Wonder Woman 42 Preview

[DisneyWWfan]

[QUOTE=Silvanus;1369203]

Your concerns are perfectly reasonable. Personally, I don't really share them, because I think gods' powers should be mysterious and unpredictable. Plus, I'm conformable with Diana not being able to do a lot of the things we've seen other gods do, because she's a very young demi-goddess and an extremely new god of war; undoubtedly, she hasn't discovered and realized all of potential powers yet. It's like an infant not being able to walk or talk; this doesn't mean that they won't grow up to be just as capable as anyone else.

Still, I may be more tolerant than most comics readers of vague power levels, especially among gods and god-like beings, so it's fine if you just want to think of this as my quirk. Again, I don't doubt that the questions you're asking are fine questions to ask.

It might sound odd, based on my earlier posts, but I too like for there to be some mysterious qualities of the powers of any pantheons gods. It's just Diana spends so much time dealing with her gods, that if she actually does something of note, punches zeus in the face and knocks him on his rear, what does that really mean. He's Zeus, the best of the Olympian Gods, yet is that the same as knocking Superman flat, or Galactus? What other characters could plausibly do that to Zeus. Could Spider-Man or Thing (In my opinion no, but then again, that's not really based on anything.) If many of her feats are against beings that no one has any conception of their abilities, it kind of diminishes the feat.

The concept of gods in comics though brings a huge amount of presumed power. People complain that Superman is nearly omnipotent and the type of character he is, is a lowly alien. Diana is a god. Unless proven otherwise, I suspect she's capable of a lot of stuff. That being said, going back to the Aphrodite example, putting the goddess of love on a battlefield is not something I can even envision, unless the entire war just stops instantly because of her interference. If Aphrodite were put opposite a character she couldn't manipulate, is she just a mortal then? Can routine weapons even effect their kind?

Once again, I do completely agree with the concepts that she not be omnipotent, and I also understand she's a rookie when dealing with this stuff. I'm not asking that the entire book be laid out and analyzed and made concrete, I'm just saying some understanding of what they even ballpark are capable of, would be very advantageous. From what I've seen in comics in relations to the Greek pantheon, it's that they are, whatever the writer wants them to be. Now, since Diana is part of that pantheon, to me, her powers are whatever anyone wants them to be. If I want her to be effected by an arrow, so be it. If I want her to live through a nuclear explosion, so be it. If I want her to be able to lift the planet, so be it, and if I want her to slip on a banana peel and break her legs, so be it. That to me is every bit as problematic as a character that's omnipotent.

And this after all is just a preview and the story may explain some of these things, which hopefully it does. The arrow is just a device used to show someone was after her. I think though even before Diana knew she was a demigod, even before she killed Ares and became the God of War, she was dealing with Arrows shot at her by Centaurs sent by Hera to kill her and Zola. If I were Aegeus, going after Wonder Woman with a projectile is probably not the best route to attack her, she has been deflecting things with those bracelets for a long time. In order to make them feared, they really have to be a uberly-powerful projectile, which maybe they will be when explained. If it's something as basic as a magic arrow though, that might be a bit of a let down. A unique take would have been for her to put her arm up to block it, but without the bracelets takes the arrow in her arm, surprised she wasn't wearing them, as instinctually she would have tried to block it. She can (at least pre-ne52) move half the speed of light, and deflect machine gun fire blind after all.

This all being said, I do enjoy the discussion and have found parts of almost every writer that I dio like and do enjoy, and others I don't. In this preview the fact the God of War stopped and offered shelter to a homeless vet, is a cool act, and one I genuinely would not have ever thought to explore. Her waking up with blood in the sheets as a side effect of the God of war powers too, was a unique twist as often we see the positives but not the drawbacks.

[numberthirty]

C'mon, guys. She is the God Of War now. There is no other way this should have played out.

Not sure what you're trying to say--especially as a response to the part of my post that you bolded, "I liked her interaction with homeless vet." I wasn't suggesting that this part should have played out differently at all; in fact, I said I liked it. If your point is that as god of war she should have an affinity and concern for veterans, I completely agree (though I also think Tayswift is right that she would have acted the same way before she was god of war.)

You weren't. I was just pointing out that it is obvious that the God Of War would look out for a veteran.

[Awonder]

I want to read the WW in the Teen Titans Go alternate cover - that looks like fun.

she is wonder woman.There is no other way this should have played out.

much better

Agreed. This is just Diana, regardless of whether or not the homeless person is a vet.

You know between this scene, the one with Orion and Hal calling 'dibs' on her in J.L, it just feels like the writers just want to show Diana is being objectified or sexually harassed without actually being thoughtful, sensitive or mature about it. She either ignores it or she ends the matter with violence. If you're not going to do anything meaningful with topics like this, then don't include them in your stories.

I understand the sentiment; but still what would you suggest as "meaningful?" Some sexually harassing interactions like this are just brief moments; I see her reaction, like much of superhero comics, as a quick depiction of what we often wish we could do.

While I will have to see where it fits into context, "While a new enemy who knows I am a god has popped up, I think hitting the club is still a pretty smart play. In addition. I know absolutely nothing about said new enemy." seems like it makes almost no sense.

Just zero sense.

"A goddess is trying to kill this young woman, another goddess just started a massacre among my sisters. I think I'll take them both out in for drinks public, risking the lives of who knows how many people, so I can turn my back on them and watch the band while I sulk."

Sounds like common comic book sense to me.

[SeanT]

So, it's demeaning for Wonder Woman to fight in her normal costume, but not in a little red cocktail dress? At least in her usual outfit, you can't see her underwear.

Everything is so cliché, and the dialog is really bad. "The only thing you can do for me is to give your head a shake"? Bizarre.

That guy got pretty close before she reacted.

[Dr. Poison]

So, it's demeaning for Wonder Woman to fight in her normal costume, but not in a little red cocktail dress? At least in her usual outfit, you can't see her underwear.

Everything is so cliché, and the dialog is really bad. "The only thing you can do for me is to give your head a shake"? Bizarre.

That guy got pretty close before she reacted.

Where is Diana's underwear visible in this preview?

[anarki]

However she was very lucky that arrow missed, maybe she needs invulnerability after all.

I think that's a magic arrow, made to kill gods. (Which means she's invulerable to man-made arrows.)

[Silvanus]

So, it's demeaning for Wonder Woman to fight in her normal costume, but not in a little red cocktail dress? At least in her usual outfit, you can't see her underwear.

I've never really objected to the old costume, but the shorts were pretty similar to underwear, weren't they? And I'm not a fan of the new costume, but the dress she was wearing in this preview isn't that costume; she didn't intend to fight crime in it, and there's nothing wrong with wearing a little red cocktail dress to go clubbing.

[LordUltimus]

Where is Diana's underwear visible in this preview?

You almost see it in the final panel, but her leg is blocking it. If anyone had been behind her at the time, they'd have quite a view.

[Tayswift]

I've never really objected to the old costume, but the shorts were pretty similar to underwear, weren't they? And I'm not a fan of the new costume, but the dress she was wearing in this preview isn't that costume; she didn't intend to fight crime in it, and there's nothing wrong with wearing a little red cocktail dress to go clubbing.

it is called fan service, put a character with sexy clothes so reader can objectify it.

I still prefer Diana using pants and going to a rock show. Defying the girly stereotype that Finch has going to wonder woman now

[numberthirty]

The outfit is less annoying than the "Oh you know I will crack heads, Mister Bouncer!!!".

Really bad piece of writing.

[Sacred Knight]

I'm still trying to figure out why the preview I saw was so different from everyone else. Because if you just saw the reactions here one would think she was dressed like in lingerie instead of the modest dress she's actually in.

[numberthirty]

I'm still trying to figure out why the preview I saw was so different from everyone else. Because if you just saw the reactions here one would think she was dressed like in lingerie instead of the modest dress she's actually in.

One reader's take -

I can see saying "The character's costume is a bathing suit. That needs to change." I'm not so sure about putting her in the "Going To The Club" dress the very next issue.

While there's nothing wrong with the dress, the context does feel pretty weird.

[Silvanus]

I'm still trying to figure out why the preview I saw was so different from everyone else. Because if you just saw the reactions here one would think she was dressed like in lingerie instead of the modest dress she's actually in.

I know. She went to a club in a dress. That's different from intentionally going out to fight crime while wearing something that resembles a bathing suit. Where's the contradiction? Many people would wear different clothes to work than they'd wear to a club or bar, right?

[Tayswift]

One reader's take -

I can see saying "The character's costume is a bathing suit. That needs to change." I'm not so sure about putting her in the "Going To The Club" dress the very next issue.

While there's nothing wrong with the dress, the context does feel pretty weird.

it is a least very weird. she is using a bath suit and that is not good for fight, so I will cover her body. next issue has WW with a sexy and short dress with highheels and show some fight with it.
this run is full of inconsistency

[Silvanus]

it is called fan service, put a character with sexy clothes so reader can objectify it.

I still prefer Diana using pants and going to a rock show. Defying the girly stereotype that Finch has going to wonder woman now

That would be my preference, too (though I tend to prefer the battle-skirt to pants for her uniform, when she's on duty). But, if this preview is fan service, at least it's not gratuitous fan service: it's not unprecedented for this character to go clubbing; it's not that strange for someone to enjoy going to more than one kind of club; and the clothes were reasonable to wear to this club. The kind of fan service I'd object to is the gratuitous kind, in which the character is made to pose awkwardly, act strangely, be proportioned freakishly, or dress inappropriately to the situation. If the character's just dressing up in a sexy way in situation in which someone similar to her might normally choose to dress up in a sexy way--well, what's really wrong with that? I don't want her to be made into a sexual object, but I do want her, as a subject, to be able to own her own sexuality.

I agree, though, that the dialogue (shake your head"?) is cheesy. I'v gotten to expect that in this book, but it's still not good.