Originally Posted by
SiegePerilous02
I don't know if I agree that he portrayed them too badly, he just didn't treat them with kid gloves. Marston's Amazons genuinely believed women were superior to men, and if he wanted to confront that mind set instead of changing it, they're not going to be portrayed as forward thinking in that regard. Especially compared to women like Etta who actually live in Man's World. Their attitude towards Etta isn't without precedent either; the one plus sized Amazon we got in the Golden Age was named Fatsis, and Mala thought of her as a “tub of lard” while the rest of the Amazons were just great at everything while being glamorous super models. Etta calling out that attitude is actually pretty feminist on Morrison's part, he just has it coming from someone who isn't an Amazon.
As for their aggressiveness...eh, they largely keep to themselves on the island and don't bother anybody. They certainly don't seem to have a history of going out and murdering innocent men, which is a step way too far for me too. They only go out to the outside world (implied to be their first foray) only because their Princess is in strange, possibly hostile territory. They only take out enemy combatants: if you look at the art, Medusa only freezes the soldiers while the Amazons make no moves to attack the cowering civilians. The effect of Medusa's gaze is reversible too; once Steve is proven to be trust worthy with their secret, Hippolyta lets him live without a fuss and the rest of the victims are restored.
The choice of Medusa isn't accidental either. In Greek mythology, Medusa was the embodiment of female power, petrifying a man with her very gaze. The story of Perseus is about the patriarchy stomping out female power and making it a tool by beheading it. The Amazons releasing Medusa as the embodiment of terrifying female might is actually really cool.
I feel like the Azzarello run coming out took the heat off of this in many ways. The bomb has already been dropped that Diana has a father, and the New 52 Amazons are even more aggressive then they are here. If this was released as the New 52 incarnation of Wonder Woman, it probably would have sparked much more controversy. But at the same time, I feel like it'd be much easier to salvage these Amazons as sympathetic because at least they (seemingly) don't have the blood of male children on their hands. And whatever you may think of his writing of her, at least Morrison has a clear interest in Hippolyta and doesn't sideline her like the New 52 did.