"Fixing" Wonder Woman('s costume) - Win Letters from me!

[Katherine Kane]

It's not physical timelines that are at issue, it's ideologies and attitudes embedded in the character that got tangled up somewhere along the way.

[Crimson Ankh]

The usual stuff that happens when a new writer takes over and doesn't like what's been done or is unaware of what's been done is happening?

Well no wonder Diana's stories are tanking... What she needs, like I said, is a writer that knows her history and can blend it into who she's becoming now.

[Katherine Kane]

She's had a couple of them before, and has one now. But again, the issue isn't dealing with specific events that one writer likes and another doesn't, it's about giving her a cohesive identity and direction, and sorting through the wildly contradictory characterizations to figure out what the core of Wonder Woman is, if there even is one.

[Crimson Ankh]

Perhaps we'll see something like that happen after Blackest Night is over. I honestly think that Blackest Night'll give a lot of characters that need a decent reboot the room to actually reboot.

[Sorcette]

Hartley Rathaway

I half-expected at this point in the thread to get the cursory "What are you talking about, Wonder Woman is fine, no changes needed" post. That it hasn't happened either speaks to the fact that Wonder Woman isn't fine, or to the fact that there's just plain no Wonder Woman fans here on Gaia to take a look at the thread. neutral

I would have been that voice too, if Simone hadn't written her "Boyfriends and Babies!" arc in the book; that plotline didn't grabbed me in the slightest.... and was kind of off-putting as a matter of fact.

I'm not entirely sure how to fix Diana, but I do think there needs to be a second WW book. Something that focuses on her part of the DCU; the sidekicks, the 'secret identity', something other than All Wonder Woman All The Time. Plus, it's kind of a buffer from whatever new writer coming in and doing their inevitable "Am I just a Golem?" arc.

[iMethuselah]

Allow me to pose this question, since we've seen various writers on her, which writer is best suited to "fix" Wonder Woman? Or rather, who would you nominate?

I only ask because I'm curious since Gail has been on her book and apparently hasn't been able to fix the character and Rucka was on it and still not much improvement. I'm not saying they haven't written good stories, but if they haven't made an improvement, which writer can?

I would have nominated Rucka.

Sorce

but I do think there needs to be a second WW book.

I had meant to mention that as well. Not only to balance it out with Superman and Batman, but because I think there could be some great stories that they probably can't cover in just one title.

What I'd like to see is something happen to Wonder Woman that makes her feel like she's a part of the "trinity". I don't get that feeling right now. Like Richard was saying, Supes and Bats stand for something major. It doesn't seem like Wonder Woman does.

[Sorcette]

iMethuselah

I would have nominated Rucka.

I would as well, in a heartbeat. The only problem I ever had with his run was that it was cut short by Infinite Crisis, which he had to tie into. Gail seems to be doing a decent job, but she's had hell to clean up after Countdown and Amazons Attack!, since both directly tied into the background (and the foreground) of the book. It's not quite there yet, though.

iMethuselah

What I'd like to see is something happen to Wonder Woman that makes her feel like she's a part of the "trinity". I don't get that feeling right now. Like Richard was saying, Supes and Bats stand for something major. It doesn't seem like Wonder Woman does.

She's an icon, but it always feels like she's the 'token' one, because she's not very fleshed out beyond herself, if that. Her home city bounces around often (as in, the place she sleeps that's not Themyscira), her sidekicks/family are scattered, and the other Big Two Families just don't show up as often. The Supers, Bats, and Wonders should all have each other on speed dial, and they might, but we really only see the Supers and Bats use the phone (or the Batcave, to Bruce's chagrin). Donna talks to d**k, and Cassie talks to Connor... and sometimes Tim. Shouldn't there be more to it than that?

And where's Wonder Boy? We have a Supergirl and a Batgirl, where's the gender opposite Wonder-person?

[Hartley Rathaway]

I have thought for a long time now that there should be a Wonder Boy in the Legion of Superheroes.

[ScottyQuick]

Oooh, I like that idea. And it'd be fun to see Diana in a thousand years - how do you think she'd have changed?

[iMethuselah]

Diana's a goddess, right? So is she immortal? Or is she a demi-goddess and only ages slower than humanity? I've been curious about that for a while.

And wasn't there a Wonder Boy in Supergirl a long while back? Around issue 14 or so? He was obsessed with her, stalked her, and didn't want anyone else to have her.

--Edit--
Nevermind, that was Power Boy.

[Hartley Rathaway]

ScottyQuick

Oooh, I like that idea. And it'd be fun to see Diana in a thousand years - how do you think she'd have changed?

Obviously, Themscryia would be a planet by then...cut off from all other planets and ruled by women. Except for one boy (Maybe a son of Donna Troy?) who decides to defy the xenophobia, steal the weapons of the Gods and head off to defend the universe...

Having a reverse-gendered counterpart would be awesome for Wonder Woman. Everyone else has them...

[Scott Free]

Fixing Wonder Woman seems like such a chore to me. There is so much that seems so bizarre for me. The big thing is that Wonder Woman's back story is completely unrelatable compared to Batman and Superman. Superman is an immigrant made good. Batman is a man who has taken a tragedy to become the pinnacle of humanity. What's Wonder Woman? Someone made from clay who came to a Man's world? Her purpose as a character just seems really convoluted and as a character it doesn't work.

For me, if you're going to "fix" things I think that you need to do a radical overhaul. I think that everything needs to be taken back to the beginning. I think her origin as being made from clay needs to be jettisoned. Making her just a diplomat to 'the Man's world" and give her a real reason for Themiscrya wanting to interact with the "Man's World".

Keep the Greek background because that's interesting and it's unique from any other character but I think more needs to be done with that in terms of her attitudes and ideology and not just the mythology. I think she needs to be a warrior through and through to create a personality that's distinct and her own. As it is now, Wonder Woman's personality isn't that different than Superman. I think giving her the warrior personality would be a step in the right direction.

[Crimson Ankh]

Scott Free

For me, if you're going to "fix" things I think that you need to do a radical overhaul. I think that everything needs to be taken back to the beginning.

Okay, that's not a bad idea. They did that to Donna to help try and make sense of her past since it was so confusing and unfollowable.

Scott Free

I think her origin as being made from clay needs to be jettisoned. Making her just a diplomat to 'the Man's world" and give her a real reason for Themiscrya wanting to interact with the "Man's World".

That's part of what made Diana completely different from the Clark and Bruce. That and to get rid of that would negate the Themiscyra myths in real life since aside from Hercules, no man ever set foot on Themiscyra after Hercules.

Scott Free

Keep the Greek background because that's interesting and it's unique from any other character but I think more needs to be done with that in terms of her attitudes and ideology and not just the mythology.

The real problem I see with this part is that Diana's attitude and ideology are directly tied to the Greek Mythology, mainly because the Amazons were a 'untainted' people who believed in the Greek gods, and she tried to impart that onto the rest of the world.

Scott Free

As it is now, Wonder Woman's personality isn't that different than Superman. I think giving her the warrior personality would be a step in the right direction.

The Amazon's naturally have a warrior personality, they are after all a race of female warriors who've spent their lives doing nothing more than fight and train to fight. It's not fair to compare her attitude to Superman since they do have similar stories, both are not native to the rest of the world, both try to be larger than life, and have to balance their lives as more than human. Though I can't deny that giving her a story arc that put her in a situation that brought her back to her roots as an Amazon.

[Virgil Hawkins]

I preface this by admitting I am really ******** drunk.

Give her a city. Get rid of Themiscrya. Get rid of ALL the Greek Gods stuff, Make her street level for a year, helping kids and rape victims and kittens in trees. She's supposed to be the most loviong being on Earth, so let's see her. On Earth. For once. She needs a home base that isn't Themiscrya, somewhere she belongs to where everyday people live,

I would also settle for a Real World style soap involving her apartment and the monkeys.

If no one loves this planet more than Wonder Woman, let's see that love,

[GLJordan]

Virgil Hawkins

I preface this by admitting I am really ******** drunk.

Give her a city. Get rid of Themiscrya. Get rid of ALL the Greek Gods stuff, Make her street level for a year, helping kids and rape victims and kittens in trees. She's supposed to be the most loviong being on Earth, so let's see her. On Earth. For once. She needs a home base that isn't Themiscrya, somewhere she belongs to where everyday people live,

I would also settle for a Real World style soap involving her apartment and the monkeys.

If no one loves this planet more than Wonder Woman, let's see that love,

actually avoid this like the plague. writers doing this is one of the reasons she is doing so badly. I don't think simone and rucka were good writers for her. anybody who is urban by nature I don't think is good writer for her. She is supose to be WONDER woman. unforunately most writers have worried more about making her street level,relatable whatever you want to call it.

things that would Help Wonder Woman.

fire simone the movie sucked and so does her storylines.

reestablish the grecoroman gods as Flawed GODS . don't have Athena dresed as Oracle, enough with the flawed part but not the god part. Perez had Aries as a force of nature that she had to show the truth to but couldn't defeat. simone had him killed off handedly twice. One of the reasons Hercules works is because the gods are a serious threat.

Reestablish her as having arrived during WW2. it gives her story more punch that is missing without it. It was one of the worse times in the world and we need heroe then. so her arriving to fight for love,peace and truth in a star spangled outfit carries more weight (and helps explain the star spangled outfit)

have DC treat her with respect. between her skills and powers, she should be able to defeat Batman or Superman but they never will have her do so. while were at it no more emma peel wonder woman.

keep her in the Justice League but have her be a major force in it.

Personally I would like to see Busiek and Perez tackle her. last time she was done well was Perez.