Columns: Pete and Wonder Woman

The haul.

I've been saying it a lot lately; I have a kind of a newfound love for Wonder Woman.
I was a born in the late 70s, and grew up with Wonder Woman reruns in the 80s.  When I think iconic female superhero, she is at the top of a short list.  But it wasn't until 2011 with DC Comics' "New 52" relaunch of the Wonder Woman title, that I finally cracked open a WW comic book; and I haven't been able to get enough since. 
When you start attending conventions regularly and your number one stop is the artist tables, it helps to have a go-to character when you see an artist you like and want to support.  Otherwise when you see that they have a metric ton of posters, shirts, postcards and keychains for sale, your choice is to either take out a small loan and buy it all, or focus on the one or two things you're enthusiastic about.  For most people I know, that comes naturally.  Manny has his Super-family fanhood, Scott loves Jean Grey, others gravitate to The Walking Dead, even Harry Potter... while Rosa and I have artists sketch the damn cats.
But if this year's artwork haul is any indicator, I have landed squarely on Wonder Woman.  And why not?  More people should be about this superhero, arguably one of the best written (male or female) in comics right now. 
So, in no particular order here are the five reasons for my love for Princess Diana of Themyscira.

Age ain't nothin but a number, Lynda....

"No!  I love your new look. I swear!"

1. She's my first (maybe second) crush!  Let's just start there.  Around the same time I first discovered my love for Princess Leia, (and Erin Grey on Buck Rogers), Wonder Woman, as embodied by Lynda Carter went ahead and notarized Pete's love for girls.  And for brunettes, as well, clearly.  After all, Lynda Carter may well be the most beautiful woman alive.  But she and WW are more than that.
Don't get me wrong, Wonder Woman's sex appeal has always drawn me as a fan, but somehow even though her costume is often more revealing than ... well, almost every other superhero's costume ... somehow it still doesn't quite seem that skimpy.  And on the one hand, it should.  It's a bustier, a tiara and a swimsuit bottom- basically what a contestant on Ru Pal's Drag Race would wear.  But on the other hand ...maybe it doesn't feel that way, because you still wouldn't want to be the moron to say something stupid to her about her outfit... (POW!)  or maybe it's simply because she doesn't look like eye candy in it.  She looks like an Olympic athlete.  Someone who could arm wrestle Superman, or help him catch an aircraft carrier!  In other words, she's beautiful, yes, but ...

2. She's a badass.  Just like the previous examples of Princess Leia and Wilma Deering, there is something special about a beautiful lady hero.  I've never had much use for damsels.  Why in the heck would dashing hero Pete have to come and rescue you, when it would be so much cooler for us to be blasting or bashing bad guys together?  (Yes, Princess Leia starts out locked up, but what does she do exactly four seconds after she gets out?  Starts shooting stormtroopers!  In the junk!)  I think my appreciation of Wonder Woman grew from crush to respect when I realized that she's not the one tied to the railroad tracks.  Ever!  I think that's where the appeal is for cosplayers, artists and fans in general.  She's the one we're in the stands rooting for.

"My headphones dont' tangle this much!"
http://styloide.deviantart.com/art/wonder-woman-259805386

One could argue that an invisible jet and a lasso that makes you tell the truth are lame.  I could also argue that so is a superdog, a pink bat suit, (or for that matter a female superhero who can fly and still wears skirts).  Those things happened.  When your character is more than 70 years old, you have to account for some silly things that seemed really cool at the time. (even though, I think the lasso is cool!)
But in the meantime, her strength, toughness, willpower, cleverness and fighting ability are anything but lame.  Yet for all those powers, abilities and even her weapons, what is most appealing to me is this:

3. She's real.  In the DC Universe, there's a lot of heroes.  But at the top of the pyramid are the big three: Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman.  They have all earned their place there, thanks to longevity and certainly a dose of got-there-first originality.  But when I think of Superman, I think of the flying boy scout that he is.  That, despite being an alien, he is our true blue superpersona.  He's our ideal or at least what he thinks we want him to be.  In spirit, insurmountable goodness and optimism.  He leaps tall buildings to catch the bad guys or to rescue kittens.  And he's so superpowered, he's more or less immortal.  Which is why, to me at least, every attempt to introduce complexity or true danger feels horribly tacked-on.  I still want to be him, but there it is...
Batman is a different story.  He's human.  He's fallable.  He's dark.  Which is to say, he is crazy.  No matter how you shake that Magic 8 Ball, it says he's crazy ("Yes", "Definitely", "Outlook is Crazy", "Signs Point to Batshit Crazy," "Ask Again Later ... But Yes... crazy.") Yet, there's nothing as a kid that made me want to be anyone but Batman : the gadgets, the cape, the physicality, the ladies of Gotham ...  But in the end, he's no more relatable than Superman.  As a result of every new writer's attempt to "make it darker and see just how far we can take Batman," thereby dragging old Batsy through Hell and back all the time and pushing his sanity to the edge all the time, it loses me sometimes.  Intense and dark can be a really cool read, but when there's no peaks - only valleys - only oversaturated dark overtones, I get the same feeling I do when I look at instagrams.  Blech.  So, Batman, you're still my #1 guy, but when I look at Wonder Woman, I don't see a character I dream of being, i see someone I understand. 
In the "New 52" Wonder Woman #1, when we are re-introduced to Wonder Woman, she is Diana.  She is a Diana who is in no mood to be called Wonder Woman and not really interested in helping the young lady with the problem who just teleported into her hotel room.  She's weary. She's not in the mood.  She has her own stuff to deal with.  And frankly, like any of us, she can be frustrated by circumstance, pushed too far, be too impulsive or even too naive.  It can mean turning on her own teammates in a flash of anger as she did to Green Lantern recently (Justice League 11) or it can mean being unable to stop hoping for redemption of her greatest enemy (two issues later).



Zing!

But despite all the sometimes-reluctant, imperfect hero characteristics ...

4. She is good.  I understand what drives Batman, I am sometimes confused by what makes Superman so good, but with WW, no matter the sacrifice, she is willing to step up and do what has to be done.  Not without fear and not always without hesitance.  But neither is she going to allow anyone else to suffer.  Maybe that's why among all her different continuities, she has served in almost every branch of the military.  Those values are reflected in someone who steps forward to serve.  If I were to point out her best instances of self-sacrifice, dignity and honor, my list would be incomplete, but a good look at the best of her moments is actually captured here by blogger Charlie Brooks.
No matter the medium or continuity, no matter the color of her skin or hair, or what DC "Earth" she's on, Wonder Woman has that quality.  I noticed it in the regal kind of toughness Carter brought to the TV.  I see it in the new books.  And! ...
 

5. I'm not the only one.  The best thing about being a Wonder Woman fan is that there are artists, cosplayers and fans who find something they relate to in WW, and often make their own. 
I thought i had seen every way one could draw Wonder Woman, but every month when I check out a Cliff Chiang cover I'm blown away by the sheer power he creates.  And I love all the different spins people put on her costume to maximize her warrior persona, her Mediterranean roots or her iconic status.  The same may be true for many other characters - I'm just glad it is also true for my favorite hero.

And she is just that.  Male, female or alien, there's a lot to look up to and emulate.  A lot to make a hero out of.  Yeah, I also still want to take her to the prom, but I'd settle for being a sidekick too. 

Some of my favorite cosplays below.
Back to the main page.






If WW was real, I am certain she would look
and be dressed like Meagan Marie
http://meagan-marie.deviantart.com/art/Warrior-Wonder-Woman-Teaser-334706105

Another battle ready Wonder Woman.
Key chestpiece design element: straps!
Model: Sarah Scott
Photographer: Adam Jay
http://mradamjay.deviantart.com/art/Wonder-Woman-308332233

No straps on this top, but when wielding Thor's hammer, maybe
range of motion is more important.
The statuesque Valerie Perez.
http://cutemonsterchild.deviantart.com/#/d5q8k10

Photog Eleanor Mayne captures a very ready-to-fight Athora as WW
http://www.facebook.com/AthoraCosplay
www.facebook.com/eleae.art

Then, there's Yaya Han.
Otherworldly Yaya Han
http://www.facebook.com/yayacosplay
Photo by Benny Lee
http://benny-lee.deviantart.com/

  

Friday Fights: The Dark Side

This topic comes from Manny who asks: "When did we start asking for dark grittiness in our remakes and reboots of beloved stories that were loved in their time for not having dark grittiness? If movies are about escapism, what in the hell are we escaping from when we go to these dark places? The new Bond movies, the upcoming Superman, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Huntsman, and yes, Star Trek as well ... what's up?

Pete: I call it the Christopher Nolan effect.

Manny: So does Nolanification equal legitimacy?

Pete: For him, yes.  Not for the copycats.

Mike: I think a lot of this has to do with the struggle for legitimacy. I'm being pretty reductive here and in no way comprehensive, but you have works like Watchmen and Sandman making the case that comic books can be high art. Then you have Nolan's Batman movies, which were completely belied genre-film subjugation--they were great films, period. I'm interested to see if the trend holds out, fizzles, or finds a balancing point.

Dan: I would eat pizza every day.  But I don’t want to eat pepperoni pizza every day. Switch it up a little bit. You can tell me the same stories as long as you do it differently than I saw it the first time. I like thin crust pizza right now so give it to me in different ways until I have had them all then switch and give me those same toppings on deep dish pizza.  In other words, once you have told me the stories happy and bright, I'm ok seeing them a different way.  A few years from now once I have seen them all dark and gritty you can go back and tell me the same stories in a different way and I will still eat my pizza.

 

Pete: I’m only hungry now.

Mike:  I'd argue that the positive reception for The Avengers (though I, personally, thought it was pretty overrated) supports the idea that a feel-good super hero film can co-exist with a more complex plot and cast of characters, and in turn appeal to the masses.

Dan: The Avengers was like eating delicious pizza rolls.   It was nice to switch it up to get me back to my thin crust for a little while longer.

Stephanie:  I'm with Mike - take the Batman franchise, for example. I haven't read all of the comics, but from what I've heard from a lot of folks who have, it was the darker story lines (Dark Knight, Arkham Asylum) that were the most popular. Maybe, when approaching the franchise to make a new set of films, Nolan was looking for something different, and went with the storyline that fans would most want to see.  As for non-fans, I agree with Dan here - it's a side of Batman we haven’t seen. We all grew up with the ridiculous, campy Batman of Adam West and the franchise Tim Burton started - they were very cartoony. So by showing audiences a very real, tortured Batman, it gets them to look at a character they know really well from a different perspective. I mean, if Nolan just remade the Keaton/Clooney/Kilmer Batm(e)n, why would anyone want to pay to go see that?

 

I'll tell you why, Steph.  Bat-nipples! 

Dan: Yes Steph, I grew up so I don’t want to see that anymore but as a young teenager I loved it. (I hated onions on pizza but now I love them)  I grew up and changed so I want my movies to do the same. I bet as I get older and my taste continue to change brick oven pizza will be the new love of my life and I will need to see a more intellectual and deeper Batman.

Stephanie: And Manny (and Pete) - I think this predates Nolan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this all start with the Spider-Man reboot (Tobey Macguire versions)? Those were definitely very dark, less campy films, and directed by Sam Raimi. As far as I can remember, those were the films that started the whole "let's tap into comics for blockbuster movies" binge Hollywood has been on the past 10 years or so. I don't think it was Nolan who was responsible for making superhero stories darker - I think Raimi started it, and Nolan, who is already a very dark director, thought “Hey, I could do something pretty amazing with a comic book story now...”

Pete: That’s not really my point.  Yes, I think Nolan was definitely the right director for the right movie. (Because as good as Tim Burton was with that, I always had the feeling that his Batman movies existed in the same world as Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands ...like two towns over.)  But it was about taking the subject matter seriously.  It started with X-Men.  They got the guy who’d directed The Usual Suspects, Bryan Singer.  Then Sam Raimi – a perfect fit for a comic book movie – with Spider Man.  But Raimi’s movies weren't necessarily dark in my opinion.  They just took Spiderman in the direction the comic books take him. It was a legitimate look at the subject matter.   It's a case of being not-campy.  Not silly.  Which is different that being deliberately edgy.

 Manny: Some characters benefit from the grit and darkness, sticking with Batman on this. His very origin is dark, as a result of having his parents killed in front of him. As cool as he may be, Bruce Wayne is a functioning sociopath. He is just on this side of good because he serves for his own twisted sense of justice. This is why he NEEDS to be given the Nolan treatment and it is why it succeeded. But where this started is that not EVERY character has that need.  Superman is the complete opposite of Batman, both in ideology and purpose. He is supposed to be what we strive to be, the bright zenith of Humanity. Bringing him down to our level defeats this trait. One of the things that I hated about Singer's take in SUPERMAN RETURNS is the fact that he made Superman not only into a deadbeat dad, he also turned him into a creeper.

"Every move you maaaaaake ..."

 Pete: Window-peeping Superman; and this new one looks no less angsty.  Sad, bearded Superman.  Of course, I bitched about “Emo Spider Man” trailers last summer and then I saw it, and I had to eat my words.

Manny: I loved both Raimi and Webb's take on Spiderman. Raimi pretty much stuck to the comic book origin while Webb took it and gave it an updated twist. I thought that the way that Andrew Garfield played Peter Parker/Spiderman was on point. It's going to really suck when Emma Stone gets written out.

Rosa: I think gritty reboots are more frequent now because of our current fascination with dystopian and post-apocalyptic societies. As media and technology bring us more and more opportunity to see horrific crimes, or even the capability of committing those crimes, it's much more satisfying to see a hero overcome struggle in a world that's darker than our own.

Sure it's awesome that Atreyu got through a bunch of obstacles in the land of Fantasia, but the threat of The Nothing made it look like he was on a quest for better medication to battle depression--which is basically what we see in commercials every day. That struggle becomes more common, and the fantasy isn't as moving if it isn't taking our emotions to a new level (like being freaked out about an insane supervillain with crazy futuristic technology, and then sighing in relief that that's not what our reality is like...yet).

Pete: It's still weird to see the "darker tone for its own sake" facelift put on characters like James Bond (Though it's hard not to absolutely love the new movies or Daniel Craig) or The Enterprise crew (as good as Star Trek was, it had nothing to do with Star Trek.) To say nothing of Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.   Should I expect this trend to continue with like .. My Little Ponies or the Care Bears when they inevitably return to the big screen?

Manny: MY LITTLE PONY vs. CARE BEARS...directed by Michael Bay. In IMAX 3D where available. BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

 Pete:  “In a world where people just don't care... These bears are pushed too far …”

Christopher Uminga.  http://uminga.deviantart.com/

Shaida: I think Rosa is spot on about why gritty "realism" is so culturally appealing right now (we're in peak society times, with deep and messy underlying anxieties, so dystopic/dark stories are both comforting and plausibly relatable at the same time). But that's why we LIKE them, not why they get made.  The whimsical, slightly campy stuff doesn't seem marketable to the guys with the money. It's FOR KIDS, but the gritty ones are FOR GROWN-UPS. Although we nerds have managed to erode a lot of the snobbery that was once associated with genre fiction, there's still a strong insistence that adults and children can't like the same things.

Jason: I think part of it is also the fact that the filmmakers are trying to leave their mark on something they most likely loved as a child (maybe not that one story, but the genre definitely, be it Star Trek or a comic book, or whatever) and part of that is making the characters more "real" like we've discussed. Part of that it is also creating a reality of laws in that "real world". By making the ramifications for actions darker and more realistic we get the feeling it's "darker". This is why I HATED Dark Knight Returns, and why I was disappointed by the new Bourne. There were rule that were created that the characters broke later. Alternatively, it's also why the new James Bond works (they re-set the rules) and why the Avengers worked.  In the Marvel world as we know it the characters are allowed to get away with things (in Nolan’s world, the government would have gone to Iron Man's house and tried to take the suits by force). This is also why I feel Superman Returns was so bad. They didn't re-set any rules, just let the main character become a little whiner ... it also sucked cause it was really bad.

Stephanie: ^ Manny, did you just make that?!

Manny: Yes!

Jason: HAHA!!!

Pete: dark movies for dark subjects is fine, but really? Fairy tales?

Manny:  Grimm's Fairytales are kinda dark and messed up, at least in their original form.

Shaida: Take your two examples: Hansel & Gretel: children abandoned to die of exposure by their parents fall into the clutches of a forest-dwelling child predator. Snow White: Stepmother resents prettier, younger stepdaughter so hires a professional to murder her with the intention of eating her heart.  But I also remember some pretty dark fairy-tale type movies from the 80s (Legend and Labyrinth come to mind, they had campy elements but also scary villains and scary scenes--just tempered by the inclusion of Muppets)!

Pete: You have a point. I do forget that fairy tales are pretty much all about burning witches and wolves alive. (Oooh!  Maybe they'll do that to the annoying girlfriend in Grimm...)  I guess everything is dark... except maybe 90s Amy Grant videos.

Shaida: Speaking of which, maybe some of these modern tellings only SEEM darker because we have CGI now instead of Muppets...

Manny: Muppets can't make all freaky stories OK for kids. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you THE DARK CRYSTAL!

"I'm cute, just like Kermit!"



Pete: Oh, Dear God, the Skeksis were freaky, especially the weird moany chamberlain.

Manny: i couldn't tell you the last time i saw that movie. it freaked me the fuck out when I was a kid.  other freaky and jacked up "kids" movies: WATERSHIP DOWN and THE SECRET OF N.I.H.M.

Pete: Shaida, I like your point earlier about grown fare vs. kids fare. One of the reasons I hated the Star Wars prequels was the weird stance that George Lucas took that the movies, especially Episode 1, were for kids. Yet, the original movies appeal to everyone and didn't lose me as a kid because of any "too grownup for me to understand" status.

Rosa: Or how about how Lucas and Spielberg have "remastered" their classic films to lighten them up--like changing the FBI's guns to walkie-talkies in E.T., or adding silly background antics and unnecessary musical numbers to Star Wars. Oh yeah, and remember that little thing where HAN SHOT FIRST?!

Shaida: I have a hard time determining whether the current stuff is so much darker, or if it's just nostalgia and hazy memory that makes stuff I liked when I was young seem fluffier and fuzzier. DEFINITELY I think that the Lucas/Spielberg issue Rosa mentioned is evidence that they are old dudes romanticizing childhood and making retroactive edits to conform to what they think they were like as kids.

Rosa: I think some of those settings are meant to explore human nature (the ones that are done well, anyways). It's satisfying when you have that group of people that, despite horrible circumstances, can maintain their humanity.

Pete: I can see how "darker" might just mean "more true to the source material" But in some cases, it just comes across to me as dreary.  Since redemption and sacrifice and goodness exist in reality, and I feel they would exist in a real situation - Zombie, alien invasion or mysterious Island, It makes me think of shows like Walking Dead, Lost and Battlestar Galactica even the short lived V as being dark and gritty for the sake of being ... Dark and gritty.

Rosa: Maybe I'm a little too self-involved, but some of the appeal for those settings for me is imagining what I would do in those environments. I would be the reasonable one...I would utilize my skills with Excel to save us from zombies somehow...my sarcasm would win over the cylons (most likely scenario). The darker the scenario, the bigger the challenge for me. I know not to take an apple from a crone in the woods...but if the witch utilizes dark magic to read my thoughts and turn into my grandma offering me a freshly made tortilla? New and more difficult challenge!

Shaida: Pete, you know what the perfect antidote is? If you want heart and redemption and humanity, glimmers of hope and characters you care about? DOCTOR WHO.

Pete: NOOOOoooooOOOOooooOOOoooo

Shaida: There's a reboot that retains the campy charms of it's predecessor, adds some adult themes and universal insights, all while retaining its suitability for young viewers! Screw you, bleak and dreary dystopias!

Pete: Victory to Shaida.

Artists: Chris Uminga

A popular table in Artists' Alley every year since we first started going, Christopher Uminga's work stands out - even in a sea of uniqueness.


It's in the eyyyyes!

When he turns his watercolors, markers or digital sketchpad to made-up monsters, horror movie staples or even demented comic and movie supervillains, the result is something both beautiful and disturbing.


Cuh-Reepy!

With a superhero, he often paints them standing indignantly posed - like a cute, somewhat disturbing chibi - kind of daring you not to find them comepletely awesome.

There's really no frivolity in his gallery, either here or on his Facebook.  So, it's the kind of thing that causes one to:
1. Do a double take at his booth.
2. Walk past then immediately walk backwards to catch what you missed at a first glance, knocking people over in the process.
3. Find one's self spending way too much time flipping through page after page of his work while others frown impatiently behind you.
(I'm guilty on all counts, here!)
Somehow with the strange, sometimes vacant, sometimes glowy,  bulging and often differently-shaped eyes, he conveys exactly the mood he's looking for and you get it right away.  It's as gorgeous as it is unsettling.
The first year we snagged up a Princess Leia and No-Face from Spirited Away.  This past year, we rounded out the Star Wars pile with this Chewbacca and a feisty Ewok (he has particular skill with Star wars characters.)  We'll be back for more.


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Costumes: Bravery

 

I've been doing this blog for several months now, and because of it, I've been able to chat with and follow the feeds of a lot of the cosplayers we encountered at Baltimore's Comic-Con. 

Psylocke Cosplay Tip #1  It helps to have a badass staredown.
"Take the picture already or get cut!"

They are genuinely cool people.  Enthusiastic people, about comics and pop culture.  Maybe not as obsessively as some people would like, but then I don't see those "some people" spending hours, days and weeks on costumes and then rocking them out for all to see.

Cosplayers are at the convention to shop, meet friends and nerd out like the rest of us - all while stopping to pose every 30 seconds for people like me. 

Hey, pretty much our entire blog family goes all out for Halloween when it comes to costumes, but nearly all of us also chicken out when it's time to dress up any other time of year.  In other words, it takes more than a little courage to cosplay your favorite superhero.  And it takes even more if your particular favorite character just happens to have one of the skimpiest costumes this side of Gold Bikini Princess Leia.  Psylocke is not a cosplay for the faint of heart.  The two we saw in September did the costume justice in attention to detail, attitude and physique.  We tried not to stare.



Tip #2  Pick a fight with the big guy.  Earn some respect.

Tip #3.  Bring backup.  Hand ninjas are useful.

And just for good measure, the above Psylocke (Kris Lee) showed up the day before looking a lot (exactly) like Elektra.  Hand ninja (Joepool) still closeby.   (see more of them)

In comparison, this costume is like a winter coat.



Buying leotards in bulk!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chi-o/

 

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