Image Credit: DC ComicsWonder Woman #600 was intended to be a gamechanger for the iconic superheroine. A new creative team. A new costume, which inspired some polarizing opinions in our PopWatch poll. A whole new origin story, courtesy of some old-fashioned timeline-juggling. And above all, a general turn towards the grim and gritty: the first few pages of the issue have all the urban paranoia and angst of an early 1990s X-Men comic (or, more to the point, a Christopher Nolan movie). Well, the people have responded…with a roar! According to Deadline, DC is already reprinting the issue after monstrous first-week sales.
Whatever you think about all the changes, this is great news for Wonder Woman. Even though she’s been around since forever, and even though she’s arguably the most recognizable female superhero period (sorry, Storm), Wonder Woman’s almost never dominated pop culture like her franchise teammates Superman and Batman. (Also, it’s a little bit charming that, in our debased modern culture, people were apparently interested to see a hot chick with great legs wear more clothes.)
And of course, there’s always the slight possibility that renewed sales could mean renewed interest in sending Wonder Woman flying beyond comic books into other media…but since just saying the words “Wonder Woman Movie” makes Joss Whedon cry, let’s just cross our fingers that the Amazon Princess’ good luck continues.
Did you read Wonder Woman #600, PopWatchers? Were you a fan of the reboot? I caught a faint hint of Bourne Identity-ish mystique in Diana’s new backstory, which if nothing else is definitely a brand new take on the Wonder Woman mythos. And does this mean that we’ll soon see a gritty reboot of Archie Comics?
First off, it’s the last few pages that show off the new look and direction.
The first few pages are the classic Wonder Woman that everyone loves.
People are buying it because it’s a 600th issue and curious about the new change. But, most people HATE it.
I have no idea what the fan reception is like, but you’re absolutely right about the sales being big because it’s a “milestone” issue. I used to collect comics and got as excited as the next guy about big-story issues until I realized that it was usually just gigantic hype to boost sales. Now I’m jaded, and I know that the true test of whether or not people are into this is if sales are still up three or four issues down the road.
Leave it to DC comics to destroy an ICONIC figure. Look at what DC did to Catwoman and Batgirl in the cheesey Batman forever spectacle. Or better yet look at what they did to the ill fated tv series “birds of prey”. They hack the story line and twist the characters to where they are no longer recognisable. F**K YOU DC COMICS for destroying Wonder Woman.
She’s not the first to get an extreme makeover. Lest we forget about Superman’s blue lightning leotard or the spiky Batman substitute, post-Bane. Fiascos abound.
Wonder Woman is dead as far im concerned now. I grew up with her with her iconic costume. Nobody seems to complain about Superman’s costume or origin do they. DC comics sucks ass as far as im concerned now. Frickin hack jobs.
Actually they changed Superman’s costume and powers a while back. And it sucked. And the fan response was so overwhelmingly against it, they went back to the iconic Superman we all know. We can only hope the same happens here.
I wish they’d ditch the red undies on Superman’s costume–if Batman (and Cyclops. and Wolverine) can lose them, so can Superman. But other than that, there’s nothing that needs changing about his costume.
Hey Darren,
My guess is the sales were do to the amount of curiousity and backlash that ensued. Not sure if you caught it, but oh…the blogospehere went nuts about the changed.
Sucks, oh and BTW going back to your previous take on the new costume and suggestion that Beyonce wear it…that sucks too. They both suck like Kristen Stewart on her bottom lip!!!
All of the stories except the one written by Straczynski are about Wonder Woman. The story by Straczynski: I don’t know who that’s about but it’s not Wonder Woman.
Yes the only reason this got big sales is because it was the 600th issue. The upcoming milestones for Bats and Supes will get similar numbers. Note The cover is by George Perez NOT Jim Lee. Perez revamped WW and proved she could be relevant today w/the iconic costume. The JMS story wasn’t bad but I have zero interest in getting it any further issues involving it.
Actually, the Supes and Bats anniversary have already been published — and the reaction has been nowhere near as huge as WW’s. DC was smart to do something controversial — like the costume change. It got picked up in all sorts of outside media, thus generating casual fan interest.
A new direction might not be a bad idea guys, comic books get stale without new concepts and I think most of the best comic storylines are the grittier ones anyways. Honestly, I haven’t seen the new issue so its hard to comment on the change but I have a feeling it will be a good change. Hey at least she’s a better role model for young girls than Bella from Twilight right, lol.
They should never do live action, she’s perfect in cartoon form. The one with Keri Russell as Diana and Nathan Fillion as her goofy escort through the world of men- PERFECT
Fanboys will never determine who writes Wonder Woman and what her costume should look like. They already made up their mines.
So by reboot DC Comics means to turn Wonder Woman into Batman with a murdered family and quest for vengeance story line?? Have they learned nothing of the so-called reboots of Superman and Batman? Last I knew those two seminal characters are right back where they started costume and story wise! And don’t feed me this bullshit about “what woman wears the same outfit for 40 years”! She is from a society where style was sacrificed for intellect and honor! WORST REBOOT EVER!
Hypocracy at it’s finest. I see you used the Iconic old WW image and not the “popular” new one. DC made the same mistake back in 1968, fell on thier faces then too. Sadly, Gloria Steinham isn’t here to defend Diana. Bet issue 601 is a huge FLOP. In fact, I hope the buying public boycotts the warped, “gritty” project until bankrupt. Then the prudish, man-hating, clinically depressed cretins will stop attacking this symbol of female beauty and hope.
R.I.P. Diana, Pricess of Peace and Love, Heroine to us all.
Relax, hellojimperry. I’m sure you can still spank it to the old comics.
I hate the costume change… But what I hate more is the resetting of the character and starting over for the 10th time since 1985. Now, Instead of Paradise Island (Themyscria in the book) she’s raised on Staten Island. Hey, at lease it explains the 80s-like Fran Drescher outfit and hair… I get some folks think sthe outfit should change, but wow, how bad did they screw up this attempt?
Wow. Such vitriol. It seems as though DC has flung themselves onto the virtual steel pole left to flail in the flapping winds. This is an almost bigger disaster than NEW COKE! And to think, Wonder Woman, one of the biggest selling comic series of . . . never. ARE YOU MOUTH BREATHERS SERIOUS?? Get your Red-Bull drinking lard butts off of your fake Aeron chairs and find attempt to interact with the opposite gender (WHO IS NOT RELATED TO YOU). WW exists more in the blogosphere than in cmic sales and always will. At least Storm got some decent storylines and maybe might get someone who can act to portray her in an X-man movie. At the very least can someone with a vajayjay write something impassioned about her?
“wow,” indeed! i would like to see when was the last time any of the people complaining about ww’s new look / direction actually bought the comic book on a regular basis, month in, month out. the examples of superman blue / superman red and azrael-as-batman are not valid. those were never meant to be permanent… this new direction for ww certainly isn’t etched in stone, but if you read the interviews with the ptb i believe it represents a sincere effort to try and make ww work better for the modern, comics-reading audience (not all the folk clinging to the old linda carter show) i think what marvel’s done with captain america is a more relevant example.
The issue with the new look is the ridiculous jacket and the fact that the pants and the boots are the same color. If they make the boots a different color and ditch the jacket, she’d look cool.