Okay, who doesn't know Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman has been one of the most recognizable face in comic books and pop culture. When you hear someone say the word "Superheroine", her face pops up in your mind. She is considered as one of The Holy Trinity in DC Universe, often featured alongside Superman and Batman. Wonder Woman has been the feminist icon for decades highlighting her strength, intelligence, and ideals as inspirations for women everywhere. In the 70s the character was made popular to mainstream audiences with her own TV Series starring Lynda Carter.
For 69 years since its inception, Wonder Woman has had few significant costume changes. And now with the comic book's 600th issue, incoming series writer J. Michael Straczynski and DC Co-Publisher (also an acclaimed penciller) Jim Lee, decided that Wonder Woman needs a new look and a new direction. This, in part, is attributed to DC's attempt to modernize their superheroes, making them more grounded and realistic. Superheroes who were created several decades ago need to stay relevant to this day and age and updating their costumes can make them more relate-able to new generation of readers.
Wonder Woman has been criticized for years for fighting crime in effectively a one-piece swimsuit, often considered either sexist or simply impractical. It was basically an American flag wrapped around her body. And questions often arise on where she would keep all her things and on how she could fight the villains without all of her womanly parts fall out. With Wonder Woman #600, DC will debut Wonder Woman with a new costume, considerably less revealing, complete with long pants and a jacket. Signature elements such as the character's bracelets, tiara and magic lasso remain. Now, Wonder Woman has more of a street fighter kind of vibe to her as opposed to a beauty pageant contestant entering a swimsuit competition. Probably better for a woman who has to do a lot of acrobatic and flying to kick the bad guys' asses.
The new series will also retcon Wonder Woman's history. With almost 70 years worth of backstory and mythology, new readers will have a little difficulty in following the story. Thus, another retroactive continuity is ensued. It all starts with an alteration to time, about 20 years ago, when someone destroyed Paradise Island. This new Wonder Woman was a baby then, and after her mother was killed, she was smuggled out of her homeland and raised by guardians in New York. Wonder Woman readers pick up her story 20 years later, but it won't take long for this altered Wonder Woman to find out what happened to the timeline, making it her mission to correct it.
Elegant and smart, the new Wonder Woman's design screams, "I am to be taken seriously as a warrior!" The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side. And if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work, letting her enemies know that she’s getting closer. A lot different that the happy-go-lucky Wonder Woman that we used to know as a kid, huh?
This is the Wonder Woman that we are all familiar with...
And... the new do!!! Not bad for a 70-year-old woman, right?
Probably easier to be translated into the movie... if it ever gets out of development hell
The new Wonder Woman's serious ass kicking prowess
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