A Different kind of Woman
The arrival of Wonder Woman brought about a new era in the comic book world. With her deflective bracelets and golden lasso, she was a woman who could take care of herself. She was definitely not the damsel in distress like Lois Lane or Robin. Neither was she a femme fatale like the over sensualized Catwoman. She was a different kind of woman with good looks and fighting skills to match. She had the wisdom of Athena, the beauty of Aphrodite, the strength of Hercules, and the speed of Mercury. She fought for equality, justice, and women’s rights. Her stories were also more complex than many of the heroes who came before her. She fought against complex issues such as poverty and class. When she came onto the scene, gone were the days of beating up the bank robber. I find the origin of Wonder Woman really interesting. The whole backstory is explained by her mother, Hippolyta. The story was interesting with its connections to Greek mythology and the creation of Paradise Island. I like how Wonder Woman proved to her mother that she was capable to go to the United States by winning the contest. I also find the idea of secret identities fascinating. As we discussed in class, who is the real character that we love reading about? Is it the masked hero fighting for justice or the shy office man behind his desk? Bruce Wayne or Batman? Clark Kent or Superman? Selina Kyle or Catwoman? Diana Prince or Wonder Woman? Perhaps a bit of both, maybe? The hero aspect inspires us with a fantastic role model who we love rooting for. The average Joe aspect gives us someone we can easier relate with and understand the struggles they are faced with. Whatever the secret is, Wonder Woman is rocking it.
Moulton, Charles. Wonder Woman. All Star Comics, Sensation Comics.
I think that your point about how we as an audience reading and learning about Wonder Woman (as with any other superhero with some backbone) do so better when we can relate to her as a “normal” person (Diana Prince) is spot-on. We see Wonder Woman face a lot of the same problems and life events that we ourselves do, and the evils that she faces as Diana Prince are issues that we face, too. When she fights those issues as either Diana Prince or Wonder Woman, though, it is inspiring because we see that it is possible for us to do the same even though we aren’t superhuman!
While DC is a good comic series, I don’t believe it adequately gathers the human elements as Marvel’s X-men. In it, they have alter egos as well, but it wouldn’t matter, as being a mutant was a condemning mark against them, rather than a blessing. It realized the true ethics of heroes under pressure, and links the readers closer to the characters. Two other characters who share similar human developments are Spider Man and the Hulk, AKA Bruce Banner.