise Island was now Themiscyra, keeping it with the Greek. Amazon science was now absent. Steve Trevor was a older man, who’s connection was a strange one in regards to Diana. His mom had crash landed on the Isle back in the ’40s and saved an Amazon from a monster that crawled out of the basement of the venue, where all evil mythological creatures were kept with the women in charge of their incarceration as punishment for falling to the evil ways of man and getting themselves enslaved. Diana Trevor lost her life and became the person WW was named after. The mission was back to Ambassador, and again, not super-heroine, not one bit. Rather than Washington, DC, Diana was mystically transported with Steve (no Invisible Jet this time) to Boston, where she took up residence with a scholar of Greek History, Julia Kappetelis, and her teen daughter Vanessa. In less than 10 issues, Mr. Perez became the double-duty man on the book with Wein’s exit. It was very blatantly a feminist statement. Standards of beauty, notions of the nature of feminine culture, even MENOPAUSE were topics in the title. Fans loved it, because it was so fresh and daring. Diana wouldn’t fight anyone without appealing to reason first, which I myself loved. His run lasted 62 issues, and he was joined by co-writer Mindy Newell 2/3 of the way through, and dropped the art chores around the same time and handed them to Chris Merrinan. The hindsight here, is that again, the book was more like a movie than most comics at the time. It was very real world despite it’s gods, monsters, villains, and fictional elements. Also, like a good movie, it had a beginning, a middle (I’d qualify the arc where ambassadors from “Patriarch’s World” came to Themiscryra and were terrorized by Eris, the goddess of strife as the median), and an end- where Diana shuts down the Wonder Woman Foundation she established, and flies off into the sunset with a full tote bag. Story told, done and done.
JOHN BYRNE TRIES TO SET IT RIGHT, AND NEARLY DOES
John Byrne came in on a mission. A few words about the man: he’s a one-man band. He does it all, the writing, the drawing, even the lettering in some cases. He’s a clean-up guy. He comes onto a book, and mostly ignores what came before, sticking to core content and putting it back to it’s elements and bringing back what’s classical and outstanding. His downside? He’s pretty “meh” as an actual script writer. I find that his dialogue is pretty lame, as a rule, and he takes fairly contrived and clunky means to get things back on their shelves. That said, he does get ultimate results. Here’s the laundry list:
Gateway City– She needed a home of her own since the get-go. Moulton wasn’t aware of her peer circumstances when he opted for D.C. as the locale. Gateway was a great analogy for San Francisco, which fits like a glove. It gives her distance from the obvious New York refs that Metropolis and Gotham are AND as a metaphor, SF would be a great environment for her with it’s liberal, free-spirited demeanor. This is crucial to her Trinity presence, shared with Batman and Superman.
Invisible Jet– He gave it plausibility. A gift from aliens, that can become the vehicle of her choosing. Also, it folds up into a little see-through pendant, so no obvious parking limitations. If the move were ever made to Amazon tech, the alien origin would be unnecessary.
Wonder Girl– Every good hero needs partners, and a camp. Cassie Sandsmark was a blast, she was fun, feisty, and age-appropriate. Donna Troy had become lost after the Crisis, and needed her WW connection. The route to her destination was needlessly busy, but he added her to the ‘family’ Wonder Woman team, and gave her back her role in the DCU.
A Place Among the Heroes– Darkseid was a great foil for her. His despising of her pointed out her peaceful, love-filled truth, and showed her as a force as potent as Superman. Having her up against pre-established DC villains like Morgan LeFey and Doomsday put her firmly in the Universe.
World War 2– Wonder Woman is a WW2 icon more than her peers. Her appearance and her activities against the Nazis at the time make it so. In the new DCU it’s irrelevant, but the intent was cool and the Justice Society needed her at their table. Again, the super-heroine in full effect.
PHIL JIMINEZ, THE LAST TRADITIONALIST
Phil, IMO, might have been the truest lover of Di’s. He took the whole mythology and tried to synch it together, with a lot of good results. Like Byrne, his contributions were discarded upon his exit from the book. I will concede that the last quarter was a tad self-indulgent with the story-line with every female DC character used in one issue, and the time trip with Villainy, Inc, the most stupidly titled enclave ever. Still, he tried to make the character linear, and came closer to a cohesive working version than any other bothered to attempt.
Paradise Found– He finally got Themiscyra back to being Paradise Island. It was a bumpy road, but the floating nation, with it’s magical violence clamp-down was amazing. The Oz-like enchantment factor drew ire from some camps who obviously didn’t know the roots. If they’d just given it time and showed how it would fit into the current mythos, they might well have grown to love it.
Sister Act– He took Byrne’s team ethic and ran with it. Many stories with the Wonder Girl, “Wonder Queen” and Troia posse present, and a dynamic therein that showcased each member. The roommate situation with Donna was great, and again, discarded without any reason or acknowledgement offered.
Back in the DC Game– The opening story with the Bat-Villains was obviously to draw in readers, but it was pretty damn good. It showcased both worlds and made them in the same Universe without crowding. Also, I loved the use of the Gods without them actually being physically present (more on that later).
GREG RUCKA- HERE WE GO AGAIN
Let me start by saying that Mr. Rucka is a DAMN good writer. He offered a Diana with a personality and scenario that was undoubtedly a matured sequel to Perez’s run. Many look at it as Diana’s finest hour, and if you read Perez and Rucka only, it’s pretty good, but as I’ll point out, it even contradicts his predecessor in grand fashion.
Where’d She Go?– Rucka’s run, sort of like Byrne’s, discards the in-betweens and attempts to tell a story that leaves a wide chasm of questions between his and the Post-Crisis genesis. Byrne, unlike Rucka, does acknowledge in cursory fashion what came before. Boston, her rift with the Amazons and her mother, and the Steve-Etta presence are part of his story. Rucka comes in with conceit. Where did that embassy come from? When did the Foundation HQ get built? Since when did she have a doorway to Themiscyra? No explanations given, and in the big picture that was needed.
The Foundation– As stated, his run was obviously a 5 or so year later extension of the GP era, which as also stated, ended with her dissolving the institution. She wanted to be an example in her autonomy, and didn’t want acolytes. Rucka’s story from the ground up was about an organization that had a closed door from early on, and again, with no explanation.
Who Are These People, and Where Did They Come From?– The Minotaur chef, Io the Amazon forger, and several other characters also spring from nowhere with no rhyme or reason.
Where Did Everybody Go?– No previous supporting cast at all. The Wonder Family, most notably.
WONDER WHEEL: DIANA IS THE HAMSTER
Now, here’s an inventory of the cyclical nature of the title. This is where the road from Perez, who wrapped it with a bow, leaving his writing descendants in the dark as to what to do with her lead:
Amazons at War– Perez brought in the Bana-Mighdall, and Messner-Loebs made them co-habitants with Hyppolyta’s tribe. WML’s arc made the group at large discordant and filled with drama. Byrne had Darkseid decimate the population. Luke had them fighting gods. Jiminez brought them to civil war, then decimated without a queen by Imperiex (ending on a rare positive note). Rucka smashed the new Island to pieces, then plopped them down on the shores of the Carolinas, and immediately attacked by their neighbors. The girls were pure militants at this point, unlike the way Jiminez left them. Amazons Attack was them versus our government, and later Gail Simone had a group of rebels bent on killing the royals.
Amazons Gone– Foisted to another dimension to create Diana Prince, Kung-Fu fighter even before Perez. Back to another plane by Messner-Loebs, off to limbo by Rucka. It happens again, to be seen shortly.
The Super-Villain Roller Coaster-Perez used some of them. Messner-Loebs neutered The Cheetah as a heavy, and focused on Circe. Byrne kept Cheetah as a victim not a villain, brought back Decay, and that’s it. Luke, no past villains from the canon, re-introducing Golden Aged Dr. Poison and creating Devastation (not used since). Jiminez used almost all of them. Rucka, none but a re-invigorated Cheetah. Heinburg brings them back as a group, leaves without establishing them. Picoult- none. Simone, even with the recent update and upgrade, it’s only Cheetah and Psycho without any of the more underused and exiting prospects like The Mask, Osira, Silver Swan, et al at her disposal. When you look at the JLA pantheon, rogues should be virtually omnipresent and explored.
Circe, the Leaning Post– Perez brought her in, and she’s an interesting foil. Messner-Loebs made her presence a background through most of his run. Jiminez made her the Big Bad. Heinberg made her the instigator, and the woman behind everything. Amazons Attack turned out to be all her doing. Circe is Wonder Woman’s Brainiac. She’s a big time threat to everyone, and should be used sparingly to keep her so. There’s no consistent Lex Luthor, and there needs to be. Someone consistently plotting and scheming who can’t be shrugged off. I vote for the Cheetah, whose staying power and presence in multi-media should make her be the one (for elaboration, see here).
Everybody’s a Damn “Visionary”– Perez, all from scratch. Messner-Loebs is cursed to find his own way. Byrne undoes WML. Luke discards Byrne. Jiminez drops Luke’s concepts. Simonson goes rogue. Rucka throws out everybody but Perez. Heinberg starts fresh. Simone changes the foundations. Picoult delivers the ultimate arrogance, and refuses to read any source material, because she’s so gifted and vision-driven, offering a disturbingly lukewarm take. All you get here is a muddied, contradicting book, with interpretations that do not jibe. By the time we got to the end, Hyppolyta, who was born an adult, who walked out of the ocean in the opening of Perez’s run, somehow had a grandmother at the end of the title, as a for instance.
Who IS this?– Back to the earlier complaint, no one knows. The last substantial origin story was in 1986. Batman: Year One is the same here, but Batman is an earth-level type. His story really doesn’t bear repeating, given it’s iconic status, and incorruptible mission statement. Fantastical characters need revision and semi-decade updates with ties to their present day interpretation. That’s why Superman gets that treatment, and his origin is easily as legendary as Bats’. Without this storytelling element, inconsistencies and contradictions abound.
The Warrior Path– Again, Perez unwittingly made it so, it wasn’t the impetus of the mission. By the Rucka end, she was re-imagined over and over as a sword and sorcery character, and not at all the peace-loving super-heroine. This is her disconnect in the Trinity and the League. The fantastical elements are vacant, and we have Lady Hercules in place. When in the group setting, she’s usually just a powerhouse combatant. Her intellect and know-how takes a backseat. She’s rarely seen in her company trying to be a peacemaker at all. The discarded pre-Crisis science-savvy lady fits the DCU much better, in my eyes, putting her in good company with Bats, as an alien from an advanced culture she fits with Superman, as the recipient of cultural arsenal, she’s there with Green Lantern. As a scientist, she should be beyond The Flash. The Universe is all about Science driven characters. Sword and sorcery doesn’t garner much of a choir- see: Warlord, and the cancelled Sword of Sorcery post New52 title.
THE NEW 52-FILLED WITH HOPE AND DISAPPOINTMENT
I’d like to go back to the start of this treatise now. Remember when I talked about fan anticipation? I wasn’t kidding. It was everywhere, the love was there and practically on fire. This was fueled by the announcement of the creative team. I had literally thought repeatedly that if I had my pick, I would go with Cliff Chiang. I got my wish. For the first time in decades, DC did something I truly wanted with this character and I was ecstatic. Now, there’s writer Brian Azzarello, a noted and pedigreed scribe whose work is always creative and groundbreaking who got the community and myself hoping against hope for a brand new day for the character we are all just itching to love. That was not the case, at all, for me and a large body of readers. Not one bit. The story was not just the same, but in many ways worse.
Amazon Assholes Exponentially– Not three issues in, we learn that the tribe are hateful, savage, and dislike the main character. Hyppolyta is a coward, a liar, and is lust driven, throwing out her original wisdom and convictions. She’s a traitor to the deity she owed her life to. Further, as in a thousand miles so, the Amazons are raping thugs that do not value human life, slaughtering their sexual conquests and throwing their infants into the ocean to drown. Great statement about womanhood growing in autonomic circumstances here. BACK TO THE DARK AGES. AGAIN.
About That Rape and Babies Jazz– Just what does Di know about reproduction? Apparently nothing at all. She was on an island with small children who had to grow up with her and packs of pregnant women, yet somehow didn’t piece anything together. A plot hole the size of the Grand Canyon. ABUSIVE TO INTENT, AND MYOPIC. AGAIN.
Amazons Gone– Also at it’s virtual inception as a title, we get the women turned into a feast of snakes, and the Queen is a statue. Poof. LAZY WRITING-AGAIN.
Hermes Is Just Hangin’, and the Rest– Perez already did this. Hermes came to Earth, hung with Di, was dissected to show the nature of godhood, and ended up dead. This brings up a bone with me about the Pantheon- what is faith? I’d say it’s believing in something you can’t prove. If you could pal around or sit and talk to God/Jesus/Mohammed, would that be faith? For me, it would not. As cast members, they are castrated. The presence should be felt and referenced, not seen. Furthermore, with intact Amazons, and a Man’s World cast, this makes three, then add on the JLA and such. Too scattering, and again, not really necessary. DONE BETTER BEFORE, AGAIN.
A New Cast That Eats the Title– A new character that’s vastly uninformed as such is immediately thrust into a circle. Zola is there before she is, and then the cast is mounting by the fourth issue. This book is not Wonder Woman, it’s a team book better called “God Force”. The nature of the new cast keeps her from developing and informing her present day surroundings and totally contradicts her outside appearances. WEAK. AGAIN.
Once More, Who Is This?– No origin telling. We are given nothing. She wakes up in London with no back-story. The Amazon mythos are not explored to explain the mission. JLA gives us the info that Steve Trevor was there, but she wasn’t into him, so why did she come and stick around? Just to get off that caustic island? Adrift and pointless once more. This was the chance to clean up a serious mess, and it was fumbled to a spectacular degree. Dan DiDio said he didn’t want to re-invent the wheel, and go back to established territory. What territory is THAT? The last offering, nigh-three decades ago bears no resemblance to this person. Diana’s peers get opposite treatment in this regard, and everyone acts like it’s a failing on the character’s part. Diane Nelson claims they just don’t know how to take such a jigsaw puzzle and adapt it to film. Here was your chance, you signed off on it, it’s all on you, lady, and your selected team. FAIL, AGAIN.
The Tradition Trampled– Along with the obscene and ghastly nature of the Amazons, we find out that Diana is Zeus’ bastard child. The clay thing was hokey in it’s inception. The Silver Age discarded it and gave her a dead dad who perished with all the other Amazon men in war. Gail Simone used the clay baby and got rid of the Golem-ish nature of the aspect with the spilling of the Queen’s blood to connect her as kin. Simple, and derides the disconnect inherent to the character. Moreover, Cassie Sandsmark was already done as his abandoned offspring, so this actually sort of reduces Di. Not to mention, now she’s literally Hercules-Woman. LAZY AGAIN.
A HORROR Book?– I’ll directly address the writer here. Who asked you for this, Brian? Seriously? If I want a horror book, I will buy one. I want a hero book like this one is supposed to be. Throwing a character like this into a different genre to avoid dealing with the subject at hand is lame. On top of that, I am OVER the Vertigo-izing of DC proper. I love(d) both, and want(ed) different things from each. This universe is too crowded as it is, and there’s little space being given to new and exciting prospects. I realize some of this is from a background in hard, edgy fare, but real Creatives can move to other genres and adapt. This is a creator adapting a character to them, so the comfort zone doesn’t get breeched. A few writers have done WW horror stories, and they were great. Changing the entire milieu of the character’s book to avoid stretching your wings is wretchedly weak. LAZY AGAIN AND AGAIN.
Another Damnable Visionary– Following the horrific example of Jodi Picoult, BA only got some cursory knowledge of the story and decided he knew what was best. Done with no examination (obviously) of what might be repetitious, or defeat the essence of the character. No one is so damned good that they can pick up an icon without scrutinizing and objectifying what came before. LAZY LAZY LAZY AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
Cliff Chiang is a Pro, Yet No Control– Jim Lee created the horrific costume from the J. Michael Straczynski run, and it was loathed by the masses. For ridiculous numbers-driven reasons, he got to re-outfit a majority of the DCU, to gross effect (rant in full HERE). Busy, ugly suits abound. Naturally, he got to re-design WW’s dud of duds. A muted, washed out black, red, and silver number with unnecessary line-work. A functionless piece with an ornamental armband and choker set that repeats the chest emblem which now looks like so much bling. This was preceded by a signed-off look that involved black pants and friggin’ KNEE PADS. Cliff’s art is corrupted by it’s presence. His stuff is simple and elegant and he would’ve been a more than plausible designer for the look. Darwyn Cooke, in his legendary New Frontier, came up with a brilliant tweak of the original visual, and it was lauded greatly. Then dumped TWICE for a busy, excessive, and trendy Lee design. NOTHING LEARNED. AGAIN!
CAN THIS MESS BE FIXED, AND HOW?? THE ‘NO’ SIDE
Yes, it can, and no, it likely won’t. Won’t, because the damage is done. Maybe in 5 years, maybe in a decade, but not now. Decisions are being made by folks who do not care about and likely don’t even dig comics. All of the trickle-down from the Warner parent company has been part of a licensing plan for other ventures. It’s numbers on paper. They’re looking at bumps by Marvel, DC, and Image from the ’90s and deciding on what we comic readers want, with no knowledge of the fact that those that built it turned against it. I, for one, never wanted Vertigo to move into the DCU and bring the horror fringe. I loved both, separately but equally. I don’t want a damn Wonder Woman horror book, I want a book about a super-heroine, the grandmother of them all. Instead, I got a book I can’t stand to read anymore. I gave it several chances, too. I’ve tried her also in JLA, and it’s more been-there-done-that post 80’s drivel, where she’s a warrior who has no problem killing. She’s dating Superman now, too. Great. There goes autonomy and a sense of her own personal space in the DCU. It just seems to get worse.
THE YES SIDE
Maybe, just maybe, the writing on the wall will make new things happen. That’s a reference to the fact the New 52 started with a bang, and is now just so-so in the overall comic sales mix. Maybe that (literal) Pandora’s Box will entrap the evil it unleashed (still sounds metaphoric, no?) and a new day will happen. Maybe an apology/amends with Nelson and whatever subordinate(s) that doesn’t get fired nodding to the fact that they did a rush job that ignored the wants and needs of their fans. Admitting too, that the ploy to gain new readership was done lousily. Warner Brothers is a BIG company, and if they really want this sector to become the post-Harry Potter tentpole, perhaps they could take a month’s loss and produce no books in the mainstream center, to allow time for some creativity to blossom. Then, return with a month of very inexpensive debuts, which would lose more on the upfront. I think that would be preferable to a bump followed by a downward spiral. Make a statement about fan love, dependence, and respect for material and they could actually achieve a win. Now, about the character at hand:
Origin Crucial– I think I’ve made my point here. I’m nodding to it again, just in case it hasn’t sunk in yet. You have to have a foundation if you want character success in any arena.
The ‘Bible”– This concept worked well for Batman for years. Make a book that is a composite, yet absolute treatise on WW. Origin notes, ideology and ethics code, situational reactions, powers and weapons set, general state of day-to-day affairs, casts, and all other relevancies should be there and be distributed to ALL DC editors and any writer who plans on using the character.
All-Star Superman: The Lessons of Grant Morrison– It is no secret the regard that the company, the fans, and the critics have for Grant. He’s earned it all, too. All-Star did the unthinkable. It took the most ludicrous aspects of the character and spun gold from them. It not only sold well, it got adapted to other media, increased love for the property with not a trace of disrespect for his relevant history, and has made scads of required comics-reading material lists as a genuine classic. Same but even more with Batman. 75 years of history umbrellaed in a little under a decade, with the silly made sublime. Awesome. Taking it and X-Men, you can see an expansion of the magic: he obviously thought of the end, worked backwards and came to the beginning. THAT’S what a visionary does. That’s how you take the old, make the new, and without corruption, deviation, or avoidance of what some would consider flaws. It is alchemy, and it is high art. Noteworthy too, is that in the last two mainstream endeavors, GM left the door open for his replacing writer. Unlike Perez who left the room with the lights off, Morrison left it open, kept the lights on, and gently escorted them into the room. He gave them a soft platform in a shiny new playroom, so they could add on whatever they liked and not stumble in the dark and trip on furniture. Wonder Woman, in other analogy, should be like Star Trek. You take the fantastical and make it a statement about the human condition. The root essence is about womanhood, love, and peace. This should be reflected in the content without having to be literal in the message. She shouldn’t be fighting terrorists, she should be fighting menaces that imply terrorism. The metaphorical approach is also high art. Art is what we want, and it’s what keeps us coming. It challenges us, and keeps us engaged. Fads pass quickly, fashion is eternal. Art is fashion. This is probably the most important message I can deliver. If you happen to be from Creative, read again until you eat, sleep, and breathe it. SIDENOTE: Morrison’s “Wonder Woman: The Trial of Diana Prince” is in the works. The preview images are already worrying me. There’s Di in Themiscyra, in chains surrounded by an unhappy mob. As an upside, there’s an image of a re-fattened tough looking Etta Candy, so hope springs eternal.
Strife is for Bad Guys, Diana Brings Hope– Diana’s picture so far may sound too rosy. That’s why consistently good foils must be delivered to give the schism. Great conflict that challenges her mind and ethics is what we need to see. Problem solving when her peers go up against foes like Luthor, the Joker, and such show how our heroes can’t just bump them off. They have to think on their toes, and often face their demons. That’s epic-making stuff.
Keep it DCU, Just Don’t Lose the Flavor– Acknowledge the nature of the super-hero, once again. In the DCU, it’s largely sci-fi, tech, and future driven. Take my earlier statement about peer analogies with the recognition that she doesn’t have to be a distaff version of any. The mission and the mindset of the character sets her apart in application, so her identity isn’t lost. Also, don’t let lazy-assed writers make her ‘Superman-Woman’. All that super-strength and flying make her fall into the category too easily. Writers in the past have alluded to her being able to communicate with animal life, exhibit a hypnotic direct eye-gase that’s impossible to resist, etc. Capitalize more on other skills.
Go to the Source, Not the Median– This is a re-iteration. Keep the original concept relevant as the propellor of the platform. Stop drawing the boundary at Perez. This has stunted the growth for too long. I think his work is great, but it’s not the only great. Look at what’s in between, and what came first. Batman and Superman have had amazing updates at the same time that Perez did his thing. Yet, I love Geoff Johns’ Superman take as well, and all of the above are directly related to the first origin telling. With WW, some was there, but a lot wasn’t. Some of that was fundamental to the character at large, just not the Perez version. Look at it as one solid chunk, and then cull the good stuff.
Lastly, If You Hire a Great Artist, Let Him/Her Do the Job– Let creative, again, be creative. Trust the appointee to come up with the look, or choose the look that suits their style. Why not multiple looks? If they’re succinct with the character, they should be recognizable to the approacher. Simpler artists, once more, make better designers that any other sketcher can pick up and follow with minimum distortion.
ONE LAST THOUGHT: VOTE!
If you are dissatisfied as a consumer (and from what I’m reading/seeing many of you are), don’t just abort, WRITE. You as a buyer are a commodity and a voter. Fire off an email with a clear subject line. It just might get read, and if enough folks do it, a change might occur. Grousing with the peanut gallery can only do so much good.
My favorite thing about Morrison’s New X-Men. The opening dialogue, wherein Professor X’s understated yet obvious vanity has him telling Jean Grey, (despite her bad planet-gobbling habit) the nicest girl on Earth, that she’s his natural replacement (since she’s so good and all). Then comes this little minx. She’s got X’s vanity, passion for teaching the young, and powers set. She makes them both obsolete, showing that her shades of grey and bad childhood give her more insight and experience in dealing with the youth. She’s a more logical fit for the adult and complex Scott, winds up replacing them both as a result, and does it with unparalleled panache.
Batwoman, for me, has been the answer to a prayer. A front and center character, not a cypher, not a team element, but a hyper-competent mover and shaker with real mythos-supported depth who also just happens to be gay. Total win, there. Northstar, the pioneer, was one of a group. His sexuality was a behind the stage controversy and it took three writing cycles to get him out. Afterwards, he got killed twice. I’d say because writers just didn’t want to deal with him, or editors, whatever.
Then came Extrano, the gay Guardian. As a teenaged gay, I wanted to hide back in the closet over him. He was like Super Steppin’ Fetchit to me. Grossly exaggerated, exponentially effeminate, suffering from AIDS, the works. I realize New Guardians was about people who became demi-gods and not superheroes, but the advancement of the character based on his preferences, while there were no classic style characters that were gay left me feeling as a reader rather marginalized.
Lots of experiments in between, to mixed results. THEN, came Kate Kane. This was a character I already had an affection for, as she was a total reboot of the original ’50s Batwoman, Kathy Kane.
She was also a compromise for us Babs Gordon Batgirl fans when she was busy being Oracle. AND she was openly gay AND was doing her thing because she was a victim of discrimination and this was her way of defending the masses against injustice, among other personal grudges. In the meantime, the gay marriage issue has become front and center, and comics have thrust themselves into it to a fault. Northstar got hitched.
Archie comics introduced Kevin Keller and in less than a year we got a time-machine invite to his wedding. Then, DC reintroduced Alan Scott as a gay man (and made damn sure the press knew about it), then, surprise-surprise- he’s getting married.
Now, Kate is set to follow suit with Maggie Sawyer, a 25 year gay character mainstay, whom she’s been dating for less than two years. Any comics reader with barely a pedigree knows that in comics time, that’s like two months maybe. In my lifetime, I’ve seen Superman marry Lois after a fifty year courtship. Peter married Mary Jane after roughly 30. Green Arrow and Black Canary, the same. Atom and Jean? Barry and Iris? At least a decade. The only short date-to-altar Super-hero scenario I can think of is Hawkeye and Mockingbird, and it was to underline their impulsive natures (and make them a ref to GA and BC). Now, Batwoman’s getting the fast track. Why? Because gay marriage gets sales and attention. PERIOD. Doing this as a stunt for press and accolades is like having a black character get shot in a hoodie and calling the NAACP to tell them about it. It’s opportunistic and shows me you don’t care about anything that’s been built with this character anymore. Not at all. Not to mention, every single marriage I’ve sited here is OVER. Re-booted out, or dissolved. Comics fans don’t really like married heroes. Some do, I’m sure, but that’s not really the norm. Characters like Animal Man are exempt, because they’re family men and established as such from the get-go. Reed and Sue in the same vein, and they were a couple from the first issue. Notice how all of the other Bat-family are single folk? Because matrimony would be the end of their careers. My theory? They’ll get married, and in less than five years, Maggie, one of the most venerated gay characters in the industry, will get killed.
It’s the perfect solution to the finite nature of supermarriage, and it’ll be the same device that’s done to Batman and other male characters where a loved one gets killed (usually a woman) to drive them deeper into mission obsession. OR they’ll adopt a baby and grab more press, then Kate will be thrust into single motherhood. Just watch. So now, we’ll get to lose an iconic character to follow through with a double standard bearing, sales-bump inducing story. I hope this time GLAAD will sit this one out and quit throwing awards every time a queer comics story makes the byline. This shouldn’t receive awards, it should receive indifference. The only characters getting married anymore seem to be gay, and it’s no longer noteworthy. Plus, it just appeals to folks who are already comfortable with the idea and challenges no one. Thanks for the effort, DC, in making this character who she WAS and supporting her. Next thought? How about a character introduced and handled by a great creative team, who we get to know as an a full-fledged super-hero complete with their own code of conduct, trappings, powers/weapons set, and then in say issue #5, we get introduced to their love interest, who just happens to be of the same gender? No preaching to the choir, setting a new standard, and actually integrating the concept into the ethos with no stereotype? I’d buy that.
NOTE: I’ve just learned that Alan Scott’s fiancee apparently got “fridged”, as they call it in the business, which is what I predicted for Maggie here.
DON’T STAY CLOSETED WITH YOUR OPINIONS-I’D LOVE TO HEAR THEM, DISCUSS THEM OR ARGUE THEM.
Karen Beecher came along in ’76 in the Teen Titans. OK, first, her name is not “Black Bumblebee”. Second, a Black Female character who is also a scientist AND developed her own tech. Third, she’s Mal Duncan’s girlfriend, and her powers set trumps his.Lastly, she looks KILLER in all of her visual variations. Win, win, win.
Mal was a (sorry, but…) token used to give weight to the late ’60s Teen Titans attempt to be socially relevant when they ditched their costumes and tried to be all revolutionary. He wound up becoming The Guardian when the group made a comeback complete with secret IDs once more, and that got done away with by his forgettable “Hornblower” persona, which to me, was as racially silly as the “weapons filled afro” dude from the Super Globetrotters.
The ‘bee was a scientist of color long before Mr. Terrific came along, and yet, has never been tapped as a substantial supporting character (moreso on the Young Justice cartoon than in comics), much less as a lead. She and Mal were briefly members of a short-lived Doom Patrol line-up, which was actually kinda cool. The whole reason the two of them made the cut was that Karen became trapped at a 4 inch height, and Mal, now called “Vox” had been impaled in the same disaster that rendered Karen to be stuck in the diminutive form, and needed a voice box to speak, which made them acceptable in the ‘incurable freak’ category of the Doom Patrol membership statement. In the New 52, neither have yet to be seen.
The current incarnation of The Titans is so forgettable and disconnected from what the team is even supposed to be about, and here we are with another member of the team who never even got the chance to get fleshed out and fully realized. Yet another female marginalized and ignored by a company that’s vision seems so distorted at this point, and so stubborn about expanding the horizons of their intellectual properties. Here we are with a character who stands out as a woman, a person of color, and a lovely blank palette just ready to be colored with creativity. Save the Bumblebee!
DON’T KEEP THE BUZZ TO YOURSELF- PLEASE COMMENT, DISCUSS, AND OFFER FEEDBACK!
In Priscilla, Urzkartaga has found not only a powerfully connected body to share, but an avatar of power it had never known before. Any time someone buys a magazine with her face on the cover, downloads a video, or buys her fashions and make-up, Priscilla’s cult of personality works it’s way up to the Cheetah-God itself and increases it’s magic. This makes him even more empowered than Zeus himself at this stage of the game. Using her incredible speed, strength and weaponry in her first brutal attack on Wonder Woman, The Cheetah left the Amazing Amazon covered in deep wounds and breathless. The ancient siren-witch Circe decided to take her on for damaging her favorite ‘toy’ with a horde of her Beasteomorphs, who all threw themselves on their backs in total submission. The witch is now fairly terrified of her, and realizes she must help Diana any way she can in ridding the world of this creature.
Saving Wonder Woman 
