Wonder Woman #20 Preview Thread

[Outside_85]

Circe's one of the only high profile solo female villains DC (or any comics for that matter) has to offer in terms of sheer power. Depowering her would be a big mistake IMO.

Thats true, and unlike Strife, Circe has ambition beyond simply amusing herself through mischief.

She kind of won me over when shrunk down WW and the Holliday Girls and called them her "pretty protons." I'd be on board the Queen Atomia train if they ever brought her back, but I can't see her fitting in with the current Rucka run.

Sounds more like a character the Atom should be dealing with.

I wonder how Circe's powers would rank against Zatanna, the Avenger's Sersi, Scarlet Witch, Magik or either Enchantress (Marvel's or DC's)?

Pretty high considering what Circe normally deals with.

Thing is that Marvel's magicians often have these 'out of this world' kind of feats that they normally dont tap into.
Like if take the Scarlet Witch, normally she isn't that powerful... but then you take House of M and you have a near invincible crackpot that can remake reality on a whim. But as a rule of thumb, a crazy magician is more powerful than a regular one... see the opening arc of JLD where the Enchantress actually appeared more powerful than Darkseid over in JL.
Same with Magik, on planet Earth she's powerful but mostly just a teleporter with an anime sword and dress sense, but take her to Limbo and she's suddenly the lord god almighty.

These days I'd say Circe would be near the levels of the classic Dr. Strange, closer than he himself is these days.

[dreyga2000]

Circe has casually punked Superman on more than one occasion and single handedly all of male DCU. Not to mention possess the phyiscal stats to take Wondy hand to hand. At full power she is well beyond Strange

[marhawkman]

Circe has casually punked Superman on more than one occasion and single handedly all of male DCU. Not to mention possess the phyiscal stats to take Wondy hand to hand. At full power she is well beyond Strange

Hmm... a bit diff with Amora since she's an Asgardian.

[Nyssane]

Hmm... a bit diff with Amora since she's an Asgardian.

Unfortunately, Marvel never really put the time and effort into establishing Amora as an A-List threat, whereas Circe has caused some major damage over the years (War of the Gods, Amazons Attack, etc.). I think the fact that Enchantress's main foe is male and they often make her smitten with him reduces her overall threat level. Circe's foe being female works in her favor in my opinion.

[Outside_85]

Unfortunately, Marvel never really put the time and effort into establishing Amora as an A-List threat, whereas Circe has caused some major damage over the years (War of the Gods, Amazons Attack, etc.). I think the fact that Enchantress's main foe is male and they often make her smitten with him reduces her overall threat level. Circe's foe being female works in her favor in my opinion.

Yeah, I think Amora suffers from the issue of being more of a Femme Fatale than a genuine threat... same however cannot be said of Hela, who may also want a piece of Thor, but is usually presented as powerful enough to make anyone give pause.

[marhawkman]

Yeah, Amora rarely wants to kill her enemies. But she annoys the Avengers often. She's the type to do things like banishing someone to Jotunheim. She did it to Hulk in the Avengers cartoon. (like many things, all it really accomplished was making the Hulk angry, though someone like Hawkeye might have died, but she only did it to the Hulk)

[SiegePerilous02]

Sounds more like a character the Atom should be dealing with.

Maybe, but more variety in the content of Diana's stories would be nice.

[Outside_85]

Maybe, but more variety in the content of Diana's stories would be nice.

Well, then she can borrow a villain.

[sakuyamons]

Well, then she can borrow a villain.

Maybe a teamup between the Trinity's villians in their book at some point?

[Outside_85]

Maybe a teamup between the Trinity's villians in their book at some point?

Like right now in Trinity?

[sakuyamons]

Like right now in Trinity?

Hm. Not right now, but maybe later, when the Joker comes back to his antics and Lex (inevitably) turns evil.

I enjoyed the Ra/Circe/Lex interactions though.

[Mel Dyer]

No idea how anyone would think Atomia has a godlike powerset... she was pretty goofy even for the golden age enemies.

Circe's one of the only high profile solo female villains DC (or any comics for that matter) has to offer in terms of sheer power. Depowering her would be a big mistake IMO.

Yet, in spite of Circe's big power-graft, post-WOGs, she continues to be to dismissed. If sheer power were the deciding factor, WOGs should have been the most successful comic book venture, since Crisis, launching Circe into the most celebrated circles of super-villain fan favorites; we all know WOGs didn't accomplish that. Magic-oriented supervillains historically don't play well with other comic characters or almost anywhere, outside of the comic books they were created for. I don't think it's fair, but, magical characters get a hard time in comics, and Circe is a prime example of that.

At least, Atomia was weird in a Ming the Merciless sort of way, ..and she was as godlike, as Darkseid, in her own Atom Universe. She was pretty rough on the physical world, also, with her armies of killer robots and radioactive monsters, ..and she can manifest these things out of thin air, as Circe does with her magic. Atomia has nothing to fear from Circe and would conceivably kick her prehistoric . Atomia could manifest her entire universe inside Circe's brain and lobotomize her.

Atomia will be okay, boys and girls.

I don't think Circe has to wield earth-shattering, godlike power to be interesting to people, and that hasn't helped her, so far. What she must be is a good, very bad witch, with all of the qualities that have made witches so interesting, over the ages. I don't think we've seen Circe in a good witchcraft story, for ages - maybe, since before the Crisis.

[Agent Z]

Yet, in spite of Circe's big power-graft, post-WOGs, she continues to be to dismissed.

Dismissed by whom?

If sheer power were the deciding factor, WOGs should have been the most successful comic book venture, since Crisis, launching Circe into the most celebrated circles of super-villain fan favorites; we all know WOGs didn't accomplish that. Magic-oriented supervillains historically don't play well with other comic characters or almost anywhere, outside of the comic books they were created for. I don't think it's fair, but, magical characters get a hard time in comics, and Circe is a prime example of that.

That has more to do with writing sensibilities than the characters themselves. And yeah Circe’s been treated badly for the most part by DC’s writers and editors. Guess what? So has every WW character.
Circe’s power level isn’t her problem. It’s writers and editors not knowing what to do with a villainess of her power level.

At least, Atomia was weird in a Ming the Merciless sort of way,

Yeah, um, Ming the Merciless is pretty much the last character you want your villain to remind people of if you want to sell her to an audience.

..and she was as godlike, as Darkseid, in her own Atom Universe.

That’s cute. Circe and Darkseid are godlike every where.

She was pretty rough on the physical world, also, with her armies of killer robots and radioactive monsters. Atomia has nothing to fear from Circe and would conceivably kick her prehistoric . Atomia could manifest her entire universe inside Circe's brain and lobotomize her.

Care to post any in canon feats that actually put her on the same level as a woman who once almost ended all reality and enslaved half the population of the world?

Atomia will be okay, boys and girls.

Would be nice if anyone outside of a handful of comic book fans even knew who she was. If you think a relic like Atomia who sounds like she’d be more at home with the Atom than in WW is going to surpass Circe, I’ve got some land on the moon to sell you.

I don't think Circe has to wield earth-shattering, godlike power to be interesting to people,

And yet that’s when she’s been at her most interesting.

and that hasn't helped her, so far. What she must be is a good, very bad witch, with all of the qualities that have made witches so interesting, over the ages. I don't think we've seen Circe in a good witchcraft story, for ages - maybe, since before the Crisis.

You could have just typed this and left out all the stuff with Atomia.

[Outside_85]

Yet, in spite of Circe's big power-graft, post-WOGs, she continues to be to dismissed. If sheer power were the deciding factor, WOGs should have been the most successful comic book venture, since Crisis, launching Circe into the most celebrated circles of super-villain fan favorites; we all know WOGs didn't accomplish that.

Magic-oriented supervillains historically don't play well with other comic characters or almost anywhere, outside of the comic books they were created for. I don't think it's fair, but, magical characters get a hard time in comics, and Circe is a prime example of that.

Thats likely because WOG ended up with Circe being pretty dead. Also the statement is quite untrue, since Circe is still being used and her power is still being retained and respected.

Usually because those characters tend to be very powerful in their own right and just dont have the natural inclination to work with others. Like when the villains finally decide to get a group going and avoid killing each other, Circe is usually left out because she'd naturally try to take over from the tiresome insects like the Joker or Lex Luthor who offered her the invitation. Same reason they don't try to recruit people like Zod or Ares.

At least, Atomia was weird in a Ming the Merciless sort of way, ..and she was as godlike, as Darkseid, in her own Atom Universe. She was pretty rough on the physical world, also, with her armies of killer robots and radioactive monsters, ..and she can manifest these things out of thin air, as Circe does with her magic. Atomia has nothing to fear from Circe and would conceivably kick her prehistoric . Atomia could manifest her entire universe inside Circe's brain and lobotomize her.

Atomia will be okay, boys and girls.

And while en-route towards Circe, Circe sneezes and Atomia is suddenly on the far side of the room. Come to think of it, there is a reason why the Atom doesn't have a solo or any notable villains of his own isn't there? Think it is more to do with these kinds of characters being more interesting as explorers, not crime fighters.

I don't think Circe has to wield earth-shattering, godlike power to be interesting to people, and that hasn't helped her, so far. What she must be is a good, very bad witch, with all of the qualities that have made witches so interesting, over the ages. I don't think we've seen Circe in a good witchcraft story, for ages - maybe, since before the Crisis.

You can have the earth-shattering power levels and be interesting at the same time, where writers may have failed is the inability to provide the interesting story. Though I would argue against that, Who is Wonder Woman may have had it's problems, but Circe wasn't one of them. And even the New 52 stuff could have been interesting if writers hadn't been focusing on other things... namely Superman/Wonder Woman.