Wonder Woman #773 Discussion/Spoilers

[Bound4olympus]

I miss carol too. She actually references an idea I posted about Donna Troy on her website and I felt so honored lol

[Stanlos]

I just drowned in a wave of nostalgia. Damn. I gotta pour one out for them.

Great Gaea! Have they...passed on?

[Robanker]

Great Gaea! Have they...passed on?

Perhaps, either to a better place or simply other interests.

[AlexLyo]

Perhaps, either to a better place or simply other interests.

Not to go too deep into this derail, but pretty sure Carol released a book about Wonder Woman early this year called Star Spangles Panties or something like that, so the interest is still there!

[AlexLyo]

I've been reading this run about a week late by the time I receive the issues in the post, but had to join to add myself to the chorus of those who loved the arc and this team. Speaking as someone who sometimes enjoys an introspective serious Diana a little too much (shout out to Diana reading and drinking wine in her WonderDome during the Luke run) I've enjoyed and laughed out loud at her relaxed, fun demeanour in these issues. I have been reading the Golden Age run from the beginning recently and I totally see her adventurous and funny sensibility being channeled in this run. The backups are also giving me almost as much as the main story, and it feels like a relief to be excited about this title for the first time in a long time.

On the subject of Siggy, I'm enjoying seeing a Diana who is a little more relaxed about relationships and sex than she's been given the space to be before. I think Rucka's second run had hints of that during the opening issues of Year One where the amazons are commenting on how beautiful she is and speculating about who she's seeing. There is also that really beautiful conversation in Rebirth 8 between Diana and Steve where she talks about her belief that love is limitless.

I can see how Diana's sexual connection with Siggy might appear out of character purely based on how her sexual and romantic life has been portrayed in the past (which in my opinion has been quite limited), but I do think a Diana who is comfortable with her sex life makes sense for a character who has often done a lot to challenge expectations and conventions about gender and sexuality anyway. It is honestly just refreshing to read someone have an approach to sex in a superhero comic that doesn't feel channeled through a teenage sensibility (like male heroes ogling Diana or calling "dibs" on her *cough cough Geoff Johns cough cough*), or solely through a lens of long term marital monogamy (see countless Clark and Lois hanging out in bed scenes).

It fits, for me, for Diana to be someone who doesn't come with too many conventional rules about expressing or enjoying a consensual sexual attraction to another character, but I recognise why that wouldn't fit for others, and also how in the wrong writing hands that can get dangerously written. So far this team seem to be handling it well. In fact, I might be remembering this wrong, but doesn't the first issue have a scene where Siggy thinks they've had sex, but Diana let's him know they haven't, then in the latest issue they do. I don't think its coincidence that in the first issue Diana doesn't have her memories (therefore dubious consent), and in the latter issue she is fully herself (and thus fully consenting). That's some careful writing if I am remembering it correctly and not missing anything.

Also "The women were talking". I could read this alllll day long.

[Robanker]

I've been reading this run about a week late by the time I receive the issues in the post, but had to join to add myself to the chorus of those who loved the arc and this team. Speaking as someone who sometimes enjoys an introspective serious Diana a little too much (shout out to Diana reading and drinking wine in her WonderDome during the Luke run) I've enjoyed and laughed out loud at her relaxed, fun demeanour in these issues. I have been reading the Golden Age run from the beginning recently and I totally see her adventurous and funny sensibility being channeled in this run. The backups are also giving me almost as much as the main story, and it feels like a relief to be excited about this title for the first time in a long time.

On the subject of Siggy, I'm enjoying seeing a Diana who is a little more relaxed about relationships and sex than she's been given the space to be before. I think Rucka's second run had hints of that during the opening issues of Year One where the amazons are commenting on how beautiful she is and speculating about who she's seeing. There is also that really beautiful conversation in Rebirth 8 between Diana and Steve where she talks about her belief that love is limitless.

I can see how Diana's sexual connection with Siggy might appear out of character purely based on how her sexual and romantic life has been portrayed in the past (which in my opinion has been quite limited), but I do think a Diana who is comfortable with her sex life makes sense for a character who has often done a lot to challenge expectations and conventions about gender and sexuality anyway. It is honestly just refreshing to read someone have an approach to sex in a superhero comic that doesn't feel channeled through a teenage sensibility (like male heroes ogling Diana or calling "dibs" on her *cough cough Geoff Johns cough cough*), or solely through a lens of long term marital monogamy (see countless Clark and Lois hanging out in bed scenes).

It fits, for me, for Diana to be someone who doesn't come with too many conventional rules about expressing or enjoying a consensual sexual attraction to another character, but I recognise why that wouldn't fit for others, and also how in the wrong writing hands that can get dangerously written. So far this team seem to be handling it well. In fact, I might be remembering this wrong, but doesn't the first issue have a scene where Siggy thinks they've had sex, but Diana let's him know they haven't, then in the latest issue they do. I don't think its coincidence that in the first issue Diana doesn't have her memories (therefore dubious consent), and in the latter issue she is fully herself (and thus fully consenting). That's some careful writing if I am remembering it correctly and not missing anything.

Also "The women were talking". I could read this alllll day long.

Excellent post, and I agree with a lot of your points, but it was Diana who thought they had drunken sex and Siggy who informs her they did not as he's a man of honor; i.e, he requires consent.

They did a great job making him feel masculine without any toxic qualities. Perhaps a little underdeveloped but he literally turned into a mcguffin after the first issue so he had no time to be anything except Steve Trevor done right but with perfect hair.

I'm sad to see Valhalla and it's cast go, but it's good to keep moving before we overstay our welcome and we can always go back later if need be.

Not to go too deep into this derail, but pretty sure Carol released a book about Wonder Woman early this year called Star Spangles Panties or something like that, so the interest is still there!

Great to hear. I remember spending an afternoon reading her thoughts on her website about Power Girl and every Wonder Woman costume ever and it was an equal parts fascinating and amusing afternoon. Comics have some terrible costume designs and many of them hang in Diana's closet.

[Alpha]

In fact, I might be remembering this wrong, but doesn't the first issue have a scene where Siggy thinks they've had sex, but Diana let's him know they haven't, then in the latest issue they do. I don't think its coincidence that in the first issue Diana doesn't have her memories (therefore dubious consent), and in the latter issue she is fully herself (and thus fully consenting). That's some careful writing if I am remembering it correctly and not missing anything.

I didn't even think of it like that but you make a great point. Feels great to see how something so problematic was avoided in a great way.

Also agree with eveything else you wrote.

[BiteTheBullet]

I've been reading this run about a week late by the time I receive the issues in the post, but had to join to add myself to the chorus of those who loved the arc and this team. Speaking as someone who sometimes enjoys an introspective serious Diana a little too much (shout out to Diana reading and drinking wine in her WonderDome during the Luke run) I've enjoyed and laughed out loud at her relaxed, fun demeanour in these issues. I have been reading the Golden Age run from the beginning recently and I totally see her adventurous and funny sensibility being channeled in this run. The backups are also giving me almost as much as the main story, and it feels like a relief to be excited about this title for the first time in a long time.

On the subject of Siggy, I'm enjoying seeing a Diana who is a little more relaxed about relationships and sex than she's been given the space to be before. I think Rucka's second run had hints of that during the opening issues of Year One where the amazons are commenting on how beautiful she is and speculating about who she's seeing. There is also that really beautiful conversation in Rebirth 8 between Diana and Steve where she talks about her belief that love is limitless.

I can see how Diana's sexual connection with Siggy might appear out of character purely based on how her sexual and romantic life has been portrayed in the past (which in my opinion has been quite limited), but I do think a Diana who is comfortable with her sex life makes sense for a character who has often done a lot to challenge expectations and conventions about gender and sexuality anyway. It is honestly just refreshing to read someone have an approach to sex in a superhero comic that doesn't feel channeled through a teenage sensibility (like male heroes ogling Diana or calling "dibs" on her *cough cough Geoff Johns cough cough*), or solely through a lens of long term marital monogamy (see countless Clark and Lois hanging out in bed scenes).

It fits, for me, for Diana to be someone who doesn't come with too many conventional rules about expressing or enjoying a consensual sexual attraction to another character, but I recognise why that wouldn't fit for others, and also how in the wrong writing hands that can get dangerously written. So far this team seem to be handling it well. In fact, I might be remembering this wrong, but doesn't the first issue have a scene where Siggy thinks they've had sex, but Diana let's him know they haven't, then in the latest issue they do. I don't think its coincidence that in the first issue Diana doesn't have her memories (therefore dubious consent), and in the latter issue she is fully herself (and thus fully consenting). That's some careful writing if I am remembering it correctly and not missing anything.

Also "The women were talking". I could read this alllll day long.

My problem with the casual sex that Diana had with Siggy was that it was too fast and thus out of character for her. If they had given her arc with Siggy more time, I could have seen it happening, but as it is, the 4 issues with which this started in Asgard was only about about a week in which she only was with Siggy for a couple of days. There was no precedent prior for Diana to be so 'quick' about the casual sex.

Now, should we not expect her to have many more flings given how the current team has used this relationship with Siggy? I mean, there are alot of random Justice League dudes she could hook up with and they all have the same look as Siggy since artists tend to draw heroes with the same looks and bodytypes as it is.

I think the quickness of the romance is where my problem with this is.

[Alpha]

A character doing something they haven't done before doesn't mean that they are acting out of character. Like AlexLyo said, I see no reason why Diana would be afraid of non committal intimacy. There doesn't have to be a deeper reason than Diana found someone she liked being with and was having a fun night, and allowed herself an even nicer night.

Despite this being a story where Diana had lost her memories , this was the first time in a while where Diana was trully liberated. She wasn't second guessing herself, nor was she filled with the drama of the moment. She was living free and with joy. Being sarcastic in a charming tone and trully wild.

What I think has made Diana a hard character to enjoy at times is that she fluctuates between being far too self serious, or too uncaring (Geoff Johns mostly) . This was neither of those things.

And out of the whole trinity, Diana is the one that really needs a more expansive romantic history. She keeps falling into boring romances. I don't think Siggy can sustain long term, but I'm very pleased that she can really enjoy herself for once.

And no, it doesn't mean that she now wants to sleep with everyone on the Justice League. Those are work colleagues.

[HestiasHearth]

What's the current status of Diana and Steve's relationship? Are they still an item? My problem with Siggy and Diana hooking up is NOT that it was a casual fling; I don't think amazons in general would rigidly adhere to our prudish and overmoralistic views on sex. My problem is that I feel Diana is a one-person woman. If she is still in a stable relationship with Steve, why would she hook up with someone else so casually? Unless she has been retconned to be in an open relationship with Steve. I know that it seems like I am contradicting myself, but I honestly think that Diana would be ok with hooking up and having non-commital sex when she is single, not when she is "taken"...

[Alpha]

Yeah I get that. They aren't together though. According to the DC wiki the last time Trevor appeared in the present was in Wonder Woman 81. The description says that him and Diana talk in her apartment about putting a lid on their romance for a while. So no, they aren't together.

But that makes me wonder, even if they were still together on earth, since Diana died and came to the after life, would it still be cheating?

[Gitagon]

What's the current status of Diana and Steve's relationship? Are they still an item? My problem with Siggy and Diana hooking up is NOT that it was a casual fling; I don't think amazons in general would rigidly adhere to our prudish and overmoralistic views on sex. My problem is that I feel Diana is a one-person woman. If she is still in a stable relationship with Steve, why would she hook up with someone else so casually? Unless she has been retconned to be in an open relationship with Steve. I know that it seems like I am contradicting myself, but I honestly think that Diana would be ok with hooking up and having non-commital sex when she is single, not when she is "taken"...

They haven't addressed that. They'll probably put a throwaway line in the future saying Diana and Steve broke up before her 'death' to justify this not being cheating. That's what they do when they want Diana to have new flings with who they think is more interesting than Steve alà New 52.

[Alpha]

They haven't addressed that. They'll probably put a throwaway line in the future saying Diana and Steve broke up before her 'death' to justify this not being cheating.

They don't need to. The two of them haven't dated since 2019.

[BiteTheBullet]

I just didn't feel the 'romance' between Siggy and Diana in the brief time they were together. They had one drunken night (the first night) and then basically Siggy was sidelined until the end of the arc in which Diana kept emphasizing about helping Siggy out specifically over the other people she was trying to help from Valhalla.

There was no real time for a romance, or in this case a one night stand, and I feel it was out of character for Diana. I don't think anyone will convince me otherwise.

But....if Siggy remains a ongoing character, and they continue having relations with each other, I can see that happening, but not as fast as seen in this arc. Again, they spent about 4-5 days in Asgard with Diana only being in battle with Siggy for a couple of those days before he fell victim to Valhalla, so way to short a relationship arc for them to consummate the next time they met. Just my opinion.

[I'm a Fish]

I just didn't feel the 'romance' between Siggy and Diana in the brief time they were together. They had one drunken night (the first night) and then basically Siggy was sidelined until the end of the arc in which Diana kept emphasizing about helping Siggy out specifically over the other people she was trying to help from Valhalla.

There was no real time for a romance, or in this case a one night stand, and I feel it was out of character for Diana. I don't think anyone will convince me otherwise.

But....if Siggy remains a ongoing character, and they continue having relations with each other, I can see that happening, but not as fast as seen in this arc. Again, they spent about 4-5 days in Asgard with Diana only being in battle with Siggy for a couple of those days before he fell victim to Valhalla, so way to short a relationship arc for them to consummate the next time they met. Just my opinion.

That’s a far criticism, I think.