Why Can't Wonder Woman Have a New Costume?

1) Because the uniforms stink..They forget Wonder Woman is meant to Strong AND Sexy! So to depower her and give her a frumpy white jumpsuit didn't work, nor her Biker Babe look.

2) They changed her colors! Thats like taking the Bat logo away from Batman, or changing Superman's cape from red to Black.

3) Basically..her uniforms don't make sense, her best alternate costumes have been when they kept the colors but infused Amazon Warrior elements to it. The Eagle armor, or the Delegate gowns she wears with the capes now and then

She does. Get your glasses fixed.

I like her costume. She got a few little updates in the New 52, just like the rest of the Justice League did, and I thought those little things worked well and gave her a more modern look.

I actually agree with this article. I really love the Wonder Woman character but her major problem is that she doesn't have a stable supporting cast or a recognizable character outside of the uniform. I think out of all of the new 52 revamps she has received the best treatment. They've taken out the "perfection" problem she had before by making her the bastard child of a god rather than some divine creation. They've made the amazons much more human, aggressive and in turn interesting by forcing them into man's word to repopulate the island while keeping their xenophobic attitude. Also Steve Trevor again is her primary love interest and Etta Candy is again her "Jimmy Olson" which gives her a cemented supporting cast in Man's world. If DC forces the writers to maintain these new changes as the status quo for WW then they'll be able to explore the character's roll in this world they've made for her without every new writer revamping this info. If that happens great story lines will come out and her readership will continue to go up and the character will become more than a uniform.

Personally I didn't see anything wrong with the old Wonder Woman. People say she had major swings in personality, I say it was just showing different sides of her personality, she can be the fearless warrior or a caring friend. Granted most of the time she was a little too radically different but I still enjoyed the character. Do I care if they change her costume? Well yes to a certain extent. If they wanted to go for a more Greek look while still keeping the feel of her original costume, then fine, but not just change for the sake of change. Now while I don't exactly mind the change, it could be a lot worse in my opinion, I still wish she was more like the pre-reboot version. I like New 52 Superman, Batman, Jason Todd, Superboy, and even Swamp-Thing, but for Diana? Yeah I dropped her book.

@Deep_shock said:

Because the late Jim Lee designs are ridiculous?

I find them to be pretty good looking, personally.

I'm surprise you guys don't complain about her not looking strong, meaning in some comics she looks skinny. To me woman warrior should have muscles, not big as man, but tone. I like this picture where she's wearing armor and looks strong. Most men in the old age wear this type of armor, for comfort to run and jump where its not too restrictive. She not a middle age person, but an Amazon. For one thing, some of them went nude into battles. Why they did this, was to district the men who they were fighting or to let them know they were defeated by women. You know pride and ego go hand in hand with men. :)

Here's a little kerosine on the fire.... but maybe it's because DC is sexist and racist ?

Think about it. No really think about it .

@DarthShap said:

@Grimoire said:

What the Amazons do on their male hunting trips and what they do to the male children in barbaric but when they are back on the island it is perfectly reasonable to say they don't share stories of what they do off the island as opposed to what they do on it. There are many countries and civilizations throughout history that painted themselves in the best light possible when taught to the children and even if its in the case that they are to become warriors they could still only pick the best looking/warriors to go as an elite group as done in the military. In RL there are still countries that have many citizen's that don't know what is common knowledge in others because their governments do not allow certain information and censor it on many levels.

Teaching compassion towards men would make absolutely no sense because they do not believe it in the least. In this version, believing that men do not deserve to live is a value of theirs.

What is your version? That they teach compassion for the first twenty years of their lives and then "Surprise! Actually we are rapists, murderers and we either kill of sell our own children! Any question?"

And it is nothing like censorship because all of them has to know and reproduce at some point. If it were just a small minority, the examle you just took, I could understand but it is not, it is every Amazon.

In real life, you teach the most questionable values at the earliest age possible because that way, it does not become a problem later, especially when you HAVE to tell them the truth anyway.

Every child is in some way unique even if they were all taught the same way. Where does it say that every Amazon knows everything every other Amazon knows. Is secrets another way of men that I don't know about or is it impossible to keep even a small number of people in the dark even on a magic island invisible to the rest of the world. lol

What if it was compassion that her mother intentionally taught her specifically? If Zeus was anything like his old self as well as the other gods Hippolyta could have seen that her daughter would most likely be manipulated later in life but no one knows yet as they have not shown very much information of her upbringing on the island in the new 52.

It would be in keeping with no other Amazon besides her as she had Hippolyta which would be unique and was most likely brought up with a broader sense of how to view the world. This would shape a persons mind much more than even close sisters what a parent teaches their child while growing up and that shapes not confines a persons values.

In the little that was shown WW clearly saw herself and was shown as the outsider of the group and didn't know the true reasons why until she was told recently. As to why the other Amazons didn't tell her no one but the story writer can say. Everyone has a different suspicion as to why like they were ordered to by Hippolyta, Zeus's decree, some spell keeping her in the dark, and so on.

We are only 8 issues in and if these questions are still around for issue 100 then I would be worried but for now its the waiting game to get more info to fill the blanks.

@Mikey Venture: ...What?

Wonder Woman's new costume is fine.

Its the pants costume that was so lame.

See I didn't hate the Lee designed look for Strazinski's run. I actually really liked it alot, excpet for the jacket. The straps gave it that greek feel, but the pants kept it modern and utililtarian. The pants should;ve been dark blue, but otherwise it looked good. The TV version of it was just too bright, but even then it looked decent. People just deal well with change unless it's explained and in most of WW costume changes the explanations were weak or there wasn't one.

@NightFang said:

@krspaceT said:

Um....because woman are treated as unequal in society, and particularly in comics

That's not true, well at less in comics.

That is untrue. Time and time again we have seen female characters take the backseat to male characters and we have seen female characters in costumes that are simply impracticable. The only purpose most female characters costumes serve is to give horny fanboys something to ogle and look at.

@NightFang said:

@krspaceT said:

Um....because woman are treated as unequal in society, and particularly in comics

That's not true, well at less in comics.

It's also not untrue. Particularly in comics.

I have no idea why Wonder Woman can't have a new costume. I never liked the old one.

Plain and simple Wonder Woman's costume is completely dated. She looks more like a superhero rather than the Amazon warrior that she is. She needs to be put in some form of armor that makes her look like an Amazon warrior, take a note from Xena's armor.

I kind of disagree with this article. I feel that Wonder Woman's costume has been altered as many times as Superman's & Batman's. Sure Batman's symbol has changed many times, his color has changed, his gloves BUT it's basically the same costume, same design. Wonder Woman has changed through out the years. She went from skirt to shorts to underwear. The symbol on her chest has also changed a couple of times. Wonder Woman's costume has change in the New 52 as much as Batman's, Superman's, the Flash, etc. But their costumes ALL have the same basic principle. Nobody wants that to change. And when they changed her costume in 2010, I liked it. I really liked the pants (not so much the jacket though).

And she does have a nickname, she is also known as The Amazon Princess. I've also heard: the Amazon's Champion.

The REAL problem is to find a GOOD WRITER for her. She is a difficult character to write (but not as hard as Superman I should say.) Azzarello has been really good on his run so far. Though I DON'T agree with everything he has changed (i.e the Amazons, Zeus being her dad.) But it has been a great story!

And the whole "sex sells" thing, I think it's BS! You're honestly going to tell me people would stop reading the series just because she's a little more cover up?! If they would, that says a lot about a person & it's not good! If DC refuse to cover her up a little just to satisfied those types of people then TO ME that comes off as "The Writing Isn't That Good." If your just basing your sells on "sexuality" then MAYBE the writing ISN'T GOOD. It's as simple as that.

I also think some people have a bad aspect of her. I think some people think she's this "man-hating feminist who just goes around kicking men's ass" But she's not like that at all. She's a strong woman who can take care of her self & a very compassionate person. She cares about everyone, no matter black or white, female or male.

It also boils down to society's view of women & men. We are Not treated the same. Unfortunately.What you do to a male character, you can Not do the same to female character (in MOST cases).

Wonder Woman is a great character, a character I look up to. There's a reason why she's one of the Big 3:)

Somewhat agree with what the author said, and some of the posts - but I think there is still something missing. There are several heroe's and villians, that never change their costume...and/or always have something incredibly similar to their "classics" both male and female, so I'm not too sure if I agree with the "sexist" argument, nor the "they don't have enough of a character" argument either. Aquaman is one...yes a few small variations...but, always basically the same...look at Magneto - he's a"hero" now, yet still basically has the same costume from his creation - not to mention Scarlet Witch - her old red and pink costume is so outdated - yet it's "basically" the same...and then you have heroe's like Wasp who changed hers every couple of years - some scantily, others full bodied - but she was always sexy...I think the reason has more to do with a combination of "iconic-ism" and publishers too worried about loosing readerships. This makes me think of Storm when she went punk with a mohawk (obviously waaaayyyyy before her time) - and the outrage of readers, yet the publisher didn't force Claremont to change her back immediately. And lets face it - that "updated" look of Wonder Woman was horrendous, I have to think that if a decent one was created - the fans would be okay with it.

i'm not a wonder woman fan because of her "classic" outfit, but once i saw her in the jacket and pants look i had seriously considered becoming a fan. now that she's gone back to the classic look, i'm not so much considering it anymore. just saying.

@DarthShap said:

Take a good look at Superman or Batman's original, 1930s costumes. They're completely different from either their current incarnation or even what most consider their "classic" looks. Now look at Wonder Woman's. In sixty years, not one stitch is different.

First of all, that is completely false. Exactly like other two, the only thing that really changed was the texture (details and colors).

Putting aside her BDSM-laden origin, (ah, phrases you only hear in comics) which was also titanically sexist, what defines Wonder Woman that doesn't define a myriad of other heroes? Determination? Easily the most generic personality trait to ascribe to a superhero. Caring? Is she? She's often portrayed much more as a militaristic-minded, hardened fighter.

The bondage stuff was sexist but the rest of original run was actually way more feminist than what we get now. The Amazons were a feminist utopia. Now, they are your usual barbaric misogynistic cliche and the compassionate nature of Wonder-Woman that made her the hero she is no longer makes any sense.

this

Part of me thinks:

It has not changed because of people like me. I love the classic looks, I even stoped buying DC comics because of the recent changes... I hate changing something that works, and I hate making new characters when the old characters are better. I have never and will never be one of those, what new, whats hip, whats the cool fad bottom feaders of the world. Wonder Woman looks great the way she is, quit trying to change everybody.

The other part of me thinks:

Why can't Hero's and Villians have mutiple costumes so that they don't look like they wear the same outfit everyday... I have no problem what so ever with Diana wearing a jacket or pants durring her off time, but if she is going into battle, I better see something classic. Its what suits her, as an amazon princess. People only think CHANGE, when they don't LOVE the character. Well if you don't love the character, it realy should not matter to you, one way or another.

My conclusion: Threads/Blogs like this are only made by people who don't realy care about the character in the first place... I bet more than half of the people that posted on her don't even like, or care about Diana. I am a fan. And the fans for the most part are happy. The fans for the most part, don't want change. If you are trying to get into Wonder Woman, but you can't because of her outfit... I don't know what to tell you... Seek help? maybe. Its more likely you just don't like her, and are trying to cut down on her for some silly reason.

I hate the new change and disagree with tihs costume 100%.

what of they were to make a WW movie and put her in her new costume? her pants and jacket, would people recognise her? i dont think they will, even i had a hard time recognizing her in her new costume.

Obviously this Article is PIS. "/

But i have to admit the pants did look great, i just got a little disapointed about the change .... the jacket has to go though, and i hate it so much that they depowered her"/

@Grimoire said:

Every child is in some way unique even if they were all taught the same way. Where does it say that every Amazon knows everything every other Amazon knows. Is secrets another way of men that I don't know about or is it impossible to keep even a small number of people in the dark even on a magic island invisible to the rest of the world. lol

The comic book says that they only reproduce three times per century. That is already one huge plot hole. So they reproduce at 33, can no longer do it at 66. Women are fertile at 33 but they are not ovulating at the same time so for each generation, only a fifth of the entire population could get pregnant, unless if they keep doing it for the whole month. But even then, the population would be decrease by two each generation because half of the newborns would have to go. So even if everybody knows, you still have one huge plot hole.

@Grimoire said:

What if it was compassion that her mother intentionally taught her specifically? If Zeus was anything like his old self as well as the other gods Hippolyta could have seen that her daughter would most likely be manipulated later in life but no one knows yet as they have not shown very much information of her upbringing on the island in the new 52.

It would be in keeping with no other Amazon besides her as she had Hippolyta which would be unique and was most likely brought up with a broader sense of how to view the world. This would shape a persons mind much more than even close sisters what a parent teaches their child while growing up and that shapes not confines a persons values.

In the little that was shown WW clearly saw herself and was shown as the outsider of the group and didn't know the true reasons why until she was told recently. As to why the other Amazons didn't tell her no one but the story writer can say. Everyone has a different suspicion as to why like they were ordered to by Hippolyta, Zeus's decree, some spell keeping her in the dark, and so on.

We are only 8 issues in and if these questions are still around for issue 100 then I would be worried but for now its the waiting game to get more info to fill the blanks.

Only time will tell indeed but for the moment, I only see one huge plot hole and as I said before it has not been addressed as a plot point like most mysteries are, in order to build suspense. Also, the story is not going in that direction right now, it keeps moving forward.

And even if it is touched upon, I never saw any problem with the pre-reboot Amazons (except in the BS Amazons Attack that completely missed the point) and for that reason, I doubt the RetCon (and that reboot for that matter) was worth it. Azzarello could just as well have done something just as mythical without all of that because to me, touching characters like Hippolyta is exactly like touching Ma & Pa, the Waynes or Alfred.

Yeah, her costume is a bathsuit because the majority of comic readers are male, so it can sell more

that's why no one buys Batgirl...

yeah, right

Her costume is fine, and her armors too

I don't get all the hate towards her classic costume

How can she be remembered by what she is if you keep paying attention to what she wears?

She's a tough sell, and marginalized to wear her iconic duds. Where Supe and Batman are idolized, commercialized (more toys for boys), and are tweaked slightly enough to either be dragged into the present or create their own new present with an iconic story or ploy. And she, women are not treated as equal in comics, look at the readership demographics. I'm not sure why even small tweaks meet big resistance, whether it be in the comics or a failed to premiere on tv show, we just have had a hard time taking in more media / merchandise with her and refuse to let her out of the box. She needs a breakout hit, something that can bypass the approval of the male readership, yet bring them back in with a strong female following dragging them along . . . just nothing cheesecake-ish, . . . there needs to be respect the next morning.

I prefer her modern look where she wore the jacket and leather pants! That was hot!

I hear everyone point of view and some are valid, good points. I for one would like to she her in something that differs from the norm. Storm has different looks and so does Emma Frost and Jean Grey. Yet, sex does indeed sail. I think that an outfit switch when appropriate would indeed make a opportunity top show case different styles of Wonder Woman's wardrobe. For instance, pants in cold places; even though she's not that effected by the cold. I know we are here to read about our Favourite Woman in Red, White, Blue and Gold. And I also know that this isn't a FASHION SHOW but, why not get her out of them OLD A$$ clothes and into something eye-opening every now and then? I'm just sayin'!!!!!!

Well you're right about the "classic arcs" test. Though one does come to mind for me "Ends of the Earth". Not that it was a classic per say (time will tell), only because it was the first WW arc I read and collected that was written by Gail Simone.

I do disagree that her clothes are the only thing to her character. What I've always loved and appreciated WW for is that she fights with the "power of love", a concept that was reinforced in Wonder Woman #607 . IMO that issue nails down what makes her, HER at the core. It's her most unique and rare character trait. Has Azzarello gotten around to that?

Did you ever read the "Wonder of Wonders" column over on CBR? It was during Gails run on WW

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=column&id=36

Also I wouldn't use Carol Danvers costume upgrade as a reason for WW to get a new costume. Carol began as a supporting character/female version of an iconic Marvel character. It's only after some costume/identity (?) changes over the last 40 + years that she's now a well known B-list character who has finally attained A-list status by taking Mar-Vell's mantle. But Diana's costume/identity have been set from the beginning.

Still, I'm all for tweaking costumes classic "iconic" costumes......if necessary.

Oh and what do you mean exactly by, "nothing really happened to Wonder Woman herself" (as a character)

DC would love to update the costume; don't blame them. It's the pathetic fans who wail and rend their hair when DC tries to change WW's costume. They toss around words like "iconic" and "classic," when the fact is they don't want the character to evolve; they treat WW like some doll in their toy box, character be damned. Until DC shakes off the restrictions forced upon the character by a petulant fan base, WW will never realize her potential as a character.

People are used to the norm.

It's kinda like Psylockes look. Most people WANT her to have a new look, but so many of the fanboy crowd, love half nekkid ninja doing impossible moves, with her butt in the air, that it's hard to get that to change. The funny thing is 80% of the writers for Psylocke don't get her, so they write her as "sexy" as can be, and forget her rich history. It takes writers like yost and Remender to bring out the greatness of a character. It also takes artists who don't just draw a character as cheesecake. Wonder woman suffers from this in spades. Right now Psylocke is one of the sexiest characters in comics, simply because Remender gets her. 90% of writers, and artists would NEVER draw Storm or Sue Richards as anything but powerful, capable women, who happen to be sexy looking.

But characters like Wonder Woman, Powergirl, Psylocke, etc, it takes a REALLY good writer, and artist to make changes to a character that will have lasting impact. Luckily Uncanny X-force is one of the best selling books at Marvel, so we get to see Psylocke as she should be.. Hopefully the fanboys of the nekkid ninja will grow up along with her.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that Wonder Woman with the jacket and the pants was freaking hot. SO hot.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/182/f/c/Wonder_Woman_No__601_by_AlexGarner.jpg

She looks way hotter there than she ever has before. Ever. She has cleavage, she had the figure, sure. She's no pre-52 Amanda Waller. she's not impractically dressed though. I overlook it because, it's comics. Ms. Marvel's costume isn't practical...but it's a comic. I never found Wonder Woman hot until the above pic.

I actually liked the leather jacket look. Although I pretty much like all the costumes that include a leather jacket like Superboy and my favorite of all Animal Man.

DC would love to update the costume; don't blame them. It's the pathetic fans who wail and rend their hair when DC tries to change WW's costume. They toss around words like "iconic" and "classic," when the fact is they don't want the character to evolve; they treat WW like some doll in their toy box, character be damned. Until DC shakes off the restrictions forced upon the character by a petulant fan base, WW will never realize her potential as a character.

Aside from every other point here, I have always hated the look of her costume. I mean, come on. Her costume is a swim suit that was made to be patriotic for the USA. Why not some freaking Amazonian armor? Hell, maybe even a sword. I have always found the character to be lacking in every area, actually. Wonder Woman is one of those characters that I wish had more personality. I would love it if she were completely re-imagined.

I disagree with pretty much everything said in the article. I don't believe Superman or Batmans costumes have changed all that much since the originals - a little color changes, loss of supes panties, pointier ears... no matter how I look at them I don't think the changes over the years have been huge. No more or less, in my opinion than the changes in Wonder Woman's costume.

As for the costume being all Wonder Woman's got.. well even to have raised that question tells me it isn't worth my explaining why she is powerful and relevant. If people can't see why she is a force to behold beyond her clothes it would be a waste of my breath to try to enlighten them.

With all characters and stories there are fans who get them and naysayers who do not. I get Wonder Woman and Batman, whose costumes I am fine with, though I think Batmans pointy ears are silly. Funny how I don't get Superman and I do happen to have always found his costume to be ridiculous. Definitely a plus that he finally lost the red man panties. ;}

@Tramp: I'm just clicking the "like" button on your post. ;D Well said.

As much as I agree that sexism is huge in comics i disagree here. Neither Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman are wearing their original costumes. But Superman and Batman's costume are actually a lot similar to their originals. And changing a Superman and Batman costume is probably met with twice the opposition as Wonder Woman's. Depending on the change.

Anytime they introduce a radical new look for a character (ie. Leather WW, Superman blue, etc) it's met with a lot of hate and a lot of times the looks are pretty bad. Whenever they try to change Wonder Woman it's always too different and radical.

@B'Town: Thank you... I am a fan of classic beauty... I even liked Supermans outfit. I like the silly lightness to those characters, that is a part of them aswell... I fear that I am not going to enjoy the future of comics, and I am only 22. How sad.

( I reached my limit cap. so I had to switch to my main. )

@B'Town said:

I disagree with pretty much everything said in the article. I don't believe Superman or Batmans costumes have changed all that much since the originals - a little color changes, loss of supes panties, pointier ears... no matter how I look at them I don't think the changes over the years have been huge. No more or less, in my opinion than the changes in Wonder Woman's costume.

As for the costume being all Wonder Woman's got.. well even to have raised that question tells me it isn't worth my explaining why she is powerful and relevant. If people can't see why she is a force to behold beyond her clothes it would be a waste of my breath to try to enlighten them.

With all characters and stories there are fans who get them and naysayers who do not. I get Wonder Woman and Batman, whose costumes I am fine with, though I think Batmans pointy ears are silly. Funny how I don't get Superman and I do happen to have always found his costume to be ridiculous. Definitely a plus that he finally lost the red man panties. ;}

I completely agree. Plus her current version of her custom is a modern interpretation. It is not the Golden Age or Silver Age version. So this seems like an article searching for an argument that doesn't exist.

On the other hand if you are not reading the current run of WW, you are missing out. If it gets a few new readers to pick up a copy of WW then bravo!

Nothing wrong with her normal look. Its like when they tried to make Aquaman badass with the beard and hook and removing the orange shirt. It didn't change anything, it came off like they tried too hard to make him appeal to people. Even when he had that look when people think of Aquaman he has that look, its iconic, is it silly? kinda. Can it be made to work? Look at the current run on Aquaman. Giving Wonder Women pants isn't going to change how people think of her. Small tweaks are fine but the current look overall is fine. Wonder Women's current series has made me a fan and I don't find her slutty or anything overly sexual at all. I take her as serious as any other hero.

Very simple.. Wonder Woman (and others) should/could occasionally wear different costumes to fit the adventure as needed. And, considering she recently was given a new outfit for her trip to the underworld, it seems the new WW crew gets the common sense of this concept and is going to implement it. There is no reason any character should have to wear the same thing all the time just to satisfy tradition. This way, the iconic costume never gets permanently stuffed in the closet and we still get to see our heroes change things up a bit from time to time. The writers idea that she is all sex and/or not a defined enough character is total garbage. Does this person even know who he is writing about.. or just the costume? Perhaps in the future we can have an opinion about Wonder Woman from someone who actually knows what the hell they are talking about.. not just someone who owns a comic shop and thus, fancies themselves an expert on the entire genre.

because she always basically had till like now and she looks pretty awesome

i was finally getting use to the pants look she had prior to new 52...and then they changed it...lol

Actually, they have made very minor adjustments to Wonder Woman's costume over the years, just as they did for Superman and Batman without completely redesigning them. For instance, when Wonder Woman first appeared, she had a long skirt, a white belt, and an eagle on her chest. Over time this look was slightly tweaked, turning the eagle into breastplates and having it extend down to her now large gold belt, and her skirt was modified into a pair of modest underwear. Then of course that again was modified into her previously modern look which was an eagle shaped breastplate with two "W"'s hidden in there and sporting a virtual thong.

Then of course there was some other "new" costumes that she only wore temporarily before the New 52 came out.

her costume is awesome, just need the right artist (aka Chiang)

the costume in the current run is totally not appealing and totally practical

Maybe a skirt would do better (even Azzarello said that, but he also said that they are not responsable for the look)

Earth 2 costume by Nicolla Scott is awesome (only with gold), but I think all the metal parts are a bit excessive

HAHA THATS MY MOTTO!!!

LOL no she don't need no new GOD DAM OUTFIT they already ruin Power Girl so hell nooooo!

I just saw this ridiculous caption under the only photo of Wonder Woman in this article: :"If it weren't for the coloration and style, could you even tell when this was drawn?"

Umm.. if it weren't for the colorization and style.. it'd be another picture, moron. Oy vey. /facepalm

@Alch21 said:

Nothing wrong with her normal look. Its like when they tried to make Aquaman badass with the beard and hook and removing the orange shirt. It didn't change anything, it came off like they tried too hard to make him appeal to people. Even when he had that look when people think of Aquaman he has that look, its iconic, is it silly? kinda. Can it be made to work? Look at the current run on Aquaman. Giving Wonder Women pants isn't going to change how people think of her. Small tweaks are fine but the current look overall is fine. Wonder Women's current series has made me a fan and I don't find her slutty or anything overly sexual at all. I take her as serious as any other hero.

Hell yeah you speaking the truth ^_^