Wonder Woman #36 Preview

[Dr. Poison]

I agree that experience doesn't equal quality; after all, Robert Kahniger wrote WW for 20 years with very little quality in there, though some of his other work was good. And I'm definitely going to try Finch's work out, because, well, it's WW, and I'll try out just about any WW title.

But I look at it from the other perspective: nearly complete lack of experience in *any* kind of writing doesn't usually equal quality - at least, not the quality of the level that I want to read on a WW title - and a cursory search for Meredith Finch in Amazon, the public library website, and Google turns up almost nada, except those two Oz titles and some "swimsuit editions," which I assume are more about the art. And I understand that her husband is her partner in this venture, but considering he's stated that he's "not really a writer" and reviews of the writing of his Batman stuff isn't great, I can't help but feel a great dose of trepidation. 3 preview pages of puerile musing on water AND Diana expressing incredulity at the avatar of the Green valuing plants over people doesn't alleviate that trepidation.

I hope to be surprised tomorrow: she does convey great joy in writing WW in the interviews.

The interviews are what have me excited for Meredith's run. She's expressed interest and/or familiarity with Diana's compassion and love, the 70s WW TV show, having Diana be a good role model, and Diana's rogues gallery. I think her passion for Wonder Woman's world could help to overshadow some of her newness to the medium.

[Darius]

Some folks didn't try Azz's take, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with that; they just didn't see any reasonable probability that they would like it. If people don't want to try the Finches' run, I don't see anything wrong with that either. If they extensively criticize it without reading it, that might seem a little odd to me; but it's a free country, and it might turn out that they say interesting things anyway.



It's one thing to say that some amount of experience is a minimum standard; it would be quite another thing to say that anyone who meets that standard, regardless of all other considerations, would be a great choice. One could argue that DC should have found someone who has experience and has done well-received work recently.

That being said, though, I'm not against giving a newcomer a chance if she has a great pitch and some excellent writing samples (even if the samples are unpublished.) Hopefully, she had those things, and more importantly, she'll prove herself capable of writing a great book.

I really want her to succeed! I'll read it regardless though ... reading WW (good or bad) is just ingrained in me after all these years

[Blacksun]

I don't have the answers to that question either but experience doesn't always equal quality. Look at some veteran creators who haven't had a hit comic at DC in the last 10 years:


Marv Wolfman
Paul Levitz(though I enjoy his Worlds' Finest)
John Ostrander
Jerry Ordway


Are naysayers of Finch really sure that someone like one of the list above would produce a better Wonder Woman comic at this point?

I don't know, never read a Ordway or Wolfman comic. some of my friends said his DC universe legends was good.
If levitz is inspired maybe he can write something.
these fguys are living legends, they were writing comics before I was even born. they are on another level.

[Dr. Poison]

I don't know, never read a Ordway or Wolfman comic. some of my friends said his DC universe legends was good.
If levitz is inspired maybe he can write something.
these fguys are living legends, they were writing comics before I was even born. they are on another level.

You're right - these 4 are all living legends but they haven't had a massive hit at DC in over 10 years. As creators/people age, sometimes they run out of fresh and interesting ideas. Sometimes they just get writer's block. Experience isn't the only thing that can produce a good story. I just don't think we should shame Meredith for being new to the game.

[Blacksun]

You're right - these 4 are all living legends but they haven't had a massive hit at DC in over 10 years. As creators/people age, sometimes they run out of fresh and interesting ideas. Sometimes they just get writer's block. Experience isn't the only thing that can produce a good story. I just don't think we should shame Meredith for being new to the game.

yeah sure, experience doesn't write good comics. scott snyder didn't had much comic experience on comics before breaking out on american campire and detective comics, but he had experience with writing and being a teacher.
Writing only gets better with practice and feedback, being reviews, books, webcomics. start writing a big property, being inexperienced like her is open to criticism.
I think the blame fall more on editorial, I don't remember a writer with so little credit taking over a big property;

[Sirzechs]

he has a exclusive contract with DC,maybe DC wanted to keep him satisfied or he demanded to keep the contract. He was doing a batman book and after that forever evil event. So to do a ww book, maybe he wanted his wife. there's a lot of things behind comics that no one knows.
genevieve valentine never wrote a comic before catwoman, but her list of books is very big and she do reviews of books/tv shows. Meredith case is pretty weird and unique.



he has a exclusive contract with DC,maybe DC wanted to keep him satisfied or he demanded to keep the contract. He was doing a batman book and after that forever evil event. So to do a ww book, maybe he wanted his wife. there's a lot of things behind comics that no one knows.
genevieve valentine never wrote a comic before catwoman, but her list of books is very big and she do reviews of books/tv shows. Meredith case is pretty weird and unique.



yeah sure, experience doesn't write good comics. scott snyder didn't had much comic experience on comics before breaking out on american campire and detective comics, but he had experience with writing and being a teacher.
Writing only gets better with practice and feedback, being reviews, books, webcomics. start writing a big property, being inexperienced like her is open to criticism.
I think the blame fall more on editorial, I don't remember a writer with so little credit taking over a big property;

Its no different than Soule, Before Swamp thing what was Soule really known for? and yet he end up with ST, RL, SM/WW and halfing a large hand in the Superman : Doomed event even writing origins stories in Villians month, and he only started working for DC last year.

[Blacksun]

Its no different than Soule, Before Swamp thing what was Soule really known for? and yet he end up with ST, RL, SM/WW and halfing a large hand in the Superman : Doomed event even writing origins stories in Villians month, and he only started working for DC last year.

Soule did some indie comics like 27, strange attractors... was writing thunderbolts also on Marvel. He took a long time to break out on comics. Nothing like Meredith. He didn't took main superman book or WW book

[Sirzechs]

Soule did some indie comics like 27, strange attractors... was writing thunderbolts also on Marvel. He took a long time to break out on comics. Nothing like Meredith. He didn't took main superman book or WW book

Soule Wrote 27 and Strange attractors that was it, he had no experience in Superhero comics, Thunderbolt was around the same thing he started to write Swamp thing and Red Lanterns not before, he still wrote a very important but with two members of the trinity did he not? wrote the origins for Zod (for the main Superman book), brought both Zod and Doomsday into into the New52 main earth.

[Blacksun]

Soule Wrote 27 and Strange attractors that was it, he had no experience in Superhero comics, Thunderbolt was around the same thing he started to write Swamp thing and Red Lanterns not before, he still wrote a very important but with two members of the trinity did he not? wrote the origins for Zod (for the main Superman book), brought both Zod and Doomsday into into the New52 main earth.

soule started in 2009 with strongman. being superhero or not having writing experience is essential. Snyder didn't had that much hero experience too, just a 4 issue mini and a one shot at marvel. took time to soule break out on comics, 4 years trying. one thing is being the headwriter, another is writing the sidebooks.

[Sirzechs]

soule started in 2009 with strongman. being superhero or not having writing experience is essential. Snyder didn't had that much hero experience too, just a 4 issue mini and a one shot at marvel. took time to soule break out on comics, 4 years trying. one thing is being the headwriter, another is writing the sidebooks.

Whats the point you're actually trying to make? They started out with mini series, she started out with a mini series, and Wonder Woman has one title, there's no "headwriter" for her, there's just the writer.

[Gaelforce]

Okay, pay attention because I'm only going to say this once.

There will be no more talk about how Meredith Finch got the job unless you have a quote or a direct source stating it in no uncertain terms.

Until that happens, the assumption is that she did as any other writer and pitched her story to DC and they accepted it.

Bans will follow and this is not up for discussion.

[Elizabeth R. Bryant]

I just loved the way it started..wonderful opening This is pretty awesome, no denying!

[Marvel-Studios Rep]

I don't care about Swamp Thing so I won't buy it. When it goes back to someone I care about or if there's some implication it's part of a huge arc I will probably be more open to it...

[MajorHoy]

You're right - these 4 are all living legends but they haven't had a massive hit at DC in over 10 years. As creators/people age, sometimes they run out of fresh and interesting ideas. Sometimes they just get writer's block.

Sometimes it's not that the writers have "run out of ideas" . . . sometimes they still put out stellar work, but it may be a different audience with interest in different fads / trends that the writer doesn't match up as well with. (Some of us "more mature" readers may be very happy and pleased with the same material that the younger masses may have less interest in.)

As for Finch, . . . "vegetative injustice"?!?

[Dr. Poison]

Sometimes it's not that the writers have "run out of ideas" . . . sometimes they still put out stellar work, but it may be a different audience with interest in different fads / trends that the writer doesn't match up as well with. (Some of us "more mature" readers may be very happy and pleased with the same material that the younger masses may have less interest in.)

As for Finch, . . . "vegetative injustice"?!?

You make a good point about experienced writers that I didn't initially consider. That's probably why I'm ok with Levitz's Worlds' Finest. Granted it's not the best book but it's far from the worst.