“Wonder Woman. This is a character I want to love, but I just haven’t read the right comics yet.
What is it? Why is this so difficult?
I guess Wonder Woman has this added thing that most heroes don’t, which is that she’s got the burden to be THE lady superhero. So maybe the stories are designed to please everyone, which means they are passable, but nothing super exciting.
I do think it’s weird that there’s so much focus on how Wonder Woman is dressed. At the risk of sounding like a complete pervo, I thought Cheetah’s jugs were totally on display in this book, and that makes no sense. What is a cheetah-woman doing with boobs flopping around? Why are they fur-covered and still oh-so-shapely? What exactly is going on with that? I know I’ve strayed far beyond the pervo line, but flip through this book yourself, tell me I’m wrong.
Anyway, Wonder Woman’s attire is the source of a lot of focus, but I gotta say, Superman runs around in what is basically body paint these days. Highlighted red over his crotch. Often complete with bulge! Crotch bulge! Why? Captain Marvel’s costume is lauded, but to me it just looks like a naked chick and someone grabbed a blue pen instead of peach. But she’s got full sleeves and a collar, so it’s all good(?) Pardon me for being an asshole for a second. I think we give Carol a pass because she’s got a hip haircut. We’re like, No, she’s empowered. Look at her hair! Parts of it are really short! Just ignore that her suit cups every part of her body that can be cupped.
Given the choice to run around in a skirt and bustier or body paint with my dongle painted red…I don’t know, I need at least 3 beers to make a decision like that, and currently I have none beers.
I think the worst costume, hands-down, is Robin. OG Robin. It’s not just the briefs, it’s the little elf shoes that really top it off. At least Wonder Woman usually has cool boots.
That’s the worst for me, but the worst for everyone else would be Power Girl. A boob window on me? Pale chest with wispy chest hair. Guh.
But that’s kind of part of this whole thing. Wonder Woman has to be strong, but beautiful. Wonder Woman has to be complex, but also relatable. Wonder Woman has to be a goddess, but also a woman. Wonder Woman has to be real, but also fantastic. Wonder Woman has to be all these different, polarized things, and the compromise seems to be meeting in the middle, which makes for something that’s a little homogenized for my liking most of the time.
I’d say, Consider:
Consider giving Wonder Woman a worthy foe. One that tests her in some significant way. Her rogue’s gallery is pretty weak.
Consider Wonder Woman’s unique position in being a hero who doesn’t need a dual identity. What does it mean if she’s Wonder Woman all the time?
Consider Wonder Woman’s weakness. I don’t know what that is, but characters are more interesting when they have one. And I don’t necessarily mean Kryptonite. I mean, for example, Thor’s weakness is that he’s arrogant. That’s what makes him interesting. He’s a god, but he’s not perfect. Wonder Woman seems pretty perfect. Consider how that might change and what that might buy you in a narrative.
Consider a Wonder Woman team-up with another hero, and the pair have no romantic interest in each other. What do we get from a team-up where we forget about the romance for once?
Consider what Wonder Woman wants. Does she want to be a superhero? Does she want to have a private life? Does she want to see the world? Does she want to go to The Moon? Does she want to eat tacos? A lot of her stories, this one included, see her sort of ping-ponged around from thing to thing, but I don’t really know what she WANTS to be doing.
Consider what’s at stake for Wonder Woman. It’s hard with a very powerful character, but consider a story where the stakes are a little scary. Where you can tell me the premise and I’m interested. “