NEW Circe In S/WW #16: A Pre-Crisis Super-villain Returned To Macabre Greatness!

[Vanguard-01]

As if you are not indulging in speculation when you claim that following the fight with Superman another with Circe will immediately commence, when history has shown Circe to prefer retreating rather than risk loosing and capture.

Right now, she has very little reason to think she will lose. But fair enough.

Unnessesarily by all accounts. Nearly everyone in the western world knows who Circe is, Diana sussed that out after a moment, so no need there. Then you get the long-form explanation... which is something that belongs in an old Bond movie. And lo and behold, like all Bond movies the monologue allowed the hero to break free...

The world knows who Circe is. They don't know WHY Circe has a personal grudge against Wonder Woman. THAT was the part that needed explaining.

As you like to point out: abduct a man to deliver a message. MoW Circe talked because thats how messages work, SM/WW talked for no real reason.

Right. Because all villains should show up and just randomly attack their heroes without any explanation and the audience should just play the guessing game as to why Joker's going after Batman, Lex is going after Superman, etc.

Oh, and Circe's "message" in MOW? It served no purpose because it had no impact on the story of MOW. They literally ignored Circe's warning and nothing came of it.

Need? No. But clearly she thought it was amusing.

Yep. Using her powers for petty amusement. Sounds childlike to me.

So you think girls in bikini's on beaches are just showing off?

They certainly know they'll be turning heads and getting stared at.

Her eyes just glow, there's nothing crazy in them. Dunno how you differentiate between smiles.

Circe's smile screams "malice" to me. I'm sorry if you can't see it, but that's not my problem.

Diana is not stupid, she knows that whoever is going to come gunning for her and her BF is not going to be some happy-go-luck pushover. But that said, when she is written by someone competent, she doesn't come with a smart mouth either. So either Diana changed her personality a bit or Circe doesn't come across as terribly threatening to her.

Threatening to hurt someone who has been attacking her and her boyfriend is totally in character for Diana.

And Diana can make threats toward a threatening opponent. That's called "being brave." That's called "staring into the face of Evil, and telling it you're going to kick it's ass."

Then you must not be concerned about a truck that's coming towards you.

A giggling Sky Stripper is a far cry from an oncoming truck. She did NOTHING to appear frightening or powerful or dangerous. I don't need to be hit by a truck to know what it'll do to me.

So Circe considers herself a stripper in the name of personal freedom?

Circe considers herself a dominatrix because she enjoys dominating people.

I've TOLD you why about 5 times now, but it just doesn't seem to be something you understand.

You really haven't.

You just keep on saying "She's ethereal" or "She doesn't have to show her power." You have yet to explain how Sky Stripper should be perceived as dangerous in any way.

So Lex would be right at home in the same kind of attire since he has power and likes to rule over people as well.

No, because Lex comes from a culture that considers a business suit to be the symbol of wealth and power.

Then why do we have a better estimation of her cup-size from SM/WW than MoW?

Funny. I'm looking at both images right now, and I can tell that just as easily from either image. In fact, the ribbon makes it even easier to gauge her cup size because leather, you know, constricts things?

If the writer is short on talent, sure. And to go with her, there is Doomsday, another uncomplicated and uninteresting villain for them to use.

There was nothing complicated or interesting about MOW Circe. She showed up, did nothing of consequence, and then disappeared into utter irrelevance for three years.

You do know why Darkseid can rule an entire planet without having to blast and smash parts of it?

You DO know that one of Darkseid's signature moves is to vaporize a minion or two who has displeased him, right? You DO remember that one of the first things he did in the New 52 was launch a full invasion of a major city, causally one-shot Superman, and fight the entire Justice League, right?

She had an entire issue to do so, but wasted it on monologue and posturing. So yeah, childish, if her self-confidence was in check she wouldn't have needed to use it.

Oh, right! Because EVERY villain in comics immediately kills their hero the second they have an advantage over them!.........Oh, wait.........actually NONE of them do that.

Guess every villain in comics is childish and lacks self-confidence then.

Would be more interesting than boring our ears off with the endless monologue.

MOW Circe did nothing but monologue too. The difference? MOW Circe's monologue went nowhere, had zero impact on anything, and was largely forgotten by everyone but you.

Did she show sex appeal? Yes, unless you wear a burka, everyone does.
Is holding onto him sex appeal? No.
Is using her powers childish? Apparently you've forgotten she plucked him out of an active battlefield away from his squadmates and had a message he needed to hear. You try and have an important conversation while the reciever is returning fire.

Wow! She can pull one powerless man off a battlefield and talk to him before returning him home! What power! What majesty! Yep. That is a woman to be feared right there, people!

Her message served no purpose. She took that guy for her own idle amusement. If she was able to abduct Diana or Superman or Batman, force them to listen to her Lap Dance-O-Gram while holding them powerless, and then tossed him/her away when she was done with them, that would've been more impressive. But a powerless soldier? Big freaking deal.

[hellacre]

Azzarello's Apollo and Strife were updated in modern day attire and there was some connection to their personality/power. Vanguard might be very on the money where he said the current visual has to do with dominance and power. If Circe appearing in modern times what would one put her in? A piece of floating cloth? I don't think so. Closest thing to a goth-like/ witchy/ horror like feel with the porcelain doll skin etc is what the team clearly went for and that is understandable why they went for that. MOW Circe on the other hand is a cliched design we have seen umpteen times. A design that is not remarkable nor original. It says nothing about who she is and what she could do. This Circe at least looks a little crazy creepy. Last canon Circe was not exactly remarkable design either. I wouldn't blame writers for not caring to use MOW Circe based on what she said, did or looked.

[Agent Z]

Azzarello's Apollo and Strife were updated in modern day attire and there was some connection to their personality/power. Vanguard might be very on the money where he said the current visual has to do with dominance and power. If Circe appearing in modern times what would one put her in? A piece of floating cloth? I don't think so. Closest thing to a goth-like/ witchy/ horror like feel with the porcelain doll skin etc is what the team clearly went for and that is understandable why they went for that. MOW Circe on the other hand is a cliched design we have seen umpteen times. A design that is not remarkable nor original. It says nothing about who she is and what she could do. This Circe at least looks a little crazy creepy. Last canon Circe was not exactly remarkable design either. I wouldn't blame writers for not caring to use MOW Circe based on what she said, did or looked.

I think the purple hair was a great visual. The costumes may not have been particularly impressive though. And it's not like superhero books are lacking in redheads.

[Vanguard-01]

I think the purple hair was a great visual. The costumes may not have been particularly impressive though. And it's not like superhero books are lacking in redheads.

I agree with this.

Circe's costumes in the previous universe weren't anything spectacular, but that purple hair did make her much more unique. DC has no characters with purple hair, that I can recall. They've got tons of redheads.

[Charmed]

I agree with this.

Circe's costumes in the previous universe weren't anything spectacular, but that purple hair did make her much more unique. DC has no characters with purple hair, that I can recall. They've got tons of redheads.

Looking at the DC Wiki page, I see a couple like Element Woman and Pandora (though her hair looks more white to me). It's definitely a unique hair color, for sure. Who knows? Next time Circe appears, she'll be sporting a head full of purple hair. Anything's possible for a goddess, right? (Assuming she's a goddess in this incarnation)

[Vanguard-01]

Looking at the DC Wiki page, I see a couple like Element Woman and Pandora (though her hair looks more white to me). It's definitely a unique hair color, for sure. Who knows? Next time Circe appears, she'll be sporting a head full of purple hair. Anything's possible for a goddess, right? (Assuming she's a goddess in this incarnation)

Yep.

Circe can change her appearance pretty much on a whim, as far as I'm concerned.

[Mel Dyer]

Post-Perez, Circe was just a female Joker, with purple hair and magic powers. I don't want to see a return to that.

[Agent Z]

Post-Perez, Circe was just a female Joker, with purple hair and magic powers. I don't want to see a return to that.

How was she a female joker? The colors green and purple are hardly unique to that character. Nor is being particularly kill-happy. Also some have pointed out the similarities in design between this new Circe and the new Harley Quinn. Looks like to me like DC replaced one problem with another.

[Sacred Knight]

Anyone else think of Boondocks when Superman stomped Magog out?

"You was poppin' all that good sh-- a second ago, then you got kicked in yo chest!"

[Lax]

No it doesn't.

Yes it does.

Black Cat/Catwoman wear tight form fitting pants. SM/WW Crice wears tight form fitting pants that is covered by a long flowing dress.

There's a difference in the level of sex appeal.

Hmm, my people?

Yes, your people, feminists.

I suppose 'my people' are just the ones not spitting with fanboy rage over Odinson not having his hammer for once while forgetting it's not the first time another human has wielded it (far from it), it's not the first time Thor's been drastically changed and you have an alien that frequently wields the hammer.

Why would your people be "spitting with fanboy rage" over a story about Thor being referred to as "Odinson" because his actual identity is written as belonging more to an object than the man himself. Why would your people be "spitting with fanboy rage" over a story where even Odin can't manage to lift his own creation but some random woman nobody has ever heard of can because... vagina. All while the series starts over at issue #1 as if to tell people this isn't going to be a temporary arc.

This is no accident, it is by design, your people are supposed to find it appealing and they do.

I suppose 'my people' are just readers open enough to see a woman use it for once.

Or actively applauding the feminist politics behind the change while painting dissension as yet another form of sexism. Despite it being a change more radical than "pants vs no-pants" on Wonder Woman or "ribbon vs goth-dress" on Circe.

[Sacred Knight]

I agree with this.

Circe's costumes in the previous universe weren't anything spectacular, but that purple hair did make her much more unique. DC has no characters with purple hair, that I can recall. They've got tons of redheads.

Only one that comes to mind is Shay Veritas. Supergirl's friend in Kandor also has purple hair but its hard to say yet if she's ever going to be a character of consequence. More likely she dies in the current Batman/Superman arc, actually. But Shay, she's a keeper and she rocks the violet.

[Mad Love]

"In Greek mythology, Circe (/ˈsɜrsiː/; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē pronounced [kírkɛ͜ɛ]) is a goddess of magic (or sometimes a nymph, witch, enchantress or sorceress). By most accounts, Circe was the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, and Perse, an Oceanid. Her brothers were Aeetes, the keeper of the Golden Fleece, and Perses. Her sister was Pasiphaë, the wife of King Minos and mother of the Minotaur.[1] Other accounts make her the daughter of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft herself.[2]"

That's from Circe's Wikipedia entry.

In most accountings of her, she's the daughter of Helios and, sometimes, the daughter of HECATE. Circe is, at best, a lesser goddess and was regarded, as such, by George Perez, at the time of WOGs. Her possession by Hecate merely made her a more formidable goddess. Check the footnotes [Always check, with Wikipedia.] in that Wiki entry for sources to support the above excerpt.

DC mythology is its own thing regardless of its inspirations. In DC, she's consistently described as a sorceress. Under Perez, she was a sorceress who attained goddess-level power through Hecate. Hecate is her patron goddess which is more proof that she herself is not a goddess. She is an immortal sorceress that was once a princess of Colchis. Not sure what Wiki you are reading.

[Blacksun]

I think the purple hair was a great visual. The costumes may not have been particularly impressive though. And it's not like superhero books are lacking in redheads.

purple hair was great, it was different, there is lot of redheads on comics. Definately not 0.5% of comic population


very nice view of the cleavage.

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/3341658.html she is touching the guy but sexualy. can't see cleavage

[Outside_85]

The world knows who Circe is. They don't know WHY Circe has a personal grudge against Wonder Woman. THAT was the part that needed explaining.

Only for the readers. Circe already knows and she is the only one in the scene thats truly interested in it and by this stage Diana already knows she is the enemy, and why is that is rather irrellevant information.
Actually it reminds me of Lobdell's Trigon, who spent the majority of an issue, telling his sons about Raven's 'origins' as if they didn't already know why they themselves existed or why their sister was special.

My point is that the info dump is purely done for the sake of the readers. Since Hippolyta is now able to have a conversation, this could easilly have been skipped to let Hippolyta explain why Circe is after Diana.

Right. Because all villains should show up and just randomly attack their heroes without any explanation and the audience should just play the guessing game as to why Joker's going after Batman, Lex is going after Superman, etc.

Eh... the Joker being a puzzle doing what he does is kinda the reason why he's able to pull stuff like DotF and Endgame off with Batman. He does these things and you have to wait till the end to read about the solving of the mystery.

Oh, and Circe's "message" in MOW? It served no purpose because it had no impact on the story of MOW. They literally ignored Circe's warning and nothing came of it.

The book also ended after 8 issues, so if there ever was a larger story to Circe's appearance, we will never know.

Yep. Using her powers for petty amusement. Sounds childlike to me.

Hope you dont know ny children that act like that.

Circe's smile screams "malice" to me. I'm sorry if you can't see it, but that's not my problem.

Malice isn't really something you can exibit through a smile anyways, so maybe there it is.

Threatening to hurt someone who has been attacking her and her boyfriend is totally in character for Diana.

Since when?

And Diana can make threats toward a threatening opponent. That's called "being brave." That's called "staring into the face of Evil, and telling it you're going to kick it's ass."

No it's called bravado and before blows are struck it's just hot air. Besides, Circe wasn't threatning, her thugh army maybe, but all Circe had done was show up in a puff of smoke.

A giggling Sky Stripper is a far cry from an oncoming truck. She did NOTHING to appear frightening or powerful or dangerous. I don't need to be hit by a truck to know what it'll do to me.

Because you can't put yourself in Joe Rock's boots.

Circe considers herself a dominatrix because she enjoys dominating people.

Still doesn't explain why she would dress as one.

[QUOTE=Vanguard-01;973762]You really haven't.

No, because Lex comes from a culture that considers a business suit to be the symbol of wealth and power.

And Circe was born out of one where dressing like she does in SM/WW was either a common soldier or a prostitute.

Funny. I'm looking at both images right now, and I can tell that just as easily from either image. In fact, the ribbon makes it even easier to gauge her cup size because leather, you know, constricts things?

A leather suit like hers is usually made to commodate without crushing the wearer, secondly, as you can see the top bits covering her breasts are held up by a piece of string going through the hoop on the collar. So even if the corset the squeezing her midsection, her chest remains unconstricted.

You DO know that one of Darkseid's signature moves is to vaporize a minion or two who has displeased him, right? You DO remember that one of the first things he did in the New 52 was launch a full invasion of a major city, causally one-shot Superman, and fight the entire Justice League, right?

And how many times has Darkseid actually lowered himself to simple executioner at home when he does not have to move quickly? Do YOU know what Desaad's job is?

And yes I do remember the New 52 Walking Refidgerator from hell that had no personality, no presence and less of a feel of danger than the Earth-2 Grundy or the JLD Enchantress had. And this Circe is certainly on the same level of bovine boredom.

Oh, right! Because EVERY villain in comics immediately kills their hero the second they have an advantage over them!.........Oh, wait.........actually NONE of them do that.

Guess every villain in comics is childish and lacks self-confidence then.

If they had a brain, they would, but that would be boring.

Not really , because few stoops to Circe's levels just to show she has some.

MOW Circe did nothing but monologue too. The difference? MOW Circe's monologue went nowhere, had zero impact on anything, and was largely forgotten by everyone but you.

It's funny, because I read the SM/WW book during the week and I can't remember any of the words Circe actually said. So I suppose no one will remember this either in a month or two.

Her message served no purpose. She took that guy for her own idle amusement. If she was able to abduct Diana or Superman or Batman, force them to listen to her Lap Dance-O-Gram while holding them powerless, and then tossed him/her away when she was done with them, that would've been more impressive. But a powerless soldier? Big freaking deal.

Oh look, witch lady shows up and nudges the magic-vulnurable Superman a few inches before running off with her prize that immediately escapes when she got bored of listning to her babble on about her wounded pride. Big whoop, maybe in the coming issue she will actually do something impressive... but as I've said before, Circe normally opts to leave before she gets endangered.

[Sacred Knight]

DC mythology is its own thing regardless of its inspirations. In DC, she's consistently described as a sorceress. Under Perez, she was a sorceress who attained goddess-level power through Hecate. Hecate is her patron goddess which is more proof that she herself is not a goddess. She is an immortal sorceress that was once a princess of Colchis. Not sure what Wiki you are reading.

Yup. The actual Greek takes have no bearing here. Its DC's interpretations based off those original legends and myths, NOT those original myths verbatim. Never have been, never will be.