dc comics has been publishing wonder woman for seventy years. recent changes with the comic book have long-time fans in an uproar. a new costume and origin, along with a more aggressive attitude originally generated to bring greater attention to the feminist icon seems to have backfired. with less and less positive public reaction becoming apparent as monthly sales continue to decline. that doesn't mean dc is done trying to "revitalize" wonder woman for a more modern audience by making her even more edgier, as seen in this promo shot of the all new justice league, Details Emerge on DC's Relaunch. currently the amazon princess is embroiled in a massive dc comics crossover involving an altered timeline where wonder woman is a murderous tyrant having conquered the united kingdom with her army of amazons. this coupled with rumors that the failed wonder woman tv pilot starred an overly violent amazon princess. fans of the superheroine have had enough of a blood thirsty wonder woman and want a return of the peace loving character known for being stronger than heracles, swifter than hermes, wise as athena, and as beautiful as aphrodite.
christie marston, the granddaughter of wonder woman creator, william moulton marston, and co-curator of the wonder woman family museum has implored wonder woman fans to speak out their frustration to the changes made and implore dc comics to return the wonder woman we all know and love. what follows is the letter i drafted to christie yesterday evening.
Dear Christie, I was moved when you announced a call to arms among long-time Wonder Woman fans in hope that we could explain why we're fans of the Amazing Amazon, particularly what it is that makes the Princess of Paradise Island so special among the DC Comics pantheon of heroes. The answer is simple, Wonder Woman, a strong, intelligent, and beautiful female, strives to make a difference in the world besides using just her fists or sex appeal. Growing up in the late Eighties, I started reading the comic book with the George Perez reboot following Crisis of Infinite Earths. Perez presented a very vocal character who strived to bring peace to a war torn world past the shores of her island home. Even before Crisis, Wonder Woman was known for bringing her foes to Reformation Island in attempts to reform her enemies, a unique characteristic of our favorite heroine. Princess Diana made allies of the Cheetah, Circe, Silver Swan and more. Wonder Woman also prevented a third world war by defeating Ares, the God of War, using only the power of truth, the heroine's greatest weapon utilized by her golden lasso. Also the element of fantasy, Paradise Island, the Greek gods -- this surely appealed to me as a child and sets Wonder Woman apart from Superman or Batman in her own fantastic fashion. Now as an adult, as an educator, I bring the values that I learned from Wonder Woman, a strong role model, a warrior of peace and equality from an exciting world of wonder, to a whole new generation. The key to all this is, that although Wonder Woman gets into physical altercations with her enemies, it's not before she tries to reason and subdue them with reason and understanding. As of late it seems the creators behind Wonder Woman may have forgotten the core sensibility of the heroine I've been following for over twenty years, but I'm hopeful that this iconic character will return to basics sooner than later.
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