Still My Biggest Problem With Wonder Woman - No Definitive Supporting Cast!

[Mel Dyer]

I want some genius to finally [FINALLY!] give this comic a memorable and definitive supporting cast of regulars.

For my money, that does NOT include all of the blamed Amazons! The Greek gods and the Amazons, I think, should be recurring players, appearing frequently, but, only in stories, where their presence is relevant to something - giving Diana advice, assistance or secret knowledge that would plausibly be out of her reach. Making them and That Blamed Island recurring characters in the comic, who only show up when something REALLY BIG and important is happening, gives the reader a special appreciation for all of them. Shouldn't something in Diana's colorfully bizarre world be special to us? What's so special about the Amazons, if Wonder Woman is always hanging out on That Blamed Island?

George Perez, Bill Loebs, John Byrne and Brian Azzarello moved her off of that island for a very good reason. Why do editors not seem to understand this? Why do they let writer, after writer, keep sticking her right back on That Blamed Island?!

I think that Zola and one or two other characters should be as familiar to us, as our own families or friends. Without them, the WW comic is a narrative MESS, with an agonizingly perpetual atmosphere of temporariness - nothing in the comic that anyone can depend on.

As I said in another post, ..when Zola goes, I go. Zola is the definitive promise and premise of the original Wonder Woman comic - that, in every woman, is a Wonder Woman. When the WW comic loses Zola, it loses Wonder Woman.

[Vaffrey]

There was a genius who gave the comic a definitive supporting cast: William Marston, who created Steve, Darnell, Etta, the Holliday College characters, Paula, and key Amazons. Kanigher had his moments with that cast but mostly ignored all but Steve and the Amazons. Subsequent writers (including the second coming of Kanigher) kept dumping casts and replacing them with their own, who would be dumped and replaced in turn. Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway reestablished the classic cast in modern form in the last years of the pre-Crisis book, only to have them bungled by Perez in the reboot (and largely supplanted by his own new characters), and then subsequent writers just kept the whole merry-go-round going. Azzarello did the exact same thing. Anyway, Zola is just a watered-down Etta Candy.

I agree that getting WW off the island and in our world is the big point that too many writers have missed, but I think you missed something in the history of the book when you say, "George Perez, Bill Loebs, John Byrne and Brian Azzarello moved her off of that island for a very good reason." That gets the whole history of the book entirely wrong. Marston created WW as the Amazon princess who leaves the island to come to our world. That was the way things stayed for the most part in the pre-Crisis run of the book, except for a spate of Kanigher issues here and there. Perez made the fatal mistake of keeping her mired in all-myth-all-the-time stories -- there was not a single arc that avoided the island or the gods. Bill Loebs did break away from that, but only by having the island plum disappear for a while until it returned and dominated the book for the end of the run. Byrne likewise couldn't get away, although he at least alternated with Kirby-worship storylines. Azzarello just continued all the mistakes of the past -- keeping her mired in the world of Greek myth, to the point of dumping her classic origin for a new daughter-of-Zeus story that makes her one of the gods herself.

[SiegePerilous02]

While I do agree that the Amazons and their damn problems are used WAY too much, it should be noted that Marston used them quite frequently. It's just that he had two books to do it in, and one of those books had four stories in one issue. There was a lot of the Amazons and Paradise Island, but there was also a lot of other stuff too. He had the perfect balance, and it's never been replicated.

And Vaffrey is 100% right. Marston's cast should be the foundation for the property. There was no reason for them to be continually replaced, especially since history has shown none of the replacement casts have much going for them anyway. New characters and concepts should be added, but Steve, Etta, Donna and maybe even Darnell should be the core group.

I also think Zola's days are numbered. Aside from the fact that she was secretly Athena the whole time, she as a character doesn't have much going for her. I think Etta is a better example of the "any woman can be a Wonder Woman" idea, because she was actually allowed to be heroic on many occasions, and as a plus sized woman at that. Zola has also landed in the hands of Meredith Finch, whereas Etta is going to be getting Morrison, DeLiz and will likely appear in the movie. Why waste time with a new best friend when she already had one that had more going for her?

[Agent Z]

I want some genius to finally [FINALLY!] give this comic a memorable and definitive supporting cast of regulars.

For my money, that does NOT include all of the blamed Amazons! The Greek gods and the Amazons, I think, should be recurring players, appearing frequently, but, only in stories, where their presence is relevant to something - giving Diana advice, assistance or secret knowledge that would plausibly be out of her reach. Making them and That Blamed Island recurring characters in the comic, who only show up when something REALLY BIG and important is happening, gives the reader a special appreciation for all of them. Shouldn't something in Diana's colorfully bizarre world be special to us? What's so special about the Amazons, if Wonder Woman is always hanging out on That Blamed Island?

George Perez, Bill Loebs, John Byrne and Brian Azzarello moved her off of that island for a very good reason. Why do editors not seem to understand this? Why do they let writer, after writer, keep sticking her right back on That Blamed Island?!

I think that Zola and one or two other characters should be as familiar to us, as our own families or friends. Without them, the WW comic is a narrative MESS, with an agonizingly perpetual atmosphere of temporariness - nothing in the comic that anyone can depend on.

As I said in another post, ..when Zola goes, I go. Zola is the definitive promise and premise of the original Wonder Woman comic - that, in every woman, is a Wonder Woman. When the WW comic loses Zola, it loses Wonder Woman.

Themyscira is not Krypton. Writers can use it as often as they damn well please.

[Dr. Poison]

I'm not sure I understand the complaints here. You don't want the gods in the book as often(neither do I for that matter) yet you've said time and time again how Lord Hermes should be appearing more often than he has lately. As for Zola, she came across to me as a plot device for Azzarello's run. I would like to see a regular supporting cast in this book and I think we're starting to see that with Hera, Zola, Donna, Hessia, and Strife. Granted Donna wasn't a carryover from Azzarello's run but she has long term connections to Diana. Now if we could just get Steve Trevor in this book on a regular basis, I'd be thrilled.

[Nyssane]

I wholeheartedly agree with Vaffrey and SiegePerilous (what a shock, right?). Marston had set up Steve and Etta as Diana's closest companions, and it's a crying shame that they have been neglected so much over the years. It'd also be nice to see Darnell, Paula, and Mala back as major characters.

I'd be happy if we never saw Zola again, honestly.

[Darius]

I wholeheartedly agree with Vaffrey and SiegePerilous (what a shock, right?). Marston had set up Steve and Etta as Diana's closest companions, and it's a crying shame that they have been neglected so much over the years. It'd also be nice to see Darnell, Paula, and Mala back as major characters.

I'd be happy if we never saw Zola again, honestly.

I second this ... personally I'd like to ditch Zola in favor of Etta

[Dr. Poison]

I second this ... personally I'd like to ditch Zola in favor of Etta

Me too but it has to be phat sassy Etta. The current Etta is only marginally more interesting than Zola.

[Thor2014]

While I do agree that the Amazons and their damn problems are used WAY too much, it should be noted that Marston used them quite frequently. It's just that he had two books to do it in, and one of those books had four stories in one issue. There was a lot of the Amazons and Paradise Island, but there was also a lot of other stuff too. He had the perfect balance, and it's never been replicated.

And Vaffrey is 100% right. Marston's cast should be the foundation for the property. There was no reason for them to be continually replaced, especially since history has shown none of the replacement casts have much going for them anyway. New characters and concepts should be added, but Steve, Etta, Donna and maybe even Darnell should be the core group.

QFT! I'd take Etta over Zola any day of the wwek. Steve and Etta should always be Wondy's inner circle like Lois, Jimmy and Perry are for Superman.

[Outside_85]

I'm more in the boat of wanting a balanced mix of characters to make regular appearances (not necessarily consistent monthly appearances like Alfred).
Something like:

Humans/demigods (generally people who were born and live in the normal world):
-Zola
-Lennox
-Milan (ok maybe not so much... but it would be nice if Diana dropped by and gave him a sandwich once in a while)

Amazons:
-Artemis
-Philipus
-Hippolyta
(tbh I have no bearing on Hessia but atm I wouldn't be bothered if a truck landed on her)

Gods (the folks from out of town):
-Hephaestus
-Hermes
-Orion

What I wouldn't care for was returning characters thats pretty much vacated the book ages ago simply for the sake of it. I know Etta and Steve are first in the hearts of many here... but what do you actually do with them once they get here? Simone proved just that by turning Etta into punching bag for her own pet monster, while Perez appeared to have realized how little Trevor added after bringing Diana to the modern world. And well, look at Trevor now, DC tries to make him into Nick Fury... and he's now MIA again along with his entire agency.

[Mel Dyer]

Me too but it has to be phat sassy Etta. The current Etta is only marginally more interesting than Zola.

Wouldn't it be cool to find out that the black woman presently known as 'Etta Candy' was actually named after teenaged, World War II heroine, the real Etta Candy - white, pudgy, scrappy, classic Etta? Maybe, there are thousands of girls, all over the world, named after this WWII Etta, who disappeared into a time-warp in the Forties, ..only to show up, here, in the present day! There just has to be a way to get the original, pudgy, white Etta, back, and ditch this lackluster, TV tie-in Etta, for good.

Fatten 52/failed-Kelly-TV-pilot Etta back up and give her some attitude - make her as weird and funny, as the original - and maybe, she'd work out. For the politically sensitive fans here, Etta wasn't funny, because she was fat; Etta was funny AND fat, because she was Etta, and I'd have no problem laughing my head off at anything our brand new, fat, black Etta does. A fat, weird, funny, fat, scrappy, black Etta is more, than welcome! As is, she's just not Etta, ..and I think she needs to go.

Furthermore, I'd love it, if Etta, Aleka and I Ching were the regular, supporting cast, with Steve dropping by or butting in, frequently. Keith Griggs and General Darnell belong to a time, when Diana worked for the U.S. military, under a secret ID, ..and that story is over.

[Dr. Poison]

I'm more in the boat of wanting a balanced mix of characters to make regular appearances (not necessarily consistent monthly appearances like Alfred).
Something like:

Humans/demigods (generally people who were born and live in the normal world):
-Zola
-Lennox
-Milan (ok maybe not so much... but it would be nice if Diana dropped by and gave him a sandwich once in a while)

Amazons:
-Artemis
-Philipus
-Hippolyta
(tbh I have no bearing on Hessia but atm I wouldn't be bothered if a truck landed on her)

Gods (the folks from out of town):
-Hephaestus
-Hermes
-Orion

What I wouldn't care for was returning characters thats pretty much vacated the book ages ago simply for the sake of it. I know Etta and Steve are first in the hearts of many here... but what do you actually do with them once they get here? Simone proved just that by turning Etta into punching bag for her own pet monster, while Perez appeared to have realized how little Trevor added after bringing Diana to the modern world. And well, look at Trevor now, DC tries to make him into Nick Fury... and he's now MIA again along with his entire agency.

Trevor and A.R.G.U.S. still appear in Justice League just about every other month if not every month.

[Tayswift]

Trevor and A.R.G.U.S. still appear in Justice League just about every other month if not every month.

he and argus barely on the background

I wholeheartedly agree with Vaffrey and SiegePerilous (what a shock, right?). Marston had set up Steve and Etta as Diana's closest companions, and it's a crying shame that they have been neglected so much over the years. It'd also be nice to see Darnell, Paula, and Mala back as major characters.

I'd be happy if we never saw Zola again, honestly.

zola is nice, but better only appearing sometimes.

steve and etta is the base of wonder woman.

[Dr. Poison]

he and argus barely on the background

Even if they were background characters, that still wouldn't make them classifiable as MIA.

[Tayswift]

Even if they were background characters, that still wouldn't make them classifiable as MIA.

sure, but steve is only there and it doesn't make him any favors