Should WW's mythology be treated as sci-fi, like the New Gods or MCU Thor?

[Agent Z]

I would prefer that Thor and the New Gods were never given the science fiction treatment. They're fantasy.

With Wonder Woman it should be mainly fantasy. I liked how she would visit different planets in the 1940s, but if that's made to fit in the current science fiction world of the Justice League, then they would have to change too much about those fantastic planets. I prefer to think that these planets exist on a supernatural plane and that's how Wonder Woman is able to visit them where science heroes with their rocketships cannot.

But I don't think so-called magic characters would use the word "magic" for what they do--except maybe Zatanna, but only for her stage magic act. The word has the wrong connotation. To the supernatural characters, what they do has its own logic, so it's not magic--it's just knowing how to use energies on another plane of existence. At the same time it shouldn't have to work according to known science.

I hate science fiction where they just make up a lot of ridiculous stuff that doesn't have any basis in science. But I'm fine with fantasy doing that, so long as it doesn't pretend to be science fiction.

If not magic, what should it be called?

[Jim Kelly]

Are you trying to say Kirby was wrong with making his New Gods and Thor fantasy? I respectfully disagree, the New Gods and Thor are sci-fi, its how they were envisioned to be. The only person (s) who can say the New Gods should've been fantasy is Jack Kirby. The only two people who could say Thor should've been fantasy is Kirby and Lee.

You need to run that one by me again, because I can't make sense of what you're asking me.

To me Kirby's Thor and New Gods both read as fantasy. Thor is mythology-based and New Gods is what Kirby wanted to do with Thor, also using mythology. What's cool about Kirby is he takes all kinds of stuff--whether it's from the ancient past, the middle ages, the Third Reich or the Summer of Love and he jumbles it all together in a glorious confabulation. So sure, he picks up mother boards and rocket engines and industrial factory works and jams them all in there, too. But he's not imposing logical limitations on his opus to make it hang together as pure science fiction like SKY MASTERS.

If some new writer is trying to force Thor or the New Gods into the tight envelope of science fiction--slicing off all the surreal aspects of Kirby's fantasy--then they just don't understand the point of those fantastic epics of modern mythology.

[WonderScott]

By design, Wonder Woman is supposed to cross genres: sci-fi, superhero, espionage, space opera, detective, mystery, action and adventure, social justice, etc.

To limit her otherwise is a disgrace to the original purpose and aptitude and relevance and inherit motifs and stances of the character.

[Mel Dyer]

By design, Wonder Woman is supposed to cross genres: sci-fi, superhero, espionage, space opera, detective, mystery, action and adventure, social justice, etc.

To limit her otherwise is a disgrace to the original purpose and aptitude and relevance and inherit motifs and stances of the character.

Well said, Scott. Two monthlies could solve the floating genre problem, with Wonder Woman.