52 Good Things About The New 52: Number One

I am no fan of the New 52.

I do not like retcons, I do not like grim n' gritty.  I have no respect for heroes who engage in senseless violence in order to prove how "serious" they are.  I read comics mainly for the purposes of escapism and entertainment, and from what I have read about the New 52, both are lacking.  (Not to mention decades' worth of continuity having been erased.)  I value a good story above all else, and I want those stories to be built on a foundation which remains true to the characters they represent.

However, after reading through some trades published within the last ten years or so, a notion hit me: the pre-New 52 years hadn't been very kind to my favorite characters, either.  Yes, the New 52 erased a lot of history, but that history contained a plethora of less-than-sterling moments.  So, I am endeavoring upon a little quest: to force myself to find 52 good things about the New 52 and its subsequent retconning of so many events.  I'm not sure I'll be able to do it, but here goes nothing.

[Note: Having made up my mind about not liking the New 52, I decided not to read any comics set in the New 52.  Therefore, this information may be inaccurate.  If it is, let me know.]

Here we go:

Number 1: Wonder Woman never had to kill Maxwell Lord in cold blood.

This was cruel, cold-hearted, and absolutely unnecessary.  Nothing but an empty, violent moment which equated shock value with storytelling.

I feel better already knowing that this never happened.  

Wonder Woman: not a class act?

Of course I can't find the link that I was going to comment on.  There was another item about the Wonder Woman pilot in the news recently regarding the costume.  There were some words from David E. Kelley about a scene in the pilot where Diana is driving and gets cut off by some guy, then gets pissed off and chases him down and yells at him.  And I remember thinking, "That just doesn't seem like something Wonder Woman should do."

I have yet to read an actual solo Wonder Woman comic, so maybe I'm off the mark, but I always thought she was something of a dignified class act.

Or maybe she really is a little uncouth and I never noticed?

Click to en-biggen.

Wonder Woman shows up every now and then on "Hark, a Vagrant," a web comic of delightful randomness.

Three costumes for Wonder Woman

Or so the president of NBC says.  So she'll have the ugly light blue pleather thing, the rodeo queen star-bedazzled redesign, and the Lynda Carter original.

Also, he says that the redesigned costume wasn't becuase of fan feedback.

“There was an initial outcry about the long pants – you know, skintight pants as opposed to those little shorts [worn by Lynda Carter in the original TV series],” Greenblatt concedes to TVLine.com. “But the shorts were always planned. They are actually used in the final confrontation when she beats Veronica Cale (played by Elizabeth Hurley).”

Why are TV executives (or movie executives, for that matter) so cocksure about the changes you've made to an idea you don't own, and which has been around for seventy-plus years?

“We haven’t made any changes from what was planned,” the NBC boss reiterates. “But it’s always good to hear the feedback. I’d rather have people really passionately engaged in conversation, even if they hate something, than be kind of bored.”

Sure...I welcome your feedback, John Q. Public, but I'm not going to listen to you!  Get angry about what we're doing!  That means you'll TUNE IN!  Muahahahahaha!

No, I'm not jaded at all.  Not in the least.

You can read a more professional run-down of the latest Wonder Woman news here.

The NEW new Wonder Woman Costume?

Okay, so I got my computer up and running...just in time for me to get the flu!  I swear, someone doesn't want me blogging.  Maybe it's a conspiracy on the part of DC for all my complaining?

Well, anyway, here's a short post about the new new Wonder Woman costume.  Yes, they revamped it after all of our complaining.  But is it really good enough?

I don't know...it looks too similiar to the JMS revamp for my taste, and they kept the ugly plastic belt.  And c'mon, jeans?  That's a little too casual for a superheroine who happens to be an Amazon Princess.  I know, I know, I'm just one of those people who complains no matter what.  But there's so many other designs out there that I'd take over this one, including the original, several fan designs that I've featured here before (thanks for bringing that to my attention 1TrueGL), and one of my favorite, the Darwyn Cooke design.

(Which of course I can't find...but here's a Darwyn Cooke rendering of the traditional Wonder Woman outfit.)

Wow...looking at the Darwyn Cooke drawing makes me think Adrienne Palicki looks too thin for the role.  She doesn't have to be a body-builder, but I like to think of Wonder Woman as a bit heftier and womanly: Marilyn Monroe instead of Kate Moss.

Oh, and here's some footage shot during filming, in case you want to see the costume in action:

First glimpse at the new Wonder Woman...

I really have no faith in the entertainment industry at all anymore, which is why I take solace in watching old movies on TCM.  Here's a picture of the new Wonder Woman costume:

I can't stand the costume at ALL, but I'm guessing maybe it's a promo picture, and/or this show is going to rely heavily on CGI. Or it's going to be constantly be nighttime on the show, a lá Smallville, so we can't tell that her tiara is plastic. I can forgive the fabric and plastic (somewhat) if they do something in CGI to fix it. Then again, I'm getting sick of CGI.

That being said, the blue boots are CRAP.  Why would you want to get rid of Wonder Woman's red boots?  They're iconic!  The costume's fabric is cheap-looking, especially the red fabric, which looks like it came from a 1950's bar stool. And how does this girl move, let alone breathe? I feel sorry for her if she loses a contact lens and has to bend over with that pointy plastic thing sitting right on her abdomen. Goddesses don't need underwires, either, and that's the icing on this crappy Halloween costume's cake for me.

And the pipe cleaner lasso?  Sigh.

For some reason Adrienne Palicki just doesn't look at fierce as she has in other pictures I've seen of her.  There's a softness in her face that doesn't work for Wonder Woman.  Hopefully they can play up those cheekbones somehow.

What do you guys think?  Any fans of this new ensemble?  (Don't be afraid to speak up!)

Wonder Woman's identity revealed

Did anyone hear?

They cast Wonder Woman for the new TV show.

Adrianne Palicki is a 5'11" actress who has appeared regularly on Friday Night Lights, Smallville, and the never-aired Aquaman pilot.

Well, she looks the part, at least in this picture.  I haven't seen anything she's in, so I can't really comment.

Here's the official description of the Wonder Woman show, which has its share of red flags as far as I'm concerned:

The series pilot is a reinvention of the iconic DC Comics title in which Wonder Woman – a.k.a. Diana Prince – is a vigilante crime fighter in Los Angeles but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life. Kelley and Bill D’Elia (“Boston Legal,” “The Practice”) are the executive producers. The pilot was written by Kelley and will be directed by Jeffrey Reiner (NBC’s “The Event”). “Wonder Woman” is from David E. Kelley Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

I'm a little wary of the words "corporate executive" and "modern woman trying to balance all the elements..."  All I can picture is a soccer mom in a power suit on her way to a board meeting with a latte in one hand and a cell phone in the other.  Meh.  Then again, I am a cynic and this could all turn out fine.

What do you all think?

Fashion Friday: Wonder Woman Photo Manip by "Fan Art Exhibit"

Since I'm kind of run down, I'll just post some pretty pictures.

Do you like this version of Wonder Woman's costume?  I found it online looking for, ironically, some Smallville Hawkgirl photos in anticipation of the upcoming episode.  (The artist has done his own version of Hawkgirl as well.)  They are photo manipulations by Fan Art Exhibit.

I kinda like it.  I'm not too sold on the sandals.  But I wouldn't mind seeing this on the Silver Screen, if ever a Wonder Woman live action movie is made.  The bodice and eagle chestpiece look nice, and I like the blue leather skirt with the Greek pattern (look closely) and the studs.

Here it is in action:

Wonder Woman, on her way to do some spear fishing.

There's a really awesome one here, and a close up here, but it doesn't look like the author wanted them reposted, so I'm only providing a link.  But go check them out!  And take a look at the Huntress and Hawkgirl while your'e there, too!