Wonder-Woman-New-By-Don-Kramer.JPG

Via Nikki Finke. Art by Don Kramer. More in a bit.

1 COMMENT

  1. Einstein: “Insantity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.”

    JMS says that Wonder Woman has become inaccessible to the casual reader because she is layered in too much backstory and supporting cast.

    This, from the man who, like all the others before him, plans to alter the layers to the backstory.

    Isn’t that how DC got here to begin with?

    And that costume? Glad DC thinks they’re in the capable hands of Jim Lee. As seen by his redesign of WW, pulled right out of the 90’s, those hands are broken.

  2. About the only thing good about this change is the pants. Otherwise, the 90s are so over, and I wish DC would get that clue sometime.

  3. WW’s costume was supposed to intentionally evoke the American Flag, it seems the designers of the new costume, (which doesn’t really look like a costume IMO), completely forgot that.

    While it’s true that WW has traditionally not been a big seller of actual Comic Books it’s also true that she is one of the most recognized Super-Heros around. Make the origin and backstory more accessible, fine. Make tweaks to the costume, fine. But a complete redesign on one of the most recognizable costumes out there, very bad idea.

    Notice that when Superman and Batman have been tinkered with no one touched the basic costume design. There’s a very good reason for that, and as usual DC doesn’t seem to think that the third part of their “trinity” deserves the same respect.

  4. This is a case of getting her costume ready for any future movie (ex. lose the bright colors, go with dark or muted tones, use leather or vinyl material) The American flag motif is pretty much gone, btw.

  5. it has got to be hard to kick ass with your Double E chest constrained by a layer of …what, lycra? She’s more likely to punch herself in the face.

    Jesus, this girl needs some sports bras, not wonderbras. maybe a nike endorsement?

  6. Between the new outfit (complete with black leather jacket) and DC’s comments that she will be give a new urban and gritty backstory … I actually was wondering whether it was 2010 or 1995. I guess I should count my blessings that she does not have an assymetical facial tattoo encircling one eye nor Cable-esque pouches on her uniform.

  7. Yup, the “Animal Man”-style leather-jacketed look is out of date, and I guess modern audiences can’t believe WW can stop bullets with the bracelets she’s got, so let’s give her ones that extend up her arms. Of course this is a “first draft” of what DC wants to get a WW movie off the ground. The classic costume scares off too many female actors with its amount of body exposure. And, as noted above, the American Flag motif is a limit to marketing the film to an international audience. I wish that the stars would be a little more prominent, and not just shoulder pads on the costume, mostly out-of-sight. An imperfect solution, to say the least.

  8. “Notice that when Superman and Batman have been tinkered with no one touched the basic costume design. There’s a very good reason for that, and as usual DC doesn’t seem to think that the third part of their “trinity” deserves the same respect.”

    Guess you missed electric Superman?

    But I agree that Wonder Woman gets the shaft in general from DC.

  9. “Notice that when Superman and Batman have been tinkered with no one touched the basic costume design. There’s a very good reason for that, and as usual DC doesn’t seem to think that the third part of their “trinity” deserves the same respect.”

    I don’t like the new costume or direction any more than anybody else, but I don’t think this comment is fair. Nobody’s been complaining about Superman’s or Batman’s costume for the pasts 40 years, calling it sexist, submissive or jingoistic. The concept of Wonder Woman that the general public recognizes has been a punchline for decades, and the costume needed a major overhaul.

    As far as looking like the American flag, Wonder Woman hasn’t really been affiliated with American nationalism since her reboot in the 80s, and has generally been seen as more of an ambassador and citizen of the world. I have no idea if that’s an idea that’s going to come back in this interpretation, but if there’s no reason to make her look like the Stars and Stripes, then why do it?

  10. 1) This is an Elseworlds Wonder Woman, based in an alternative timeline.

    2) Lee’s initial sketch downplays her bust. Although it does not look possible in this illustration, she can close the jacket.

    3) “I dreamed I was saving the world in my Maidenform bra.”

    4) Will we see similar ‘net reaction whenever we see a costume change from Catwoman or Supergirl?

    5) As we saw from “electric blue Superman”, it’s not the suit, but the person inside. I’ll reserve judgement until I read the story.

  11. I just read this quote on Nikki’s site from JMS regarding his new direction for WW:

    “Suppose you woke up one morning, or turned a corner, and suddenly the life you had been leading up to that moment…was not the life you were leading.

    “Suppose someone went back in time and changed one thing, and it changed your life to the point that you had little or no memory of what life had been like before the change happened.”

    Can Marvel sue for copyright infrigement on ‘One More Day’? Because somewhere, Joe Quesada is laughing his @$$ off right now.

    I’ve heard about recycling plots before but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a writer rehash his own bad idea.

    I don’t know what’s worse, the bad idea or the guy who hired him to reuse the bad idea.

  12. “This is a case of getting her costume ready for any future movie (ex. lose the bright colors, go with dark or muted tones, use leather or vinyl material) The American flag motif is pretty much gone, btw.”

    The basic problems with this idea are:
    1. the new outfit is much too busy for Hollywood; they’d never get that weird combo right.
    2. Everyone already knows what Wonder Woman is SUPPOSED to look like, thanks to the Lynda Carter TV show. Turning the character into a generic Marvel heroine isn’t really going to do much except confuse people.

  13. I might not mind the reimagining of WW if only DC and JMS wouldn’t present this as being “so totally different than what has gone on before”. I mean, just ’cause WW has new clothes doesn’t mean the emperor necessarily does…

  14. While I have my opinion on the new costume (ugly) and the new story (stupider than “Grounded”) I think the real issue with WW, along with Superman and Batman, is whether these characters really need to have monthly series.

    Each of them have 70 or more years of stories behind them and the last time anything truly new and different was done with them was in the post-Crisis period nearly 25 years ago.

    The best Superman stories I’ve read in the past 15 years (All Star Superman, Secret Identity and Red Son) have nothing to do with the official version of Superman; my favorite use of Batman this century has been in Gotham Central (where he was a tertiary figure) and in pulpy Elseworlds stories (Gotham Noir, Nine Lives, Year 100); WW hasn’t been entertaining since Byrne was on the book (although I seem to remember Phil Jiminez’ run was a decent read, but I haven’t ever gone back to it).

    The best thing DC could do to revitalize the Trinity would be to have top-flight creators tell a great story in an annual 4 issue mini-series. Then each year’s new story would be an event and those 4 issues would probably move more copies than 12 issues of the characters’ flagship titles currently do. You could have still have them in the JLA or making minor guest appearances but overall the storytelling would be much more focused and would probably make these constant reboots unnecessary.

  15. @ Sphinx Magoo: “I mean, just ’cause WW has new clothes doesn’t mean the emperor necessarily does…”

    Sphinx, that’s the best line I’ve seen on the Internet this year. Simply awesome…

  16. “Guess you missed electric Superman?”

    The Electric Superman was a temporary storyline, no different then the million other Red Kryptonite stories over the years. And while DC never came out and said “hey it’s just for this story, he’ll be back to normal in a year or so” only the most gullible would have thought otherwise.

    This seems to marketed as more of a “Man of Steel” or even “Brand New Day” type of story. They could back off from that but that’s how they are selling it now. The major difference being the backstory changing, not just the costume, only time will tell, I’m guessing it won’t but it may take a few years for the pendulum to fall the other way.

  17. Random observations”

    1. It’s Wonder-Cougar!

    2. As DC gradually learns to work national P.R. campaigns, perhaps a better choice would have been to hire a fashion “name” to redesign the costume instead of Jim “I Love the 90’s!” Lee. Sure, he’s the “Company Big-Wig who also DRAWS!” novelty act, but this isn’t an especially modern look.

    3. As unappealing as the costume is, I have to say the most revolting thing about the P.R. blitz has been the self-serving, patronizing interviews with Straczynski himself.

    While never dogging any specific creator by name, JMS paints previous creative teams as having a very myopic, insular vision of Wonder Woman…which anyone remotely familiar with DC’s recent history knows is simply not true.

    There have been several “jumping on” points for the character over the past decade, most recently with high profile writers like Greg Rucka, Allan Heinberg, Jody Piccoult, and Gail Simone…none of whom set out to create impenetrable, inaccessible, or ossified stories.

    Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

    “Gail in particular was and is a terrific writer and did some great stories during her tenure…it’s just a matter of one kind of storytelling that is designed to bring in new readers, vs one that is aimed at retaining the current readers.”

    You see, Clueless Mortals, it’s just that simple. If only Gail knew she was supposed to write stories for NEW readers, and not just trivia-addled insiders.

    What a condescending ass.

    Sounds like Mark Waid feels the same way (from a recent Tweet):

    “Dear big-name comics egomaniac: just ONCE can you talk about your genius in an interview without crapping on the work of your predecessors?”

  18. Suppose, for the sake of argument, that Wonder Woman’s strictly Amazonian heritage is the main problem with using the character in stories. Her powers aren’t unique, her looks aren’t unique — what makes her special is her Amazonian background, and that limits story possibilities severely. Ignore her background, and she becomes a generic superheroine; deal with her background, and she becomes strange, for a while, but if she learns that men aren’t all pigs, that they’re approachable human beings, her story is effectively completed. Keep her perpetually ignorant, and she becomes a learning-disabled bore.

    As Nikki Finke emphasized, Wonder Woman is an icon, but most people don’t read a story because it’s about an icon. They read it because it’s an entertaining story that happens to be about an icon. Her clothing shouldn’t really influence how people regard her as a character.

    From what I’ve read so far, Straczynski didn’t completely scrap her Amazonian origin. Giving her a relatively normal human upbringing and allowing her to compare herself to the Amazons will create far more story possibilities than the classical Wonder Woman had.

    If Wonder Woman’s status as a feminine power symbol didn’t result in people reading stories about her, but just admiring her as a symbol, then she’s more a merchandising tool and deceased star than she is a character. Rejecting the changes, but failing to read the stories published about her, or preferring to read stories that use the same few formulas over and over again, makes little sense.

    The mechanism Stracaynski, et al. are using seems clumsy, from what I’ve read, but if her background was to be altered, or fixed, there weren’t many options. DC might have felt they had a choice between making her a writable, multifaceted character, or consigning her to the heap of failed characters.

    SRS

  19. Daniel…
    Since this is essentially an “Elseworlds” story (alternate timeline), I guess you’ll be reading it.

    DC is trying your strategy… JMS is also writing the “Earth One” original graphic novel of Superman, and this series will be used to launch new versions of DC superheroes. (Sort of what the “All-Star” line was going to do.)

  20. Via the BBC link: “She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941”, Mr Straczynski said. “What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?”

    Ummm.

  21. Commenting on the Electric Blue Superman thing, yeah, in the comics they made the bold proclamation this is the Superman for “the 21st Century”. They even had Martha Kent watch as Clark created the new “S”.

    Anyway, redesign it again and just give the woman pants and maybe less ridiculous cleavage, not black leather, just something a little more creative. Rather than going the 2000 X-Men movie route.

  22. Sphinx quotes JMS:

    “Via the BBC link: ‘She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941″, Mr Straczynski said. “What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?’

    Yet another great example of JMS redesigning reality to fit his “nobody knew what to do until I came along” premise.

    A quick visit to the Grand Comics Database (the cover gallery site) will confirm that JMS is either not very familiar with Wonder Woman’s history, or is just flat-out ignoring it. The character has has several distinct looks over the decades…and recently even a “battle armor” version added to her wardrobe. Add to that the other “New Look” costume experiments, and it’s clear JMS is just makin’ it up as he goes along…as compliant comic biz “reporters” smile and nod.

  23. Torsten, I’m aware of the Earth One effort, but I think they should be doing it with the “real” versions of the character.

    I probably will read 600 out of morbid curiosity.

    I do want to say that when I read about things like this that sound so misguided and dumb there is always a part of me that hopes the actual material turns out good, but based on JMS’ work on B&B and Superman 700 I’m not too hopeful.

  24. @Sphinx Magoo

    “I wouldn’t mind if Superman got a bit of a redesign. The underwear outside the tights look is a bit dated…”

    Dated? Was there a time when people did wear underwear over tights? It’s not dated, dude, that’s what superheroes are… it’s essential.

  25. Just goes to show you, fanboys and fangirls do not like change.

    I mean, people won’t even by issues with new characters in them, never mind new costumes and concepts for an older one.

  26. @ Jay –
    Spider-Man doesn’t wear his underoos on the outside. Neither does Captain America anymore. The Flash never had that look. Or Green Lantern. It’s not that essential…

    Although you never know… if the Siegel/Schuster lawsuit goes badly for DC, DC’s Superman might have to have a costume change anyway…

  27. re: “3. As unappealing as the costume is, I have to say the most revolting thing about the P.R. blitz has been the self-serving, patronizing interviews with Straczynski himself.”

    I couldn’t agree more. And can someone tell me again how digging out Wonder Womans old members only jacket from the 90s is original? Even Brian Bollands cover art couldnt make that outfit look good. And it looks like they forgot to draw the leg warmers.

    I’d expect no less from the guy that gave us the vomit inducing story about Gwen Stacy getting it on with Norman Osborne. What next JMS? Having WW in a “relationship” with Granny Goodness?

  28. I hate this costume too; it’s totally reminiscent of that 90’s biker costume. Did no one at DC notice that?

    Here’s what really bugs me though, from the NYTimes article: “In the reimagining of her story, Wonder Woman, instead of growing up on Paradise Island with her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and her Amazon sisters, is smuggled out as a baby when unknown forces destroy her home and slaughter its inhabitants. ”

    I like Wonder Woman, and want to like her stories, and so have periodically checked in to the series over the years. In recent years, it seems like whenever I do, there’s a wholesale slaughter of Amazons and/or destruction of Paradise Island. It’s like the most common WW trope by now. What is the appeal of depicting the destruction of the Amazons, over and over?

  29. Why should DC make changes to the ongoing series, thus alienating the hardcore fans, when they can spin off a new version into an entirely new series? A new series which might be read by the hardcore fans, as well as readers who are intimidated by a canon big enough to be used on the USS Iowa?

    There’s Marvel-616, Ultimate Marvel, Marvel Adventures…

    There’s DCU, Johnny DC, All-Star…

    Having seen out outcry over Brand New Day (and this costume, which is from an alternate storyline), do you really think DC or Marvel would radically change their marquee characters?

  30. @Sphinx Magoo

    ? Long underwear, also underwear. And those guys are all wearing it. And it’s cool! Why mess with it?

  31. Why should DC make changes to the ongoing series, thus alienating the hardcore fans, when they can spin off a new version into an entirely new series?

    Because DC has tried various limited changes over the years, none of which has resulted in attracting new readers for any length of time. The Wikipedia entry on Wonder Woman portrays her as a fractured concept.

    SRS

  32. “Just goes to show you, fanboys and fangirls do not like change.”

    On the contrary; I for one would be most pleased if DC changed their current management strategy, and give Dan DiDio and his Hollwood cronies the boot. That’s decidedly a change that I can believe in, for once.

  33. I guess what I find ironic is that yes, JMS is crapping on all the little people who came before him… but using his own recycled crap to hail himself as champion of an original, untried idea.

    Hey, DC could be more clueless than we think. Maybe none of them ever heard of ‘One More Day’.

  34. Stepping back a bit, a storyline where a villain travels back in time and undoes a hero’s origin is the scary sort of thing that a character like Marvel’s Kang was capable of but never did. It’s a cool idea. I like it. In fact, one could attach the idea to the Greek Titan Chronus (sic?) if you ascribe to him a mastery of time. Or maybe someone totally out of left field like the old JLA villain, The Time Commander.

    It’s just that JMS’ awkward attempts at promotion (and self-promotion) come across as heavy-handed and self-aggrandizing. “This is how we do it in Hollywood” might not be the best way to sell a revamp which might form the basis for a movie.

    And why borrow from the same Biblical well that Superman borrowed from in adapting the story of Moses to Wonder Woman? Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but isn’t it odd how this storyline now makes DC’s Big 3 (as well as Captain Marvel) the product of tragedies that make them orphans?

    The costume is ok for now. I expect that as time goes on, she can accessorize with more mythic armor or costume pieces which will help differentiate her from Black Canary.

  35. “On the contrary; I for one would be most pleased if DC changed their current management strategy, and give Dan DiDio and his Hollwood cronies the boot. That’s decidedly a change that I can believe in, for once.”

    And then what?

  36. A the proverbial tempest-in-a-teacup-before-the-clay-for-the-teacup-has-even-been-dredged-from-the-riverbank.

    And the whole reverence for the Trinity thing is a bit off. Remember Bane. Remember when they took that steroid junkie, had him break Bruce Wayne’s back, and then replaced BW with Jean Paul Valet, and remember the wonderous amazement we all felt staring at all that bright, shiny, foil-embossed pointiness on Batman 500. So much reverence I just plotzed, and I don’t even know how to plotz!

    And the argument that or the Electric superman(s) were just storylines, and weren’t intended to stick around for long is just bullshit. Those changes were made, they were thrown up against the wall of the readers, and if they had stuck Superman would have been a living rave for the past 10 years.

  37. Don’t care for the look, (as nearly the entire internet has pointed out, it’s very reminiscent of the Deodato look) and the story doesn’t sound much better. I think I’m more bothered about the “blowing up Paradise Island yet again, but oh look, the twist is that it’s in the past- enjoy new, gritty Wonder Woman” aspect, than the new outfit, to be honest.

    I was really disappointed when I found out that Gail Simone’s run was coming to an end… and JMS’ take doesn’t sound the least bit appealing to me, so it’s sayonara to WW for now.

    I don’t know why DC bothers with stuff like this- if the only time they got this sort of thing right (making a drastic character change stick) was Wally West, and even THAT got shot down, then what makes them think that this new, drastic change that they hope will “stick” is the one that we’ll all get behind?

  38. Still want to check out Greg Rucka’s and then Gail Simone’s run on the character…hear good things.

  39. Business-related question. I understand the value of the “Wonder Woman” brand. It’s an iconic character. It’s instantly recognizable and well known to the mainstream public.

    Now with other iconic characters (e.g. Superman) they tinker with the costume (the visual element) or the backstory but rarely do they do both. Or do it to this extreme. I assume that is because if you totally revamp everything about the character, then it’s not really the same character … it’s almost like creating a new character with a recognizable name.

    So, I wonder the business-related rationale for the costume and backstory change which jettisons the most established and marketable aspects of the character … essentially creating a new character from whole cloth.

    I also wonder how long it’ll take before it revamps back to the old Wonder Woman. I’m assuming that this will stick like electric Superman or crippled Batman.

  40. And then what?

    Exactly, DC is trying to attract new readers. The “Grounded” storyline for Superman, with its attempts at realism, is aimed at people who are familiar with iconic Superman and could possibly respond to promotions, but wouldn’t be interested in Superman vs. ______.

    The existing fan base probably isn’t large enough to sustain DC over a period of years. Trying to make Wonder Woman a more interesting character and easier to identify with isn’t a bad strategy.

    SRS

  41. It’s not like this is permanent, I don’t get why all the fuss. Then again, this would be far from the first time the obese shut-ins that frequent comic book message boards would have made a mountain out of a mole hill (see: DC is run by clandestine Klansmen).

    That and Wonder Woman comics have been dwindling in sales for so long that her fans have become so insular. They’re like a forgotten tribe of jungle people – they’ve forgotten how to interact with the modern world. Any change is bound to upset them. Oh, and giving her boots instead of high heels once in 60 years doesn’t count as a costume change.

    But what I think people fail to realize is that in doing this they’ve effectively made Wonder Woman the most relevant she’s been… well, ever. This s good! And if we happen to purge some of the uncivilized natives in the process well, no great loss.

  42. I would think the change in clothing would be so they can better (someone else’s words, not mine) make the transfer to a film easier. There had been talk that her current costume couldn’t be taken serious on the screen.

    Beau Smith
    The Flying Fist Ranch

  43. Stepping back a bit, a storyline where a villain travels back in time and undoes a hero’s origin is the scary sort of thing that a character like Marvel’s Kang was capable of but never did.

    Probably the reason that plot hasn’t been done is that it’s too similar to the idea of preventing World War II by killing Hitler. The time traveler doesn’t want to reside in the past; he’s trying to alter his present. Aside from the problems with paradoxes, such a plot practically forces a writer to choose between two consequences: Unanticipated changes, which force the time traveler to go back in time again, try to stop himself from killing Hitler, fail, try again, etc., or an alternate history, which involves a lot of work.

    SRS

  44. 1. Don’t blame Jim Lee — I think he did okay given that JMS demanded the pants and jacket.

    2. Wonder Woman is only an icon because Lynda Carter’s image was burned into our popular culture, not because the character of WW is so very interesting or unique. Most people couldn’t even say what her origin was, or what her characterization is like – they only know her costume. If you’re going to change something improve her characterization. Give her some motivation. Don’t get so concerned with something as superficial as a costume.

    WW keeps getting “reinvented” because nobody knows what to do with her. A few years ago I heard Scott McCloud point out how RIDICULOUS the character of WW was. It’s like Marston just took a bunch of stuff he liked to draw and threw it together. It’s not *designed* as a cohesive character that appeals to our base human mythology. It’s just stuff…

    – an Amazon princess
    – based in Greek mythology
    – wearing the American Flag (WTF?)
    – with a magic lasso that makes you tell the TRUTH (WTF?)
    – and an invisible plane (WTF?)
    – beating people up for peace (WTF?)

    But what’s her MOTIVATION??? Everyone can understand Batman (brooding guy in a bat-suit fights bad guys to get revenge on his parents’ killer) and Superman (most powerful man in the world fights for the little guy becuase his midwestern parents raised him with good old-fashioned American values). But what’s WW’s one-line sales pitch? Nobody knows so they just keep throwing stuff to the wall to see what sticks (yeah, JMS, I’m talking about you) and add to the convoluted pastiche.

  45. Seriously Gross! I have been a huge WW fan my whole life and changing her in anyway is completely uncalled for. To imply that her origin is inaccessible is complete crap! It’s based in Greek Mythology for goodness sake. Classic! Should Thor no longer be the son of Odin? Is her origin story any more complicated then that of any other super hero. Also, there is nothing dated about her costume. It only looks dated when they try to change it like in the 60s and 90s. What’s more dated that flared white bell bottom pants or black biker shorts with a crop jacket?! Please DC, leave her alone! Hera, help us all!

  46. “Don’t blame Jim Lee — I think he did okay given that JMS demanded the pants and jacket.”

    Imagining JMS looking over a harried Jim Lee’s shoulder: “I DEMAND PANTS!

    “Wonder Woman is only an icon because Lynda Carter’s image was burned into our popular culture, not because the character of WW is so very interesting or unique. “

    The Lynda Carter series certainly helped, but I think her iconic status was cemented long before that (feminist Gloria Steinem was very fond of her, and spoke out against a previous redesign of WW’s costume). However, I agree that there’s really not much to the character the general public responds to other than she’s a female answer to Superman.

    “- wearing the American Flag (WTF?)”

    I think Len Wein and George Perez made a valiant (if not entirely successful) effort in explaining the Stars-N-Stripes costume (as a memorial to a wayward U.S. pilot…Steve Trevor’s mom…who perished while defending Themescyra).

    The other stuff? Pure Marston craziness.

    “But what’s WW’s one-line sales pitch?”

    Ancient myth meets modern reality.

  47. In her fictional life, she’s fought alongside the US military, later served in it, and lived almost entirely in the United States. She’s not Greek, she’s an American of Greek descent. She’s an immigrant who chose her country and then chose to fight for it, as many non-fictional immigrants in the US military have also done. The patriotic theme is entirely apropriate.

  48. “And then what?”

    Get some people who know something about COMICS to write and draw them, of course. The whole idea that they’re somehow providing “synergy” and “cross-marketing potential” with moves like this are patently ridiculous.

    “Exactly, DC is trying to attract new readers.”

    News flash: this won’t bring them in either. The comics market is still rather finite, thanks to decades of insular story-telling.

    “The “Grounded” storyline for Superman, with its attempts at realism, is aimed at people who are familiar with iconic Superman and could possibly respond to promotions, but wouldn’t be interested in Superman vs. ______.”

    This kid of story has been done to death in Superman before, and it never ends well. Wrong example.

    “The existing fan base probably isn’t large enough to sustain DC over a period of years.”

    …and it’s going to remain this way as long as management pulls desperate stunts like this instead of solid marketing.

    “Trying to make Wonder Woman a more interesting character and easier to identify with isn’t a bad strategy.”

    Blaming the end of comics on Wonder Woman is rather silly and unrealistic. Next!

  49. Nope… Don Kramer is doing the art.

    Interesting… in Previews #262, on page 99, there’s the cover of WW #603, which features the traditional costume.

    Interesting… nobody has noted that the Wonder Woman is running on the flag of the United States, or that this flag has nineteen stripes.

    http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=15578

    Also interesting… J.H. Williams III is doing a variant cover for this issue. Compare and contrast with his work on Promethea.

  50. So I’ve read it and…

    * I like the looks of Perez’ Batgirl and Batwoman

    * I’ve always liked the way Amanda Conner draws cats.

    * Francis Manapul’s pin-up convinced me he should be drawing every DC book.

    * The JMS story/preview did not leave me wanting more and the new costume’s similarity to the 90s one really hit home.

  51. I’d be willing to bet that less than 30% of the posters above me have even read the current WW title for more than a year.

    In other words, had you supported her comic when she sported the look that apparently you’ll all die without, DC wouldn’t have to try something new.

    I’d also be willing to bet that the title will get a shot in the arm, regardless of the nay-sayers.

  52. Torsten, notorious shut-in Nikki Finke (wow, big surprise she likes Wonder Woman) has Don Kramer’s real cover featuring the new outfit.

    I think those are just the solicited art covers on the DC website.

    And some might say Promethea *is* the only good Wonder Woman book out there. ;-)

  53. “Get some people who know something about COMICS to write and draw them, of course. The whole idea that they’re somehow providing “synergy” and “cross-marketing potential” with moves like this are patently ridiculous. ”

    Like who?

  54. “News flash: this won’t bring them in either. The comics market is still rather finite, thanks to decades of insular story-telling.”

    So your answer is what exactly?

    “This kind [sic] of story has been done to death in Superman before, and it never ends well. Wrong example. ”

    Name me 1 outside of Azzarello’s attempt in the last 10 years.

    “…and it’s going to remain this way as long as management pulls desperate stunts like this instead of solid marketing.”

    And what solid marketing do you suggest? As you said above, the comic market is finite based on insular-storytelling so what is marketing to this finite (your words, not mine) audience going to accomplish other than raising numbers for probably 6 months at most when most of the people go back to sampling something else.

    “Blaming the end of comics on Wonder Woman is rather silly and unrealistic.”

    It seems no one is blaming Wonder Woman for the end of comics except you. Or maybe more specifically the hate and vitriol you hold for the current DC management. (Guess what? They aren’t going anywhere.)

    “Next!”

    To what exactly?

  55. Interesting update of the classic costume— leather(?) leggings to replace the short/skirt combo… the Silver bracelets are now Gold… and Great Hera! are those shoulder pads on that jacket?? Can’t believe that Jim Lee’s responsible for all THAT.

    (But can Diana still make those eagle wings ‘flap’? ;) )

    /think I’ll re-read my Potter, Perez and Patterson ’86 WW instead

  56. I would heartily endorse WW’s permanent adornment in this costume if it came with the assurance that no future fans would ever again bag on her for WW for her star-spangled cleavage.

    And of course that’s exactly what will happen when DC eventually skips back to the classic version. “DC’s giving in to counter-revolutionary (and sexist) fanboys!”

    Jeez.

  57. Jay, Princess Diana of Themyscira is not an American citizen. She has served as an ambassador from Paradise Island. Given the recent embassies and that amazing issue where the Amazons return to Man’s World, she is a citizen of Themyscira, not Greece.

    Sure, she has fought alongside American troops, but so did Namor and numerous soldiers from other countries.

    (I only mentioned the “other” cover so that comparisons could be made if people wished.)

  58. @ Mikael

    So what if they didn’t read it? All they’re really saying is that they still won’t try it now.

  59. @Torsten That’s a recent story I gather? All the WW I’ve read was pre-Perez where she was IN the army for like 45 years or something.

  60. I could live with pants, no problem. But… Why is she wearing what looks like Spider-Man webbing on her shirt? Where is her iconic WW symbol? It’s like putting Batman in a new costume that… lacks a Bat. Just… why?(And why does her face look like an entirely different person? Ah, cheesy comic art.)

    Synsider, I understand that experimentation can be a good thing to try, but when you appear to wipe out the original character identity entirely… Why not just make a new character?

    But who knows. I could be totally wrong and maybe it will be awesome. In which case, I’ll just consider it an enjoyable Elseworlds. Elseworlds rule!

  61. Oh, my mistake. She has a teeny tiny WW pin attached to her cleavage.

    I guess that would be the equivalent of putting Batman in a new costume with only a teeny tiny Bat symbol on the buckle of his low-hanging belt.

  62. I bought WONDER WOMAN #600 this afternoon. Straczynski’s prologue was interesting enough that I’m going to buy WW #601 when it comes out, and see where the storyline goes, although if there are more verbal tics like the repeated use of “extreme sanction,” I might stop buying the title. Since the altered Wonder Woman is clearly in an alternate timeline, it’s possible she’d revert to her old self. I can’t see myself buying the title in that event.

    I bought WW #32, the end of the storyline with Genocide, and was unimpressed. I can’t imagine any tinkering with the character, that left her Amazonian background intact, that would make her interesting to me. That background is the problem; it makes her as predictable and boring as an ex-CIA agent out to avenge the death of his ____. A new background at least has the potential to surprise me.

    SRS

  63. Honestly I wasn’t going to buy this run but seeing how butthurt people got over it I think I will. I support change. Especially in the face of fanboy wishes for stagnation.

    Oh, and I’m LOVING the outrageous neckbeardian comments. My favorite – from the Yahoo comments:

    ‘What??? I LOVED that old costume; it got me through my too-young-to-buy-porn years!
    And that rope that makes you tell the truth? If she’d lassoed me with it, I’d have said, “@#$%, you got some big ol’ t*tties!”‘

  64. “Why not just make a new character?”

    Because the majority of the comic book buying public proves time and time and time again they will not support new characters. They also prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they get bored of the same old same old after a while and stop buying that too until something like this happens. It’s an eternal Catch-22.

  65. Boy, a lot of people are really put out about this. Everything will most likely go back to the way it all was in about a year, so that’s no big, until then I plan to enjoy the ride because I think the story sounds interesting.

    And while I don’t particularly love this character design, I am glad the star spangled briefs are gone. I do wish the design looked more classically Greek than it does. You can carry off a stars and eagle motif pretty easily in a Greek armor design which I think honors the original creation of the character while making her appear strong and not like she’s fighting in a bathing suit. Hopefully they will move the character design that direction.

  66. It’s astounding to me how closed-minded how comic book fans, especially on the internet, can be.

    Imagine, if you will, if Batman’s sidekick had continued to wear his legless underwear to this day. It was a good idea to have Robin put pants on, and it’s well past time that Wonder Woman did the same.

    Having what is arguably the most iconic female character in comics wear practically nothing so that nerds who don’t get laid can drool over her is degrading, and alienates female readers. It’s downright exploitative.

    It is also alienating to readers to have her stagnate as a character.

    As J. Michael Strazynski said, it’s a problem when the general readership thinks your character is uncool and old enough to be their grandmother. As Don Kramer said, it’s time for her to put pants on.

    This is an interesting new story. It’s an interesting new design for a character who desperately needed to at least put some pants on. Part of the story is about seeing how much of this reboot will stick.

    As someone who doesn’t read many superhero comics because they’re so esoteric, I’m tempted to pick up both this and “Grounded.” Because it’s always nice to see a story that isn’t written exclusively for fanboys.

  67. All Nikki does is show how tremendously out of touch she is with the character (but does know how to generate page count) as Wonder Woman was recently written and drawn by talented women: Gail Simone and Nicola Scott While they are both very talented their Wonder Woman stories were unfortunately not their best work. If she thinks that’s a goth look she’s also clueless about fashion and goth. Instead of just name dropping and snark maybe Nikki would like to explain WHY Wonder Woman is the only character she admires or HOW they ruined the character by making her wear pants instead of a metal bustier and star-spangled panties. But that might be too dangerously close to actual journalism instead of blogging. But since Nikki only addressed how the character is dressed I guess her opinions are only superficial anyway.

  68. Christian:

    “Honestly I wasn’t going to buy this run but seeing how butthurt people got over it I think I will. I support change. Especially in the face of fanboy wishes for stagnation.”

    Always great to hear from a sadist, who will buy something just because people are upset over it. You probably get real excited by train wrecks too so this should be right up your alley.

    Thing is, which you’re too blind and oblivious to see, this isn’t a change.

    Although JMS likes to champion his brilliance, this ditty has been done before with Wonder Woman, done to death. Those are the layers of backstory JMS claims is baggage that repels readers. And he’s just about to add another layer.

    Do you know how many times DC has wiped Wonder Woman’s history and given her new memories?

    And JMS just used his bad idea of ‘Waking up one day to find a dark menace changed an element in your history that destroyed your prior life’

    It was called One More Day.

    So why don’t you come back and champion change when it really is a change, not something that’s already been done before and failed, each and every time, including the ‘new’ ’90s costume.

  69. Just for your reference Christian, Wonder Woman has woken up one morning to find her memories were changed by a god…

    1) Each and every time DC killed Steve Trevor and brought him back. The one who changed her memories was Athena during one storyline, Hypolyta during another.

    2) Wonder Woman woke up one morning to find herself with new memories each and every time they changed Donna Troy. She has a sister, she doesn’t have a sister, the sister she has, is really a mirrored clone.

    3) Wonder Woman woke up one morning to find herself with new memories when DC changed WW’s history to retrofit Hypolyta as the Wonder Woman of WW2.

    In fact, Wonder Woman’s memory was wiped and given new histories and new clothes (including pants) so many times, WW’s problem is that people like JMS come along and want to change everything, resulting in in a crisis of infinite identities.

  70. It must be nice to be able to dismiss any opinion you don’t agree with as “fanboyish” and “resistant to change” rather than having to come up with a clear argument as to how chaotic change for the sake of change is advancing the character and making her more interesting.

  71. I agree, the pushed up sleeves are fashion-death. Might as well put her in a satin baseball jacket. Jim Lee for the Queer Eye. But yeah, she deserves better. Aren’t we sort of overthinking superheros at this point though? Next thing you know Batman will be out of his tights and in the military fatigues you know he’d rather wear.