Female writer takes over Wonder Woman April 16, 2007 Jill I don’t read comics, but I have it on good authority that Gail Simone is a pretty cool lady, and a great writer. This might just inspire me to go out and buy a Wonder Woman book. Thanks to Neil for the link.
“FYI, the current (though temporary) writer on Wonder Woman is also female – Jodi Picoult” Yeah, but her run has been terrible so far. Gail Simone actually knows how to write comics.
My question is, when will they get a woman writer for the live-action movie version? I trusted Joss Whedon, but the studio evidently wants to make a different movie, which scares the crap out of me. It’s also depressing insofar as Whedon being at the helm increased the possibility that Wonder Woman could be played by the most perfect actress for the part, Whedon regular Gina Torres. Sure, it was remote, and she’s not a “name” that they’d need to open the movie, but (a) she’s gorgeous, tall and strong with a radiant smile and (b) it’s about time that the Wonder Woman mythology allow for the plain fact that women in an ancient, hidden-tropical-island society would be melanin-enhanced (unless somewhere they discussed how the shield they have on Paradise Island from radar and the prying eyes of men also provides a high enough SPF to keep them fair-skinned, but I doubt it…).
Right there with you ekf – the instant I heard Whedon was heading it I was like “OMG, Gina=Wonder Woman!”, and when I heard that they were losing him because they didn’t like his vision for the film, my trepidation was like the trepidation of a thousand trepids. *Headdesk*
Picoult’s background is in an entirely different medium, while Simone’s just come from Birds of Prey. I don’t read superhero comics, but will certainly be following people’s reactions via When Fangirls Attack.
b) it’s about time that the Wonder Woman mythology allow for the plain fact that women in an ancient, hidden-tropical-island society would be melanin-enhanced (unless somewhere they discussed how the shield they have on Paradise Island from radar and the prying eyes of men also provides a high enough SPF to keep them fair-skinned, but I doubt it…). Oh, absolutely. It’s not like they need a black WW, necessarily (although yeah, Gina Torres would kick all kinds of ass) but how about a WW who looks . . . geez, I dunno, Greek? I mean, this is what (one of many things) bugged me about 300, too. All these people waltzing around half-naked in the Mediterranean sun, and nobody has dark skin tone? WTF? —Myca
comic geekery ahead – on themyscira, the island that diana comes from, the women are all reincarnated souls of women who were murdered by men. and the majority of them are white but some of them are black, asian, or other races. you can thank george perez for bringing some diversity to paradise island, but i think he actually created a weird situation by making a tiny minority of the residents of paradise island women of color. shouldn’t it resemble more the population of the outside world, at the time when the gods resurrected these women? i’m not sure when that was, but i’m100% sure the makeup of the world didn’t look much like themyscira. … it is ridiculous trying to make sense of the wonder woman mythos, it’s so convoluted. i think wonder woman could be of any race, though, is my point. anyway, back on topic: when my friend casey called me up to tell me about this, i screamed “OH MY GOD! YES! YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS” for about two minutes straight. i think my neighbors probably thought i was having awesome sex. but this is even better.
I mean, this is what (one of many things) bugged me about 300, too. All these people waltzing around half-naked in the Mediterranean sun, and nobody has dark skin tone? WTF? Yes, one of many things. Maybe they invented sunscreen when they invented the Sandboni, the magical invention that squeegeed the land after they moved their thousands of blood-geysering corpses, leaving the sand clean and ready for battle. Resourceful people, those Spartans.
[…] Maybe they invented sunscreen when they invented the Sandboni, the magical invention that squeegeed the land after they moved their thousands of blood-geysering corpses, leaving the sand clean and ready for battle. Resourceful people, those Spartans. Don’t forget, they also had ab-machines and those ‘Eight-Minute Abs’ videos. And apparently some of the soldiers even waxed.
Gail is awesomesauce, and I am unashamed of how thoroughly I fangirl her. I don’t even care about Wonder Woman that much, but I’ll be buying this.
I’m sure most of you fan-types have already seen this, but for those wondering just why the idea of a decently strong Wonder Woman is so thrilling, check out what has been done to poor Diana over the years. Suffering Sappho! “Hi, you’ve reached Wonder Woman. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but I’m all tied up.” You’d think she’d leave that rope at home, seeing how often she gets tied up with it… The rest of the Superdickery site is worth a look, too.
william moulton marston (wonder woman’s creator) was indeed one wacky dude. he believed in female supremacy, and that boys needed a strong woman character in their comic books so they could get used to the idea of submitting to a woman.
He was also polyamorous, and invented the precursor to the lie detector machine. Weird guy, but cool.
I fear the Wonderwoman movie. I had to sit through Catwoman on a plane. I understand the Kung Fu Monkey`s version was completely different, but I still feel dirty everytime I go to that site. Can`t Jane Espenson, Joss, and Ron Moore, create a triumverate of comic book awesomness like the superfriends and tell studios to fuck off?
most recent wonder woman thing I heard was some random comic book seller being interviewed and talking about how her outfit is sexy because it’s based on her amazonian roots… I’m…. not really seeing it…… XP
This is basically so awesome it requires ALL CAPS. Previous WW writers (with a few notable exceptions) have gotten really hung up on “What? A woman? But… how does she get laid if she can fight better than the men!?!”
Jill, you would probably like Gail’s “Women in Refrigerators” page. That gives you a good idea of her feminist cred. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I’ve known Gail for years, she’s a beautiful big brassy gal and a terrific writer.
