Missing Marston's Cosmic Wonder Woman, Very Much, After Seeing Thor: Ragnarok!

[Mel Dyer]

I just saw THOR: RAGNAROK and found it more Marstonian, than any depiction of Wonder Woman, since Kurt Busiek's miniseries, in the mid-eighties. The idea of taking a myth-inspired hero, with myth-inspired origin and backstory, and dropping that hero into a decidedly a wild, action-packed, sci-fi adventure is straight out of the Marston Golden Age, in which Wonder Woman's adventures were cosmic romps to alien planets and strange dimensions.

What am I talking about...a cosmic Wonder Woman? Ares (then, Mars) launched his attacks from an Apokolips-like camp and fortress, on the planet MARS, ..and travelled back and forth between worlds ..on Flash Gordon styled rocketships! His minions, Deception, Greed and Conquest, were astral or metaphysical beings, who launched psychic attacks on the minds of wrestlers, Nazi officers and Italian noblemen. Wonder Woman, with Etta and the Amazons backing her up, climbed onto hulking KANGAS, whose leaps carried them into outer space and rifts, between dimensions! In these adventures that so magnificently blended genres of heroic fantasy and science fiction - adventures, in which, literally, ANY-thing could happen - Wonder Woman's stories weren't limited to battles with gods, witches and monsters. In those classic Marston stories, she is a closer cousin to Flash Gordon, John Carter of Mars and Hawkman, ..than Superman, Conan or mythical Perseus in Clash Of The Titans, ..and those adventures were FUN!

Something, I often wonder...if WW writers have forgotten how to do?

A cosmic, Marston-styled Wonder Woman?! Seeing Ragnarok, repleat with sexiness, quirky humor and grand, Kirbyesque sci-fi spectacle, I couldn't help, but think, "My God! This is what's missing from our Wonder Woman comics!" I think we lost something, after George Perez left the title, when we had one writer, after another, pigeonhole her in heroic fantasy genre stories - the endless god-wars, for example - instead of growing Diana beyond her heroic fantasy origins, ..into stories that mixed different genres, as in the Marston days. In spite of Perez's moving her in with a human family in Man's World, expanding her narrative palette, his successors, with stories of bland Amazons and bouts with Circe, shoved her, right back into the 'Clash of the Titans' box, ..and I think we're all the poorer for that.

One solution to opening up the Wonderverse is publishing two, monthly WW comics. One can feature myth-inspired, heroic fantasy, with Amazons, pegacorns, wicked, prissy enchantresses and faux Elizabethan dialogue, ..while the other can bring back the the fun, genre-flipping, cosmic and pulp-inspired adventures of Marston's Amazon superheroine. Two-ouu comics...

One has to wonder, if it's too late for that kind of Wonder Woman comic...the fun kind. Presently, that marvelous, crazy thrill, once, so common in the Marston comics, ..that the Wonderverse is an exciting place, where anything can happen, ..appears to be gone, forever. Maybe, someone at DC Comics, who cares anything about Wonder Woman, will see Thor Ragnarok and bring the wild, joyous, imaginative abandon that critics are praising in that film, ..back to all of us.

[Agent Z]

Marston isn't writing the comic anymore and not everything has to be like Marvel.

[Mel Dyer]

Marston isn't writing the comic anymore and not everything has to be like Marvel.

No one wants to take away the Wonder Woman we've been reading, for the last thirty years.

TWO WW comics means you're guaranteed all of the dreary, one-note, post-Perez, pre-Chazzarello stagnation that you can stand! You can have a Diana, who talks like Gandalf or a bad community theatre production. You can have a god-war, with chatty Circe prancing all over the place, every month, if you like...

While the rest have FUN, reading the Wonder Woman comic, again.

[Jim Kelly]

The cool thing about the Marston Wonder Woman is she travelled to these planets in the solar system and they each had their own civilizations. The way I'd explain that is these are on a different plane of existence than our regular reality and someone like Wonder Woman can transcend to these other realms of reality. Which is sort of like Lee & Kirby Asgard.

[Agent Z]

No one wants to take away the Wonder Woman we've been reading, for the last thirty years.

TWO WW comics means you're guaranteed all of the dreary, one-note, post-Perez, pre-Chazzarello stagnation that you can stand! You can have a Diana, who talks like Gandalf or a bad community theatre production. You can have a god-war, with chatty Circe prancing all over the place, every month, if you like...

While the rest have FUN, reading the Wonder Woman comic, again.

Post Perez stories have had Diana teaming up with space pirates, talking gorillas, fighting Green Lantersn and demons. Not to mention Earth One exists as does Sensation Comics. You have exactly what you're complaining about is missing from WW comics yet don't seem to be reading them.

[Mel Dyer]

The cool thing about the Marston Wonder Woman is she travelled to these planets in the solar system and they each had their own civilizations. The way I'd explain that is these are on a different plane of existence than our regular reality and someone like Wonder Woman can transcend to these other realms of reality. Which is sort of like Lee & Kirby Asgard.

That's a very cool idea that you have, and I think the Marston comics and Kirby's Fourth World have more, than a little in common. The original, Golden Age Wonder Woman comics were AMAZING and haven't been matched, in how truly imaginative they were.

Post Perez stories have had Diana teaming up with space pirates, talking gorillas, fighting Green Lantersn and demons. Not to mention Earth One exists as does Sensation Comics. You have exactly what you're complaining about is missing from WW comics yet don't seem to be reading them.

Clearly, you haven't seen Thor: Ragnarok, and you might want to pick up some reprints of WW's Golden Age adventures to reacquaint yourself with what it's a like to read a fun WW comic. Phil Jimenez tried something Marstonian, when he sent Diana to Skartaris, once. However, none of the WW stories you mentioned, above, were even remotely like Marston's comics or the Thor movie.

Two book solution, Agent Z...keep your Harryhausen Woman comic, with its saturation of Circe stories, while some of us enjoy a second comic, reflecting a broader appreciation of the character.

[Agent Z]

That's a very cool idea that you have, and I think the Marston comics and Kirby's Fourth World have more, than a little in common. The original, Golden Age Wonder Woman comics were AMAZING and haven't been matched, in how truly imaginative they were.

Clearly, you haven't seen Thor: Ragnarok, and you might want to pick up some reprints of WW's Golden Age adventures to reacquaint yourself with what it's a like to read a fun WW comic. Phil Jimenez tried something Marstonian, when he sent Diana to Skartaris, once. However, none of the WW stories you mentioned, above, were even remotely like Marston's comics or the Thor movie.

Two book solution, Agent Z...keep your Harryhausen Woman comic, with its saturation of Circe stories, while some of us enjoy a second comic, reflecting a broader appreciation of the character.

Again Wonder Woman Earth One exists and your definition of "fun" is not shared by everyone

[Mel Dyer]

Again Wonder Woman Earth One exists and your definition of "fun" is not shared by everyone

Apparently, your definition of a good Wonder Woman comic isn't shared by everyone, ..because 'everyone' isn't buying this comic.

[Agent Z]

Apparently, your definition of a good Wonder Woman comic isn't shared by everyone, ..because 'everyone' isn't buying this comic.

Sales are a lot better than they typically are. Not that your definition of a good WW comic is anymore s guaranteed success

[numberthirty]

Marston isn't writing the comic anymore and not everything has to be like Marvel.

Without judging, is there a really good reason why not? Some really brilliant alternative approach that I'm missing?

[Outside_85]

Without judging, is there a really good reason why not? Some really brilliant alternative approach that I'm missing?

Reason why the Marvel movies work are because they are family friendly affairs that only seek to hold your interest for around 2 hours and then generally vacate your head afterwards.

[Agent Z]

Without judging, is there a really good reason why not? Some really brilliant alternative approach that I'm missing?

Marvel doesn't have a spotless track record and people were making good movies before them.

[numberthirty]

Marvel doesn't have a spotless track record and people were making good movies before them.

If Mel had been talking about more than just a single Marvel film, I guess I could see what you're saying.

As it stands, I guess I can't see where you're coming from?

[Agent Z]

If Mel had been talking about more than just a single Marvel film, I guess I could see what you're saying.

As it stands, I guess I can't see where you're coming from?

Um he's clearly talking about making a WW comic in the vein of the Thor: Ragnarok movie.

[numberthirty]

Um he's clearly talking about making a WW comic in the vein of the Thor: Ragnarok movie.

Sure.

I'm just not sure I see how Marvel's track record figures into a discussion of the approach that a single film took.