Wonder Woman!

drkrash · Post by **drkrash** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:14 am

No harm, no foul, Benji!

Allow me the luxury of a brief rant.

I had to figure out why I was so invested in defending this costume on here and other forums, especially since I only have a moderate interest in Wonder Woman in the first place.

Do I think it’s a great costume? I dunno. I can honestly say that I liked it as soon as I saw it, but I can also see the points of a lot of the critics as well. Would I have picked David Kelly to do this show? Definitely not, since I associate him with quirky (often blatantly sexual) humor and long monologues supporting leftist politics (though it’s a testament to his writing that I watched all of Ally McBeal and Boston Legal while disagreeing with almost everything he tried to sell). Quirky sex humor and liberal politics don’t seem to go with a “non-campy” take on an iconic female superhero with a well-loved reputation from a former very campy TV series.

So I realized my desire to defend the costume and, by extension, the show, came as a response to two fronts.

On the non-comic book fan front, I was reacting to the inevitable problem that ANY costume that looked vaguely like a superhero costume, no matter HOW well done, was going to automatically be considering campy. It’s part of the reason Heroes, Smallville, and Birds of Prey avoided them. The Cape didn’t and was slammed. The X-Men were reduced to wearing leather suits for the movies. And for the awesome Marvel movies, we so far have had a guy in a powered suit and a monster without a costume at all. It usually doesn’t matter how good something is: for non-supers fans, a costume immediately looks stupid. As a comic fan, that disappoints me.

On the comic book fan front, I was reacting to the pretentious nerdrage of the internet that defaults to the attitude of “this sucks, this show will suck, and I wish people had ideas as good as mine.” (BTW, I have not really found that attitude on this forum.) I’m super easy to please (I, too, watched all of Birds of Prey, despite its obvious limitations) and that means I get to enjoy a lot more movies and TV than other people because I have fun with what I am given. When comic book fans kill the buzz for a comic book show before it even begins, we have no one but ourselves to blame when producers suggest “re-vamping” comic properties in ways that feel less like comic books and more like generic action movies.

Supers fans! Stand up for your genre tropes! Try to give costumes a chance!

OK. I’m done now. If you got this far, thanks.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:00 am

I really don't mind what people watch, however I think with Wonder Woman my feeling is that they aren't really going to care what comic book guys think one way or another. It's whether or not women will turn over from Ghost Whisperer that will ultimately determine it's fate imho.

But that doesn't mean it will be bad show. I just hope they give her some worthy adversaries and not just terrorists or the mafia.

drkrash · Post by **drkrash** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:32 am

Yup, I agree.

The plot points they've let out from the pilot suggest villains from the realms of corporate intrigue and biotechnology. I smell boardroom drama mixed (hopefully) with bio monsters.

Or else just David Kelley using the show as a forum to talk about the evils of big business.

[BTW, Benji, Ghost Whisperer is off the air already!

]

Post by **BASHMAN** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:56 am

I won't say what I think of this costume. But I will show you one that would have been immeasurably better:

The above image IS Wonder Woman. The official one will have to convince a lot of people.

Believe it or not, that picture was a fan-made thing. For the love of all that is holy Warner Bros. HIRE THIS MAN FOR THE MOVIE AT LEAST.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:10 pm

Wow, that's really good. Decent Wonder Woman, too.

And I didn't know about Ghost Whisperer, heh.

dugfromthearth · Post by **dugfromthearth** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:15 pm

wow BASHMAN that one is awesome

Saker · Post by **Saker** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:15 pm

This isn't bad either.

Code 18. Can't get the image to post.

MrJupiter · Post by **MrJupiter** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:15 pm

Hey, I like all the Wonder Woman costumes presented her so far. Execpt for when I was a kid and watching Linda Carter playing WW, I've never been that thrilled about this hero (and it's probably due to that original actress playing the role). Let's face it, Linda Carter ran like a girl - not an Olympian athlete of superhuman ability.

It wasn't until I seen the video footage of WW in a trailer promoting some DC Universe online massive multiplayer game (one where she ended up being killed by Lex in a battlesuit). The animators did an outstanding job bringing her to life.

If they can bring some sense of that to this reincarnated TV series then I'm all for it!

simpson · Post by **simpson** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:54 pm

Wow, now *that's* an awesome Wonder Woman, photoshopped or not.

Artbod · Post by **Artbod** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:17 am

I always find it odd that the parts of a costume that are supposed to be metal never are but rather a toy looking plastic. Check out the poster for Thor and look at the norse gods armor, all plastic-y and not a sign of millenia of battle wear.

drkrash · Post by **drkrash** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:29 am

I think that has a lot to do with what looks good on paper, what sounds good in a description, and what looks good on film. Three different visual perspectives that are not interchangeable.

As for photoshopping an awesome look: that's much easier to do than then translating that look to film. I agree that that fan-made WW looks great...but it would never fly. Some would object to her not wearing pants, others would object to a female character being that bruised up, and Jennifer Connelly (who I believe provided the face for that image) isn't built like that.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:40 am

It's not Jennifer Connelly, it's Cobie Smulders, who according to Wikipedia is already in the Avengers movie. Also:

"Joss Whedon has suggested that he considered her for the role of Wonder Woman in his draft of the (cancelled) eponymous film."

She smokes the girl they picked for the tv show, however I think it's obvious that raw physicality isn't the primary concern of the show. She has to identify with young women, first and foremost, and make then feel bad about who they are so they will buy makeup.

So skinny arms and legs, big * etc. all the way. Looking like an athlete, which is how it should be for many reasons, won't fly as you said. Oh well, at least it's not Calista Flockheart.

I also came across the original photo for the image. This guy certainly has talent.......

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... ulders.jpg

Samuraidad · Post by **Samuraidad** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:39 am

Just went back and compared the actual costume and the one that Bashman posted. No comparison. The actual costume looks really cheap and cheesy in comparison (like something purchased at Party City). I do think the first costume is ok...but not nearly as good. Agreed, the show designers need to do a better job.

But hey, when is the show due out?

drkrash · Post by **drkrash** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:51 pm

That's the funny part, considering how much "ink" I've spilt on this: it's not due to be "out" necessarily at all.

All of this is for a pilot, which may or may not get picked up.

However, that being said, with a major comic property, a pretty big name at the wheel, and at least two other well-recognized actors (Cary Elwes, Elizabeth Hurley) on board, I think it's pretty safe that it will at least make the air. This would be Fall 2011, as they are shooting now.