Wonder Woman wardrobe change

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Cajungal

Cajungal

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I don't really keep up with comics that much, so this is the first I've heard of this.

BBC News - Superhero Wonder Woman gets trendy make over
DC Comics has hired a new writer, J. Michael Straczynski, to give Wonder Woman's life a new direction.

Mr Straczynski told the New York Times that it had been time to bring the iconic character into the 21st Century.

"She's been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941", Mr Straczynski said. "What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?"

He said the redesign of Wonder Woman's outfit had been his priority when he took on the job.

"I wanted to toughen her up and give her a modern sensibility", Mr Straczynski said.
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There's a picture of the outfit in the article. I don't like it.
 
R

Raemon777

I think that looks pretty decent, but I was never attached to Wonder Woman so I'm not having my childhood abused by the change.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Yeah, me neither, Raemon. But I think she looks like some biker dude's "old lady." My dad's not going to be pleased.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

Tweak a classic outfit. Don't just throw out the Babe with the bathwater.

The last time they totally changed her look the comic nearly failed.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Dang, sixpack, you're right. It doesn't help that I just borrowed a WW comic from someone where she teams up with Dinah. How "tough" and "modern" are we talking, anyway? I kind of like that Diana's a little detached from everyday modern society in the stuff I've read and seen. It doesn't mean she's not tough when she needs to be.
 
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Raemon777

The thing with the speedo is that it DOES make sense for a guy who spends his life going swimming to wear a swimsuit. It also makes sense for a guy with a huge, deformed muscular body who probably can't even feel the clothes he wears and can't fit most clothes over himself to not bother wearing clothes that he doesn't need. By contrast there is no particular reason for Wonder Woman to be wearing a leotard.

The other thing is that saying "make 'em all equally (a)sexual", as if men and woman currently ARE subject to the same standards and fixing one female hero without fixing all of them is somehow sexist, ignores the fact that... well, men and women ARE bound to different standards, women ARE objectified more and defined by their looks more then men are, women superheroes almost universally wear ridiculous outfits that are not sexually exploitive, the men in the "equivalent" outfits usually AREN'T sexually objectified (I mean, I'll grant Namor, but seriously, how many people jerk off to the Thing and the Hulk?).

Compare Hulk to She-Hulk. One is wearing spandex underwear because he's big and muscular and changes size all the time. The other wears underwear because.... she's hot and they want to show it off. She doesn't seem to change size that much, she doesn't even get muscular like she should. One is clearly sexually exploitive and one clearly isn't. And this pattern is not unique.

She looks like a twenty-something bar skank.
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Because clearly, that is worse than what she looked like originally.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
There is a huuuuge difference between Namor and Wonder Woman, on a vast array of levels, both from practical character perspective to demographics to cultural gender issues that are apparent through all aspects of media, but clearly represented here.

I will honestly say though, that sure, there is a place for characters to be dressed fun and sexy and what not. Yet, I don't think that was WW's original plan. And, from a man-dominated business industry, where does the line blur between "fun and sexy" and "let's draw sexy women so we can get our rocks off and fuck how this might affect women readers perceptions?"

BUUUUUUUUUUUUT...fuck it. Instead of trying to go into the delicate double-standards, hypocrisies and other such fine differences between genders, I'm going to throw my hands up in the air and give up, because I don't have time today to get into these arguments.
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

I often wonder how much Marston (Wonder Woman's creator) was into BDSM/alternative lifestyles. Nearly every issue he created had a full-page bondage panel, and he had a wife (and 2 kids) a mistress (and 2 more kids) and they all lived as one big happy family.




hmmm
 
ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

Okay, I don't think the costume is horrible, but it does have a few things that really bother me.

Her bullet deflecting bracers look utterly stupid as one of those semi-gloved arm stockings where only a little section hooks between the middle and index finger and nowhere else.

If they are going for a "modern, strong woman" type feeling, why did they give her a collar? I understand it is a fashion statement for some people, but this is Wonder Woman, not some emo/goth/punk/biker chick trying to be hip.

What happened to her circlet? They went to all that trouble to cover her up, but then trimmed down the circlet so much you can barely even see it. The circlet was one of the defining characteristcs of Wonder Woman's design for me.

Also, Wonder Woman should never, ever wear a frivolous jacket. I hate when they add a jacket to a character when it's never actually used like a jacket, but more of a accessory. You know they are never going to close it up, as that prevents the rest of the design from being seen, so it will just sit on her shoulders every issue for no reason.

Really, if they took away the top part of the gloves hooking between the fingers, removed the jacket and collar, increased the size of the circlet, and turned the pants into shorts (It does not have to be a leotard again, but Wonder Woman without legs is not Wonder Woman) I think it would be a fine design close to the original but distinct enough for a modern take of the character.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

You'd be surprised to know what Wonder Woman started off as...



Something for young boys to jerk off to, and for young girls to emulate, a bondage queen.
 
ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

A lot of good points and yes, where are her damn legs?!
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I even noticed in this thread that her original version wore shorts, rather then a leotard. Why not just make the shorts a little longer and go back to that? No one is asking for the return of the leotard, as that would look silly for a "modern reboot", but some lean crime fighting shorts can work just fine.
 
drawn_inward

drawn_inward

I think JMS is a great comic-writer, but the outfit isn't all that great. I think the character could use an update, but the new outfit is too far removed from the classic one that I wouldn't recognize the character unless I was told that it was WW.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
That's a solid point, Ame. I mean, if the character portrays good characteristics, and isn't just porn thinly disguised as a comic, then hell yeah go for it.
 
D

Disconnected

Dave said:
She looks like a twenty-something bar skank.
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I lean towards this comment. she looks like wonder girl not wonder woman. I do like the stark red midsection with gold belt and 'w' in the neckline. or boobline.
I expect an amazonian wonder woman to have more presence.

guess that's why it's a makeover.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member


When did Wonder Woman start branding bad guys with a W?

---------- Post added at 12:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:47 PM ----------

And, to quote Linkara who knows a lot more about WW than I do: "I don't even care that much about the costume except that they TRIED this look already in the 90s. It didn't stick."
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

I liked the look they did a few years back that made her outfit look even more Greek. Basically the same but the bustier looked more like armor, then there was the shield, spear and cape. Really elegant and pretty.

 
KEM

KEM

Amorous Eyes said:
Dear God that is awful.

From that same article:

What was wrong with this, though?

It shows her as a very strong-willed woman, decently covered, and not posing as some sex-goddess.

She looks good. She's an Amazon after all. From Paradise Island. Why should she suddenly cover up her body. Global warming turned out to be a sham and another Ice Age is coming?
"Brrr! It's getting cold, I better close my jacket.. NNNGGH! Dammit! It won't close!"
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I'm not sure about the costume as it's kinda hard to get past the fact that she looks like a male bodybuilder in drag in that picture.

As for her new costume, I find it interesting that they make a point of 'covering her up' but they still give her pretty huge breasts for a strong, athletic woman. Seriously, she must have some major back problems lugging those two things around.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
It just doesn't look right. Besides, they pretty much had it down right before.




---------- Post added at 03:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:22 PM ----------

Oh, and I meant to post this one along with it too.

"Redesign Wonder Woman's Costume??"

 
SpecialKO

SpecialKO

It's not the worst costume I've seen, but it doesn't feel like WW to me, just another femme fatale-style superhero, of which we have dozens already. Shouldn't WW always, er, stick out?

Plus, with the general design, I'm terribly afraid they're going to bring back mullet-cowls and criss-crossed utility belts. Some things in comics need to stay dead, dammit!
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
You said mullet, and suddenly it all made sense:



The Wonder Woman franchise is going to turn into Streets of Rage. Nice!
 
D

Dusty668

The new outfit makes her look like she's late for her job in Littany's Tavern on The Green.

It just dosen't say "Super" to me, sorry.
 
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