Gail Simone's Encounter With Joss Whedon

[Vanguard-01]

Superman couldn't fly when he was created more than 70 years ago either and I am sure there are plenty of people who would be disappointed to see a Man of Steel who didn't fly.
He debuted in 1938 able to leap tall buildings.
He didn't fly until the Fleisher cartoons in 1941 and then in comics in 1943. Thats 5 years later.

Wonder Woman on the other hand debuted in 1941 and was instantly given a means of sustained flight (invisible jet) that to the untrained eye would have looked as if she was streaking through the air unaided.

So while some fans may not have issues with Superman/Wonder Woman not flying because they originally didn't, there are plenty of fans who do.

Indeed.

And Batman originally carried a Tommy gun and mowed down criminals Punisher-style. Try bringing THAT back and see where it gets you.

I've encountered a few Superman fans over the years who want to see Superman reduced to his old power levels. But only a few. People want Superman to be powerful. I don't understand why some Wonder Woman fans want to see her less powerful.

Anyway, with regard to the article, or whatever? I like Joss Whedon. He seems like a great guy. I will ALWAYS love him for Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse. But after reading his script, I seriously think he would've done more harm to Diana than good. That "no good villains" statement even furthers that suspicion.

It doesn't help that Joss, despite his reputation as a feminist icon, personally admitted that he actually knows very little about Wonder Woman. He said it himself: he was always more of a Marvel fan. He hasn't read much Wonder Woman, so he just doesn't have the kind of passion for her that I want to see in a guy making a movie about her.

I very much hope that Michelle MacLaren and whichever writer ends up doing her first script can finally give us a movie worthy of Diana that will make it worth the long wait. But I just really don't think that Joss was/is the man for the job.

[PopuluxeCowboy]

If you're talking about taking away Wonder Woman's ability to fly in the regular Wonder Woman comic, I can understand being upset (although that already happened back in the early-'70s when she became a Diana Riggs-like spy-girl character for a couple of years). But for a one-off direct-to-DVD movie? I have no problem with it. It's a side story, an alternate take on the character, a chance to do something different with Wonder Woman, in this case going back to her original powers. And as for a gun-toting film noir Batman set in the late-'30s? I could totally go for that. Just don't force him to use guns in his regular series or persona. In fact, a story about how he started with guns but gave them up and show why he gave them up would make for a great story.

[Agent Z]

If you're talking about taking away Wonder Woman's ability to fly in the regular Wonder Woman comic, I can understand being upset (although that already happened back in the early-'70s when she became a Diana Riggs-like spy-girl character for a couple of years). But for a one-off direct-to-DVD movie? I have no problem with it. It's a side story, an alternate take on the character, a chance to do something different with Wonder Woman, in this case going back to her original powers. And as for a gun-toting film noir Batman set in the late-'30s? I could totally go for that. Just don't force him to use guns in his regular series or persona. In fact, a story about how he started with guns but gave them up and show why he gave them up would make for a great story.

Problem is that it wasn't just a one-off DVD project. It was supposed to introduce WW to a wider audience. A wider audience that would have been used to a WW that couldn't fly and that might affect the comics as well.

[PopuluxeCowboy]

Problem is that it wasn't just a one-off DVD project. It was supposed to introduce WW to a wider audience. A wider audience that would have been used to a WW that couldn't fly and that might affect the comics as well.

I don't see anything that suggests this was anything more than a simple one-off DVD project, just like every other movie in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. The only thing that came out of this was a single novelization, which is pretty standard. I don't see how this single DVD, a retelling of the "Gods and Mortals" story from the George Perez reboot from way back in 1987 could affect the comics today. And in fact it didn't. Because it was never intended to.