By Jason Apuzzo. There’s a budding controversy right now that DC Comics’ newly redesigned look for Wonder Woman has ironed-out her All American look, all in preparation for the inevitable debut of a Wonder Woman movie franchise. Fox News is fueling the controversy, and even Nikki Finke doesn’t like the new look for the character – and is furious at DC head Diane Nelson for letting it happen.
Fox News is calling the new Wonder Woman look ‘globalized’ (!), citing the replacement of her signature American flag briefs with skintight black leggings. Here’s what DC Comics says about dropping the flag motif from Wonder Woman’s iconic briefs [my new favorite phrase: ‘iconic briefs’]:
“We at DC Comics are exceedingly proud of Wonder Woman’s heritage and Superman’s heritage as iconic symbols of American patriotism … Suggestions that any costume changes within their 70 plus years of rich storytelling come at the expense of this heritage are unfounded. The latest evolution of Wonder Woman’s iconic costume is a central part of the latest comic book storyline. All of the classic symbols – patriotic (stars, eagle) and heroic (lasso, bracelets) – are ever-present. We encourage Wonder Woman fans to stay tuned.”
Pretty good corporatese, there. Translation: We’re keeping our options open, fearing a backlash but also eager to open our future Wonder Woman franchise in Beijing and Dubai.
I must admit that when I first saw this redesign yesterday in The New York Times, it did not immediately scream out ‘un-American’ to me. Actually what I noticed the most was the impressive size of Wonder Woman’s … well, let’s just leave that alone. [For what it’s worth, Lynda Carter was apparently a 36C-25-35.] Otherwise I think the leggings look sleek, dangerous, and will keep Wonder Woman from getting scuffed-up when she’s tangling with … evil American defense contractors? BP executives? Wall Street hedge fund managers? Or whomever politically correct evildoers DC has in mind for her to fight. Certainly we know that terrorists will not be on that list.
The key thing to understand about the new wave of superheroes – whether Superman, Batman, the X-Men, or whomever – is that they don’t really fight for “truth, justice and the American way” any more. We all know how retro and passé that’s become in enlightened Hollywood circles.
Proper superheroes nowadays fight for themselves. They fight in order to fulfill their own personal destiny – and to look cool in their costumes while showing off their powers. Basically they’re narcissists. The key thing for superheroes to do in the modern era is to look fabulous, and advance their careers. And that’s why we already know where this new Wonder Woman series is going, don’t we? [See fan-generated Megan Fox poster to the right.]
By comparison, let’s take a long, loving look at the costume worn by Lynda Carter when she was breaking fanboy hearts back in the 1970s as Wonder Woman on television. [I may be looking at this picture for hours, actually.]
Do we have any doubts whatsoever about where this Wonder Woman stood on country on patriotism? I don’t think so.
Note to LFM readers: I absolutely love this controversy, and will be following each line and curve of it closely. Symbols do matter, especially when they’re clothed in patriotic bustiers. [On this point, by the way, I want to recommend Govindini’s recent post on the new ‘military chic’ trend in fashion.]
Wonder Woman is an interesting superhero – perhaps the most interesting from a psychological point of view. Bringing this bullwhip-cracking supervixen to the big screen is going to be an interesting process for DC, one that will force them to confront some provocative issues, not all of which are political.
In order to make this character work, and to ensure a long-running and profitable film series, the creators of the inevitable Wonder Woman film franchise are going to need to explore female psychology with at least a fraction of the energy they typically spend on male psychology – something I have doubts about them being able to do, frankly. [Otherwise they’re just going to be left with vacuous titilation – so to speak – which is basically all Catwoman was.]
And, of course, the new Wonder Woman is going to have to look fabulous – and probably change her outfits a few times … because that’s what women do.
We’ll be watching here at LFM.
Posted on July 1st, 2010 at 11:35am.
I loved Wonder Woman growing up. Lynda Carter was great. I really hope they don’t ruin thus one (why oh we do we have to have another remake?!). I definitely do not like the black leggings or the “edgier” look in this new version. It’s overdone and a cliche. Wonder Woman should have a clean, colorful, all-American look, like in the original.
Once again it’s untruth, injustice and the unamerican way!
Another classic American symbol being denuded of its imagery? This is getting really tiresome. How stupid does DC comics think we are? The new “Wonder Woman” costume does not look patriotic, or even particularly attractive. What I’m concerned about more than the outfit though is the story. What kind of a villain will Wonder Woman be fighting in the movie? The CIA? Evil American businessmen? The mind shudders.
Lynda’s just become my screensaver.
Yes, she’s something – isn’t she?
Guys–it’s an “alternate universe” Wonder Woman, not “ours.” This is a gimmick comics pull all the time, and media always falls for it: Superman’s “Death,” Batman’s broken back and going ‘missing,’ Red/Blue Superman, Captain America’s “death,” etc. etc. Heck, Wonder Woman was “dead” a few years back, and they switched her costume back in the 90’s as well. DC is trying desperately to get some interest in Wonder Woman comic sales which have lagged for years. I assure you, a few issues down the road she’ll be back in the bustier.
Let me stress here: I happen to like the redesign, myself. It did not scream ‘un-American’ to me. And I completely understand the need to freshen these things up every once in a while. But I would just point out – and perhaps I should’ve mentioned this in the post – that the people doing the new Captain America managed to successfully freshen up that costume up while preserving its uniquely American iconography. So these things can be done.
One can only sigh and think, what is the [American] world coming to? Changing Wonder Woman’s costume – please say it isn’t so!
Umm…you know Wonder Woman doesn’t use a bullwhip, right?
OK, fine, it’s the ‘Lasso of Truth’ … but have you seen how she wields that thing? Even Wikipedia says this about this about her ‘lasso’:
“Diana wields it with great precision and accuracy, and can use it as a whip or noose.”
1. Comics are all about hype. On that basis this looks like a very successful change on DC’s part.
2. A woman (Diane Nelson) is head of DC entertainment? Presumably the comics part is but a small fraction of her domain because 95 percent plus readers are of the male persuasion. That would be like having Hulk Hogan run Teen Vogue.
3. I see where at least one critical aspect of WW has been maintained – namely her 4 sigma glandular endowments being prominently displayed on the cover. I would have thought Nelson would have had the moral courage to once and for all put down a horribly sexist characteristic which has plagued comics in general and mainstream comics in particular. Mammary objectivification.
Where’s the passion?
I posted a picture and three paragraphs of your article on my blog with a link back to you:
http://ronbosoldier.blogspot.com/2010/07/anti-american-wonder-woman.html
I hope this meets with your approval.
I visit this website daily and I’m pleased that Patriots such as yourself are putting Leftist Hollywood to task for their obvious bias in movie making.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS! –RONBO
Ronbo, the problem with what you’re doing is that it’s not immediately evident to anyone visiting your site that YOU haven’t written the piece. I’m aware that you put a link at the bottom, but it really comes across as material you yourself have written – when you haven’t. I don’t understand why you can’t do what approximately 99.99% of people on the internet do, which is simply indicate in the body of the article that this is something you read somewhere else.
I’m going to continue calling you out until you stop doing this.
I disagree.
It is obvious even to a moron like Obama that I’m not the author of the article in question.
ALSO, the link to LIBERTAS has been included at the end of three paragraphs. I think you have psychological issues, so I will never visit the website again, much less post anything written here on my blog.
….which is what you wanted anyway – You win – Bye!
Um, does anybody notice that Big Hollywood is starting to look a lot like whatever Libertas looked like … 24 hours ago?
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhudnall/2010/07/02/wonder-woman-reboot-strident-feminism-is-the-problem-not-the-costume/
Obviously you guys are back leading again. 🙂
Hudnall doesn’t even seem to think WW deserves her own franchise. Every other crappy, second rate male character does, apparently, but for him WW is a “cold,” “feminist” icon. Um, OK. Sort of hard to square that with what the Lynda Carter TV show did, but I digress..it’s weird to me that every 2 bit character gets to have a movie, but Hudnall suddenly decides to go to the matt against WW. A little misogyny there? I didn’t notice him commenting on the vomit-inducing “Green Hornet” trailer.
The point of Big Hollywood seems to be to prove each day that Hollywood is liberal. If they have a second point I haven’t read that yet.