DC Redesigns Wonder Woman; Now With Pants

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Source w/image of the new costume.

Wednesday is a good day for Wonder Woman. This 69-year-old superheroine, published by DC Comics, will don a new — and less revealing — costume and enjoy the publication of Issue No. 600 of her monthly series.

The costume ties into an alternative history for the character devised by J. Michael Straczynski, the new writer of the series, and into a quest by DC to shine a critical and creative spotlight on the heroine, who stands with Superman and Batman in its primary triumvirate of superstars, despite her series’s modest sales.

In the reimagining of her story, Wonder Woman, instead of growing up on Paradise Island with her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and her Amazon sisters, is smuggled out as a baby when unknown forces destroy her home and slaughter its inhabitants.

Mr. Straczynski, who created the television show “Babylon 5” and wrote the screenplay for “Changeling” in 2008, starring Angelina Jolie, said in an e-mail message that he wanted to address “the wardrobe issue” as soon as he took the job.

“She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941,” Mr. Straczynski wrote. “If you’re going to make a statement about bringing Wonder Woman into the 21st century, you need to be bold and you need to make it visual. I wanted to toughen her up, and give her a modern sensibility.”

He added, “What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?”

Given Wonder Woman’s pre-eminence as a female character in the largely male superhero pantheon, her looks have always been a matter of more than casual interest, to both fanboys and feminists. In a 2006 interview about her work on the series, the novelist Jodi Picoult said: “One of the first things I did was ask if we could give her breast-reduction surgery, because as a woman, I know you wouldn’t fight crime in a bustier. But I was somehow shot down by DC.”

The new costume was designed by the artist Jim Lee, who in February was named co-publisher of DC, alongside Dan DiDio. Given the assignment, “my first reaction was, ‘Oh my gosh,’ ” Mr. Lee said in an interview. But he welcomed the challenge: “When these characters become so branded that you can’t change things, they become ossified.”

The new look — with an understated “W” insignia, a midnight blue jacket and a flinty fusion of black tights and boots — is darker than the famed swimsuit-style outfit, and aims to be contemporary, functional and, as Tim Gunn of “Project Runway” might say, less costumey.

Given the hope that the character will one day have her own international film franchise (a feature has long been gestating at Warner Entertainment, DC’s parent company), one test of the design was to imagine how it would look standing next to, say, Batman’s politically neutral ensemble. “The original costume was the American flag brought to life,” Mr. Lee said. “This one is a little more universal.”

Mr. Lee has drawn his share of sexy superheroines (the X-Men’s Rogue among them), some in skimpy costume, and knows what many fans will ask: “Why am I covering up her legs?” Ultimately, he wanted her to look strong “without screaming, ‘I’m a superhero.’ ”

The arrival of Issue 600 is a bit of comic-book sleight of hand, or, as DC calls it, a return to historical numbering. Wonder Woman’s first self-titled series, which begin in 1942, ended with No. 329. The character was then overhauled, her previous continuity erased, and she starred in Volume 2 as a heroine new to the world. That incarnation lasted 226 issues. Another new direction spurred a third volume (and, to collectors who care about such things, another Issue No. 1) that ran for 44 issues. Do the math, and what would have been Issue No. 45 is now Volume 1, No. 600.

The new costume will almost certainly be better received than the curveball thrown Wonder Woman in 1968, when she lost her powers, dressed mod and practiced martial arts. It took the attention of no less than Gloria Steinem to protest the change, and to help get the Amazon back into her star-spangled duds. Ms. Steinem went on to use Wonder Woman, resplendent in red, white and blue, on the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine in 1972. A cover line proclaimed, “Wonder Woman for President.”

That’s the kind of attention Mr. Straczynski thinks she deserves: “Wonder Woman is a strong, dynamic, vibrant character who should be selling in the top 20, and I’m going to do all I can to get her there.”
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Her various costumes through the years.

Meant to post this earlier this week, but kept forgetting. Anyway, I can't say as I'm all that impressed. It looks pretty good, but it reminds me too much of this fairly forgettable costume from the 90s. Nice to see them trying something new, but I really don't see it sticking, like every other time a major comic character has seen a drastic change. Remember electric Superman? Or Spider-Man's "armor"? Only time will tell whether this one sticks or not. Should be interesting to see what, if any, effect this has on a Wonder Woman movie.
 
Brooklyn Rage! Brooklyn Ra-... Actually...

If they're going for black tights, then they really aren't doing all that much. It actually sounds like they made her wear some biker gal outfit.

I loled at DC not letting Diana get breast reduction.
 
I generally stay away from the Wonder Woman title, but I'm still iffy on whether or not overhauling her history is a good idea. It'll cause a lot of continuity headaches, that's for sure.

And WW has worn quite a few different costumes over the years, thank you very much.
 
Jabberwocky said:
I generally stay away from the Wonder Woman title, but I'm still iffy on whether or not overhauling her history is a good idea. It'll cause a lot of continuity headaches, that's for sure.
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I highly doubt it's possible for there to be any more continuity headaches in the DC universe. In any case, my feminist side approves of this, while the male instinct part of my brain is crying.
 
Jabberwocky said:
And WW has worn quite a few different costumes over the years, thank you very much.
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True, but all but about three have just been minor variations on the original. Like Batman. He lacks the purple gloves he started with, but there's very little difference between the original and the current.
 
To me, this new costume makes her look like an average person rather than a Super.

But, her previous outfit was more or less a strapless bathing suit and not too practical. I can't see someone actually pulling that off without falling out all over the place.
 
If they really wanted her to have a new costume, they should have gone and re-used Donna Troy's World War Three costume, IMO. That one invoked the classic look, but also incorporated some Ancient Greek chic as a nod to the Amazons' Greek mythology roots.
 
I like it but I'm not a huge fan of pants, I'd like to see her wear a skirt again, it's not like we weren't seeing her underwear before anyway. :p

Jabberwocky said:
Please note that Wonder Woman has been a feminist icon for decades, even in her old costume.
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Even with the problem involving men being able to bind her cuffs too easily?
 
I love the new costume. It always bothered me that a supposedly feminist character runs around in a bustier-and-swimswuit costume with American symbolism as a visual theme. Time to update the costume to match her character.
 
If you actually recolor her clothing, you can get Rogue from the X-Men. One picture I saw had her in the same color palette as Rogue from the X-Men Cartoon. But I still don't get why the design needed work. I thought of it as a case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
I sort of like her new look, but at the same time, it really doesn't set her apart from other heroes.

Jabberwocky: That was pretty much only in the 40s and early 50s, and because her creator was into bondage, IIRC.

Yes, he was, but the bondage theme continued well into the 1970s.
 
Linkara hates it.

I'm looking at it, and I don't hate it, but I'm too used to the traditional costume.
 
I think the real issue is the change in story. I love the costume, but it really isn't "Wonder Woman". They should have gone with a more practical, less-revealing costume than what they already had, but not to this extent. Something Amazon (duh) or Greek-inspired comes to mind.
 
I might be in a minority on this, but I like Wonder Woman with pants.

Guess I just never felt very close to the original design.
 
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