The Other Princess Di

[eumelia]

I'm veering off real life politics for a little, in order to draw your attention to the latest issue of Project Rooftop, which is all about the redesigning of Wonder Woman's Outfit.

Personally, I think Diana's outfit as it is now (shorts/briefs, boustiere breast plate, boots and bracelets), totally kicks ass. Despite the fact that it is probably one of the most revealing (Star Sapphire got that one), with the force of her personality she manages to pull it off and make it work.

It is in fact the force of her personality that makes her work as one of the Big Three, I think.

Diana hasn't been written well in the past twenty years, I think. There seems to be a kind of pendulum when it comes to Diana, I mean over the past sixty years Clark and Bruce may have evolved with the times, but their basic personality traits have remained the same, Clark's sense of morality and ethics are pretty unbendable, while Bruce's are... shall we say... a little more fluid.
Diana seems to swing, at least in my view, from Unbending Matriarch to Pragmatic Warrior, with variations of those themes, depending on whose writing her of course. Effing Frank Miller wrote her once as Superman's "Good little woman" (Dark Night Strikes Again, *snort*) and a different time as a Man Hating Castrator (All Star Batman and Robin, *snort*). A little extreme, but Miller is the most extreme example I could think of.

Though I've heard that it is Gail Simone ("Birds of Prey") who is writing this current arc, perhaps I'll fork over the cash and have me some comic books.
I didn't read "Amazon Attack", because I had a hunch there would be great ruination and the Internet told me it was, so I thought I'd stay clear of Diana until I heard something differently, which I'm hoping to with Gail Simone.

Diana, the character, has a unique view point of the world, seeing that the DCU is a reflection of our own (albeit about a decade behind us in social developments), she's an Outsider a true Other, not just because she's a woman, but because she's a woman raised in a Matriarchal Homo-social society, and I don't think any of the writers (specifically male ones) are able to wrap their brains around the idea of an all woman society, led by women, without immediately thinking of Lesbians, which granted is an avenue to take, but sex really isn't the building blocks of a society. Also, seeing as many of the male comic books writers I've read have a problem writing a female character born and raised in our own Patriarchal mostly Hetero-social society, I don't think it's too surprising that there's be a problem with writing Diana.
Unlike Clark and Bruce, who grew up to be different (for various reasons), but on the inside and they play the social game (especially Bruce) towards their own ends, Diana doesn't even bother with the social mores, seeing as she views them as hypocritical, this is the way I've seen her written in the past few years.

In a discussion with a friend, I agreed that one of the best incarnations of Wonder Woman was that of the television show with Linda Carter, it was such a 70's show and unapologetic in its Feminism. Diana may have been a secretary, but she worked in the military and all the intelligence she needed she had at the tips of her fingers, despite being an "Alien" she covered up her superiority and managed to live a semi-normal life as Diana Prince with no one knowing she was Wonder Woman. Amazing.

I don't think she has a secret identity anymore, does she, being the Ambassador of Themyscira, she wouldn't have or need one, which is shame, seeing as one of the most fun things about Superheros is the way they juggle their lives around their "day jobs" and "extracurricular activity".

Bottom line, Wonder Woman totally rocks!

Comments

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

You're completely right about the problems writers have with Diana's background and ethos! I really liked Greg Rucka's run on "Wonder Woman", where she was the Ambassador - he had a great take on Diana as hero and leader, and addressed Diana's homosocial society being misinterpreted by Americans as a necessarily homosexual society. It's sad to say it, but he's one of the few writers who can write female characters without making them either one of the boys or super girly. I stopped reading when he left the title, just as I did with his run on "Elektra".

I think the core of Diana's identity is to protect - unlike Batman, she always fights for those weaker (though no less worthy) than herself, whereas Batman sees weakness as unworthy and a temptation to true evil (though he has the occasional moment of compassion). And unlike Superman, Diana cannot separate her ideals from her actions: they are one and the same.

I'm really looking forward to the Gail Simone arc, of course!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Woot Gail!

And agree about the motivations of the characters. Diana's ideals and actions being one and the same, that's the reason, I think she becomes a little robotic at times, because a lot of writers just don't know how to mesh that into the persona.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Just saw this in another friend's journal and thought you might like it:



Or maybe not. I do. I friggin' hate Batman. :p

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I've seen the icon around and it's really cool, since I love Alex Ross' art, but I'm a Bat-Fan.

*glares at you with great big bat scowl, which Angel so deftly copied*

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Ah, well. We all have our faults. :)

[azundris (from livejournal.com)]

I rather like Batman (http://www.azundris.com/output/rp/characters/Ivy/img/YearOne4.jpg) (but I'm biased :) in that he was born human. I like how he isn't portrayed as flawless, how he is portrayed as every bit as obsessed as his enemies.

(quite mild spoilers)
The image you have there is the cover of "The Hiketeia." That's kinda ironic because it's a WW ("and Batman") title, and it's Batman who gets the questionable writing. (Well, or maybe not, he's lucky to get good writing in his own bouquet of comics, it's almost always crap in the other titles.) More to the point, I hated how the story ended. In a Batman title, I can work with everything just being ultimately futile and pointless and painful, that's the whole idea, arguably, but in a WW story, I somehow want the avenger of rape victims to get away, possibly after getting a handshake and a medal. Well, in a manner of speaking. At any rate, it seemed a bit of cheapshot absolving WW of her responsibility like that. The whole point of the Hiketeia seemed to be to look at (foreign, alien concepts of) honour, obligation, guilt, and justice, and then it ends on such a disappointing mainstream morality note.

Secret ID

[bradydale.livejournal.com]

Wait till you see... she does have a secret ID again, and it's the biggest stretch since Clark Kent, but I sort of love it. By all means: check it out! Check it out!

Big White Gorillas!!!

Re: Secret ID

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Truly?

And I'm going to :)