Gail Simone's Wonder Woman and Devin Grayson's Inheritance

[3goodtimes]

I apologize in advance for the wonky scans. I got them from Ends of the Earth and The Circle which you should buy if you have the means. They're really wonderful.

Tom Tresser is laid up in the hospital and Diana comes to visit him.

He kind of looks like an aging boy band member with that hair.






How lovely is that panel of Diana stroking Tom's cheek?

Ugh, scan fail ahead!

Has Diana ever been written with a woman? If not, she should be at some point.

Later, Diana takes Tom on her magical seashell (lolcomics) to Themyscira to meet Hippolyta. She instructs him to be completely honest and he manages to make a good impression. Love Diana's expression in the third panel here.



Tom is almost killed by a Griffin. Then Hippolyta asks if he's been intimate with Diana yet.


Some moms bake muffins, other moms craft deadly weaponry! My mom's muffins could probably qualify as deadly weapons.


And now I'm imagining a much more harrowing version of The Drew Carey Show.


Now, I know there are emotional implications in that line about feeling (as well as some foreshadowing), but is Diana speaking literally too? Is her skin extra tough so she can't feel touch as much as other people? I was slightly confused by that line. Wonder Woman experts, maybe you can help me there.

suck my diiiick!! im a shark!


Three reasons I love those scenes: One, I find them incredibly fucking cute and feel no shame in enjoying cute in my comics. Two, Amazonian ritual fascinates me. When Diana is well-written in the JLA, I often feel she steals the show. But in her own title, I'm sometimes far more intrigued by her sisters, their history, and their traditions. And three, I would love to court a guy. Wouldn't that be great? I've never understood the appeal of being wooed, but when I thought about it from the other direction, I totally get it. More guys should concede to being courted with gifts and sweetness and pulling out chairs. And friendship bracelets.

I'm sad the short-lived romance of Tom and Diana didn't work out. :(

On a totally separate note, I recently finished Inheritance by Devin Grayson and it was just... just horrible, you guys. Maybe this is old news. Maybe you liked it and I'm once again the odd man out. If that's the case, you probably shouldn't read on. I don't think I could cringe more if I watched my grandmother in a porno. /steals joke



It's not the gay subtext (though it was barely subtext here) that bothered me. Heck, I love gay subtext! The more the merrier! However, I was so creeped out by the manner in which she wrote it. It was all pedo-y (not in a fun Golden Age way) and menacing and the characterization was off. I mean, I seriously missed Cry for Justice Ollie whilst reading this book's version of Ollie. It was that bad. The internal monologue-ing was drawn out and bizarre. She spent two paragraphs explaining in detail why Nightwing noticed Aquaman's lack of beard. From Arthur's perspective (although it's hard to tell since the perspectives change abruptly and at random). Which makes no damn sense for the character. That's just the first example of OOC weirdness out of many. I love her work on most comics but yeesh. This book, guys. THIS BOOK. IT BURNS LIKE TWILIGHT.

I cannot wait until Rucka's No Man's Land comes in the mail so I can erase Inheritance from my mind.

Putting that aside... have you all read any DC novels? Any recommendations or just general thoughts on what you've dipped into?

(PS: To the person awaiting Ragdoll scans, I promise I'm almost done gathering them!)

Comments

[foxhack]

Oh boy! Tom Tresser and Diana!

*digs a hole, jumps in and buries himself to protect himself from the ensuing flamewar

[darklorelei]

How convenient, I just made popcorn!

[lissa_quon]

Wow, so the words "babies babies babies" really did come out of Hippolyta's mouth. I have to say I'm abit shocked, thought folks were making that up or exaggerating or something.

[3goodtimes]

Yeah, that bit of dialogue struck me a bit weird too.

[kamino_neko]

Putting that aside... have you all read any DC novels? Any recommendations or just general thoughts on what you've dipped into?

Superman - The Neverending Battle (by Roger Stern), and Green Lantern - Hero's Quest (by Denny O'Neill) are both pretty good. Made me want to read more of them, but was never able to find any. Neither of them is in-continuity at ALL (Hero's Quest, particularly, would make an awesome, AWESOME Elseworlds comic, but couldn't possibly be shoehorned into continuity - Kyle's origin could work, but the JLA and GLC...no way), but they're both quite enjoyable. Neverending Battle has a nice bit on how Clark maintains the Superman/Clark Kent difference.

[shadwing]

Don't forget Denny O'Neil's "Hell Town" with Batman and the Question

[tornadotwin.blogspot.com]

I actually did enjoy the Tom and DIana relationship. I admit she was really, really distant throughout but they seemed cute.
And I don't think Hippolyta was told they broke up.

[q99]

I must admit, in Gail's run they were kinda fun.

[puddlejumping]

I bought Inheritance last night. Crap. (At least I bought it used, so I didn't spend too much money on it.)

[q99]

-Now, I know there are emotional implications in that line about feeling (as well as some foreshadowing), but is Diana speaking literally too? Is her skin extra tough so she can't feel touch as much as other people? I was slightly confused by that line. Wonder Woman experts, maybe you can help me there.-

Her skin is a lot tougher than a normal humans, but I don't think it's senses touch any less. I dunno either.

[icon_uk]

Logically, invulnerability SHOULD lead to a lack of sensation in the skin, but that's not how it works in most cases in comics, where you can be invulnerable and still have completely normal dermal sensitivity.

I can only think of two exceptions offhand, Diamond Lil from Beta/Omega/Alpha Flight, and a similarly powered character, also from Byrne, in his "Next Men" series, both of whom had no sense of touch worth mentioning.

[arilou_skiff]

"I've never understood the appeal of being wooed, but when I thought about it from the other direction, I totally get it. More guys should concede to being courted with gifts and sweetness and pulling out chairs. And friendship bracelets."

It's not entirely unusual. The Nordic Museum used to have an exhibit on rural courtship customs in Sweden, and the description they gave was... Pretty interesting (and heavily ritualized)

First step was handing a gift, usually for girls it was a carved spoon (either hand-carved or bought, apparently there were specialists on "courtship gifts") and for boys a piece of carded wool. Then there were a few exchanges of gifts, ending with the girl giving the boy a shirt (which was considered an "engagement gift") There were all sorts of formalized steps in-between like "night courtings" (where the boy and girl were expected to sleep together, yes, sleep, not have sex) and many other stages like that.

Once engaged sex was considered OK. And marriage usuallly happened at first pregnancy.

[bluefall]

where the boy and girl were expected to sleep together, yes, sleep, not have sex

That's actually pretty cool, since I'd consider that at least as major a compatibility test as the sex itself.

[retro_nouveau]

I'm sad the short-lived romance of Tom and Diana didn't work out.

Not sad at all, I think it was a bad match from the start. But I'm shocked at how much I loved it while it lasted, and that I now love Tom. I really want him to start dating Katarina Armstrong.

[janegray]

I'm sad for Tom, but I'm glad at least a)he wasn't killed off, and b)both he and Diana kept their dignity in the break up.

[schmevil]

Yeah, this.

[icon_uk]

I try to judge how these things feel by considering the gender reversed situation, how it would appear if a man treated a woman like that. Not sure I'd go for it. She goes through the whole process without asking him if this was something that HE wanted at any stage, except to make a poorly timed joke about killing him if he refused.

[bluefall]

From the Themysciran perspective, as this storyline presents it, the whole ritual is the question; if he didn't want it, she expected him to say so. Which cultural mismatch is of course the whole point of the story, apparently. Whether you're willing to accept Diana is that obtuse after more than a decade amongst us is, of course, a valid issue, but also a tangential one.

She is also kind of unilateral by personality already, though, which is a fairly common trait in leaders in general and superheroes in particular just by nature of the job. Her line "Ultimately, it's my decision," followed by Tom's correction that it's their decision, is one of the few things in the whole relationship that rang true to me. She's going to do what makes sense to her, and she's going to expect her friends and allies to do the same - the idea of there being an actual need to stop and solicit someone's opinion in order to get it (especially when people are constantly spilling their guts around her just as a matter of course) is probably alien enough to her that she has to consciously remind herself sometimes, particularly when she's around people who make her comfortable enough to relax. Which we're supposed to believe Tresser is.

[lyraeinne]

OH GOD DIANA. <3

Inheritance was indeed pretty spectacularly horribly written, but I kind of sort of shamefully loved it anyway. Is that wrong?

Her version of Bat-subtext isn't really how I most enjoy taking mine, for a lot of the reasons you pointed out. But she's always been one of the few writers who was never afraid to acknowledge it's reality in the longer, meta-narrative of Bat-canon. Or, you know. Step too far away from the dirtybadwrong that's pretty inherent in the concept. And I do appreciate that, for all that I prefer to read my boys a little differently.

[3goodtimes]

Naw, it's not wrong. I totally get why crack is enjoyable. Hence my love for tentacle Jason.

[foxhack]

Oh, on topic, I've heard good stuff about the No Man's Land novelization.

Speaking of, I have no idea where my copy is. :(

[icon_uk]

As for Inheritance, I just googled it out of curiosity, and found this, this, this and this one which is Devin's reply to the previous one.

[kamino_neko]

Yargh. Say whatever you want about her COMIC BOOK writing skills (I've not read enough to say anything)...but she's LOUSY at prose. That's some clunky-ass narration, right there.

[sistermagpie]

Just had to jump in having read in Inheritence--I found that book utterly hilarious so totally enjoyed it. It was completely like reading fanfic--and probably a fanfic written by an author who gets involved in a lot of wanks or something. Totally, totally wacky stuff. I didn't even really take it as having gay subtext, actually. To me it was more like the author had no idea that the kinds of thoughts she kept putting in everyone's heads were not the way a person--especially these people in this relationship--would ever think. So it was like being in an alternate universe where it was normal for a guy to meet a younger guy who's the son of a friend and be like, "Nice kid. And great ass!" Just...no.

But I laugh every time I think of that book.

[sweettart1823]

And now I'm imagining a much more harrowing version of The Drew Carey Show.

That's exactly what I just thought too xD

And I liked Tom *shrugs* I don't know if I liked him and Diana, didn't really keep up on it. But I liked him.

[lencannon]

Diana is written as inscrutable in these scans. It is a bit different from usual, I'll say that.

[gailsimone]

Right, it's the ritual.

She's trying to be more Amazon than usual.

[zordboy]

I own that novelisation of "No Man's Land", and it's very, very good. I don't even have the need to track down the NML TPBs, 'cause the book really covers it well.

[sherkahn]

Diana biting her lower lip while visiting Tom in the hospital.

*swoon*

[darkknightjrk]

I was thinking the same thing. :D

[meljeanbrook]

Bernard Chang's faces just make me want to cry from both how pretty and how expressive they are. I'd kill for him to be a regular on this book.

[bluefall]

I KNOW. And look how both women are taller than Tom! And how dynamic and action-y that "ZOMG SHARK!" panel is! And how strong and totally horse-like that unicorn looks! Muscles totally work that way! And armor mostly does too! He needs to draw this title always and forever.

[nezchan]

Man, I could just sit and stare at that first profile of Wondy as she walks into the room all day. I probably wouldn't even get to the rest of it, that first panel's so gorgeous.

[icon_uk]

Really? It just looks kind of... all over the place proportionwise to me.

[mullon]

I don't know, it looks ather forced and blunt to me.

Did they do anything overtly romantic before this?

[3goodtimes]

I haven't a clue. My guess would be no.

That being said, I think it would be awesome if I could approach someone I'm into with a peach pit and a charm bracelet instead of having to dance around the whole 'do you want to date me' thing.

Rituals intrigue and appeal to me. But yeah, this isn't exactly full of passion. I like that. I get bored with that approach sometimes.

[nezchan]

I dunno, guys. "Stygian killer hornets. My god." just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[mad]

Some day, I swear I'm going to make a fanvid, with various DC comics with bees, wasps, Stygian killer hornets, etc, all set to Flight of the Bumblebee.

[curlyjo1]

The No Man's Land novelization was rather good. I also managed to get a hold of both the Kingdom Come novelization and (even harder to find) audio book a few years ago. Both very good. I like the novelizations because you can get a different angle on things than in the comics themselves.

Funny thing about Inheritance. I had started reading the book without paying attention to who wrote it. I got partway in, got confused about the type of story and looked at the cover. That explained it all.

[taggerung301]

I highly approve of women wooing men once in a while
Equality in dating ftw

[gailsimone]

These are two of my favorite scenes in the run. It just proves that sometimes you gotta squash expectations and throw them out the window of a moving car.