If You Wrote Comics: Wonder Woman

[WonderScott]

My to do list here:

- Actually read some complete Wonder Woman runs before starting, as I've currently read very little of her solo books.
- Have Donna as a constant in the book, bringing back her original origin. It isn't my favorite origin for her as I find it kinda boring, but at this point this mess just needs to be over with.
- Have Cassie as a constant in the book, bringing back her original origin, because f**k the Nu52 and f**k the sexist crap that was the DaddyZeus revised origin.
- Involve Deilan and Artemis from time to time.
- Introduce a group of transgender Amazons.

I can't say I have ideas off the top of my head for what stories I'd tell. I have plenty of ideas for stories with Donna, Cassie and Deilan front and center, but with my lack of knowledge regarding Diana's solos and my generally finding Diana pretty boring, I don't know what I'd have to say about her.

I definitely need to read about Deilan, since I haven't followed that title.

[WonderScott]

I would read your book!! This is actually pretty much what I would do with Wonder Woman, although I dont think I would give ARGUS it's own series as much as incorporate it into Wonder Woman, having Diana, Etta and Steve dealing with Black Room stuff. This is also where Villainy, Inc would come in as they are collecting such items for Cale in her bid to destroy Diana. (V,I would include Cale behind the scenes, Giganta, Blue Snow, Zara, Anglette, Aegeus to start.)
However, my first story would involve straightening out Donna Troy. I've always thought Queen of Fables would be best served as a WW villain...fables (lies) versus truth. I would use her and bring back Dark Angel as the ones responsible for the mess of Donna's life and history (returning her to a close pre-flashpoint origin, but I haven't decided if I want Rhea finding Donna or Hessia and taking her to Hippolyta. Hippolyta prays to the gods and asks them to bless the baby and Rhea answers her instead taking her to New Chronus.) Also, the story would deal with Cassie's currently non-existent origin as well (returning her to her pre-flashpoint origin also with Dad being Zeus and seducing her mom.) Themyscira would be returned and Diana's world would be reset to a more streamlined position (read as pre-Flashpoint). Amazons would have technological and mystical advancements as well. They would also be responsible for protecting some of the more dangerous artifacts ARGUS comes across (I did like that part of the JL movie in that the Amazons were guarding one of the mother boxes.) Julia Kapetalis would would be part of ARGUS as the resident historian (and not slaughtered by her daughter. I dont mind the current Silver Swan, but she wouldn't be related to the Kapetalis' and would be a separate character.)
My third storyline (after Lies pt 2 and Villainy Inc) would be Diana pulled into a war among other pantheons. Warkiller and Olympian would also be present (possibly Donna and Cassie as well.) (Now that I think about it, this might be a good place to spin out at the least an ARGUS mini series...hmm...my first thought was to include Jason in the pantheon war, but maybe Diana forbids him to participate or asks that he stay and help Steve.) The Pantheon War would also show other Amazon factions across the globe and return Gudra the Valkyrie as a foil.
I think I have a good two years worth or stories laid out there...

I'd definitely bring Queen of Fables back too. She's a good villain and I want to explore her "mythology" and what it means, compared to classical mythology. She doesn't have a lot of back story or info on what she taps into as energy for her magic - I'm curious if it's a different source than other sorcerers and if it's more belief based, with stories, tales, and fables, etc. I didn't ready the recent JLA story with her, so I don't know if Orlando added anything of note to her character.


I've been working on a little story about sorcery in the DCU and she's one of the characters involved, along with Circe and others.

[Shadowedeyes]

What's interesting for me is that your idea for A.R.G.U.S. is similar to one I had.

Great minds I guess?

[Shadowedeyes]

Some great ideas Shadoweyes - thanks for sharing.

Interesting that you brought up SKULL. I was just researching "evil cabals" in the DCU and came across them a couple weeks ago for the first time.

I'm with you on the Eviless front too. I'd like to see Diana's villains extend to the stars as well and I think Eviless as a character and leader has promise. I'm good with keeping Eviless and Saturna as separate characters, especially since Saturna has recently reemerged.

I'll fully admit that I had to look those guys up as well when I came up with the idea. I mean, they haven't even been used since before I was born!

[Assam]

I definitely need to read about Deilan, since I haven't followed that title.

She continues to be my second favorite member of the team after Kenan. The current arc in particular is giving her the most focus she's gotten since we first learned who she really was.

(And yes, you really do need to read this book. )

[The Dying Detective]

Great minds I guess?

Well coincidence or not it doesn't matter it's not like DC will let me a no name they know nothing of write for her anyway.

[Korath]

I hope Myrina's griffin found a good home. Poor thing.

Isn't it dead ? I could swear I saw him dying at the end of Darkseid War...

[OBrianTallent]

I'd definitely bring Queen of Fables back too. She's a good villain and I want to explore her "mythology" and what it means, compared to classical mythology. She doesn't have a lot of back story or info on what she taps into as energy for her magic - I'm curious if it's a different source than other sorcerers and if it's more belief based, with stories, tales, and fables, etc. I didn't ready the recent JLA story with her, so I don't know if Orlando added anything of note to her character.


I've been working on a little story about sorcery in the DCU and she's one of the characters involved, along with Circe and others.

I did read the JLA arc with Queenie and can't recall if there was anything new added or not. She's still fairly much a blank slate that can be used well, which has been few and far between.

[WonderScott]

Isn't it dead ? I could swear I saw him dying at the end of Darkseid War...

I hope not!

[WonderScott]

I did read the JLA arc with Queenie and can't recall if there was anything new added or not. She's still fairly much a blank slate that can be used well, which has been few and far between.

Ah, thanks. Yeah, she's definitely a blank slate. I've been toying with the idea of different sources of magic in the DCU that sorcery characters can tap into either innately or by study. Zatanna might be proficient in a few, with her spell language and homo magic genes, and someone like Circe might know many more (divine magic, nature magic, etc.)

The nature of Tsarina and her fairytale magicks might make for another type.

[WonderScott]

She continues to be my second favorite member of the team after Kenan. The current arc in particular is giving her the most focus she's gotten since we first learned who she really was.

(And yes, you really do need to read this book. )

Thanks for the reco!

[WonderScott]

Other things I'd do:

- Build out the Wonder "family" of characters (kind of like how Batman has thousands of varied family members): Diana, Hippolyta, Donna, Cassie, Jason (since he's sticking around for the moment - ugh!), Artemis, a new Nu'Bia, Achilles Warkiller, Champion (Heracles), a Fury (whenever JSA is returned to us), and, yes, I'd introduce a new Wonder Boy (it's time.) They don't all have to be used all the time obviously, but they'd be there for story arcs for creators to use and develop.
- Refresh and rebirth some of Diana's Modern, Bronze, Silver, and Golden Age villains to make contemporary versions: Angle Man, Cheetah, Superwoman, Doctor Cyber, Doctor Poison, Medusa and her sisters, Doctor Psycho, Duke of Deception, Earl of Greed, Lord Conquest, Giganta, Queen Clea, Silver Swan, Veronica Cale, Zara, Eviless, Hypnota, Blue Snowman, Gundra the Valkyrie, The Mask, Minister Blizzard, Mouse Man, Chang Tzu, Crimson Centipede, Saturna, Osira, Armageddon, Baron Blitzkrieg, Dark Angel, Kung, Astarte, Aegeus, Moot and Geoff, Queen of Fable, Cyborgirl, Anton Unreal, Duke Dazam, the Adjudicator, Gentleman Killer, Inversion: the Inside-Out Man, Sharkeeta, Tigra Tropica, Badra, Furiosa, The Human Fireworks, and Glop.
- Create some Donna- and Cassie-specific villains, ones that don't get coopted from Diana's personal foes.
- The return of the Diana Prince persona.
- An Wonder Woman and Aquaman tale dealing with a coalition of other royals in the DCU: Black Adam, Queen Bee, Duke of Deception, Lord Conquest, Earl of Greed, Queen Clea, Count Vertigo, and Ocean Master.
- A proper Female Furies versus Diana and the Amazons story.

[kjn]

Can I be editor instead of writer?

I'm not so much into specific story arcs; I find the more interpersonal relationships more interesting, so this will focus more on that. Likewise, background elements will be rather sparse. There is also a goal of moving away from the way Wonder Woman's support cast has been embroiled in military and bureaucratic organisations. It made sense during the World Wars, not so much now, and it's boring. I also want to bring in Marston's focus on feminism and broaden it based on the 75 years of development since then.

1. Give Diana a domestic life! This is to me one of the big issues with how Wonder Woman is written. There are lots of stories with Wonder Woman the superhero, but very little with Diana the person. I see her as involved in the arts and philantrophy (she's a major supporter of Planned Parenthood, wilderness preservation, and animal protection).

2. Bring back the clay origin for Diana. The fewer men in her personal backstory the better. If Hippolyta needs divine help to bring Diana to life, there are plenty of goddesss to choose between. You could use Hera, and have her bringing Diana to life as her gift. She is the goddess of motherhood, after all. That also makes Zeus, who is the second archetype of toxic masculinity, naturally averse to Diana.

3. Themyscira needs two big decisions, partly related. (a) If Diana is the only child on the island, or there are other daughters there. It will impact her early reactions quite a bit. (b) Themyscira's relation to Man's World in a physical sense, ie how easy it is to get from one to the other, or under what circumstances. I think I'd like Diana to be one girl among several, but also that getting from Themyscira to Man's World is rather tricky and impossible under most circumstances. I haven't yet worked out how to accomplish that. That also means no Themysciran embassy. I view the Amazons as culturally advanced, but mainly using magitech or similar.

4. Limit the involvement of the gods. Diana is not their agent or avatar, but an independent hero. Most recent comics storylines have involved the gods far too much, diminishing Diana's agency. If the gods are involved, make them disunited, sometimes even among Diana's patrons.

5. Steve and Etta should be Diana's main supporting characters. I've outlined a possible Steve in the Steve Trevor threads, who I think will make for a more interesting character. For Etta, I see her as an painter, sculptor, or musician (with the first two more fitting for comics), or other artsy type, perhaps with the Holliday girls as some form of artistic commune or fellowship. Etta should likely be Diana's main confidant. I like the way she was presented in the movie, as appearing as an airhead but in reality has excellent organisational ability. Diana, Steve, and Etta should be set up for potential poly shipping, as a nod to Marston.

6. Recurrent opponents and antagonists would be Cheetah, Doctor Poison, Giganta, Doctor Psycho (but drop the inherent ableism), and Ares. Possibly Veronica Cale as well, if she is made less like a distaff Lex Luthor. Circe I'm not sure of how to do best, possibly focus on her hedonistic aspect. I can see Diana's relation to Zeus being very fraught, with them often on opposing sides or with different ideas on how to accomplish things. Borrow Poison Ivy from time to time as a sometime ally, sometime enemy.

[The Dying Detective]

Can I be editor instead of writer?

I'm not so much into specific story arcs; I find the more interpersonal relationships more interesting, so this will focus more on that. Likewise, background elements will be rather sparse. There is also a goal of moving away from the way Wonder Woman's support cast has been embroiled in military and bureaucratic organisations. It made sense during the World Wars, not so much now, and it's boring. I also want to bring in Marston's focus on feminism and broaden it based on the 75 years of development since then.

1. Give Diana a domestic life! This is to me one of the big issues with how Wonder Woman is written. There are lots of stories with Wonder Woman the superhero, but very little with Diana the person. I see her as involved in the arts and philantrophy (she's a major supporter of Planned Parenthood, wilderness preservation, and animal protection).

2. Bring back the clay origin for Diana. The fewer men in her personal backstory the better. If Hippolyta needs divine help to bring Diana to life, there are plenty of goddesss to choose between. You could use Hera, and have her bringing Diana to life as her gift. She is the goddess of motherhood, after all. That also makes Zeus, who is the second archetype of toxic masculinity, naturally averse to Diana.

3. Themyscira needs two big decisions, partly related. (a) If Diana is the only child on the island, or there are other daughters there. It will impact her early reactions quite a bit. (b) Themyscira's relation to Man's World in a physical sense, ie how easy it is to get from one to the other, or under what circumstances. I think I'd like Diana to be one girl among several, but also that getting from Themyscira to Man's World is rather tricky and impossible under most circumstances. I haven't yet worked out how to accomplish that. That also means no Themysciran embassy. I view the Amazons as culturally advanced, but mainly using magitech or similar.

4. Limit the involvement of the gods. Diana is not their agent or avatar, but an independent hero. Most recent comics storylines have involved the gods far too much, diminishing Diana's agency. If the gods are involved, make them disunited, sometimes even among Diana's patrons.

5. Steve and Etta should be Diana's main supporting characters. I've outlined a possible Steve in the Steve Trevor threads, who I think will make for a more interesting character. For Etta, I see her as an painter, sculptor, or musician (with the first two more fitting for comics), or other artsy type, perhaps with the Holliday girls as some form of artistic commune or fellowship. Etta should likely be Diana's main confidant. I like the way she was presented in the movie, as appearing as an airhead but in reality has excellent organisational ability. Diana, Steve, and Etta should be set up for potential poly shipping, as a nod to Marston.

6. Recurrent opponents and antagonists would be Cheetah, Doctor Poison, Giganta, Doctor Psycho (but drop the inherent ableism), and Ares. Possibly Veronica Cale as well, if she is made less like a distaff Lex Luthor. Circe I'm not sure of how to do best, possibly focus on her hedonistic aspect. I can see Diana's relation to Zeus being very fraught, with them often on opposing sides or with different ideas on how to accomplish things. Borrow Poison Ivy from time to time as a sometime ally, sometime enemy.

Like I said at the top you have full reign to do as you please with Wonder Woman whether as an editor or a writer. You have tons of great ideas here but I don't think so highly of the feminist aspect as in this day and age there are quite few feminist who have gone beyond simply asking for equality sometimes it's just outright dominion.

[kjn]

Like I said at the top you have full reign to do as you please with Wonder Woman whether as an editor or a writer. You have tons of great ideas here but I don't think so highly of the feminist aspect as in this day and age there are quite few feminist who have gone beyond simply asking for equality sometimes it's just outright dominion.

I think Wonder Woman's relation to feminism and feminist theories should be rather complex, just as her view of sexuality in our society. It should draw heavily on her background being raised in an environment of only women who have built their own utopian society. In a way, she would be equally bewildered by feminist theory as she is of patriarchical norms and structures, and the same should be true of her view of LGBT issues. She'd happily march at the front of a pride parade, while at the same time having no clue about at least half that is happening.

A lot of people (especially men) claim they don't see gender. In Diana's case, she is one of the characters where that would be the truth.