Interview: Brian Azzarello Talks WONDER WOMAN

So wait a minute, the WONDER WOMAN book is going to be used to explore New Gods??? It was already dragging at the expense of WW and an growing host of Olympians and now he is dragging in more New Gods? Orion is going from guest star for a few issues to co-star or headlining star for a year? You know, Azzarello gave other interviews today about WW and he really sounded as if WW is secondary in all this and he's just interested in pimping the New Gods.He even claimed WW was not a great seller before...yeah, it selling so well now isn't it? As for WW and Orion hooking up unless she likes ass slapping douches she just met...but whatever.

As Superman is not even in this book why would he approve or disapprove? Also if Diana is dating a guy who she claims to care for why would she want anything with Orion romantically? She barely knows him and he's acting like a god's honest fool. That would seem very OOC for me and disappoint me if Azz takes this line because Diana is not someone who plays around as if matters of the the heart are games. I could see her feeling compassion for Orion (though he's making it hard for me to give a damn) but that's it. So if it is violence...unless she kills Orion...I don't see what Superman (who is very much aggressive in the new 52) would disapprove of.

@jphulk26 said:

@Lvenger said:

@jinxuandi said:

@jphulk26 said:

I stopped downloading after issue 14...

I don´t like him taking shots at something he hasn´t even read.

Am I the only one who finds this ironic?

Me too. Jphulk contradicts himself a lot. His whining gets on my nerves a fair bit too and I know from personal experience how bad it gets. He seems to be cutting off his nose to spite himself by commenting on here though.

I´m tired of having my opinion on Azzerrello scrutinized by you. I was not saying anything about the book, I was talking about the interview. If I don´t like something someone says it is my right to point out where I think the person is wrong. I always am willing and able to listen to anybodies point of view about things with a cool distance. I don´t care what anyone says on the site as long as it isn´t bullying or in some othe way inflamatory to users of the site, so please stop whining to me everytime I call out your precious Azzerrello. Yes he pisses me off, when he does it I will call him out, and I will say why.

By the way this was not an Azzerrelo appreciation post, so I don´t see how complaining about him is ommitted from this thread its an interview, that simple.

And I'm tired of your laughably derivative anti Azarello posts. All I will say is if you don't like something, don't read it or pay any heed to it. That's what I do and it's worked wonders for keeping me partially sane about what's going on in comic books. And you've built up a knack for doing this hence the complaints you've gotten from me and other users. When your posts annoy me, I will call you out and say why.

The problem I have with his book is that he's building the mythology but not the character. I loved his characterization of Batman and Lex Luthor but I feel he's not getting WW's character. Diana used to be daughter, sister, friend, mother (not literally) type figure,she was very compassionate but was never afraid to do the right thing, she was not a angry beast who just reacted on her instincts and she never needed a boyfriend. Atleast his doing a better job than johns.

@SmashBrawler said:

Man, Azzarello has delivered an amazing run. Can't wait to see what he has in store.

@Press Oblivion said:

Because Cliff and Tony don't draw handsome men doesn't mean they are ugly.

No, Orion is ugly without the Mother Box. Like, actually ugly, nothing to do with whoever draws him. Comes with being Darkseid's son.

Sweet!, consider me schooled.

Still, neither of them could draw good looking with Lee Bermejo's brain and Jim Lee's drawing hand.

@Lvenger: Thats fine, thats your prerogative. But if you´re tired of my comments surely you should not read them, so that you can maintain your sanity as you say. If someone insults my family I hit back, like it or not comic fans feel very strongly about their favorite heroes and villains, and will rightly defend them against the abuses of writers who haven´t a clue about what their mythology is all about. His comment about Ares is what I was taking him to task at. Someone said Ares was a one-dimensional, one-tone villain, so it made sense to turn him into a mentor of Wonder Woman, an almost heroic figure. I disagreed, I said the same can be argued of Lex Luthor, Ras Al Ghul or The Joker, should we add ambiguity by making them Lex Luthor Supermans mentor instead? Or, maybe The Joker could train Batman in his early career? After all who needs one-dimensional mustache twiddling villains these days?

If you want to do stuff like that, show a Superheroes world as it could be, a possible version of a superhero, so as explore a different sides of them, you call it an elseworld. You don´t put it as the main continuity of a story. Mark Millar didn´t say, hey it would be interesting if Superman landed in the Ukraine instead and was brought up a Stalanist, but still had the same heroic personality. That would be interesting and add ambiguity to the character; l know lets make that the main continuity of superman, forever changing his mythology. No what Mark Millar did, was make it an elseworld comic, even though what he did was far less drastic a change and far more interesting a story and said much more about who Superman at core is. So please show me where I´m being illogical and irrational?

As for my comment it was a justified critique of a silly statement.

@dadarkknight36310 said:

@jphulk26 Could you please take your ranting somewhere else for crying out loud. Azzerrelo is doing an amazing job on this series by taking a character that was stagnate and making her relevant. You and a handful of others are the only ones complaining because she is not the same stagnant character she use to be. Most people and critics are loving this book right now she and aquaman have been the breakout stars of the new 52 even more so than their flagship character superman. Azzerrelo has finally given the character a better rogue gallery and supporting cast instead of the same old boring amazons and Steve Trevor who by the way has been a lot more interesting in the new 52 than he was pre 52. I for one love the way he writes Diana, he actually shows us how compassionate a person Wonder Woman is by actually showing us how much she would sacrifice for her friend as well as people she does not even know. If you want to read your version of Wonder Woman read Justice League in that book, she acts like the old version you like, in which she did nothing but punch things and nothing else.

Wow, don´t know what to say, my opinions supposedly not popular, so stop saying it? Lets suppress all views that aren´t yours.

For the folks who say WW is a God and not connected to humanity and likes War etc and that is why she and Orion are made for each other, you fail to grasp who WW is and if you have concluded this then Azz has failed to demonstrated the core aspects of WW. The character left paradise and being a princess to become part of the world because she sees the value in living real life and using her gifts to help others. This soap opera of the Gods has not shown her really shown who she is. She's conveniently rich and spends her time lounging in hotels and bars or chasing gods. London is treated like a prop. Why superman, gl, batman...all these characters work is because there is an everyday element that we can relate to after all the heroics...be it the daily grind of a job (Supes), girl trouble (GL), kid trouble (batman) etc. ...you can relate to them. I don't think exploring Gods alone is the answer if he wanted to explore other relationships to be honest. It makes WW an almost elitist character that could never understand what a regular joe or jane could go through and that is why when Diana screamed I love everyone I rolled my eyes. WW as always connected to the real world in the past be it as ambassador, diana prince and I think the JL title actually is good in establishing Diana can get down in the mud with the rest of humanity.

@Press Oblivion: she has been written that way. check out her last series before the new 52. she always talk to her enemies and ask them to give up. she doesnt barge in and just start punching, she uses her words. i think that's why people cant get into her, she's too logical and compassionate. most who read comics just want to see some heads bashed in

Yesyesyes keep up the stellar work Team Amazon! You guys have made me a fan of Wonder Woman's stories, because I already liked the character. (Just nothing she was ever in intrigued me)

Adding in Orion was a bit of fun that the series needed. He plays off Diana's straight man foil very well. All in all, I'm loving the modernistic myth-making styled as a hyper violent Greco-sitcom. Very cool.

Enough face time? Where?  He's not Batman who pops into almost every comic in the stands or WW who made her way into Superman books...Y U NO LET SUPERMAN BE IN IT???
 
XD

@RockyRaccoon37: and he fails badly,wonder woman sales keep flopping so he really didn't find an audience with his mythological drama that keeps going around in circles .

@Lvenger: maybe you should remember that this is a wonder woman forum,everyone has the right to come here and give an opinion,and say why they like or don't like something,everyone has the right to say why they don't like arazzello run,just like everyone has the right to say why they like it.

@jphulk26 said:

Wow, don´t know what to say, my opinions supposedly not popular, so stop saying it? Lets suppress all views that aren´t yours.

Yeah, this is a little scary. Everyone has a right to express themselves and their opinions in what ever fashion they want. There is a richness in dichotomy and diversity, something that should be embraced, it's the hostility that can be counter productive.

@Perfect 10 said:

@Press Oblivion: she has been written that way. check out her last series before the new 52. she always talk to her enemies and ask them to give up. she doesnt barge in and just start punching, she uses her words. i think that's why people cant get into her, she's too logical and compassionate. most who read comics just want to see some heads bashed in

The statement here was that Wonder Woman is a pacifist who regrets using violence. Wonder Woman is not a pacifist at all because pacifism is the practice in the philosophy of nonviolence and opposition to War. I have never read a comic where she has stated that she is sorry that she didn't resolve the problem without using violence or reflected on how she could have used a staunch pacifist method to affect the same outcome. There is nothing she can't stop or subdue with her lasso yet punching stuff and drawing swords is how she's been written for years, she is the embodiment of the contradiction that comes with fighting for peace.

The example that you use is standard hero practice, it's standard practice for law enforcement, "Please put down the weapon", "Let's talk.", I don't want to hurt you.". Reshape this intent with any other words you like, but I feel that it doesn't make you a pacifist and it's not exclusive to Wonder Woman.

Contrary to what you're saying I think people can't or don't get into Wonder Woman because of ignorance to the character and to be honest with you I don't think that there are enough examples of compassionate, pacifist resolutions for that to be a legitimate deterrent for potential Wonder Woman readers.

Also in the N52 they have not stated that she has a world peace mission and that alleviates a lot of the contradiction for her character.

@Press Oblivion said:

@jphulk26 said:

Wow, don´t know what to say, my opinions supposedly not popular, so stop saying it? Lets suppress all views that aren´t yours.

Yeah, this is a little scary. Everyone has a right to express themselves and their opinions in what ever fashion they want. There is a richness in dichotomy and diversity, something that should be embraced, it's the hostility that can be counter productive.

@Perfect 10 said:

@Press Oblivion: she has been written that way. check out her last series before the new 52. she always talk to her enemies and ask them to give up. she doesnt barge in and just start punching, she uses her words. i think that's why people cant get into her, she's too logical and compassionate. most who read comics just want to see some heads bashed in

The statement here was that Wonder Woman is a pacifist who regrets using violence. Wonder Woman is not a pacifist at all because pacifism is the practice in the philosophy of nonviolence and opposition to War. I have never read a comic where she has stated that she is sorry that she didn't resolve the problem without using violence or reflected on how she could have used a staunch pacifist method to affect the same outcome. There is nothing she can't stop or subdue with her lasso yet punching stuff and drawing swords is how she's been written for years, she us the embodiment of the contradiction that comes with fighting for peace.

The example that you use is standard hero practice, it's standard practice for law enforcement, "Please put down the weapon", "Let's talk.", I don't want to hurt you.". Reshape this intent with any other words you like, but I feel that it doesn't make you a pacifist and it's not exclusive to Wonder Woman.

Contrary to what you're saying I think people can't or don't get into Wonder Woman because of ignorance to the character and to be honest with you I don't think that there are enough examples of compassionate, pacifist resolutions for that to be a legitimate deterrent for potential Wonder Woman readers.

Also in the N52 they have not stated that she has a world peace mission and that alleviates a lot of the contradiction for her character.

I haven´t been following your discussion with Perfect 10, but it appears to me like theres partly something I agree with in what shes saying. Like for instance I love Perrez´s run, but I hardly ever say to people read that first, why? cause, I just think she´s presented a little too squeaky clean; I think as I´ve said before Rucka and Simone presented these two sides of her perfectly. They got it, they somehow seamlessly wove the Amazonian philosophy and Wonder Womans stance into a coherent practice that allowed her to be badass, smart, wise, kind and inspirational. I have to say, that is not an easy thing to pull off. I think the easiest way to put it, is she isn´t against violence, she´s against brutality. Its best to see her when she is fighting against the evils of the world - whether its stopping wars, Dicatators, or Psychpathic villains, or others who would violate the rights of those who can´t defend themselves. I think she realizes her mission however won´t be complete unless she convinces some people of the wrong of what they´re doing, however some writers use this really badly and make it seem cheesy. Like if two countries are in a 10 year civil war, and most of the soldiers have forgotten why they are even fighting, an inspiring word from WW is a cool idea. However, WW trying to turn a psychopath around, who has no interest in redemption, just seems silly to me. She doesn´t have to try and convince everyone she gets into a fight with. Talking down everyone doesn´t make sense and WW is to wise to do such a thing anyway. Another reason why Azzerrello´s run gets it wrong. She´s always trying to make peace, with those who clearly have no interest, its a fundemental misunderstanding of the character.

@Perfect 10 said:

@Press Oblivion: she has been written that way. check out her last series before the new 52. she always talk to her enemies and ask them to give up. she doesnt barge in and just start punching, she uses her words. i think that's why people cant get into her, she's too logical and compassionate. most who read comics just want to see some heads bashed in

I agree, that's why I preferred PreN52 WW.

@jphulk26: Thanks. I've enjoyed our "debate" as well. You argued your points with just as much passion as I did and you made some good points. You take care as well, and hopefully, we'll be on the same side next time.