Four Years Later..The Odyssey Costume

[billee0918]

Hard to believe next week marks four years since the controversial, well-publicized debut of the Wonder Woman Odyssey costume and storyline. I remember sitting in a theater waiting for (I forget which) movie to start when I got the Breaking News alert from The New York Times (never thought "Wonder Woman Gets New Costume" would have been the news that broke!

I truly loved that look from day one, even more so when the jacket was off so we could see the straps. Kinda wish it never went away.

How do people feel about it four years later? Appreciate it more, in hindsight? Still hate it?
Want it back?
What would you tweak or change?

wonder-woman-odyssey.jpg

[Vanguard-01]

I love almost everything about this costume. Especially the slightly different version that Ivan Reis drew.

I like the color palate of red, black, and gold. It's very eye-catching and it all looks like it's part of a unified theme. One of my very few complaints about Diana's classic costume was always the bracelets. The classic costume is red, blue, and gold, primarily (there's some white too).......and then off to her sides are these massive silver bracelets that never quite seemed like they completed the theme of the costume. The Odyssey costume was black and red and ALL her accents are gold. It just looks more complete to me. This is why I also like the New 52 costume for the most part: it's red and navy blue and ALL her accents are silver. Silver or gold for the accents. Pick one and stick with it.

Pretty much the only thing I would tweak about the Odyssey costume are:

1.) I like the jacket she was wearing for the most part. Nice for when she wants to walk around and blend in a little better. However? Those Eighties-style shoulder pads were ridiculous. If she were to continue wearing the jacket, I'd want it to be sleeker. Now the jacket doesn't have to stay at all, frankly. But if it does stay that's what I'd change.

2.) I like the all-gold bracelets, but they don't fully encase her arms, which I consider a problem. They don't offer as complete protection. So, yeah. Keep the gold, but make sure they completely wrap around her arms.

3.) Red boots. Her boots blend in with the pants to the point that it looks like she wearing wader pants. Make an obvious divide between the pants and the boots and let the boots be red? Problem solved.

Other than that? I totally loved that costume and wouldn't mind seeing it return at all. If Diana doesn't wear it? It would be kinda cool if Donna or Cassie took it up. They'd look fine in it as well. And I'd love to see New 52 Cassie in it because that would mean she'd have to ditch that garbage demon-armor upon which she's so dependent in the New 52. Words cannot express the hatred I bear for that whole concept.

[billee0918]

I think you sum its appeal up nicely, Vanguard.

I find the ornate belt and bracelets striking and like the overall, less superhero-y more fantasy figure look.
If I had to make changes, I agree that something in the boot area (though I think subtle gold accents would work for me) and a more contemporary jacket. At the risk of blasphemy, I think the Odyssey outfit would work without a tiara.

Hoping an upcoming Sensation arc revisits this look and period.

[richalex]

I only liked it when it looked like this (I Know I keep saying this but....)



The WW was bigger and looked like it used to. Her hair wasn't straight, but wavy. I would have been fine with or without the jacket. Ivan Reis made me like it in this one drawing. I wish he was on the book instead of who we got on it. I think it would have went over better.

[Alan2099]

It was very ... "I'm ashamed I'm working in supeheroes, how can I make a costume that looks like something they'd wear in a movie?" combined with some "grim and gritty 90s throw a jacket over it and change all the colors to black".

[Dr. Hurt]

It was very ... "I'm ashamed I'm working in supeheroes, how can I make a costume that looks like something they'd wear in a movie?" combined with some "grim and gritty 90s throw a jacket over it and change all the colors to black".

The point was that she was raised in a city and not an exotic island, and she didnt decide to become a superhero, more like she was a girl who found out she was an Amazon and got tangled up with everything that goes with it. She was a female Percy Jackson of sorts. So i think her suit made sense for that specific story.

I'd add red boots, give her a bigger golden breastplate, remove the 90ies jacket and she's good to go.

[richalex]

I'm horrible with paint/etc. Here she is with red boots. If somebody who is a better colorist/artist than I am wants to take a stab at it please do. Make her Tiara like the classic one while you are at it....and maybe make the Bracelets cover here forearms completely. lol. I also think that maybe she would look better with the classic red/white boots, but instead of the white, make it gold.

[DIVINITY]

I truly loved that look from day one, even more so when the jacket was off so we could see the straps. Kinda wish it never went away.

(+1) ..Also, issue #609 should of won an Eisner, for best single issue.

[TheFearlessDefender89]

Hard to believe next week marks four years since the controversial, well-publicized debut of the Wonder Woman Odyssey costume and storyline. I remember sitting in a theater waiting for (I forget which) movie to start when I got the Breaking News alert from The New York Times (never thought "Wonder Woman Gets New Costume" would have been the news that broke!

I truly loved that look from day one, even more so when the jacket was off so we could see the straps. Kinda wish it never went away.

How do people feel about it four years later? Appreciate it more, in hindsight? Still hate it?
Want it back?
What would you tweak or change?

wonder-woman-odyssey.jpg

I loved everything about it, especially the pants design , her golden laced straps and jacket. It was the best redesign I've even seen and I hope something similar returns for her.

[t hedge coke]

I will never get tired of "OMG! Pants!" responses, though. It's just kind of funny.

Especially if they say she can't wear them because she's from an island with a totally made up culture. Like none of us have ever put on a suit to go to a meeting or dressed differently for a job than we do sitting around a parent's living room.

I can see the call for brighter pants, though.

[Punisher007]

I find it funny that the "island" thing seemed to automatically mean that she SHOULDN'T wear pants to some people. I could just as easily make the reverse argument. OMG, she's not wearing a glorified swimsuit, sacrilege.

[Razor Tiara]

I find it funny that the "island" thing seemed to automatically mean that she SHOULDN'T wear pants to some people. I could just as easily make the reverse argument. OMG, she's not wearing a glorified swimsuit, sacrilege.

The difference there is she clearly comes from a tropical island and when one thinks of tropical islands, one does not immediately think "pants", and if one did, they'd be cotton or linen and most definitely not black leather, tucked seamlessly into black leather boots. That doesn't scream Bermuda Triangle.

[Carabas]

The difference there is she clearly comes from a tropical island and when one thinks of tropical islands, one does not immediately think "pants", and if one did, they'd be cotton or linen and most definitely not black leather, tucked seamlessly into black leather boots. That doesn't scream Bermuda Triangle.

This version of Diana didn't come from a tropical island, or any other kind of island.

[Vanguard-01]

People in the 50's had leather jackets. People today still have leather jackets. Leather jackets are pretty much timeles.

Black Canary had one in the 40's.

I, myself, happen to own a leather jacket.

The difference there is she clearly comes from a tropical island and when one thinks of tropical islands, one does not immediately think "pants", and if one did, they'd be cotton or linen and most definitely not black leather, tucked seamlessly into black leather boots. That doesn't scream Bermuda Triangle.

Diana spent very little time anywhere near a true tropical climate. Leather pants would've made perfect sense in New York and the Middle East, climate-wise. And we don't know how long she had been wearing those pants. It was likely a relatively new development for her.

In Odyssey, she wasn't trying to dress to reflect the island culture in which she was never raised. She was trying to look like a modern girl who just wanted to live her life.

[Robotman]

The jacket made her look very dated. So many characters in the 90s had leather jackets. I was expecting a NIN button on Diana's collar.
Though I like that she finally got straps to hold her costume up. I wish the New 52 design would've had that.