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  1. #1
    Amazing Member jonincentex's Avatar
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    Default Why is Justice League Dark the best Wonder Woman comic book?

    Yes, technically it is a team, but since she joined the story, action, Etc. has focused on her to the point that a better titled would be Wonder Woman and the Justice League Dark.

    In this JLD, she is central to all the stories. In her own book, she always seems to be an excuse to tell the story of someone else.

    JLD has been the only book that doesn't give her abilities the short shrift. Her role is one you expect from one of the most powerful players in the DC universe. James Tynion IV has proved to be the best Wonder Woman writer in decades. Her role in JLD is what I expect of her.

    It's a shame that in the other comic book in which she is a major character, the actual Justice League, she's almost irrelevant at times, a disposable prop., a 2nd. tier, shallow support character to the other members of the Justice League.

    In the latest issue, she ends playing second fiddle to the magical recruit, Madame Xanadu, called upon to fight a daximite army whose only vulnerability is magic. Madame Xanadu arrives in time to save them all but Wonder Woman who is left to play the part of the damsel in distress who the rest of the Justice League will have to rescue I guess.

    Because her role in the JL is so limited, it makes sense to the writer to have her send for magical aid even though Wonder Woman had the league create a magical archive to house and protect the most powerful magical artifacts in the DC universe. Artifacts that in the JLD she has proved capable of using. Yet instead of running to the basement to retrieve a few she sends for Madame Xanadu?
    Last edited by jonincentex; 02-20-2020 at 07:56 PM.

  2. #2
    Incredible Member Alphaxman's Avatar
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    I totally agree with you and it's 10x better then Synder's convoluted mess. I'm shocked that its not discussed over in the Wonder Woman thread.

  3. #3
    Concerned Citizen Citizen Kane's Avatar
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    Why? Because *jazz hands*, that's why!

    In all seriousness, you can really only attribute it to writer preference. I'm not a fan of the treatment of title characters as secondary ones, either.

  4. #4
    Extraordinary Member Dr. Poison's Avatar
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    Well, one thing Justice League Dark definitely has going for it is a stable creative team that does good work each month. Wonder Woman's solo book has had rotating artists(some only doing 1 issue) for the last few years. Thankfully, Steve Orlando seems to be here to stay as writer for the foreseeable future.
    Currently(or soon to be) Reading: Alan Scott: Green Lantern, Batman/Superman: World's Finest, Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Jay Garrick: The Flash, Justice Society of America, Power Girl, Superman, Shazam, Titans, Wesley Dodds: Sandman, Wonder Woman, & World's Finest: Teen Titans.

  5. #5
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    I can't speak for the Wonder Woman comic myself, or the JLA, but I would second Dr. Poison, that the creative team is quite good, and the writer has gone to some good lengths to explore Wonder Woman magical side, something often ignored in at least the JLA.

    It's also just refreshing to have Wonder Woman lead a super team for once instead of Batman.

  6. #6
    Extraordinary Member Dr. Poison's Avatar
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    I haven't liked Circe this much in decades. Tynion really did his homework.
    Currently(or soon to be) Reading: Alan Scott: Green Lantern, Batman/Superman: World's Finest, Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Jay Garrick: The Flash, Justice Society of America, Power Girl, Superman, Shazam, Titans, Wesley Dodds: Sandman, Wonder Woman, & World's Finest: Teen Titans.

  7. #7
    Amazing Member jonincentex's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alphaxman View Post
    I totally agree with you and it's 10x better then Synder's convoluted mess. I'm shocked that its not discussed over in the Wonder Woman thread.
    I imagine it's not discussed, because I don't think a lot of people know about her role in the comic vs a vs other DC comics.

  8. #8
    Amazing Member jonincentex's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Citizen Kane View Post
    Why? Because *jazz hands*, that's why!

    In all seriousness, you can really only attribute it to writer preference. I'm not a fan of the treatment of title characters as secondary ones, either.
    That's not true, because all comic book publishers place general restrictions on what a writer can or cannot write as well as given specific expectations to meet. With Wonder Woman, Greg Rucka was hired to undo a lot of what Brian Azzarello had dreamed up about her origins and the origins of the Amazons.

    What you can attribute to the writer is how well or poorly a character like Wonder Woman is portrayed. Many of the current writers simply have no idea what to do with her or tell a story they want to tell using Wonder Woman as an excuse.

    One example where I agree with you re a writer's preference, is found in all the wasted Wonder Woman issues focused on introducing the fact that she had a brother to the DC universe. In telling that story, not only was she treated a secondary character, but it was obvious the writer really didn't like writing for Wonder Woman regardless of what the person claimed.

    He did like writing for Wonder Woman's brother, and that's why he was played up at her expense.

    The story arch can be summed up as Wonder Woman makes a bunch of potentially world-destroying mistakes that her brother fixes. That isn't the story you expect to tell for the title character.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonincentex View Post
    One example where I agree with you re a writer's preference, is found in all the wasted Wonder Woman issues focused on introducing the fact that she had a brother to the DC universe. In telling that story, not only was she treated a secondary character, but it was obvious the writer really didn't like writing for Wonder Woman regardless of what the person claimed.

    He did like writing for Wonder Woman's brother, and that's why he was played up at her expense.
    That's not true. James Robinson has said he was forced to do a storyline on her brother because he was ordered to by Dan Didio. You can't exactly ignore him as Greg Rucka found out the hard way.

    Edit: https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2018/0...o-wonder-woman
    Last edited by Bruce Wayne; 02-22-2020 at 07:32 PM.

  10. #10
    Amazing Member jonincentex's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BringMe_YoungManLogan View Post
    I can't speak for the Wonder Woman comic myself, or the JLA, but I would second Dr. Poison, that the creative team is quite good, and the writer has gone to some good lengths to explore Wonder Woman magical side, something often ignored in at least the JLA.

    It's also just refreshing to have Wonder Woman lead a super team for once instead of Batman.
    I agree about Batman. Sure he's a big character, but that's in part due to DC giving him all the leadership roles despite the fact that DC has characters like Wonder Woman who are just as capable.

    As far as her magical side being ignored. JL #41, the current issue, is a classic example of that. Instead of running to the vault where the JL keeps the collection of powerful magical artifacts Wonder Woman and the JLD have collected to face the Daximites, she sends for Madame Xanadu.

    It makes me wonder if Wonder Woman will be allowed to remember that collection as the story plays out.

    I bet if she does, instead of using any herself, they'll have her tell Madame Xanadu where they are, and limit her role to using the lasso, sword and her fists.

  11. #11
    Amazing Member jonincentex's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dr. Poison View Post
    I haven't liked Circe this much in decades. Tynion really did his homework.
    Totally agree. I liked how it ended with her too.

  12. #12
    Amazing Member jonincentex's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wayne View Post
    That's not true. James Robinson has said he was forced to do a storyline on her brother because he was ordered to by Dan Didio. You can't exactly ignore him as Greg Rucka found out the hard way.

    Edit: https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2018/0...o-wonder-woman
    That may be true, but being given a story line to follow doesn't mean you have to make the brother the star of Wonder Woman's comic book. Making him the star at Wonder Woman's expense was his doing.

    Now if you say Didio insisted he make the brother the focus and the ultimate hero in Wonder Woman's comic, then you are going to have to provide sources.

  13. #13
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    It's not like the head of DC Comics is vindictive and prone to screwing people over on Wonder Woman.

  14. #14
    Concerned Citizen Citizen Kane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonincentex View Post
    That's not true, because all comic book publishers place general restrictions on what a writer can or cannot write as well as given specific expectations to meet. With Wonder Woman, Greg Rucka was hired to undo a lot of what Brian Azzarello had dreamed up about her origins and the origins of the Amazons.
    Yes, writers are given guidelines, but that hasn't stopped any of them from adding in their own preferences for the story/character. There isn't one writer out there that has written a character free of their own personal preferences. You even bring up an example of Wonder Woman being a secondary character in her own book; it's a preference of the writer. It's also not the only time something like this has happened *cough*tomking'sbatman*cough*.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonincentex View Post
    I agree about Batman. Sure he's a big character, but that's in part due to DC giving him all the leadership roles despite the fact that DC has characters like Wonder Woman who are just as capable.

    As far as her magical side being ignored. JL #41, the current issue, is a classic example of that. Instead of running to the vault where the JL keeps the collection of powerful magical artifacts Wonder Woman and the JLD have collected to face the Daximites, she sends for Madame Xanadu.

    It makes me wonder if Wonder Woman will be allowed to remember that collection as the story plays out.

    I bet if she does, instead of using any herself, they'll have her tell Madame Xanadu where they are, and limit her role to using the lasso, sword and her fists.

    One of the things I like about JLA Dark is that it is a female led team (Wonder Woman and Zatanna) so the spotlight is primarily on them (Constantine & the others aside) whereas in male dominated super teams there often their as a second thought.

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