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.
Do-it-Yourself: Comic Book Purse
This is a great technique called decoupage, which has been around for a LONG time. I had seen it done, but it took the geek powers of @amy_geek, @ArkhamAsylumDoc, @TheStephThorpe, and all the other amazing girls in our crafting group to get me to try it. This was my first decoupage project!
Materials:
Purse
Think about what you want to do with your purse, and choose an appropriate style and color. For example, I wanted to make a Wonder Woman themed purse so I chose red leather to match Wonder Woman's outfit. Ideally, you want to decorate areas that bend and flex as little as possible. Purses with stiffer sides are better than bag- types. I found mine at the Goodwill store for $7.
Mod Podge & Paint Brush
This wonderful substance is similar to Elmer's Glue and is available at most craft stores, but I found mine at Walmart. It comes in multiple sizes and usually costs less than $10. I chose the gloss finish type, but there are other choices. While you're there, buy a cheap paintbrush to apply the Mod Podge. I prefer the finer bristle ones because it's easier to apply the Mod Podge smoothly and they are less likely to mess up the pictures. Don't spend a lot of money though because, if you forget to wash it quickly enough, the Mod Podge will ruin your brush.
Pictures
Actually, any paper product will do, but pictures are the most interesting and easy for other people to recognize. I bought some used Wonder Woman comics at my local shop. I suggest comic books from the last few years due to their higher printing quality and vibrant colors, but anything will work. If you don't want to cut up comics, you can make color Xerox copies of them to use for your project instead.
PRO TIP: If you are buying comics for this project, look through them before you buy them! It's amazing how little a character can show up in their own comic!
Process:
Step 1: Stuff the purse with a towel so that it doesn't give when you put pressure on it, then wipe off the purse with a damp paper towel and maybe some mild soap. I don't recommend 
cleaners because you never know how they will affect the Mod Podge or the purse. Once the purse is totally dry, move on to the next step.
Step 2: Decide what area of the purse you'd like to start working on and choose a picture that will fit there. Cut the picture out in a square-ish shape with lots of extra around it but be careful not to mess up other pictures you might use. It is easier to trim away extra when you start applying it to the purse than to try to fill in gaps in your collage. Hold the picture up to the DRY purse, then trim away the extra so that it fits the space. If you'd like, you can use a light pencil or your fingernail to mark the edges before you trim them.
Step 3: With your paint brush, apply a medium layer of Mod Podge to the area you intend to place your first picture. It shouldn't be dripping, but you should be able to see the white coloring. CAREFULLY place the picture on the Mod Podged area and smooth it out with your fingers. The now-wet paper will rip if you pull on it too much.
Step 4: Spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over your image with your paint brush. This layer should be pretty thin and clear when applied, and will dry completely clear. Be sure to add extra to the cut edges of your picture and flatten them with your paintbrush. You don't want any edges or seams sticking up. If wrinkles appear, smooth them with your brush or the tips of your fingers. This might be a sign that you didn't stuff your purse enough, so add more stuffing!
Step 5: Repeat steps 2 - 5 with other pictures until the purse is covered to your liking! You do not have to wait for the Mod Podge on one picture to dry before starting on the next. Don't be afraid to overlap them!
Step 6: After the bag is done being decorated, add more thin layers of Mod Podge on top of the decorated areas to keep them protected. Wait at least 48 hours before using your purse. You can always add another layer of Mod Podge if you see areas becoming worn!
Congrats! You now have a custom piece of accessory artwork to enjoy!
Do-It-Yourself: Wonder Woman Boots
When I first designed my Wonder Woman cosplay, I wanted to make something that would be a believable real-world interpretation of Diana. That did not include the white and red go-go boots that are part of Wonder Woman's trademark costume, so I chose to go for the more Amazonian look of greek sandals and lace-up steel greaves. Since then, I have wanted the more traditional boots so I can be more easily recognized at cosplay events... because people seem to think I'm a patriotic Xena. Go fig.
There are a lot of affordable Wonder Woman boots for sale, however, my unique costume made things difficult because the shiny, bright red boots available online wouldn't match my muted, matte leather look. This limited me to two options, have them custom made or make them myself. My teacher salary and common sense made me choose the latter.
Step one, find boots. This step was very difficult for me, but I had an incredibly specific set of requirements and I was not willing to compromise... or pay over $50. I did weekly searches of Ebay, Etsy, and my local used clothing stores to find the perfect pair. Ebay eventually resulted in the perfect pair of tall leather burgundy boots in my size, for a price that I was willing to pay. With shipping, they put me back about $30. I had leftover white leather from my Sif cosplay, so it worked out perfectly.
The next step is to make the pattern. I highly suggest that you get a friend to help you with this because you have to be wearing the boots to get an accurate measurement. I used white interfacing that I cut in strips and taped in place with scotch tape to create my pattern. The interfacing has similar properties to the leather, and was already laying around my workshop. I started with the stripe at the top of the boot, being careful to cut it in a triangle based shape that would peak in the front and then meet behind my calf. I then measured a long strip to run down the front of the boot.
When I got the mock-up fitting exactly right, I carefully pulled these pieces 
off the boot (careful to keep them together as one piece) and traced them onto the back of the white leather. I used a pencil to insure that it wouldn't show later and CAREFULLY cut them out. Make sure that you cut one for the right and one for the left, they should be mirror images of each other. If you get two identical pieces, you did it wrong. After I cut them out I stitched white thread along the edges of the white to give it texture. It will also make it look like the stripes are sewn on, when they will (mostly) just be glued on.
PRO TIP: Cut slowly and don't use the full length of the scissor blades. This will insure you get smooth lines without those annoying jagged spots.
Once the pieces are cut, you should TAPE the stripes in place on the boot using masking or painters tape. Pins will leave little puncture marks in the leather, so avoid them. You should be wearing the boots for this step because the intended center of the boot and where the center of the boot is on your calf may be two different things. Trust me, I learned that the hard way. Double and triple check that you like the way the boots look and that they match each other. Pay special attention to the high point at the top of the boot and if the front stripe lands in the same place on both boots. Once they match you are ready to start attaching them!
I wanted to make sure my boots were super strong, so I sewed the top stripe to the top of the boot. (The yellow dotted lines in the picture to the left show exactly where I did the sewing.) You can usually use a normal sewing machine for this unless the boots aren't made of dress leather. Once this part is sewn together you should stuff your boots (with newspaper, extra cloth, etc) until they hold their shape themselves. You will then use Barge cement to glue down the stripe in the front and to finish attaching the stripe at the very top of the boot. Follow the application directions on the can to get the best hold. This glue needs 24 hours minimum of undisturbed drying time to get it's full hold, so don't wear the boots for this step.
Wait at least 24 hours before messing with the boots. Seriously. This is the hardest part for me, but learn from my mistakes and don't move the boots around until they have dried for at least 24 hours. Once the boots are completely dry, you should remove the tape and try them on and see if everything turned out the way you wanted! If there are any small spots that aren't glued down around the edges you can add tiny drops of Barge with a toothpick or small paintbrush.
Congratulations! You can now make your own unique pair of custom Wonder Woman boots on a budget!
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.
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.
Bringing an Amazon to Life
When I put my mind to something, very little can stop me. Common sense and logic were completely forgotten with this intense labor of love. I spent way too much money, way too much time, called in a lot of favors, and had a few near-breakdowns, all in the name of bringing an Amazon to life.
For months I studied Wonder Woman cosplay pictures online. Many of them were very, very good. However, I noticed that most were based on the 4-color comic book idea of Diana. While I love that image, I wanted to bring a Christopher Nolan-style Wonder Woman to life. I wanted a REAL amazon, with REAL armor. This would be outside the realm of most first-time cosplayers, but (lucky for me) I'm a nerd. After working at Renaissance Faires for over a decade (fuck, has it really been that long???) I've made some really talented friends.
The first thing I needed was a concept. I've always thought that the bathing suit look was fine in the comics, but I can't really picture anyone wearing it to fight crime in the real world. I have always liked the skirt option for Wonder Woman, and there are many renditions of her in Gladiator-style Roman skirts. Since these actually functioned as clothing for real warriors in centuries past, that's the option I went with. To do it right, I'd need real dyed leather and real molded steel. This was going to become a much larger project than I had ever planned for...
... but damn am I proud of the results...
Debuted at Comic-Con San Diego 2011
I will be posting specific breakdowns of the creation of the armor and sewing the leather pieces another night.
Why did I start Cosplaying?
It all started with a TV show... a really, REALLY BAD TV show.
As you have probably noticed by now, I am a big Wonder Woman fan. So when I heard that David E. Kelley was bringing her to the small screen in 2011, I was both excited and doubtful. How on earth were they going to pull off Diana with a small budget? I actually got my hopes up when they announced that Adrianne Palicki would be Diana. The woman is 5'11"! Maybe they were going to make a true Amazon Princess after all..
Then they released this image and I died a little inside.
This... shiny latex abomination killed all my hopes for the show. How could any self-respecting costume designer let this be photographed? Did they just grab whatever they could from a Halloween store and say "Fuck it"? Ms. Palicki is a beautiful woman, but she looks like a cheap hooker here. I hope that someone was fired for the horrible production quality of this photograph.
I eventually got a copy of the Wonder Woman pilot and OH MY GOD IS IT BAD. It is seriously the worst writing I have ever seen on any show, and I used to watch Xena and Hercules! Unfortunately, the costume (with a few changes) actually was one of the better parts of the show... THAT'S HOW BAD IT WAS! In the aftermath of the pilot never being picked up (because it was an abomination) many people on the interwebz were using it as proof that a Wonder Woman movie could never be made. They cited the impossible-to-please fans and the logistics of making the costume realistic as evidence of it's impossibility.
I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted to make a Wonder Woman costume that made sense for a Greek Amazon and was made out of practical materials (ie. leather and steel) so it was more than just a bathing suit. And thus, I was born into the world of cosplay.