Wonder Woman's new look: At long last, pants!

[Nowhere Man]

http://screenrant.com/wonder-woman-new-costume-sandy-66739/

I can grudgingly live with the new costume and origin, if the changes are part of a larger strategy to produce a movie.

Watchmen may turn out to be the last superhero movie to showcase female crimefighters wearing skimpy, thigh-revealing costumes.

That was my first thought, they are gearing up for a movie, but who know?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Gods help me I just read Wonder Woman 600.

4 or 5 dinky stories about mostly nothing concluding with Stravinski's prologue to his new ongoing... Only? Why in gods name did they have like 10 splash pages of Wonder Woman in her classic "uniform" if this was the issue in which the NEW costume debuted?

Surely we would want to see 10 pictures of the new uniform by ten members of marvels top talent pool rather than a farewell to the old duds? because lets face it... These togs are not going to be in it for the long haul.

Look closely at the jacket she is wearing.

Isn't that the same "jacket" Diana was wearing in the 90's when that redhead stole her job? I mean this in a good way. The Jacket was in her wardrobe and she liked it, so she put it on again, just like what happens when any one of us digs into the back of our wardrobes looking for Narnia or clean socks.

JMS' story was a little shit.

 

[Jetfire]

The old costume will be back. It's too iconic.

Agreed.

 

[Venardhi]

I agree with most of what you said. As for the aforementioned parts, there is a doodle by a fellow poster in the other thread that deals very effectively with them, and it definitively works.

Here is the link.

(a bit "Saint Seiya - Knights of the Zodiac" now that I look at it again, but it goes well with the Greek motif!)

Ooo, now that I like. The jacket is the main thing I'm kind of iffy on regarding the redesign, but that interpretation looks really cool.

I improved it a bit since that last doodle with the help of a higher rez version of the picture and getting my tablet to work momentarily. Not particularly polished, but it fixes almost everything I have against the new costume and I think makes it pretty damn snazzy. I'd get rid of the choker too, but that seems like too much effort right now:

 

[Myasishchev]

If comics fans in the '60s had been like comics fans today, they'd be calling for Carmine Infantino's blood for designing a Flash costume that was a red leotard and cowl rather than a red T-shirt, blue jeans, and a Mercury helmet that inexplicably failed to fly off when the Flash ran. Not to mention the cardinal sin of replacing Jay Garrick with some guy named Barry Allen! How dare they!

Except, you know, Carmine Infantino's redesign was good. And Barry Allen was an awesome guy.

Interestingly, though, I pitched a fit when they brought him back.

I think it's just because an idea can be placed in a category such as "old" or "new," doesn't cause or even correlate with whether it's in the category of "good" or "bad."

Anyway, I've never particularly understood why showing a little leg is either 1)particularly sexist or 2)poor design. Diana's not entirely bulletproof, but she's usually shown to be more resistant than most fabrics.

At this rate, the next time Magnus, Robot Fighter comes back he won't even have the Goddamn skirt.

(Yes, I know they redesigned his costume in the Valiant series circa the Malev War. And that stank, too. Might as well have changed the name to Magnus, Homophobe Fighter. Same deal in microcosm with the second Rai, even though he was an original creation and only had about eight issues before Erica Pierce snuffed him in Unity--they nevertheless managed to lame up an iconic-looking character.)

 

[Jack Bauer]

Lose the lame jacket. Did Wonder Woman raid Vibe's discarded wardrobe?

 

[iguana_tonante]

I improved it a bit since that last doodle with the help of a higher rez version of the picture and getting my tablet to work momentarily. Not particularly polished, but it fixes almost everything I have against the new costume and I think makes it pretty damn snazzy. I'd get rid of the choker too, but that seems like too much effort right now:

That's awesome. Really. I love it. It fixes everything that I don't like about the new costume, it's fresh but recognizable. Send it to DC. Send it now.

(I like the choker, but only because in general I find chokers pretty damn sexy.)

 

[JRS]

Lose the lame jacket. Did Wonder Woman raid Vibe's discarded wardrobe?

Nah, I think she borrowed from Wonder Girls closet:

I think the "Im glad that WW has pants" argument comes bit weak, after one sees the current Birds of Prey( No, I dont want pants to all superheroines):

Anyway..
Like I said in an earlier thread, I dont mind the new costume.
It looks fine..and I guess it serves its purpose
I dont like the jacket much, thoug.
And that being said..I didint personally have nothing against the old iconic costume. It really defines her, visually that is.
It will propably come back, at some point

It is also likely, that the new outfit will make the WW film moving closer to reality, especially now that there is a producer who lobbying to make it:
http://scifiwire.com/2010/06/x-men-producer-begs-dc-
co.php
(Though it would be fine, if the film would have the old costume also..)

The costume and other changes have really sparked some big depates and arguments on the comic book forums.
Some praise the new costume and direction
..while others condem JMS and his direction to the lower parts of Hell
I can understand the fuzz..but some of the langue is very inmature, since it comes mostly from adults.
I cant really participate much of the arguments, because Im just getting board the comic..and I know Wonder Woman mostly from handfull of trades, the TV-show and the animated JLA series

Im sure this re-boot will help to bring in some new readers, that the comic seems to be needing, judging from the sales.
Some hardcore comic book fans said yesterday in the forums that they dont "Give a rats ass about the newbies".
Well, Im glad that some old fans are more welcome to the "newbies" like me...

 

[Dusty Ayres]

So, predictably, the responses are:

1) I like it! WW has needed a makeover for ages!

2) It's horrible! You can't change WW! She's an icon!

3) Meh. She needs a makeover, but not this one.

Gotta wonder how many of the people weighing in at yahoo and cnn and salon, etcetera, actually read comics anyway?

The answer is, NONE! The same goes for the feminists at most of the web sites and blogs. NONE of them read Wonder Woman-they just pay lip service to her, and then they do a bullcrit (bullshit criticism) as if they know or care about her. Her image/character/lovelife is something most of them have a great opinion about even though none of them read or have really read the book in a while. It was all talked about here in this article:

Unfortunately, being the female vanguard of the DC Comics publishing line carries a lot of sexual-political baggage that other characters don't have. Like outstanding females in many other prominent roles in our society, Wonder Woman can't just behave like a normal person: she has to represent women as a whole. Given that women as a whole are no more unified than men are as a whole, it is an impossible role. While Batman and Superman have some limitations as characters (i.e. no mention of their religion or politics), in the case of Wonder Woman the rules are quite binding and restrictive. (Oh, that reminds me: no bondage portrayals, either.)

Wonder Woman can't ever talk about wanting a man or it would offend the hard-left feminists who insist you don't need a man to be complete. She can't be afraid of anything, or need saving by a man, or rely on a man for emotional support. Wonder Woman can't cry…ever, even in situations where men would be crying…or it makes her "weak". Wonder Woman can't ever contemplate having a baby for fear of "Oh, so women are just baby-making machines, eh?" responses. And if Wonder Woman eschews a normal home life in order to maintain her role as an Amazonian representative, advocating women's issues and pacificism, the book can't get too controversial for fear of jeopardizing her commercial value. (Why do you think DC only allows second-tier characters like Green Arrow to get political? It's because DC Comics would still continue publication if Green Arrow had to be jettisoned.)

All of these considerations must be weighed when writing Wonder Woman. It matters not that the number of National Organization of Women members buying Wonder Woman can't be much higher than zero. Wonder Woman is, was and shall always be a mediocre book that's only read by hardcore fans, 13-year-old-girls and T&A afficianadoes. BUT…if Wonder Woman was ever allowed to develop as a person in a way that displeased feminists, there would be an outcry in the media before you could say, "I'm Barbie and math class is tough!"

The effect of such a "scandal" would probably be good for Wonder Woman as a book. As I said, you can't boycott something you weren't buying anyway. The current fans are not going to drop it just because of some group that was offended by it. And many people, in hearing that the Wonder Woman comic book is being decried for doing something controversial, would (A) express surprise that there is a Wonder Woman comic book being published and (B) possibly pick up an issue out of curiosity the next time they're at the grocery store or book store, assuming it was possible to find comic books there. However, Warner Brothers would balk at having their marketable character's reputation sullied by the outraged groups, even while DC Comics' response was "bad publicity is better than no publicity."

15 Years Without A Man:
Is Wonder Woman Gay?
Paradise Island? Or Isle of Lesbos?

THIS above-mentioned reason is why people hate any change in Wonder Woman, including the costume.

 

[Christopher]

On the subject of "iconic" costumes: Neal Adams redesigned Robin's costume a couple of decades ago, keeping its "iconic" stylistic elements but making it more modern and practical and less like a circus outfit. And that redesign endures to this day. An iconic look doesn't require an absolutely unchanging costume; after all, Wonder Woman's costume has changed many times over the years while keeping the same core stylistic elements. So there's no reason they couldn't keep the practical aspects like the shoulder straps and pants while still retaining the iconic visual elements. I think the Lee redesign does retain the iconic aspects, just in a modified and subdued way, although the jacket disrupts it too much. Just losing the jacket, I think, would be a considerable improvement.

 

[C.E. Evans]

So, predictably, the responses are:

1) I like it! WW has needed a makeover for ages!

2) It's horrible! You can't change WW! She's an icon!

3) Meh. She needs a makeover, but not this one.

Gotta wonder how many of the people weighing in at yahoo and cnn and salon, etcetera, actually read comics anyway?

The answer is, NONE! The same goes for the feminists at most of the web sites and blogs. NONE of them read Wonder Woman-they just pay lip service to her, and then they do a bullcrit (bullshit criticism) as if they know or care about her. Her image/character/lovelife is something most of them have a great opinion about even though none of them read or have really read the book in a while. It was all talked about here in this article:

Unfortunately, being the female vanguard of the DC Comics publishing line carries a lot of sexual-political baggage that other characters don't have. Like outstanding females in many other prominent roles in our society, Wonder Woman can't just behave like a normal person: she has to represent women as a whole. Given that women as a whole are no more unified than men are as a whole, it is an impossible role. While Batman and Superman have some limitations as characters (i.e. no mention of their religion or politics), in the case of Wonder Woman the rules are quite binding and restrictive. (Oh, that reminds me: no bondage portrayals, either.)

Wonder Woman can't ever talk about wanting a man or it would offend the hard-left feminists who insist you don't need a man to be complete. She can't be afraid of anything, or need saving by a man, or rely on a man for emotional support. Wonder Woman can't cry…ever, even in situations where men would be crying…or it makes her "weak". Wonder Woman can't ever contemplate having a baby for fear of "Oh, so women are just baby-making machines, eh?" responses. And if Wonder Woman eschews a normal home life in order to maintain her role as an Amazonian representative, advocating women's issues and pacificism, the book can't get too controversial for fear of jeopardizing her commercial value. (Why do you think DC only allows second-tier characters like Green Arrow to get political? It's because DC Comics would still continue publication if Green Arrow had to be jettisoned.)

All of these considerations must be weighed when writing Wonder Woman. It matters not that the number of National Organization of Women members buying Wonder Woman can't be much higher than zero. Wonder Woman is, was and shall always be a mediocre book that's only read by hardcore fans, 13-year-old-girls and T&A afficianadoes. BUT…if Wonder Woman was ever allowed to develop as a person in a way that displeased feminists, there would be an outcry in the media before you could say, "I'm Barbie and math class is tough!"

The effect of such a "scandal" would probably be good for Wonder Woman as a book. As I said, you can't boycott something you weren't buying anyway. The current fans are not going to drop it just because of some group that was offended by it. And many people, in hearing that the Wonder Woman comic book is being decried for doing something controversial, would (A) express surprise that there is a Wonder Woman comic book being published and (B) possibly pick up an issue out of curiosity the next time they're at the grocery store or book store, assuming it was possible to find comic books there. However, Warner Brothers would balk at having their marketable character's reputation sullied by the outraged groups, even while DC Comics' response was "bad publicity is better than no publicity."

15 Years Without A Man:
Is Wonder Woman Gay?
Paradise Island? Or Isle of Lesbos?

THIS above-mentioned reason is why people hate any change in Wonder Woman, including the costume.

Thank you...that really sums up a lot of thoughts I've had about Wonder Woman for awhile now.

 

[Hermiod]

^Pretty much sums it up for me too.

I will always hold Ms. Marvel up as a far better example of a true superheroine. She, probably, holds the same place in the Marvel universe as Wonder Woman does in DC's yet we get no pseudo-feminism, no comments about the treatment of women in "man's world" and certainly no concept of her representing her entire gender.

I doubt those who would criticise Wonder Woman having a child or even just a boyfriend have actually bought a comic book in their lives anyway (*). I thought feminism was supposed to broaden women's choices, not limit them. Because she's the International Representative of the Entire Female Gender she can't have sex ? Talk about your Female Eunuch!

Compare her to Ms. Marvel who, in her own book, juggling her efforts to improve her public image, two potential suitors and leadership of two superhero teams, while trying to sneak in a few games of Bejeweled. This is because Carol Danvers is a normal person when she takes the costume off.

(* - Actually, I would criticise her having a boyfriend or a child - but only if she did what she did with Nemesis again, i.e. lead him on in order to get pregnant. That's a little bit too on the nose for me.)

 

[Captain Craig]

The old costume will be back. It's too iconic.

Exactly.
Just like comics do the death/rebirth schtick as a way to garner interest this is the other one. The costume change.
She wore that all black aerobic workout looking outfit for a while in the 90s after technically not being WW, didn't last either.

Spidey will always return to the red/blue's
Daredevil in the reds
Superman didn't remain electric red/blue either.

The classic will return, just enjoy this for the next 18-24months.

 

[Blamo]

Forget the sexual politics, the old outfit just looks rubbish and outdated. As do most superheroes that came about in the early 20th century or were created using a similar design style, however Wonder Woman is perhaps one of the worst.

Even though the comic industry is more varied then most people realise (especially the more deluded Manga fans), it's the superhero market that gets the most attention. As such, the first introduction people get to the comic industry are superhero images. If they just improved that, it may boost all round sales.

I'd also say digital distribution on a PC/Mac would help, but again you have the hardcore comic book fans complaining (from the way they complain, it sounds like their main interest is collecting comics books, not reading them).

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I agree with most of what you said. As for the aforementioned parts, there is a doodle by a fellow poster in the other thread that deals very effectively with them, and it definitively works.

Here is the link.

(a bit "Saint Seiya - Knights of the Zodiac" now that I look at it again, but it goes well with the Greek motif!)

Ooo, now that I like. The jacket is the main thing I'm kind of iffy on regarding the redesign, but that interpretation looks really cool.

I improved it a bit since that last doodle with the help of a higher rez version of the picture and getting my tablet to work momentarily. Not particularly polished, but it fixes almost everything I have against the new costume and I think makes it pretty damn snazzy. I'd get rid of the choker too, but that seems like too much effort right now:

Very nice, I think you made the "pants" work nicely. I like the way you integrated the new and the old look. I think that dark look was to work with the ill-advised(IMO, we'll see) urban warrior thing they got going on. Either way, I like what you've done here.

That jacket just looked like it would bind her if she moved too far. I'm not sure that the shoulder pads wouldn't but it looks more right.

 

[Christopher]

Sorry, I just don't care for the shoulder pads. And I like the lack of high boots in the Lee design; it makes her legs look longer because there's an unbroken stretch of color from waist to heel. And the featureless, wide gold trim on the boots in this proposed redesign clashes with the intricate detailing on the belt.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

I am imagining the shoulder pads from the jacket in red, and a part of her red top, so instead of the spagetti strap bathing suit it starts to resemble actual armour. Without seeing it drawn, maybe it would be hideous but I think I'd like it more than the jacket.
[...]

I can live with the boots, I've seen the gold straps described as "spurs", I guess by someone who's never had motorcycle boots. They are just straps to hod the boots firm, you can almost run in them without looking foolish. I'd like to see the costume with those boots in red, giving the same colour scheme as her gloves/bracers. Might not like it, but I'd like to check it out as an option.

I agree with most of what you said. As for the aforementioned parts, there is a doodle by a fellow poster in the other thread that deals very effectively with them, and it definitively works.

Here is the link.

(a bit "Saint Seiya - Knights of the Zodiac" now that I look at it again, but it goes well with the Greek motif!)

Thanks, That's pretty much what I was imagining. I like the pants in blue, it stays close enough to the old colour scheme that it still seems like Wonder Woman. The shoulder pad work. I like it a lot more than the jacket.

 

[davejames]

Sorry, I just don't care for the shoulder pads. And I like the lack of high boots in the Lee design; it makes her legs look longer because there's an unbroken stretch of color from waist to heel. And the featureless, wide gold trim on the boots in this proposed redesign clashes with the intricate detailing on the belt.

Same here. I would just have bare shoulders and the long, skin-tight pants. This, while well-executed, seems a bit overdesigned to me (much like Supergirl's overdesigned modern costume).

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's funny that JMS or Jim Lee are concerned about the practicallity of the costume of a character that is usually lines on a paper or a screen. Hey dummies,the only way her "parts" are going to fly out, are if you draw them flying out!!! I'm not sure if "practical" is a word that should allowed anywhere near a character who is a statue brought to life by the magic of the Greek Gods. Even for "street level" superheroes, supervised visits is perferable.

 

[Shazam!]

Utter horseshit. The costume, the premise, all of it.

Aye.