In the spirit of rejecting that red ring that's been hovering...

[bluefall]

... some pages from Blackest Night Wondy #3 that don't make me want to vomit.


Cool moment as Diana muses over the feel of wearing a ring:



The idea of Diana seeing Ares as Rage!Guy's patron, and being completely sanguine about that (pun intended, sorry), really tickles me.

Also, best reaction ever to getting blood barfed on one's face:



And my favorite, a two-page spread, with dialog so good it almost starts to make up for having to see that abhorrent costume:



And then she neatly cocoons him, shatters him and moves on, and that's all there is to it. I think it's a seriously wasted opportunity that we didn't see any of Diana's dead in this mini - Myndi would have been awesome - but I like how Max only mattered in the first one and is really just an afterthought in this ish.

... not that I can say I care for what he's an afterthought to, but again. Won't get into it. Fightin' off that red ring.


Oh, and as per ravenous_raven's suggestions here, a modified Wondersapphire uniform:



Feel free to mentally insert in the scene above to assist your sanity.

Comments

[mad]

I agree with you, and I'm not celebrating. I agree it's a problem.

I said it was a testament to Nicola Scott's work that I'm not cringing as much as I should. I never said that fixes it or meant to imply that it downplays the problem.

That was just my reaction to it. I admire Scott's pencilling skills, is all I'm saying, really. I have actually been wondering lately about how much control someone in Scott's position might have over this sort of thing.

I fully realize what a crappy thing this Star Sapphire business is with Wonder Woman. Not just the costume, but the entire idea of her being a Star Sapphire when she would've been much better suited to something like Indigo (compassion). And then there's the fact that there seem to be no male Star Sapphires, which is another ridiculous aspect to this whole thing.

[mystery]

So why give a pass to it? Why allow sexism in this form when you wouldn't in another? (Scott's control matters, in a way, as much as Rucka's. When you get down to it.)

Of course WW would have been much better suited to Indigo. It's in her history, it's in the issues off BN:WW where they made her all about loving everybody, but actually getting all turned by sexually loving Batman. It's right there. The sexism is extreme in this. Extreme.

[mad]

I am really unsure as to how I've given a pass to this. I'm not "allowing" sexism in this form or any other.

I like Nicola Scott's pencils. I also think the WW Star Sapphire costume is ridiculous and sexist. The two opinions are not mutually exclusive, and having the former one does not negate the latter.

[mystery]

Oh, sorry. I misinterpreted your comment about how Scott's position plays/not plays a part.
Because I think her position does play a part. Just as any writer or artist plays a part. She drew this. But she is a good artist.

[mad]

What I've been wondering lately is how much decision-making she'd have in this. Like, did she design the costume herself or was she handed a design and had to draw it? If it's the latter, then would she have been able to say "you know, these Star Sapphire costumes are really stupid, can I change it?" I don't know how likely that would be. But I do think that the costume would've been a lot worse if somebody who doesn't draw women as well was drawing it. That doesn't excuse the costume, though.

(At any rate, in the post I linked to, part of what I'm wondering is how much real-world sexism might prevent a feminist writer or artist or editor from questioning or altering something they think is sexist within the comics they're making. I don't know for sure whether Nicola Scott considers herself a feminist, but I think it's important to consider that there may be other factors had hand than just "this comic artist draw a sexist costume", you know? The costume doesn't come down to just one person's decisions in this sort of thing.)

[mystery]

I have to say though, does the artist in question seem less 'decision-making' than other artists? Because she's a woman? I don't think that factors in. The costume and decision to make WW a SS are not her choice. But her choices don't get to be because she' a woman, either. It seems to be because she's a DC artistt. That seems to be the way it all works.

[mad]

I have to say though, does the artist in question seem less 'decision-making' than other artists?

That is not what I mean at all. Perhaps I'm not being particularly articulate tonight, but if you read the post that I linked to, there is more context for what I'm asking.

What I'm wondering is that if sexist factors in the industry might prevent feminists (women or men) involved in making a comic from saying to DC, "hey, how about we don't give her a skimpy costume?" or "wouldn't Wonder Woman be more suited to compassion?" or "how about we have a guy become a Star Sapphire instead?".

There's research that suggests that women tend to not get ahead in the workplace as much if they speak up or negotiate about things–they're seen as difficult and less preferable to work with, where as that behaviour in men is more likely to be rewarded and viewed positively. Essentially, I'm wondering how that sort of thing plays out in the comics industry specifically.

[mystery]

Thanks for the link. To me it's not too much about women in the workplace.

I guess I'm just not getting why Helena's belly-suit is an affront to everyone, but this, and Wonder Woman's extreme marginalization, is more acceptable.

[jlbarnett]

Come on, I can't be the only person who feels like a guy Star Sapphire would be totally out of place with the Zamorans being their bosses.

[lamashtar]

Previous canon had the Zamorans taking Sinestro's planet's males as lovers...Current canon has females in the Guardians and suggests that the Zamorans aren't the FEMALE Oans (as was previously understood), but merely a faction of the Oans.

[kingrockwell]

If I had to guess at someone to blame for the costume, my first instinct would be Ivan Reis, but Ethan Van Sciver's also been involved with some Blackest Night designs.

[bluefall]

I think I heard EVS designed Carol's "uniform," so the buck probably stops with him on all the Sapphires.

Though the off chance always exists that it was Scott's brainchild from the start - outside our little S_D haven, the "what the fuck" attitude toward the thing is a distinctly minority opinion, even among female fans AFAICT, and Amanda Conner is the one who turned Peej's window into a windshield, after all... You never do know who you can trust.

As Rucka has just thoroughly proved for us. ;_;