Batman 39 Spoilers Thread (Wonder Woman focused issue)

[DragonPiece]

What did Wonder Woman fans think of this? Personally, while I liked the art, I'm sad to see Diana be nothing more than a love interest in this issue when the 2 parter with Clark was reflective on their history and frienship together. It's sad 2 male and female superfriends can't just be friends and we have to go down this path.

[Miles To Go]

It's worse considering Diana's already in a relationship, and yet there's not one mention of Steve in this entire issue...all whilst Diana points out that BRUCE is engaged.

[Sacred Knight]

Not as bad as I imagined, but that's only because I went full tilt and was imagining the absolute worst of the worst, so that's not saying much. It was still really bad. It managed to be worse than Immortal Beloved. One, of course, she has a boyfriend already. Another one is that in this stupid time displacement scenario she comes on to Bruce the equilviant of 10 years into their mission. At least IB wrote it that she went 1000 years before trying anything. Second, she's not a character here. She's just a cardboard cut-out whose only role is foil to an already established romance. There's absolutely nothing in regards to how being lost in this dimension is affecting her and her life. Her lover. Her family. Her friends. Nary a mention. She may just as well have no established lore here for all it matters to her role in the story. All she is here is a girl who tries to kiss him. That's it.

So yeah, another big time writer used Diana, but without putting a lick of thought into her. This is just another case of her being THE woman of the DCU so she had to be used for greatest effect for Bruce's characterization. She meanwhile has none. She's designed to have none. A story like this could have easily been crafted that utilized some of Bruce's legitimate past loves. Talia. Vicki, etc. But using WW, and using her in this way, shows the only motivating factor for using her was because she's the crown jewel. And that's never good enough a reason.

[WonderSpace]

Annnd, once again, Wonder Woman is objectified, she is deprived of any agency and used as a plot device.

There is no way Diana comes untarnised out of this.
If Batman gives into it, she's a homewrecker, if he doesn't, she's the poor girl with an unrequited love directed at the Batgod.

King and the DC editors must be so proud of themselves right now, that "controversy" will sell a ton of batcomics.

[Punisher007]

So DC continue to "capitalize" on the success of the Wonder Woman movie, by putting her in crappy storylines where she looks bad. Fantastic (obvious sarcasm).

It's especially problematic since we just got multiple issues with Clark and Lois that treated all four of them with respect. Apparently Diana doesn't warrant the same respect, ugh.

Oh and King seems to have thrown Steve Trevor completely under the bus as well.

[Sacred Knight]

Only way I could see this not harming Diana in any capacity is if the final page turns out to be some sort of dream, an attempt to put the idea into both their heads to see if its capitalized on, and they both wake up by the campfire to open the second issue. Then indeed BOTH, with agency, reject it.

But that's incredibly unlikely. And without it not being real there there will be some level of tarnishing of Wonder Woman's character. If she and Bruce both pull away, it can be said she had second-thoughts but it won't change that she still tried. If only Bruce pulls away, at least nothing happened but she still tried and would have gone through with it had the man not stopped it (most likely scenario). Or, they actually do hook up and Wonder Woman becomes a homewrecker (worst case scenario).

Oh and King seems to have thrown Steve Trevor completely under the bus as well.

The story acts like Steve, and indeed absolutely nothing about Diana's life, even exists. A telltale sign that a writer used her, but didn't do any research on her status beforehand. Which leads to the other telltale sign that she was used for cheap reasons.

[WonderScott]

“So yeah, another big time writer used Diana, but without putting a lick of thought into her.”

QFT Sacred Knight.

[Vanguard-01]

Ugh! Yep. It's as bad as I imagined!

I agree with Sacred Knight: there is no evidence that King did ANY research on Diana's current status. If he didn't, then, yeah, he did it for no reason other than "Look! The greatest female superhero is totally panting over the Batgod! Isn't he cool?"

At least the SM/WW relationship was set up to do no lasting harm to Diana's reputation or Superman's. They were both single and available. There was no wrong in them being together.

[hellacre]

I'll post what I did on another thread.

Whenever batman fan boy writers handle Wonder Woman this is what you get. Lazy ooc plots to claim her as hooked on Batman's irresistible charms. They don't build anything over time. They just slap it in your face. Bruce Timm. Joe Kelly. Greg Rucka, Now Tom King and no doubt soon Liam Sharp. Like I say it doesn't bug me two friends who are close and attracted to each other if they are single try a relationship. But Action wasn't about that. It could not any way explore anything in canon. And no one I know who liked smww or ww cared for it. It was one sided to ensure smll came out smelling rosy and Diana ...oh poor Diana...just rejected because if you turn down Wonder Woman...wow, what a man. What a love! So dumb. Like he couldn't just be seen as faithful because he's a loyal guy in a normal situation. They just needed to go all heavy handed to make a pointless point at WW expense.

Batman 39. Worse imo. The pacing in Action at least tried to show a bond already there knitting tighter...they did not need this issue to show they are friends. They already were close etc. Diana did not proposition Clark. They maintained boundaries and yadda yadda for a moment looked at each other and then Clark pulled back and Diana is fine with it blah blah.

This shows a Wonder Woman in terms of the art, flirting heavily in her body language from the get go. Batman as you clearly see is still trying to be faithful in his body language. She even suggests they get it on knowing he will go back to Selina. I just don't how to take that. No Diana I know would openly suggest that. It's so out of character. She's the apple/ temptress. She has no pov or remembers she has her own lover and life. He's a non issue. Poor Steve prob sitting in their apartment waiting for her.

Now if this is based on Rucka's Diana...then this is not the way I want my Wonder Woman. Not so lacking in empathy, emotional intelligence and wisdom . I don't understand how any one as old as she is with so much relationships under her belt as suggested by Rucka, cannot understand and respect the nuances and boundaries in relationships at this stage. That she views all that she has "loved" as not able to teach her anything. It is baffling to me this Rucka Diana with all this delusion and madness nonsense. She's not a naive here but comes across as very self centered and stiff for a character who is about sisterhood and compassion. You'd think as she has her own lover she would empathize how much Bruce misses Selina...is bizarre what we have here. So whether they kiss or not is not the point. It's the set up and Diana's poor characterization.

DC dropped the ball on Diana with Rebirth. Badly and this is where she is now. Batman writers are getting to dictate her motivations, character, personality in throw away arcs and they just don't feel right at all. No matter how people say they hate the new 52...Diana maintained her core personality under the pens of Azzarello, and Soule and hell even Finch and Johns wasn't all bad.

I wouldn't call this a Diana focused issue at all because she is a cardboard cut out and use mainly overtly as the prop. Batman can get even Wonder Woman to drool for him without lifting a finger.

[Last Son of Krypton]

I thought that with the increased popularity of WW, DC would start paying more attention to how Diana is depicted. I couldn't be more wrong.

[Dr. Poison]

So the current Batman writer has Wonder Woman cheating on Steve Trevor with Bruce Wayne? EPIC FAIL!

[Sacred Knight]

Hell if at least not that, I thought with the recent publicity in regards to women, and the fact that they were part of that in a VERY negative light, that they'd be more thoughtful with all their female characters, not to mention their #1. In reality this issue shows they couldn't be more tone-deaf (well, actually they can, but the lovely cliffhanger will make people wait to see if they will be).

So the current Batman writer has Wonder Woman cheating on Steve Trevor with Bruce Wayne? EPIC FAIL!

Well she hasn't yet. But its established she's more than willing to without him or anything else even being on her mind. She's away from her loved ones in her own right for ten years and says and thinks nothing of them. Its an abysmal failure on this ground alone, even without her trying to seduce a taken man. She's in this particular tale as told because she's a pretty lady. That's all. Unlike Clark and Lois's guest appearance, absolutely no thought was putting into telling a tale about her as a three-dimensional character in regards to her relationship with Bruce and her feelings about his engagement to Selina. She's just a roadblock.

[spirit2011]

Hell if at least not that, I thought with the recent publicity in regards to women, and the fact that they were part of that in a VERY negative light, that they'd be more thoughtful with all their female characters, not to mention their #1. In reality this issue shows they couldn't be more tone-deaf (well, actually they can, but the lovely cliffhanger will make people wait to see if they will be).


Well she hasn't yet. But its established she's more than willing to without him or anything else even being on her mind. She's away from her loved ones in her own right for ten years and says and thinks nothing of them. Its an abysmal failure on this ground alone, even without her trying to seduce a taken man. She's in this particular tale as told because she's a pretty lady. That's all. Unlike Clark and Lois's guest appearance, absolutely no thought was putting into telling a tale about her as a three-dimensional character in regards to her relationship with Bruce and her feelings about his engagement to Selina. She's just a roadblock.

For me there isn't a difference between the two tales. Wonder Woman was/is being used as a prop to anothe relationship. The King sotryline didn't ended yet, but so far it is what it looks IMHO.

DC has a sistematic problem with Wonder Woman that goes back for decades ago. It won't be now that it will change.

A lot of things that happens with the character on last years raise some eyebrowns and all comic community should discuss more about it.

I wasn't even going to post this

[NYCER]

I thought that with the increased popularity of WW, DC would start paying more attention to how Diana is depicted. I couldn't be more wrong.

I completely agree.

And this nonsense - I can't deal with that last panel - in BATMAN #39 is unacceptable. There's no respect for Diana whatsoever.

[Fenix]

Pretty much flirting with Batman the entire issue. Also, Diana is immortal? 10 years shouldn't be anything to her.

This is why Diana can't be in team-ups, they don't respect her character.