Wonder Woman's corset in the New52 is stunning. The complex chevron pattern combined with stars is intricate and eye-catching. As difficult as it is to draw, it's even more difficult to sew. Chevrons are quite a challenge and are also very time consuming.
Now there are two ways to make this corset, the easier way (still not super easy) and the hard way. The easy way would be to buy/make a corset, then make the straight lined chevrons out of a stretch fabric to cover that corset. I was hesitant to use this method because it can result in the chevrons looking warped as the fabric stretches to match the curves of the body, and because I wanted my corset to look like it was made out of leather.
Thus, the hard way.
Please Note: This is a difficult project that requires pretty advanced sewing skills. You will need to be familiar with making corsets and have a corset pattern that works for you as a base for this tutorial. You will also need a walking foot for your sewing machine if you are using leather.
These lines follow the line of the body. They appear straight, but are not.
Step 1: Use your corset pattern to make a mock-up. Make sure you use the same type of fabric that you will eventually use for the base of your final corset, I recommend something heavy like duck cloth.
Step 2: Put this mock-up on a dress form, a volunteer, or yourself if you have a friend to help. Then draw chevrons on half of the mock-up. Measure equidistant meeting points on the center front of the corset as a base, then draw out from there. The trick is that these cannot be straight lines drawn with a ruler. You will get a tube shape if you tried to make a corset out of straight lines that would not form to the contours of your body correctly. You have to draw chevrons that form to the body's curves and appear to make straight chevrons. YOU WILL GET LOTS OF FREAKY SHAPED STRIPS. THAT IS OK!
Step 3: Mark the lines on your mock-up with notches and numbers so you can keep track of which order the pieces go in, and where they meet. Cut the mock-up along the lines you drew to create the pattern for your final corset cover. DON'T FREAK OUT AT THE STRANGE SHAPES YOU GET!
Step 5: Trace your pattern pieces onto your final fabric and add a 1/2 inch seam allowance around each piece. Make sure you have two complete sides for your corset and the pieces for each side should be a reflection of each other. Make sure you copy over the notches and identifying marks onto the BACK side of these pieces. I used leather but other pleathers will work as well. Stretch fabrics will not work and will warp the final product, try the previous method listed above if you want to use a stretch fabric.
Step 6: Carefully, starting from the top center piece, sew one side of the corset together. Make sure to line up the notches, they are your guide! Now sew the refection side of it together. You should now have two complete halves of a corset cover that are reflections of one another.
Step 7: Using rubber cement, glue all of your seam allowances flat against the back of your corset cover. Make them all as flat as possible. Flat seam allowances will make your life easier later and make your final product look better! Make sure the glue is dry before moving on to step #8.
Step 8: Now it's time to make the chevrons happen! Meeting the right sides of the corset center fronts (those are two edges) use pins or tape if you are using a leather-like material to insure that the seams of your chevrons meet up. You might have to do a little manipulating and stretching to make the pieces line up perfectly in the front, but this is a VERY important step. You don't want your chevrons to not line up. Sew them together on the wrong side down what now is the center front of your corset cover.
Step 9: The hardest part of your project is over!! Congrats!! Now cut out the stars from the same material as your chevrons, making sure they have the correct proportions to your chevrons. Put a small amount of rubber cement on the back of each star and place it where you'd like it on the corset. The glue will help hold the star in place while you top-stitch it down.
Step 10: Using your corset pattern, make the base corset with metal boning.
Step 11: Again using your dress form, a volunteer, or yourself if you have a friend to help you, put your base corset in place. Then, finding the exact center, use bardge cement to glue the center seam of your chevroned corset cover to your base corset. This will keep the center front from moving around. You can also glue around the cups of the corset and along the sides and center back once the front has dried.
Step 12: Hand stitch the edges of your corset cover down on the inside of your base corset. This takes a while and you will definitely need a thimble if you are using leather. Make sure you stitch down all the edges!
Step 13: Grommet the corset.
CONGRATS!! YOU ARE DONE!! Hopefully you have an amazing piece of cosplay art to enjoy!
Rumors about the Batman vs. Superman movie, now called Dawn of Justice, have been flying around the internet for months. I was thrilled that Wonder Woman was rumored to be in the film, then had a mixed reaction with the official casting, but I've always known it would be the outfit that would really make or break my hope for this film. Now, thanks to JoBlo.com, we may actually have some hints at the direction they are taking Diana in the DC movies.
Wonder Woman’s costume:
Costume design from the Rainfall Films Wonder Woman Short
The reports of Wonder Woman wearing the pre-new52 jacket and leggings outfit are inaccurate. Completely. The description of the outfit from our source uses the term “badass” on multiple occasions. This Wonder Woman is ripped right from the comics and has a “traditional, yet sleeker” costume that’s “battle ready.” She’ll have a blue leather skirt, silver-armored cuffs that reach to her elbows, golden tiara (with a design of some sort in the center, possibly the red star) and a variation of the traditional-looking red top (no word on additional armor on it). Her overall appearance is described as “Amazon warrior princess” and definitely not an urban reimagining. She’s there to kick ass and that’s readily apparent. Word is that WB is getting a VERY positive response on her appearance to those they’ve shown it to.
HALLELUJAH!!!! THIS MAKES ME SO HOPEFUL AND EXCITED!!! This sounds very similar to some of my favorite Wonder Woman designs, but it also may give us more hints about the movie. A "traditional" and "battle ready" design suggests that they may be keeping her back story intact, which is hugely important to fans. It also sounds like she is going to be a powerful fighter herself, rather than eye candy to hang on Superman's arm.
Wonder Woman’s weapons:
That’s right, not just a golden lasso here. Wonder Woman will have no less than FOUR weapons, including shield, sword, spear, and of course, the traditional lasso. It’s also noted that she will wear the shield on her back, Captain America style, when not in use.
Did you read that?!? GOLDEN LASSO!! If these rumors are to be believed than this is another sign that they are staying true to comic book Wonder Woman! It is also a great sign that they are arming her with the most common weapons that she is portrayed with in the comics. Now to wait and see if the lasso retains the magical properties it traditionally has.
Wonder Woman’s screen time in the film:
Her character will be introduced as “Diana” in the film initially before we ever see her as Wonder Woman. She will have a fair amount of screen time and will team up with Batman and Superman for the final battle against an un-named villain who may be working or controlled by Lex Luther. Her origin will be intentionally vague, but she is brought into the fold to show that there are other superheroes in the universe other than Superman.
This part I am taking with a grain of salt. I've worked on enough movie projects to know that things change drastically between the script and the cutting room floor. It's nice to hear the whispers that she will be more then a small cameo, and it's GREAT to hear that she will be fighting in the big final battle. Hopefully, they don't have her end up being Lois Lane 2.0 and just a new pretty face for Superman to save over and over.
Leaving her origins vague may mean that they are planning on giving her a solo movie later to explain things, but I'm guessing it's due more to pacing and trying to keep the movie shorter than Gone with the Wind. They are introducing A LOT of heroes in this movie. It initially focused on Superman and Batman, but now the confirmed cast includes Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Cyborg, Aquaman, and possibly even Nightwing. That's a lot of explaining to do if they are even going to briefly touch on everyone's origin stories, and introducing that many characters in a film will cut drastically into the screen time of any individual character. This makes me nervous, because I want Diana to get the screen time she deserves as part of DC's trinity.
Dawn of Justice has to do well for Wonder Woman to get her own film. These rumors give me hope, but we have a long way to go before we see the final product.
I have always loved Big Barda's design. Over the years it has changed significantly, but her samurai-inspired helmet has remained a trademark of her look. I decided early on that I wanted to go with a more real-world design for the helmet, but make sure that it was still clearly recognizable. Who am I to improve on Jack Kirby's work? Despite the sleek design of the helmet, this was easily one of the most complicated cosplay projects that I have tackled.
I started with a practical base, which came in the form of a child's toy Dodger helmet that I picked up at the thrift store for $2.50. I cut the bill off of it and used it for the foundation of Barda's Helmet. I then used craft foam to measure, design, and test the a few different designs for the back of the helmet that comes down around the neck. I had to be careful that I could still turn my head without trouble, but still have it come down as far as possible.
Once I finalized the pattern for the back of the helmet with the cheap craft foam, I traced it onto Worbla and made the final version. I used industrial glue to cement the new Worbla piece to the Dodger helmet.After the glue dried, I used my heat gun to bend the Worbla into exactly the shape I wanted. This included adding a slight curl to the bottom of the helmet, and making sure it was symmetrical. Finally, I used Bondo to smooth the seam and make the Worbla and Dodger helmet look like one item. My little detail sander is a godsend for working with Bondo on small or detailed items like this. GET ONE!
Adding more details with Worbla was the next step. Barda has very distinctive patterning on her helmet, and this is where Worbla really shines. It's so easy to cut a small strip and then bend it to fit along the edge of almost any shape. It attaches to itself when heated, but I also used glue since I'm not sure if it would have securely attached itself to the Dodger helmet and Bondo.
Then I used Gesso to make it completely smooth, by adding a thin layer then sanding, then adding another layer and sanding. Barda's helmet needs to look completely smooth and very futuristic. The Gesso and sanding made the parts of the helmet completely level and smooth, and also insured a uniform texture for the primer paint to attach.
After what felt like endless hours of sanding, I added the smaller details to the helmet with Worbla. In the picture to the left, I painted the details from the previous step black so you could see the difference. The Worbla attached to the Gesso, and is always incredibly easy to use on details like this. I used Gesso where the strips of Worbla met to make the details seamless and to avoid the gaps that can sometimes show on the final process.
Paint job not finished
Now it's time to paint the helmet. Big Barda's helmet is a shiny smooth black, so this took a while. The technique is to lay a thin coat of spray paint over the whole helmet, wait for it to dry COMPLETELY, then use extremely fine sandpaper lightly on any areas that aren't perfectly smooth. After that's done, you do it again. A lot. Eventually, you will get a nice smooth finish that doesn't look like spray paint.
Barda's helmet goes all the way down to her shoulders, and like many comic book outfits that defy logic, she can still turn her head. Physics doesn't work like that for me and so I had to come up with an alternative. I used black scale maille around the neck to extend the look down to give the illusion of the helmet reaching my shoulders. It ended up matching perfectly, and is one of my favorite details on this cosplay. I created the scale maille piece and attached it with Velcro to the inside of the helmet. The fact that it was removable made painting and finishing the helmet easier.
Clear coating can be one of the most stressful parts of a project. I wanted maximum shine on my helmet, so I used a high gloss clear coat. I highly recommend that you use the same brand of paint throughout a project (if possible), and ALWAYS test different paints together on scraps before using them on your work in progress. Nothing is more heartbreaking than having something almost finished and then watching the paint bubble or flake because of a chemical reaction. I carefully added multiple clear coats, leaving many hours between each coat to insure that it was completely dry when the next was added. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!
I used copper leaf to add the metallic shine. As always, practice leafing on scraps before working on your final piece, and take your time. Fine paintbrushes are very helpful for leafing corners and edges. It can be really tricky to get it looking right. After I finished leafing the main helmet, I added more layers clear coat. This is a vital step after leafing and prevents the metal from tarnishing or peeling off.
Now the majority of the helmet was done, and I could create the decorative front. I wanted it to have some weight and depth to it, so I used Kamui Cosplay's tutorial and sandwiched a layer of craft foam between two layers of Wonderflex. The Wonderflex should be larger than the craft foam so that you can heat seal it around the edges. I molded these pieces with heat to perfectly fit to each other, and to the finished section of the helmet. After these pieces cooled, I painted them or copper leafed them just like I did the other parts of the helmet. To finish it off, I used industrial glue to attach these pieces to the rest of the helmet.
The internet is buzzing with rumors about the casting of Marvel's Doctor Strange. While some really great names have been linked with the role of earth's Sorcerer Supreme, there is another reason that I am thrilled to hear that Stephen Vincent Strange will be appearing on the silver screen.
It means REAL magic will be appearing in a modern comic book movie universe for the first time.
Yes, I know that Loki has been using his hologram-like tricks since his first appearance, but Marvel has been very careful to explain away magic. Asgardians aren't gods, they are super advanced aliens who occasionally come to earth to pretend to be gods. It's not a Soul Forge, it's a Quantum Field Generator. Jane Foster lays it out for us when she explains, "Magic is just science we don't understand yet." While they have been pushing the envelope with each new film, there still hasn't been anything that has been expressly described as magic. Doctor Strange's power is completely based on magic and I don't think that they will risk the wrath of fans to try to explain it away with some advanced science. The technology-ruled Marvel movie universe is officially going to cross the line that they've been so careful to tiptoe with Thor.
This is a huge deal when many people claim that some characters, like Wonder Woman, can never appear on screen with their magic-based powers and backstories intact. These people argue that the modern audience won't accept magic in comic book movies, and so these iconic characters must be altered to fit neatly into the expected norm. It's refreshing that Marvel doesn't agree.
This adds a huge number of amazing possibilities for upcoming DC and Marvel movies! Scarlet Witch, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, John Constantine (for real this time), Enchantress, and so many others now have hope of appearing on screen intact. While adding a few technological advances to the Amazons might smooth the transition (maybe a cloaking device hides Paradise Island instead of magic?), I believe that the magical foundation to Wonder Woman's powers and her magical items can succeed on the big screen. DC's movies have had a very different tone than the Marvel movies, but I believe that they can build upon the foundations laid by the successful Marvel franchises. The average moviegoer isn't going to separate the DC and Marvel movies into exclusive categories. If they accept Loki and Doctor Strange in an Avengers movie, they will accept Wonder Woman or John Constantine in a DC movie.
It has finally happened. Wonder Woman is going to appear in a major motion picture. Gal Gadot wasn't on my short list for the part. She wasn't even on my long list for the part. To be honest, she hadn't crossed my mind at all. I was hoping for Lynn Collins, who screamed Wonder Woman with her performance in John Carter. Lynn has the look and the acting chops to bring Diana to life, despite the fact that she'd need an apple box and some movie magic to make her appear taller. In contrast, I really don't know anything about Gal except how she looks physically, because she's never been in anything that required much acting.
The movie I have been dreaming of has arrived, and I am filled with a mixture of joy and fear that only comes with being a fanatic... er... fan.
JOY: DC movies are really well cast. I may not like all the choices or stories, but I have almost always liked the casting in DC movies. Every time I nerd-rage out about someone being cast, I have (almost) always been proven wrong. I ate my words with both Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, and Ann Hathaway's spot-on Catwoman. Man of Steel and Green Lantern were both well cast, and their actors did their best despite terrible scripts. The casting people at Warner's obviously have a good eye for this, so maybe Gal will knock it out of the park.
FEAR: DC movies have really crappy scripts.
DC movies have a history of terrible scripts that are filled with cornball jokes or gaping plot holes. I think George Clooney could have been a Batman for the ages if he had been given the right script. Ditto for Jim Carrey as the Riddler. Can you imagine him playing a creepy, puzzle-crazed Riddler in a more realistic way like Heath Ledger's Joker? These problems have continued into more recent projects. Batman Begins started the new DC movies off strong, but both The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel suffered from bad pacing, lack of character development, and moments that simply didn't make sense! I am terrified they will completely miss the mark with Diana's appearance in Batman & Superman, which will be the death sentence for any Wonder Woman movie in the works.
JOY: Gal has actual military experience! I love this! My sister joined the US Army a few years ago, and even her weeks of boot camp gave her an impressive amount of training. Israel is the only country in the world where service is compulsory for both women and men, and two years of military service in the Israeli Defense Force is nothing to sneeze at. Women can be assigned to infantry combat service and be directly in the line of fire. Even if Gal didn't experience that, Israel is far from a peaceful place and the training would have prepared her for all possibilities. She has been closer to real combat than most action stars in Hollywood.
FEAR: Gal isn't built like Wonder Woman.
Yes, I'll admit that this is a bit shallow, but Wonder Woman's physique is part of what drew me to her as a child. I was always one of the tallest kids in my class. Combine that with my athletic build from years of competitive swimming and the rude comments prepubescent boys made, I could often feel out of place. Wonder Woman helped young Kimi deal with that. She showed me that a woman could be physically imposing, while still being feminine! While there is certainly a lot of depth to Wonder Woman, her physical build shouldn't be ignored. I hope Gal hits the gym.
JOY: Zack Snyder's movies look cool.
There is no disputing that Zack Snyder has great style. Man of Steel and Watchmen were visually stunning interpretations of comic publications. Most importantly, 300 proved that a movie based on ancient stories/myths (like Wonder Woman herself) could succeed and be accepted by the modern audience.
FEAR: Zack Snyder sucks at creating good female characters.
This is the director who HONESTLY thought Sucker Punch was a story of female empowerment. That's right, the movie about girl who is trapped in an insane asylum and repeatedly raped, but mentally escapes to a fantasy world where she is a sex slave, who mentally escapes to another fantasy world where she is a scantily clad fighter trying to find random objects, but in reality, she just gets lobotomized in the real world and stays a victim. Wow. Way to empower women Zack. Create a Russian nesting doll of victimization and assault for your female characters on all levels of their psyche. While I have no doubt that Mr. Snyder will make fight scenes that will be worthy of Wonder Woman (just look at Faora in Man of Steel), I believe he is utterly incapable of capturing her character and motivations.
When it comes right down to it, the actress is not my biggest worry with Wonder Woman appearing on film. I'm much more concerned about the writers, and the director. That being said, I'm trying not to judge too harshly until there is something to be judged. I can't wait to see the costume they come up with... or can I?
I know this is harder on me than it is on you. I am just one woman among countless fans, and it's starting to be pretty apparent how much you care about your fans. So, after more than twenty years of loyalty and love, I'm going to be frank with you. Our relationship is in trouble.
I was so young when my cousin introduced us, and I'd sneak looks at you until I was old enough to get an allowance and have you for myself. I loved your late 80s and early 90s style. I still have some copies of Wonder Woman, The New Teen Titans, Justice League (America, Europe, International, and even Task Force), and Batman & the Outsiders to remember the good times. Through all the changes, I stood beside you. I was there when Eclipso attacked, when Gotham was declared No Man's Land, and I hung in there for every "crisis" you could come up with. I watched Superman die and Metropolis try to cope with his loss. I followed along as Dick finally took up the cowl, and then put it down again. So many stories. Some were good, some were bad, but through it all I still felt like part of something wonderful.
Then you had some work done. The new 52 hit, and you became a hot ticket item. Suddenly, my friends who had never read comics before had a lot to say about you! It was nice to feel like my passion was spreading to new people. Like always, some stories were great and some sucked, but there were a lot of our old friends who weren't happy. I went to bat for you. I defended you to my friends and family! I pointed out all your good qualities, and whitewashed the bad because I wanted you to do well. Sadly, it was soon obvious that you didn't care about my feelings.
Great characters never reappeared, and fan favorites started acting completely counter to their normal behavior. Quality character arcs fell by the wayside in favor of shock value and company profit. It was clear that the bottom line and the big bosses' ideas were more important than treating your creators well. Lots of amazing creators disappeared for a variety of reasons which reflected very badly on your management. Your choices didn't make sense and started driving away the writers and artists who kept us reading! Fans read a comic when the character they love is well written and drawn. Your talented creators make your company, not the other way around.
Most upsetting is your overall attitude towards women readers and female characters. Comics have always been over-sexualized, but your unending trail of insults over the last few years has gone beyond what we've come to expect, even from this industry. Many great characters' personalities were tweaked and flattened so that they can fit into what you thought was a sexier mold. The fact that you assume that women need a Superman/Wonder Woman Twilight-inspired romance to become interested in comics is just one recent example of how your female stereotyping has reached ridiculous levels. Finally, when you asked thousands of amateur artists to draw one of your most prominent female characters about to commit suicide in a bathtub, it's flat out insulting. Can something like that be part of a tasteful storyline? Sure, but asking non-professionals to take on such sensitive subject matter is inappropriate. I cringe just imagining some of the entries you must have received. AND THEN some of your big-wigs took to social networking to make excuses and play down the incident. Jim Lee (who I basically hate at this point) blamed US for not waiting around to see the rest of the story. I don't care how the panels fit into the (unexplained) context of the story, you could have easily gleaned their drawing abilities from a more appropriate panel. You picked a horrendously irresponsible topic for this contest. It's downright disgusting. Apologize like an adult, hire a PR department, and move on.
Grow up. Stop blaming your audience for not liking your choices, and start making choices your customers will like.
I don't really know where this leaves us. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm still with you when I'm in public. I've always flirted with Marvel, Dark Horse, and others, but now I'm seriously considering ending my monthly commitment to you. It breaks my heart, but even the good memories from our early days aren't enough to make up for the choices you are making. Shape up, or it's over.
Andrea Letamendi is one of the most interesting figures on the convention scene. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and puts her knowledge to geeky use by speaking about the psychology of Superheroes, Science Fiction, and Cosplay. When she isn't speaking on panels, Andrea works as a researcher at UCLA, does work for Marvel and DC, and creates amazing cosplays of her own.
Kimi: You’re known as @ArkhamAsylumDoc on twitter, do you have a favorite Arkham inmate in the Bat-verse?
Andrea Letamendi: Oh yes, I have many favorite Arkham Baddies. I can’t deny the power that the Joker has psychologically–he is such a mesmerizing and puzzling character because his acts of villainy and destruction do not always seem rationale or explainable. My favorite villain from Gotham’s Rogue Gallery is the Penguin, because of his tragic story. He seems to frequently try to reach out and connect with others, perhaps just looking to be understood, and that is incredibly relatable.
K: You were recently depicted in Batgirl #16 as Barbara Gordon’s clinical psychologist. Why did Gail Simone immortalize you as part of DC cannon?
AL: Last year, before the Batgirl annual, Mrs. Simone reached out to me to ask some questions about trauma recovery. Essentially she was writing about an important time in Barbara’s life during which she was recovering–both physically and psychologically– from the severe injury from a gunshot wound when the Joker attacked her (See: The Killing Joke). As a Batgirl reader and DC fan, I was more than thrilled to answer anything she wanted to know. My background in treating soldiers who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with psychological and physical injuries best prepped me to give anecdotes and explain the relationship between the therapist and the healing client. Little did I know that Mrs. Simone would not only write some of my suggestions into her comic, but also include me as a character! It was truly a surprise– and I feel the honorary gesture was not just toward me but for the psychology community as a whole.
K: In addition to being an adviser for Marvel and DC, you are also well known as a cosplayer. What pushed you to start cosplaying?
AL: I have essentially been cosplaying since I was a teenager, if you count “dressing up as a Jedi character that you made up” cosplay. I’ve always felt drawn to dressing up as characters I love, but it truly wasn’t until I started attending conventions in 2006 that I initially became involved with cosplay and the cosplay community.
K: Which costume is your favorite to wear to conventions?
AL: My favorite costume is probably my Steampunk Huntress costume, although I have a Battlestar Galactica costume in the works and it may quickly become one of my favorites!
K: You’ve found a way to bridge the gap between your love of psychology and your love of comics, are you trying to do the same with psychology and cosplay?
AL: I’ve found that my love of cosplay has led me to ask questions like “what draws us to certain characters?” and “why do we feel fulfilled or content when we’re wearing someone else’s clothes?” I also believe there’s something empowering and psychologically inspiring when we dress up as a superhero that we look up to, even if they are fictional. In my mind, it was inevitable that these two universe’s collide, which is why me and my colleague created a Cosplay Survey and plan to continue exploring the motivations, expressions, and backgrounds of cosplayers. I also believe that we can use real-world data to debunk or disconfirm myths about cosplayers. I feel as though psychological science can tell a story that allows people to see how adaptive, healthy, resourceful, and social cosplayers really are.
K: What conflicts have you faced between your geeky hobbies and your career?
AL: Actually, even though I initially felt distanced and a bit misunderstood in my field, I’ve recently discovered that people are generally interested–and even quite inspired–by some of the work I’m doing in the comics and cosplay community. I have to say that I was surprised by this and it reminds me that people just want to get to know you and that the field of Psychology can be particularly open and supportive of these other hobbies. I’d like to think that goes with other social sciences disciplines.
K: Briefly, what have you learned about the Cosplay community through your surveys and your Psychology of Cosplay panels?
AL: We have learned that cosplayers represent a very diverse and social group. I think the single most important thing we have learned is that we simply do not have any evidence that cosplayers share any one feature or characteristic beyond their passion for costuming and performing. Stereotypes about cosplayers, therefore, are not currently supported by anything other than bullies on the internet.
You can visit Andrea's blog at Underthemaskonline.com or follow her on Twitter @ArkhamAsylumDoc.
This past weekend, comic book writer Gail Simone let the news drop on Twitter that she had been removed from DC's New 52 Batgirl title. It's shocking that DC would give Gail the boot after the acclaim that Batgirl has received since the reboot, but the most shocking part of this story is how they broke the news to Gail. The fired her VIA EMAIL.
On Wednesday of last week, new Batgirl editor Brian Cunningham informed me by email that I was no longer the writer of Batgirl.
I have been a DC fangirl since before I can remember. Batman and Wonder Woman helped to shape my childhood and created a lifelong loyalty to Detective Comics. I've followed the story lines of every major event, each retcon, each death and inevitable resurrection, and I even stood by them through the New 52 reboot. Hell, I DEFENDED them to scores of my fellow fans. I kept the faith!
I cannot express how disappointing it is to learn that DC has less class than some of my asshole ex-boyfriends. At least they had the courtesy to pick up the phone to end things.
Gail has done an incredible job with Barbara Gordon for many years. She created an incredibly strong character in Birds of Prey who rose above her physical disability and continued to be a hero. As Oracle, Barbara showed the world that knowledge and smarts were the most powerful tools a crime fighter had, and she became an icon for fans with disabilities themselves.
When DC rebooted their universe, Gail was given the chance to write Barbara again, but there was a catch. Barbara was to be returned to her original role as Batgirl, and taken out of her now-trademark wheelchair. Fans were in an uproar. Some were thrilled to see Babs' red hair under the cowl again. Others were furious to lose an idol with an incredible story of courage that impacted so many characters in the DC universe. Amid this controversy, Gail wrote Babs brilliantly. She embraced Barbara's history, and wrote Batgirl to show the struggles of someone recovering from life changing injuries and PTSD. Gail even researched Barbara's conditions by seeking the advice of Dr. Andrea Letamendi, an avid comic book fan and doctor of psychology (and my cosplay friend!), to insure that Barbara's recovery was accurately depicted. Gail's incredible respect for Barbara won over fans in both camps and turned Batgirl from one of the most hated reboots in the New 52, into one of its best selling titles.
I'm a huge fan of Gail's writing, her outspoken views about how women are depicted in comics, her support of cosplaying, and her amazing relationship with her fans. I've only met (read:seen) her briefly in line at conventions, but she is always smiling and kind to her fans... and she liked my steampunk Batgirl cosplay!! It's hard to think that she was so difficult to work with that they had no other option than to fire her. It makes me sad to think that she may never write my favorite DC heroines again.
No official reasons for her termination have been released. I can see her refusing to put "women in refrigerators" despite what her DC superiors wanted, and indeed, there have been some tweets hinting that is exactly what led to her getting fired. Regardless of the reason, after an average of 40,000 Batgirl copies sold each month, DC and Brian Cunningham (the new editor of Batgirl) owed Gail a phone call at the very least.
Shame on you, DC.
UPDATE 10/21/2012: Today, Gail Simone has announced that DC has rehired her as the writer for Batgirl. I think it's safe to say that the fan's voices were heard on this issue. I wonder if they notified her via email...
News of a Justice League Dark movie emerged last week, linked with director Guillermo Del Toro. I have really enjoyed the Justice League Dark book (despite the lame title) since it was introduced with the New 52, and it includes some of my favorite characters, including John Constantine and Zatanna. They really have captured the disjointed team of misfits well, with love triangles, mistrust, temptation, and heroism. It is an occult team, drawing their power (and villains) from magic and religion rather than super strength or speed. It may also be the answer to DC's superhero team movie problem.
Guillermo Del Toro is the PERFECT director for this project. He is no stranger to comic book movies (Hellboy, Blade II), and he is a master with directing the supernatural (Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Cronos). I think he would be able to balance the humor and sarcasm of the Justice League Dark team with the dark flavor of horror needed to put the audience in suspense. He is also really good at directing fight scenes. My only misgiving is his tendency to take on too many projects at once. If he sees the project through to the end, he will make it something worth our box office money.
Obviously, this team is full of the B and C list characters in DC's lineup, but despite the lack of mainstream heroes this movie could be the perfect start to DC's superhero team movies. Yes, the Justice League is easily identifiable, but so were The Avengers. Marvel knew better than to just toss their audience into a full blown team of incredibly super-powered characters without taking the time (via other movies) to set the stage. Warner Bros and DC should use Justice League Dark as the introduction to their world, in much the same way that Marvel used Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America to set the stage for The Avengers. It will set up the universe's rules, and start us off with a team that the mainstream audience will have an easier time identifying with.
The biggest advantage that Justice League Dark has is that all the characters are human. This may seem like a small matter, but when you are trying to get an audience to relate to your team, it can be a big deal. This team doesn't wear spandex (other than Deadman who wears his old circus uniform), and if they were walking down the street you probably wouldn't notice them (again, except for Deadman). They all deal with personal desires, flaws, and pain in every issue, and we can relate to all their emotions because they are feelings we all share. Superman, Wonder Woman, while more familiar, are harder for the normal audience to identify with because of their extreme powers and strange origin stories... and the crazy outfits. The Justice League Dark can tap into the super natural, but they also have to go to the supermarket if they want to eat or buy a pack of cigarettes. This team can gently introduce the mainstream audience to the DC Universe, setting us up for the more extreme spandex and cape wearing Justice League team we all know and love.
The timing may not work out, and Justice League may end up setting the stage for Justice League Dark, but I hope that both teams hit the big screen in coming years.
Batman:The Animated Series was a brilliant show that forever left its imprint on the Batman universe. With its film noir style, it was the gateway for a new generation to discover comics and the Caped Crusader. Each character was captured perfectly, from the Mark Hamill's brilliant rendition of The Joker to the re-imagining of Mr. Freeze's history (which was eventually adopted by the comics and movies)! And, let's not forget that this was the series that brought Ms. Harley Quinn into being!
Stuart Balcomb is an accomplished movie score composer and was part of bringing Batman:The Animated Series series to life. He scored some of the most memorable episodes in the series, and I was lucky enough to interview him about his time working on the show.
Kimi: How did you join the Batman: The Animated Series team?
Stuart Balcomb: At the time, I was Supervising Copyist at the Universal Studios Music Library. My counterpart at Twentieth, Jo Ann Kane, recommended me to Shirley Walker, who at the time was assembling a team of composers for a new animated series. Shirley called and I went to her house for an interview. There were a LOT of people involved, and we all were given a few cues each to orchestrate for Shirley, who was already writing some shows. She had a very specific format we were to follow using very commonsensical procedures that I still use today. She liked my work, so I made the first cut. Next, she gave me a show (The Underdwellers) to split with Lars Clutterham. She evenly assigned cues to each of us to write. When I had written a few cues, I drove to her house and she'd play through them on the piano, making suggestions if needed. She was very hands-on in that manner. I'd go back, make the fixes and then send the score to Warners. Shirley conducted that session while Lars and I read the scores in the booth. She again liked my work to then give me a full show of my own (Appointment in Crime Alley). I really liked the Main Title I wrote, which consists of rising and falling sequences of sixths. If I remember correctly, she conducted the first half and I, the second. I scored one more episode, my favorite (Almost Got 'Im), which I conducted. That was a real treat because all Batman's enemies were in a nightclub, talking about how each almost got him, so each time the scene cut back to the club, they needed some jazz music playing. Being from a jazz background, I was in my element. At the session, we saved all those cues for last. Shirley had hired a real jazz bass player and we had a ball. One musician remarked, "Geez, we're getting PAID for this?"
K: Were there any musical themes that you had to include or stay away from in your compositions?
SB: I was given some established character themes to use if I wanted. When I did use a theme, I indicated on the score what percentage should be credited to that composer. I actually came up with my own Bat Mobile theme in "Crime Alley," which I really liked. I've since wanted to expand on it, but it's the property of Warner Bros., so what's the point?
K: What was it like working with Bruce Timm, who has been involved in nearly all the DC animated projects?
SB: Bruce was great. Very friendly, very astute, and right on the money when it came to where music should go, where music should not be. I don't remember whether it was Bruce or Shirley, but it was decided that we all should stay completely clear of explosions. Build the music right up to it and stop dead about a heartbeat or two before. Let that little silent vacuum suck you right into the massive sound effect. It worked brilliantly. Since then, I've been acutely aware of the error of so many scores that bludgeon us over the head with crash cymbals, massive bass drum, and the works, on top of all the mayhem that the sound department so skillfully crafted.
K: You conducted your own scoring sessions for Batman: The Animated Series. Was that your choice, and if so, why do you prefer to conduct your own compositions?
SB: I do love to conduct. It is an art, and I feel that a good conductor almost paints pictures with the hands. I conducted a church choir for ten years, and I really appreciate the ability to "shape" a sound with even an intimate gesture. Because of that, I would almost rather conduct an orchestra with no baton. I remember one famous Hollywood conductor who did a lot of A-list film sessions, and he was simply a human metronome—no expression, no entrance cues—he just mechanically waved the baton with the click track with his head buried in the score. That's not conducting!
K: How did you keep each episode fresh and still use the recognizable themes for each character?
SB: ... I have never found it a problem to come up with new ideas. Sure, we all recycle ourselves from time to time, but our musical language is who we are. Motifs evolve, are reborn, and emerge sometimes as cousins of previous material. Frank Zappa said that he only ever wrote one piece. He considered that his entire output over his lifetime, from beginning to end, was really just one continuous piece of music.
K: From start to finish, could you walk us through the process of creating the score for a single episode?
Every TV show and film starts with the spotting session. I met with Bruce and Shirley and the music editor, Tom Milano. We viewed the raw episode (sometimes there were placeholders because the animation wasn't finished), discussed where music should start and stop, and sometimes the musical nature of each scene. Tom took notes which he later mailed to me, listing each cue and its timings. It was up to me to translate all those into notes on a score that would support the scene ... I wrote out the score by hand. Yup, those days were still pencil on paper. I still really just compose in my head and write down what I hear, with an occasional reference to a keyboard.
As I would finish a few scores, I'd call Warners and tell them to send a courier to pick up what I had done. The music library could copy the parts and bind the scores for the session, then the next day I'd send more in.
I had worked for about a week on "Almost Got 'Im," and it was about midnight before the recording session. All the other scores had been delivered to Warner Bros., the parts copied and booked up for the players, and I had only one last cue to write. The problem was that I was completely drained. Exhausted and creatively spent, I could not go any further. I stared at the empty score pages that I had prepared and wondered what to do. I briefly entertained the idea of running away, booking a flight somewhere.
It then suddenly hit me that A.) the earth turns and tomorrow will come, and B.) at 10:00 tomorrow I will be standing on the podium in front of an orchestra with a baton in my hand, ready to give a downbeat, and all those pages will be filled in, black with notes. I visualized the future. It was tomorrow and the task was done. All I had to do was get from here to there. And at that moment all the ideas started to flow. That visualization made the process much easier, and I've used it ever since—I even once applied it to weeding the lawn...
Well, that was another digression, but very key to my experience with that particular episode. To continue, after a session, perhaps a week later, I'd get a call to attend the dubbing session in which dialog, sound effects, and music tracks are all mixed for the final output. It's very important for the composer, or someone who has the composer's interests at heart, to attend the session, because sometimes it's important to speak up for oneself and say that such-and-such music theme must remain on top of the mix at a certain moment where maybe the sound effects editor is keen on pumping a sound that someone had worked a week to create, thus burying an important musical moment. A fine balance must be maintained so that the maximum service is done to the film, be it music, a spoken phrase, a sound effect, or even silence. The music editor and mixer were very good, though, because only once did I have to chime in and say that the music was a bit too low at that point, to which everyone agreed.
K: I know that your son was a huge fan of Batman: The Animated Series, were you a Batman fan before you started composing for the show?
SB: No, I was not necessarily a Batman fan. [My son] Sam was a comic collector—in fact, we both bought the first Youngblood that came out ...We also collected the Spawn comics from the very beginning. After awhile, I think Sam stopped but I continued, and eventually stopped at #100. For Christmas one year I gave him all 100 issues. But I digress.... Tim Burton had put out two films by the time the Animated Series came around, so I had seen those. I wasn't thrilled with the over-the-top, almost slapstick violence, especially with the absurd fight between Batman and the Joker on the top of that bell tower. I did, however, like Danny's score.
I'd like to thank Stuart for taking the time to indulge my fangirl questions. I truly credit Batman: The Animated Series for introducing me to the world of comic books, and it was an honor to quiz him on a topic so near and dear to my heart.
Visit www.stuartbalcomb.com to hear samples of his work from Batman:The Animated Series and his other incredible projects.
Wonder Woman's corset in the New52 is stunning. The complex chevron pattern combined with stars is intricate and eye-catching. As difficult as it is to draw, it's even more difficult to sew. Chevrons are quite a challenge and are also very time consuming.
Step 5: Trace your pattern pieces onto your final fabric and add a 1/2 inch seam allowance around each piece. Make sure you have two complete sides for your corset and the pieces for each side should be a reflection of each other. Make sure you copy over the notches and identifying marks onto the BACK side of these pieces. I used leather but other pleathers will work as well. Stretch fabrics will not work and will warp the final product, try the previous method listed above if you want to use a stretch fabric.
Step 6: Carefully, starting from the top center piece, sew one side of the corset together. Make sure to line up the notches, they are your guide! Now sew the refection side of it together. You should now have two complete halves of a corset cover that are reflections of one another.
Step 8: Now it's time to make the chevrons happen! Meeting the right sides of the corset center fronts (those are two edges) use pins or tape if you are using a leather-like material to insure that the seams of your chevrons meet up. You might have to do a little manipulating and stretching to make the pieces line up perfectly in the front, but this is a VERY important step. You don't want your chevrons to not line up. Sew them together on the wrong side down what now is the center front of your corset cover.
Step 9: The hardest part of your project is over!! Congrats!! Now cut out the stars from the same material as your chevrons, making sure they have the correct proportions to your chevrons. Put a small amount of rubber cement on the back of each star and place it where you'd like it on the corset. The glue will help hold the star in place while you top-stitch it down.
base corset in place. Then, finding the exact center, use bardge cement to glue the center seam of your chevroned corset cover to your base corset. This will keep the center front from moving around. You can also glue around the cups of the corset and along the sides and center back once the front has dried.
Captain America style, when not in use.
Leaving her origins vague may mean that they are planning on giving her a solo movie later to explain things, but I'm guessing it's due more to pacing and trying to keep the movie shorter than Gone with the Wind. They are introducing A LOT of heroes in this movie. It initially focused on Superman and Batman, but now the confirmed cast includes Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Cyborg, Aquaman, and possibly even Nightwing. That's a lot of explaining to do if they are even going to briefly touch on everyone's origin stories, and introducing that many characters in a film will cut drastically into the screen time of any individual character. This makes me nervous, because I want Diana to get the screen time she deserves as part of DC's trinity.
I have always loved Big Barda's design. Over the years it has changed significantly, but her samurai-inspired helmet has remained a trademark of her look. I decided early on that I wanted to go with a more real-world design for the helmet, but make sure that it was still clearly recognizable. Who am I to improve on Jack Kirby's work? Despite the sleek design of the helmet, this was easily one of the most complicated cosplay projects that I have tackled.
Once I finalized the pattern for the back of the helmet with the cheap craft foam, I traced it onto Worbla and made the final version. I used industrial glue to cement the new Worbla piece to the Dodger helmet.After the glue dried, I used my heat gun to bend the Worbla into exactly the shape I wanted. This included adding a slight curl to the bottom of the helmet, and making sure it was symmetrical. Finally, I used Bondo to smooth the seam and make the Worbla and Dodger helmet look like one item. My little detail sander is a godsend for working with Bondo on small or detailed items like this. GET ONE!
Adding more details with Worbla was the next step. Barda has very distinctive patterning on her helmet, and this is where Worbla really shines. It's so easy to cut a small strip and then bend it to fit along the edge of almost any shape. It attaches to itself when heated, but I also used glue since I'm not sure if it would have securely attached itself to the Dodger helmet and Bondo.
After what felt like endless hours of sanding, I added the smaller details to the helmet with Worbla. In the picture to the left, I painted the details from the previous step black so you could see the difference. The Worbla attached to the Gesso, and is always incredibly easy to use on details like this. I used Gesso where the strips of Worbla met to make the details seamless and to avoid the gaps that can sometimes show on the final process.
Clear coating can be one of the most stressful parts of a project. I wanted maximum shine on my helmet, so I used a high gloss clear coat. I highly recommend that you use the same brand of paint throughout a project (if possible), and ALWAYS test different paints together on scraps before using them on your work in progress. Nothing is more heartbreaking than having something almost finished and then watching the paint bubble or flake because of a chemical reaction. I carefully added multiple clear coats, leaving many hours between each coat to insure that it was completely dry when the next was added. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!
s a vital step after leafing and prevents the metal from tarnishing or peeling off.
The internet is buzzing with rumors about the casting of Marvel's Doctor Strange. While some really great names have been linked with the role of earth's Sorcerer Supreme, there is another reason that I am thrilled to hear that Stephen Vincent Strange will be appearing on the silver screen.
This is a huge deal when many people claim that some characters, like Wonder Woman, can never appear on screen with their magic-based powers and backstories intact. These people argue that the modern audience won't accept magic in comic book movies, and so these iconic characters must be altered to fit neatly into the expected norm. It's refreshing that Marvel doesn't agree.
It has finally happened. Wonder Woman is going to appear in a major motion picture. Gal Gadot wasn't on my short list for the part. She wasn't even on my long list for the part. To be honest, she hadn't crossed my mind at all. I was hoping for Lynn Collins, who screamed Wonder Woman with her performance in John Carter. Lynn has the look and the acting chops to bring Diana to life, despite the fact that she'd need an apple box and some movie magic to make her appear taller. In contrast, I really don't know anything about Gal except how she looks physically, because she's never been in anything that required much acting.
obviously have a good eye for this, so maybe Gal will knock it out of the park.
is compulsory for both women and men, and two years of military service in the Israeli Defense Force is nothing to sneeze at. Women can be assigned to infantry combat service and be directly in the line of fire. Even if Gal didn't experience that, Israel is far from a peaceful place and the training would have prepared her for all possibilities. She has been closer to real combat than most action stars in Hollywood.
on ancient stories/myths (like Wonder Woman herself) could succeed and be accepted by the modern audience.
I was so young when my cousin introduced us, and I'd sneak looks at you until I was old enough to get an allowance and have you for myself. I loved your late 80s and early 90s style. I still have some copies of Wonder Woman, The New Teen Titans, Justice League (America, Europe, International, and 
even Task Force), and Batman & the Outsiders to remember the good times. Through all the changes, I stood beside you. I was there when Eclipso attacked, when Gotham was declared No Man's Land, and I hung in there for every "crisis" you could come up with. I watched Superman die and Metropolis try to cope with his loss. I followed along as Dick finally took up the cowl, and then put it down again. So many stories. Some were good, some were bad, but through it all I still felt like part of something wonderful.
Great characters never reappeared, and fan favorites started acting completely counter to their normal behavior. Quality character arcs fell by the wayside in favor of shock value and company profit. It was clear that the bottom line and the big bosses' ideas were more important than treating your creators well. Lots of amazing creators disappeared for a variety of reasons which reflected very badly on your management. Your choices didn't make sense and started driving away the writers and artists who kept us reading! Fans read a comic when the character they love is well written and drawn. Your talented creators make your company, not the other way around.
towards women readers and female characters. Comics have always been over-sexualized, but your unending trail of insults over the last few years has gone beyond what we've come to expect, even from this industry. Many great characters' personalities were tweaked and flattened so that they can fit into what you thought was a sexier mold. The fact that you assume that women need a Superman/Wonder Woman Twilight-inspired romance to become interested in comics is just one recent example of how your female stereotyping has reached ridiculous levels. Finally, when you asked thousands of amateur artists to draw one of your most prominent female characters about to commit suicide in a bathtub, it's flat out insulting. Can something like that 
be part of a tasteful storyline? Sure, but asking non-professionals to take on such sensitive subject matter is inappropriate. I cringe just imagining some of the entries you must have received. AND THEN some of your big-wigs took to social networking to make excuses and play down the incident. Jim Lee (who I basically hate at this point) blamed US for not waiting around to see the rest of the story. I don't care how the panels fit into the (unexplained) context of the story, you could have easily gleaned their drawing abilities from a more appropriate panel. You picked a horrendously irresponsible topic for this contest. It's downright disgusting. Apologize like an adult, hire a PR department, and move on.
Andrea Letamendi is one of the most interesting figures on the convention scene. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and puts her knowledge to geeky use by speaking about the psychology of Superheroes, Science Fiction, and Cosplay. When she isn't speaking on panels, Andrea works as a researcher at UCLA, does work for Marvel and DC, and creates amazing cosplays of her own.
K: You were recently depicted in Batgirl #16 as Barbara Gordon’s clinical psychologist. Why did Gail Simone immortalize you as part of DC cannon?
K: Which costume is your favorite to wear to conventions?
K: Briefly, what have you learned about the Cosplay community through your surveys and your Psychology of Cosplay panels?
This past weekend, comic book writer Gail Simone let the news drop on Twitter that she had been removed from DC's New 52 Batgirl title. It's shocking that DC would give Gail the boot after the acclaim that Batgirl has received since the reboot, but the most shocking part of this story is how they broke the news to Gail. The fired her VIA EMAIL.
Gail has done an incredible job with Barbara Gordon for many years. She created an incredibly strong character in Birds of Prey who rose above her physical disability and continued to be a hero. As Oracle, Barbara showed the world that knowledge and smarts were the most powerful tools a crime fighter had, and she became an icon for fans with disabilities themselves.
Babs brilliantly. She embraced Barbara's history, and wrote Batgirl to show the struggles of someone recovering from life changing injuries and PTSD. Gail even researched Barbara's conditions by seeking the advice of Dr. Andrea Letamendi, an avid comic book fan and doctor of psychology (and my cosplay friend!), to insure that Barbara's recovery was accurately depicted. Gail's incredible respect for Barbara won over fans in both camps and turned Batgirl from one of the most hated reboots in the New 52, into one of its best selling titles.
News of a Justice League Dark movie emerged last week, linked with director Guillermo Del Toro. I have really enjoyed the Justice League Dark book (despite the lame title) since it was introduced with the New 52, and it includes some of my favorite characters, including John Constantine and Zatanna. They really have captured the disjointed team of misfits well, with love triangles, mistrust, temptation, and heroism. It is an occult team, drawing their power (and villains) from magic and religion rather than super strength or speed. It may also be the answer to DC's superhero team movie problem.
Obviously, this team is full of the B and C list characters in DC's lineup, but despite the lack of mainstream heroes this movie could be the perfect start to DC's superhero team movies. Yes, the Justice League is easily identifiable, but so were The Avengers. Marvel knew better than to just toss their audience into a full blown team of incredibly super-powered characters without taking the time (via other movies) to set the stage. Warner Bros and DC should use Justice League Dark as the introduction to their world, in much the same way that Marvel used Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America to set the stage for The Avengers. It will set up the universe's rules, and start us off with a team that the mainstream audience will have an easier time identifying with.
The biggest advantage that Justice League Dark has is that all the characters are human. This may seem like a small matter, but when you are trying to get an audience to relate to your team, it can be a big deal. This team doesn't wear spandex (other than Deadman who wears his old circus uniform), and if they were walking down the street you probably wouldn't notice them (again, except for Deadman). They all deal with personal desires, flaws, and pain in every issue, and we can relate to all their emotions because they are feelings we all share. Superman, Wonder Woman, while more familiar, are harder for the normal audience to identify with because of their extreme powers and strange origin stories... and the crazy outfits. The Justice League Dark can tap into the super natural, but they also have to go to the supermarket if they want to eat or buy a pack of cigarettes. This team can gently introduce the mainstream audience to the DC Universe, setting us up for the more extreme spandex and cape wearing Justice League team we all know and love.
Batman:The Animated Series was a brilliant show that forever left its imprint on the Batman universe. With its film noir style, it was the gateway for a new generation to discover comics and the Caped Crusader. Each character was captured perfectly, from the Mark Hamill's brilliant rendition of The Joker to the re-imagining of Mr. Freeze's history (which was eventually adopted by the comics and movies)! And, let's not forget that this was the series that brought Ms. Harley Quinn into being!
translate all those into notes on a score that would support the scene ... I wrote out the score by hand. Yup, those days were still pencil on paper. I still really just compose in my head and write down what I hear, with an occasional reference to a keyboard.