Wonder Woman Redefined: New Costume, New Mythos
on 2010/06/29 at 10:25 pm
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The costume ties into an alternative history for the character devised by J. Michael Straczynski, the new writer of the series, and into a quest by DC to shine a critical and creative spotlight on the heroine, who stands with Superman and Batman in its primary triumvirate of superstars, despite her series’s modest sales.
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.
Mr. Straczynski, who created the television show “Babylon 5” and wrote the screenplay for “Changeling” in 2008, starring Angelina Jolie, said in an e-mail message that he wanted to address “the wardrobe issue” as soon as he took the job.
“She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941,” Mr. Straczynski wrote. “If you’re going to make a statement about bringing Wonder Woman into the 21st century, you need to be bold and you need to make it visual. I wanted to toughen her up, and give her a modern sensibility.”
He added, “What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?”
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Wonder Woman Redefined: New Costume, New Mythos.
Hahaha, got this from tr1guy, Byron Wilkins from 1977 the Comic:
http://yfrog.com/6baqqmj
A little Lorraine as Wonder Woman for @houseofmuses … Cheer up, kid!
I feel that all of this revamping and such is merely a ploy for boosting sales. I guess I’m getting a bit older now, because when I was a youth, I had all of these plans of “upgrading” the current comic system when I was vying to become a part of it. Now that I’m a “fogey”, I like things to remain classic, I suppose.
My stepson is growing increasingly interested in the Marvel and DC mythos, but everything he knows is based upon changes to the legacy that happened while I wasn’t reading as often. So much has transformed, that my knowledge of comic history has been almost rendered irrelevant.
Basically, I give this new look for Wonder Woman less than a year before they return to the iconic costume. Her uniform is timeless.
I agree, George. If they want to improve sales, they need to make Wonder Woman’s character itself more dynamic and interesting. I felt they were doing that in the Perez issues back in the 80s, and I loved the integration of the Greek mythos in the series. I thought they were finally moving her in the right direction. But when you get a dynamic artist/writer team like that and they have to move on, the storyline suffers. New writers need to stop tossing the established universe to the four winds and taking everything into a “Startling New Direction” because those of us who’ve invested our interest in these characters for years kind of feel a little cheated, y’know?
I think the top looks too similar to spider girl.
I saw where someone on Twitter was asking, “When did Wonder Woman join the X-Men??”
Will I seem like a total n00b if I say I like the new look? Of course, I grew up reading the X-Men, and Rogue turned me on to chicks in leather jackets. So maybe I’m biased. [shrugs] All I’m saying is that I never really read the old Wonder Woman. Something about her look just alienated me. But I’d consider looking into the series now that she looks marginally more relate-able.
Nah, I wouldn’t call you a noob–I think, in fact, that’s exactly why the change came about. The times they are a’changing, see, and comics after all is said and done are still even in the 21st century a male-dominated medium.
Back in the Golden Age of comic books, the 1930s-40s when Wonder Woman first appeared on the scene, more girls were reading comics than boys. This Wikipedia article, The Portrayal of Women in Comics, will bear that out.
I’ve talked to men since that looked at the present Wonder Woman and said pretty much what you’ve said, “not a character I can relate to”. This is another sign of the evolution in comics: if men were just out for the cheesecake, they’d still be reading the same old Wonder Woman with her strapless bathing suit. But readers today are more story- and character-driven, and so I think the costume and the reboot was a very deliberate attempt to get everyone’s attention. It worked, didn’t it?
And when I saw illustrations like this I admit that I, too, was beginning to warm to the new look. She’s certainly breathtaking in this clip:
I will say that Wonder Woman #600 was extremely well-done, and I’d recommend you check it out.
You could certainly see your skills in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.