An issue off to a great start and setting some Marston precedent; these are real, military style bullets and nothing magical; the bullets faze Wonder Woman, but, since they are missing vital organs, nothing too serious for a Wonder Woman, at least; sort of what was established in the Messner-Loebs run in regards to piercing objects.

Rucka seems to contradict himself with Diana's susceptibility to piercing weapons. First containing the explosion of a frag in her hands in the past to getting shot, effectively, by Maru twice, then being fast enough to escape her sights. I remember when Diana took a load of bullets blindfolded and not one hit her in Rucka's previous run. I guess her having godlike speed is another lie exposed.

@tedirey: Why not, she already is suppose to have a highly adaptive healing factor. Divine Blood and all.

You can have a healing factor and not be a Wolverine copy, she's always had one, it's not a big deal. Also I agree to this,its how it should be but it seems bullets are fast enough to, even though she's blocked countless numbers of those even while blind.

http://doomrocket.com/dcp-wonder-woman-21/

Whole Preview at the link above. . . .
Well, she's pretty badass in these few pages. I'm diggin' the whole bullets thing and I'm not all at the same time. . . .but I'll wait for the whole issue before I get tight.

"If however, it would be explained that the bullet is magically designed to kill her, then that would be great. Afterall, Colonel Maru is an updated Doctor Poison methinks."

More likely than not, the bullets aren't magically designed; the rest of the preview showed a team shooting at her, with some bullets getting through. Many bullets were headed her way.

I mentioned the Messner-Loebs run, because she was shot in the head and recuperated eventually (e.g. notice in her bullets and bracelet approach, she's basically protecting the vitalist of vital organs, the heart and the brain); it's not a matter of a healing factor like Wolverine, it's more of an issue of her being much more resilient and durable than a human, as an Amazon, or, at, least, that was the take away from those issues; it's like having super strength, as compared to a human; not mutant like, and I hope that the demi-god origin is gone, but rather super human like (e.g. it just takes an injury from an upgraded source, like an Amazon source or the equivalent and above to do the job); and, again, I don't want to see her killed, I just want more creatively thought out issues of a Marston and Messner-Loebs type to make the issues unique to her character, as opposed to diluting her into another generic hero with superpowers; the only not generic hero with superpowers would be Superman, as the origin (original) of this concept.

Well I guess that confirms Wonder Woman isn't bulletproof and can be hurt by ordinary bullets. Nice dialogue between Diana and Steve though.

That's the beauty of this preview of this issue; it put that contrary to Marston speculation to rest.

I think it's a nice little dramatic flare and shows us a little about Dr. Poison's skill level. She's being very clever about being able to find a weakness in Diana's defenses. Spraying her with a hail of gunfire that you know she can deflect then taking the precision sniper shot while she's otherwise occupied is a pretty smart strategy to take with someone with super-speed and agility from a vantage point where they are distracted and can't see where you are shooting from. I really like that once Diana figures out where Poison is she has no trouble evading the gunshots and deals with her with easily.

I'm curious if we'll find out that these bullets are in some way special (magically or technically enhanced in some way), designed specifically to harm Diana. Seems like Cale would have thought to upgrade Poison's gear as part of the plan. The healing factor that is in effect here doesn't seem terribly out of place, just more advanced than what she's shown in past runs. She's always recovered from various injuries incredibly fast, this just feels like an upgrade to something already there.

'Wolverine like weaksauce fighting skills'. Lol at the butthurt. I guess some people cannot comprehend that WW isnt all that she is wanked to be

There are some of us holding out to see if these Bullets have properties that would make them special, superior to the average, or man made, munitions . . . but I think it's fair to say that your assumption is correct.

While I like this theory a lot I'm not sure that something of this level of imagination is in Rucka's wheelhouse. He's very cut and dry with certain elements and this is one of those things that I think he want's to, simply, get out of the way, I'm convinced that this is it for Wonder Woman's status vs. the bullet. I hope to be proven wrong, but I think that he would have made an allusion to otherworldly bullet ability before the scene depicted in this preview . . . but who am I?

For me, Rucka's prowess is in the dialog, allowing the words to allude to relationships and facts in subtle yet poignant, and sometimes powerful, exchanges.
His ability, in this current series, to write a compelling battle scene is indicative of his interest in expanding on anything other than the interpersonal relationships the characters share. We're not going to get magic bullets unless there is a deal to be made or broken in the relationships of characters.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! I was grinning the whole time I read that, the only thing wrong with that preview was it was too short! Who said this book doesn't have action? Damn I'm going to miss Rucka!

What the heck is going on in here???

Anyway I took as shebwas simply caught off guard and was outsmarted. IMO I never thought she was Bulletproof. I'm excited FINALLY some answer geez

@tedirey: LOL your block button must be worn out huh?

It doesn't matter if she can be hurt by a bullet she can block them or heal from them, she did take a grenade in the hand after all. Sonits moot, but the story is really good thus far

@tedirey: Aww you got a stalker. Lol

@destinyman75: It does matter..........................I'm Kidding. LOL It really don't.

@stormphoenix: lol I know she still kicks the crap out of almost everyone

@destinyman75: MMMMM I don't know about that. Let's just say she can kick butt.

Doesn't look a magic, poison or enhanced bullet so I guess Rucka is bringing back the Golden Age rule of not being bulletproof. As I said on the Bleeding Cool article, it's strange she can take a punch from Superman and shrug off an explosion but put something sharp in her and she's hurt.

That was a nice little dig, but the reason you were grinning the whole time, and the reason your comment was so full of excitement is because this preview was the first time we actually got action that looked this good.

If the issue shows the bullets weren't enhanced, maybe its the degree of force used? I don't know how shrapnel compare to bullets, but if the bullets can pierce her and the shrapnel of a grenade couldn't then maybe there is an in between. She did say the gods reveal gifts to her as she needs them so who knows.

I'm honestly intrigued that almost everyone here is saying or agreeing that this is, in one way or another, the definitive answer to Diana's durability/susceptibility to piercing attacks. To me it's just another inconsistency to add to the list.

Not bad.

This question was brought up several issues ago in Rucka's run where Diana had a gun to her head with the villain questioning whether she was bulletproof with Steve surrendering rather than let her shoot Diana and now she's been shot through the chest twice. It's pretty clear Rucka is making Diana susceptible to bullets.

@lvenger: I remember, and I agree that this is what it seems he's doing, but I just find it inconsistent. In "Year One" Diana held and contained the explosion of a frag grenade in her bare hands, with no injuries what so ever. Yet this same Diana can get pierced by bullets? (ignoring the fact that she should be way to fast for them to tag her in the first place)

@stormphoenix: lots and lots...

@destinyman75: Depends....

@klaus: Nope the mall fight was even more dope, there's been plenty of action, you just refuse to see it.

@masterwitcher88: It's not an inconsistency it's what people who know her powers have always known. Wonder Woman is vulnerable to piercing weapons and always has been.

@scorpio_cassadine: The problem with that is that if someone punches Wonder Woman into say a building she could wind up impaled on a rebar, her body would be torn to shreds by debris, she better armour up then...

I don't recall a specific quote on the topic from Marston off the top of my head, but it is a well established point that he was looking to create a character that had the same basic abilities as SM (or at least roughly); Flight, Invulnerability, Super Speed and Strength; but put a distinctly female cast to them. So we see things like the invisible jet as a flight mechanism, which was developed to showcase ingenuity of the Amazons, while also clearly giving WW the ability to fly around. The bracers were inspired by a fashion statement of his wife (IIRC), who often wore large bracelets, but the intention was to give WW a form of being bulletproof (another signature SM power), but rather than simply being invulnerable the female take was used by showing her having an incredible amount of skill that made her bulletproof in her own distinct manner (i.e. brains over brawn). Her super speed and strength is much the same as they came from her ability to harness her mental strength and translate it into physical ability instead of being powered by the sun. Essentially Marston set out to create a better version of SM using what he considered "feminine power" to showcase her abilities (see the quote about "all the power of SM without the blood curdling masculinity"). So where SM never had to actually work to achieve his abilities (he was simply entitled to them by being born an alien), WW earned all of her powers through hard work. It's something of an allegory.

This sort of got muddled after Marston's death and became more about a "weakness" and less about her skill and as new writers came in they began using it for dramatic effect ... in the Marston days it's rare (if it happens at all) for the primary issue to revolve around a gun, of course he was also pretty preoccupied with illustrating his theories on submission so the Lasso tended to play a larger role in his story lines.

Exactly what I'm trying to point at, its just inconsistent as heck. I want to make this clear, I have no issue with her having a vulnerability to piercing weapons, but said weapons need to be from the same origin as Diana; AKA Divine ( even apokoliptian tech can work, heck if it was then Cale/Poison can have a connection to the New Gods bringing in Grail as well as giving Poison some serious firepower and giving Cyber an Ultron/Amazo/ARIA body and weapons)

Unless you want another Finch armor fiasco, I suggest her costume remain the same.

I'll never understand it. I think back in the golden age it was ok for things to be less consistent but now a days I just don't care for it hurting her. Maybe it can scratch her some but it still shouldn't be any more than a papercut to her imo since she's tanked atomic bombs with no problem

That would only happen if the writer wanted it to and if it did, I'd be fine with that. I like her vulnerabilities, they make for more interesting scenarios. I mean Kryptonians are cool and everything but I'm a Wonder Woman fan for a reason.

At least it's not like the Golden Age where Wonder Woman was vulnerable to a bump on the back of the head.

As for the grenade in Rebirth it's like snuffing out a candle with your hand as opposed to a campfire, it hadn't had time to really get going and she stopped it before it did.

But some of them just don't work. One in particular and I can't buy into the idea that a child created/born of divine origin is going to get injured in anyway from weapons created by mortal men.

If a demigoddess came down from the sky, who was strong enough to pull planets, fly and react faster than light, and durable enough to tank a star exploding in her face; yet can be, some how, killed by a regular bullet. I honesty think that would be the stupidest vulnerability I've ever heard of; and there are some pretty stupid ones out there too.

I love Diana, she is literally my favorite superhero of all time and the only hero that I enjoy reading. I love her character, her design, her origin, her character faults, her side characters, her rouges gallery, her setting, her powers and equipment, and her vulnerabilities. But this particular one urks me and it can be easily fixed and still have a vulnerability that can make for intense situations.

All you have to do is make her bullet proof; no man made weapon can harm her. Give her more modern villains like poison, like cyber, even silver swan advanced tech from apokolips or a highly advanced alien race to harm Diana. But even better double down on monsters and creatures from myth, not just Greek though, bring in Egyptian, Norse, Celtic/Slavic (Vampires, Leshens, Feinds, etc.. and The Wild Hunt are great mythical creatures and spirits to battle against). There are reasons why these beings give Gods a hard time; they have claws, fangs, and weapons capable of harming Gods, not to mention the Poisonous Breath or Fire or Dark Magical abilities they poses.

This would give Diana her vulnerabilities (specifically to poisons and piercing attacks) with out the inconsistencies and nonsense of regular bullets harming and quite possibly killing her.

@masterwitcher88: Without the bullet vulnerability they'd have to come up with some magic/godmade mcguffin every other issue and that would irk the hell out of me, like the vulnerability does you.

@scorpio_cassadine: Not necessarily true. If you think that there needs to be a "Bow of Apollo" or "Spear of Athena" every issue then your not seeing what I'm trying to get at and your making it a lot harder then you might think.

For example... lets say that Cale/Cyber had access to New God tech; whether its from Dessad or anyone else. They in turn outfit Diana's more modern based rouges with said tech and weapons (Poison's Merc Squad, Silver Swan, etc...). these weapons don't need to be fancy or anything just look like they are from Apokolips, that way Poison would be able to harm Diana all the time without using regular bullets. I see nothing but positives in this move.

1. It would elevate Diana's lesser villains in power and possibly status as well.

2. These weapons are Apokoliptian tech, meaning they are definitely faster then regular bullets, improving Diana's reaction feats and show casing "Bullets and Bracelets" in a new and improved way.

3. Because they are Apokoliptian in nature they can harm Diana even kill her just like how we have it now, but this way it makes sense.

As for the Divine weaponry, it doesn't have to be some powerful weapon that the Gods once used or anything. Amazons have access to divine metals; Amozonium for instance (Themescyira's minerals are divine by nature as the island was forged by Gods). I'm sure Alkoyne and her Circle have access to said weaponry as well, even gained followers like the Cult of Cronus. Demons, monsters of myth, and spectral riders (like The Wild Hunt) all have ways to harm Diana too,claws or swords; all of whom can be reused many times over (The Wild Hunt maybe not so much).

It's these inconsistencies that keep bringing this, tired, debate around.

Hopefully the complete issue will reveal more and we can all accept it and just focus on celebrating Wonder Woman's adventures.

You're ignoring how exciting that preview is with what appears to be a normal gun. No magic mcguffin needed and no special hoops for a writer to jump through.