DC's New 52: Who is Wonder Woman?
DC can't seem to make up its mind about Wonder Woman. It took their artists a few months to unify her costume design across all their titles, and it seems like Wonder Woman and Justice League take place in completely different universes, but that isn't my biggest problem with the rebooted Amazon princess. My biggest problem is that Justice League can't seem to give Diana any personality at all! As someone who has been a die-hard Justice League fan (Europe, America, International, all of them) since I was a kid, it's really pissing me off.
Now, it can be argued that there are problems with a lot of the newly rebooted characters in Justice League, however at least they are stand alone characters. Justice League's Wonder Woman is completely defined by her male relationships, starting with Steve Trevor. At first, she was an ignorant meat-head looking for a fight and eating ice cream. Only Steve was able to keep her from smashing everything Hulk-style, despite the fact that none of the other heroes need a handler. Why does a character as smart as Diana (should be) need a man to constantly remind her that it's not ok to go wandering around swinging a sword in public? Even after growing up on Paradise Island, she should be able to figure that out after a few days. Somehow they managed to make her vastly powerful and completely dependent on a non-super-powered man, all at the same time.
Unlike the Diana in Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman run, the Justice League Wonder Woman seems to be completely lacking in emotional depth. Azzarello shows us an edgy Diana who likes to hang out at rock concerts, is bitter about being teased as a child, cares deeply for her companions, and bravely faces the gods to protect the innocent. The only thing we have seen from her in Justice League is a sudden, desperate concern for Steve in Issue #11, which seems to come out of nowhere despite their prior relationship. Diana has shown almost no emotion on the matter up to this point, unlike Steve, who has been driven to drink because of their breakup. Why is it that a side character without powers, and who has been in significantly fewer panels than Diana, has so much more emotional depth? We have gotten more personality information out of Green Lantern's one liners than from all of Diana's lines combined, but we are CONSTANTLY reminded that all the men in the world envied Steve for being Wonder Woman's boyfriend. Her defining characteristic, and certainly her most mentioned attribute, seems to be her hot body.
Now she is hooking up with Superman. The relationship makes sense from an outside standpoint, but it has completely baffled many people who are actually following the comic. A few panels before the now-infamous kiss, Diana was desperately trying to save Steve, then decided to put even more distance between them to keep him safe. There have been hints that she cares about Steve and that she only left him to protect him from her dangerous lifestyle, but this tiny bit of character development is thrown out the door. BAM! The same night that they get home and Steve is laying in the hospital, Diana ends up making out with Superman on a rooftop. Can we say "pathetic PR stunt?" I'm not against a Superman/Wonder Woman relationship. I LOVED them in Kingdom Come, however this time they didn't bother with the character development to back it up. We've all suspected they'd become an item since the reboot because they were both suddenly single, but there should be flirtations, hesitations, lingering glances, emotional commonalities... SOMETHING to back it up. A two page conversation about how they are different than normal people because of their powers, which I believe is the first one-on-one conversation between them since the reboot, and then a dramatic final panel kiss is just lazy writing and bad character development. But DC got tons of press, so who the hell cares about the characters, right?
I think the worst part of the Justice League reboot (yes, worse than the only female character's complete lack of personality or ping-ponging her from man to man) is that this Diana is so inconsequential. She is completely reactionary, like so many female comic book characters before her, and seems to serve little or no purpose other than being the token woman of the group. She never comes up with ideas or shares opinions. She doesn't stand up for the weak, or worry about the civilians when the team is busy leveling cities to take out bad guys. She hasn't displayed any powers or characteristics that are indispensable to the team, and, despite devoting her life to warrior training, Batman still makes all the tactical decisions. There was a time when Diana was an undeniable part of DC's trinity, but now even I, a life-long Wonder Woman fan, have to admit she'd be the first one I'd cut if I ran the team. Azzarello's Diana faces the gods single-handedly, and you really believe that she could win. He even threw in some new powers to match with her electrifying new back story. Like the changes or not, at least she is bad ass enough to stand on her own.
I am constantly surprised by Azzarello's Wonder Woman run, and although I don't like all the changes he has made, am really enjoying the unexpected darkness of his universe. His Wonder Woman is an edgier Diana, who has some surprises up her sleeves... or bracelets! She is smart, complex, and proactive. Even without mentioning her powers, she is an interesting character. I hope that the Justice League writing team takes their cues from Wonder Woman and starts to rethink their approach to the most famous female character in comics.
Hollywood & Heroes Charity Event
The Emerald Knights comic and game shop is hosting a huge event this Sat, June 9th from 12pm to 7pm. The event supports the Shriner's Hospital for Children, so join us for the fun and some good karma. It will be a day of games, signings, photo opps, and much more! Lots of geek-famous actors will be there, including members of The Guild, and over 40 cosplayers, including myself! There are also items being auctioned off on the EK auction page.
I will be dressed as Wonder Woman all afternoon. I will also be playing in some RPGs, spreading word about the Happy Jack's RPG podcast, posing for pictures, and visiting with everyone. Rumor has it that I may also be running a DC themed Wild Talents game...
I hope to see a lot of familiar faces on Saturday! More info can be found on the Emerald Knights website, or by contacting the shop.
Earth 2 & Worlds' Finest
Before I begin, I am going to make the recommendation that you read these two comics in a specific order, read Earth-2 #1 and then read Worlds' Finest #1. It will make much more sense. Also, THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
Earth 2
I have to admit that I was torn about them introducing the multiverse back into DC. Although it gives some great opportunities for characters and story lines, it is sort of a cheap comic book trick. Lose your favorite character? He's still alive on Earth-50! Want Wonder Woman and Superman to hook up? No problem, it happens on Earth-69! Instead of consolidating characters and giving stories more impact, the multiverse tends to water everything down. However, it has paved the way for the return of Power Girl, who is one of my favorite characters! But more on that later...
This entire comic was basically a prologue for stories that are yet to come. I watched the DC Trinity battling to the death against an invading force of aliens. Readers catch up on years of Earth-2 history in a few pages, and boy is it a dark history. The world is doomed, but for real this time. The inner dialogue of our heroes is about as shocking as it comes. Our heroes have lost everything, but are still fighting for their world. They make the ultimate sacrifice. The world survives, but it has no heroes left.
I think this is the best thing they could have done with Earth-2. Wipe out the familiar characters and start from scratch with all new characters. I don't want to keep track of multiple Wonder Women, or read about an earth that is pretty much just like the main earth (FYI, DC has yet to define which earth the New 52 is taking place on.). Other earths need to be different! VERY different! I hope they hold course with Earth-2 and use it to create some great new characters for the DC universe. That said, the writing was a bit rushed. They tried to fit too much into one book, and that caused the drama to lose some of it's impact. Generally, I'd want a major character's death to take up more than a few panels, but I'm hoping that this will be remedied in future books since they won't be trying to set up an entire new timeline in every issue. I can't say if I am going to stick with this book, because we have yet to really meet the main characters. I'll definitely be picking up #2!
The art was good and I liked the costumes on Earth-2. Wonder Woman's threads had some really great details on them. Crap... now I have ANOTHER Wonder Woman cosplay on my to-do list!
Worlds' Finest
I am a huge Power Girl fan. I even loved her all through the 90's and her crazy thong, tights, and headband era. But holy crap is her new costume horrible... opps. I'm jumping ahead. Let's go back a little bit.
This story actually takes place on the main DC earth. It is revealed that Huntress is actually Helena Wayne, the Robin from Earth-2. She and Earth-2's Supergirl were accidentally transported to the main earth during the epic battle that took place in Earth-2, #1. (Hence the plural possessive punctuation in the title, they are from multiple worlds!) They are utterly alone, but making the best of it. Helena has taken up as the Huntress, and Kara (now called Karen) is a development mogul who seems fixated on returning to Earth-2. She isn't working as a hero at the moment, but is pouring millions into developing technologies to get the pair home. (Seriously, read Earth-2 #1 before you read this comic.) Neither character seems interested in making contact with the heroes from this world.
Let's start with Huntress. Although I am very sad that Helena Bartinelli seems to not exist in the DC New 52, I am a huge fan of Helena Wayne as the Huntress. I have a huge collection of old comics from the pre-Crisis era and love that Batman had a bad ass daughter. There is part of me that squealed a little at the thought of her being the main Huntress in the DC Universe again. That said, the writing didn't nail the character that I know and love. There is also the personality continuity problem between the character in this title, and the character in the Huntress book. Are they the same character? It would seem so, but there is a definite disconnect happening somewhere. I do like the outfit they have given her since the New 52 debut.
And Power Girl. They are definitely TRYING to nail the sarcastic, brash, human character that we love, but again, they don't quite get it right. Kara was likeable because, despite her amazing powers, she was fallible. She lost her temper, was a little to sexy, and was trying to find herself. 
I hope they start to include that in this character as the books go on. Then... there is her new outfit. They have exchanged the boob window for a boob target. Seriously. There is a decorative "P" shape (for Power Girl once she reveals that as her new hero call sign) that fits perfectly over her left breast. There is even a little circle that fits EXACTLY over where her nipple would be. It's just... odd. It calls attention to her breast (yes... just the left one) in a way that is unsexy, and a little awkward. Almost like when someone has a stain on their shirt and you are contemplating telling them or not.
To be honest, I hated the artwork in this book. Some of it looks like a high school art student drew it. Some panels are beautiful, but sometimes the angles and human proportions are so wrong you wonder how it got printed. It reminds me of the recent Hawk & Dove in the New 52. George Perez's Wonder Woman run was incredible, so I'm not sure what's happened with this book. Maybe they just need more practice with these characters? Again, I'm not sold on this series. I might pick up #2, but more likely I'll just wait until Power Girl pops up in another series.
Going Digital: The Future of Comics
I love my local comic shop. The owner is a great guy, who cusses like a sailor and loves to chat about old story lines. He is one of the few people who can actually follow what I'm talking about when I start to ramble about Justice League Europe in the '90s, or the old "New Teen Titans". However, in recent months I have started buying most of my comics digitally. This isn't because I dislike comic stores, quite the opposite, but it is so much more convenient to buy online. I can curl up in bed at 11:30pm and buy the latest editions of my favorite comics. Best of all, I don't have to worry about storing them. The storage part is HUGE! I hate throwing comics away and already have hundreds of plastic covered gems filling my bookshelves and boxes. Digital comics take up no space, but I can reread them whenever the fancy strikes me.
I'm sort of a traitor.
However, the comic industry has to evolve to keep up with the times. We are moving into the age of digital everything. A good comparison is the music industry. Many people claim that iTunes is killing the music industry, but it's not dying, it's evolving! The music labels are definitely not hurting for cash, and small bands (like mine!!) have a chance to sell their music on a global scale, all thanks to digital distribution. There is an adjustment, and unfortunately, retail stores can suffer. But in order to continue growing their fan-base, comic companies are going to have to continue to move into the digital realm.
The first step that the comic book companies need to take? Agree on a universal format that can be easily bought and read with programs like the Newsstand app. Having a separate app for each comic company is really a joke. Can you imagine if each record label had their own app that you had to buy and listen to music through? For god's sake! I couldn't listen to "Weird Al" Yankovic and Johnny Cash without switching apps! I believe that the comic industry would increase their sales if people were able to easily subscribe to their favorite titles and have them show up in the same app. The convenience might tempt people to try a comic who normally would never visit a store or download a comic-specific app. I've found amazing musicians buy buying a single song, just to try them out. The same would happen with comics. The comic companies could even include ads, like in current printed titles, to insure that they made a profit. They'd also save money by eliminating the need for them to maintain their own apps. Another perk would be that it would create a wonderful platform for independent comics to reach a much larger market. Everybody wins.
With the incorporation of programs similar to iCloud or iTunes Match, a digital customer could access their comics anywhere that had an internet connection. Your entire comic collection at your fingertips! How amazing would that be? Bus running late? Pull up your favorite DC title. Bored at work? Read X-men on your desktop, and still look like you are working! Did you only get through half of Batgirl before you left for class? Pull it up on your iPhone during the lecture. I love rereading old comics from the 80s and 90s and having them only a few taps away would be amazing! Convenience and mobility are the major perks of the digital age, and the comic industry is missing out.
Store owners and hardcore printed comics fans will disagree with me, but in a world where music and bookstores are closing at alarming rates, the influence of digital distribution is undeniable. I'd rather see the industry change than have it die completely. Over 19% of the US population now owns a tablet of some kind and millions more are being sold each month. I think it's pretty obvious where the future lies for comics.
EDIT: A few people have mentioned ComiXology to me, and they have a very valid point. ComiXology has many of the perks I mentioned above, but ComiXology does not actually sell comics... they sell the license to view comics from their servers. It's a really great option if you aren't the type to reread comics, but if you are an archive reader like me there are some drawbacks. If they lose their license with a company like DC, they'd have no choice but to remove those comics from their servers... and your collection. (Thanks Trent for bringing this up!)
DC Survey & Women - Pay Up or Shut Up
Women, do you buy a comic book every month?
If your answer was yes, wonderful! If you said no, then you are part of the problem with women in comics. It's time for women to pay up, or shut up.
Most women don't read comics. It's a fact. Before you start disagreeing, think of all your female friends. How many of them REALLY buy a comic every month? More specifically, how many follow the same titles from month to month? When I realistically count out my female friends who regularly buy monthly comic books... I get the number zero. I am the only one. This is especially sad because I hang out with a ton of geek girls. They can tell you all about their favorite characters, buy tons of merchandise, cosplay these characters, but for some reason they don't buy their favorite character's comic each month. This doesn't lessen their geek-cred, but it does point out that most women are apathetic when it comes to regular comic buying.
THIS IS NOT DC's FAULT!! They marketed the hell out of the New 52. Do you really think an ad in Cosmo would have made the difference? You can try to blame the way they write female characters all you like, but they have AT LEAST five current titles with powerful, well written female leads. Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Batwoman, and Huntress are all great books and the women in them kick ass. If you are boycotting DC because of Starfire, Voodoo, or another character that upset you, you are only shooting all of us in the foot. You are simply affirming their current assumption that women don't buy comics. Pick a book, just one, that you DO like and buy it each month. Seriously. It's $2.99 and you can even buy it digitally so you don't have to leave your couch or computer chair.
The reality is that the large comic book companies aren't going to change until women are a viable market. To become a viable market, we have to buy comics! Money talks and has more influence over any company than all the blog posts and tweets in the world. Businesses do not produce product for a demographic that they aren't sure will buy said product. SAYING women are a marketable audience does nothing when decades of comic sales say the opposite. We have to prove to them that they will make a profit on us. We do that by buying comics.
DC's New 52 & the JLI
I've been very sick this week, so what's a girl to do when she's under the weather? Catch up on her comic books while sipping tea and eating soup. Of the many comics revamped for DC Comic's New 52, I've stuck with quite a few: Wonder Woman (duh), Justice League, Justice League International, Aquaman (shut up, it's really good), Batgirl, Huntress, Nightwing, Batwoman, Teen Titans, Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark (still think it needs a better name), I, Vampire, and Green Lantern New Guardians. What can I say? I spend a lot of money on comics.
You may have noticed that I am still buying all the Justice League titles. I have been a huge JL fan for as long as I can remember. I bought Justice League America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International, and even the short-lived Justice League Task Force religiously for many years. No matter how bad it gets, I'll probably keep spending my money on anything JL related. I'm very loyal... or a sucker.
I am loving JL Dark. It's well written and I'm having a blast seeing John Constantine and Zatanna share the pages of a comic. The restarted Justice League is interesting, but it's lacking in some personality. I hope they start to develop the characters more. I also really hope they start aligning the characters with what is being published in their solo titles. The Aquaman and Wonder Woman of the solo titles do not mesh with what is showing up in the pages of JL. They finally synchronized their Wonder Woman designs at least in the last issue of Justice League.
The JLI is where I'm having serious problems. I really like the characters. Booster Gold has always been a favorite of mine. I've been wondering what kind of leader he'd be since he tried to spearhead the corporate sponsored super team The Conglomerate back in 1990. I think he will be very capable eventually, and I look forward to watching him grow into the leader the JLI needs.
However, more than a leader the JLI needs more meta-human POWER. They are seriously underpowered. If Ice is one of your heavy hitters, you know you're in big trouble. I really appreciate the "international" collection of superheroes they rounded up. It's nice that the team isn't comprised totally of Americans and extra terrestrials, but couldn't they have come up with more powerful political correctness? Hell, the characters even joke about it in the first comic. I don't understand why the Teen Titans (at this point a rag-tag bunch of kids who are just hanging out together for safety) are ALREADY so much more powerful than an international, hand-picked team of proven superheroes.
However, despite this major flaw, Justice League International is really fun to read. DC is doing a GREAT job with the characters and the dynamics of the team. Godiva is a huge flirt with a crush on Booster, and it's a good thing her character is interesting because moving hair isn't exactly a JL level superpower. Booster is his same self-promoting showoff, but he really seems to want to become a good leader. Then there is my favorite unlikely duo, Fire and Ice. I've loved them since they joined the Justice League ages (and many costumes) ago. Then Red Rocket returns to the team with the added bonus of August General in Iron from China. These two veteran warriors clash due to the competitive nature of former communist nations. Then there is Vixen to add a little more of an "international" look to the group. Add a dash of Batman to the mix (because it seems he has to be in EVERY New 52 title...) and sprinkle with a bit of Guy Gardner and there you have it! The JLI! Full of drama, ego, flawed characters, and sketchy motives. It's really fun to read, even if you don't really believe they'd be able to save the world.
Wonder Woman Armor
The most difficult part of making a good Wonder Woman outfit is the armor. It can make or break the whole outfit. No matter how much time and effort you put into the corset and star-spangled-underwear, if your armor is obviously spray-painted cardboard nobody will be impressed. Being the over-achiever that I am, I wanted my armor to be made of real metal. This would be impossible for most first-time cosplayers, however I have worked at Renaissance Faires in California for over 10 years. I know more than my fair share of blacksmiths, leather workers, and armorers. So I put word out on the dust filled streets of Faire in 2011 that I wanted Wonder Woman armor made...
These are the people I choose to spend time with...
... and the amazing Jacques Louis David answered my call. Jacques is an artist and should become very, very famous someday. He makes armor at fair, but his most recent passion is for metal sculpture and installation pieces. He also happens to be a comic and Wonder Woman fan. We met a bunch of times to discuss "the plan" and he was kind enough to hold my hand through the whole process. I know a lot more about armor than your normal (late) 20's California girl. I own a collection of swords and used to train horses for a jousting company, but Jacques' knowledge blew my mind and made me consider things I hadn't even realized were possible. Over beers and burgers, we came up with our design. I had bought a belt at a Thrift store, so that was not something we needed to worry about. We figured out that I needed the tiara, eagle chest piece, bracers, and greaves. If you ever want to commission metal work, talk to Jacques.
For my gladiator type Wonder Woman, I chose to replace the boots with greaves which are basically metal shin guards. They would be much more functional than knee-high boots in an actual battle. I could also lace them on and get a similar look to the era where Wonder Woman wore sandals.
50s Wonder Woman and the greaves for my Wonder Woman
I went with the eagle design for the chest piece because it made the most sense for a real warrior to wear an animal symbol. Although I love the W design, it didn't really fit with the image I was going for in this costume. This was easily the hardest piece of the project.
We needed the eagle to be fitted to my...ahem... chest. That meant that Jacques needed something the shape of my chest that was hard enough to bang... I mean hammer against. We made a plaster mold of me wearing a corset (the same corset I patterned the Wonder Woman corset from). Jacques then took this shell and made a body-double of me made out of really hard plaster. That gave him the surface he needed to hammer out an eagle in the shape of my boobs.
Wrapped up in getting plastered...
The eagle (upside down) in process
After forming the steel (which is armor grade), brass was added to give a hint of the traditional Wonder Woman costume. The same was added to the grieves and the tiara. The only pieces that are only polished steel are the bracers, which are such thick steel the could probably really deflect bullets. I added laces on those to continue with the theme.
The power of the DC Universe - SDCC 2011
I am incredibly happy with how everything turned out. The metal pieces look amazing and really wow the crowed when I wear them. I really hope that SOMEONE in a film studio sees this someday and realizes that if a middle school teacher can do this in her spare time, they can do an even better job for a feature film.
Zatanna Cosplay
Like many Zatanna cosplays, this outfit was more an adventure in finding pieces and altering them, rather than creating things from scratch. I had already begun work on my Wonder Woman cosplay for San Diego Comic-Con 2011, but was worried that my intricate design may not be finished in time. Zatanna was my Plan B, although I ended up so pleased with it that I wore it in addition to Wonder Woman. I love this character and have plans for continued improvements on this look.
I found the frock coat for $12 at my local Goodwill store and tailored it to fit me well. I adjusted a shirt and corset that I already owned to give the proper look. The hat was the most difficult part, and I am not completely happy with how it looked. I will be looking for a good quality replacement before I wear this cosplay again.
**This costume was created before I started my blog. Sorry that I didn’t document its creation! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!**
In Defense of Starfire
I wrote this post back in Fall of 2011 after DC's New 52 had just been released. I was furious at all the internet uproar about Starfire's new look and personality, most of it posted by people who didn't know a thing about the comic book starfire vs. the cartoon version. My great friend Amy let me post it on her blog "Geek with Curves" since I didn't have a place to share my opinion.
. . . . . . . . .
Equality
There are a lot of male letches, jerks, and crazies in the comic book world, even among its heroes. Guy Gardner is the classic example, but there are many men in the comic universe who aren’t shy about their sexual exploits. Starfire has always been a very sexual character and it has always been clear that people on her home planet are not monogamous. Why are we upset that a woman treats sex as casually as other male characters? This comic is clearly not meant for children, so we do not have the issue of her being a bad role model. Do we expect all of heroines in comics to be perfect, beautiful, monogamous examples of women? In the end, are we asking them to make their morals and personalities as flawless as the scantly clad bodies that we point out are unrealistic?
Which brings me to….
Reality
To me, the new Starfire is flawed. She is incredibly shallow, but I know people like that. It’s sad, but true. We can all name at least one woman that we know who fits the description of “slut”, so why is it so hard for us to swallow that concept in a comic? It is a realistic flaw that really occurs in society, sometimes due to emotional problems. People have pointed out that Starfire’s behavior is similar to a rape victim or someone who has been through some other trauma. Well, Starfire was enslaved by her older sister and sexually exploited. Maybe she should have been acting this way the whole time. Maybe this is more realistic, albeit unpleasant.
And to clarify, the names she lists off in the infamous beach scene are not all her ex-lovers; they are members of her old superhero team… who she doesn’t remember because of her alien memory. I guess it’s better than a retcon? At least they didn’t un-marry her like poor Superman and Lois Lane.
Which leads into…
Be a Good Geek not just a Geek Girl
If you are going to be mad that they changed Starfire as a character, more power to you, but don’t be mad about it just because of her gender. Gender bias is what we are fighting against! If the entire female comic community gets upset every time they change a female character, we are doomed. It won’t take long before comic companies start avoiding the bad press by never taking chances with female characters, or worse, keeping the number of female characters as low as possible.
If you really want to help, be a POSITIVE customer. Vote with good press about the books you like, bugging them for new female characters to support, and by BUYING the comics you like. Once you write off a comic company, they do the same to you.
Also, support female comic writers and artists! BUY THEIR BOOKS! Contact the big companies and say that you’d love to buy comics drawn by so-and-so. Getting more women into making comics will help the quality of the female characters in the comics. When it comes right down to it, the almighty dollar is king in the DC universe. Spending money will always be heard over the din of the Internet.
And because I’m a major geek…
For the Kids
Please, enough with comparing the cartoon Starfire to the one in Red Hood. Please? The Teen Titans cartoon is not a good basis of knowledge for Starfire. It was a character more inspired by the comic Starfire, than an actual accurate portrayal. Yes, people who watched the TV show might be upset if they read Red Hood. They may also be upset when they read older comics and learn that Kory was enslaved, sexually exploited, had her family destroyed, practiced free love on her planet, and that she got her starbolts as the result of being a guinea pig in forced alien experimentation… and her new comic outfit is just as skimpy as her old outfit!
