Gene Colan Week - "A Bold New Direction for... Wonder Woman"

[icon_uk]

I was wondering what to post for this tribute, it's not like there's a dearth of material, and I posted the Batman/Vampire stuff before, but then I remembered one particular story which might be of special interest on s_d, from Gentleman Gene's run on Wonder Woman.

Amongst his many other achievements is one that might go unnoticed; the 1982 introduction of the first major change to Wonder Woman's costume (other than her depowered civvies era) in... well, ever.

It was published, of all places as a comic within a comic within DC Comics Presents #41 (Superman teams up with the Joker in a story that's not without it's charms, but isn't directly relevant here)



It's a 15(ish) page story, so there is room for only about 4 pages from it, so I've had to trim a LOT, and that pains me... but since this qualifies as the cover of the minicomic I think I can post without upping the page count.




Now, remember throughout this that this is long before the Perez reboot of Wonder Woman, this is not Diana of Themiscriya, it's Princess Diana of Paradise Island, aka Captain Diana Prince of the USAF Special Assignments Bureau, based in Washington DC.

It opens with Captain Prince and Colonel Steve Trevor being mugged outside the Captiol, but some well armed terrorists, who want something in a briefcase that Steve is carrying. Steve tells Diana to make a break for it and to guard the briefcase whilst he attempts to fight them off (not quite successfully, and they make a grab for him too... then they can go after his companion, the girl.





I don't care how hokey it is, I've always loved the spin-change, be it the lasso approach or the Lynda Carter "spin and BOOM!", and DAMN but that's a fine looking Wonder Woman, no?

She makes short work of the bad guys (see the cover above) but is too late to stop Steve being injured... Three bystanders tell her they already have, and seem to have something they want to say to her.



Well, we didn't really think it was going to be for "wombat" Dr Felton, but thanks for clearing that up.

I have to say that, charitable intentions notwithstanding, it must take guts to go up to the world's pre-eminent female superhero and ask for her to publicly sponsor them, whilst wearing a promotional outfit.

Diana decides to think about it, and talk it over with her mother, so summons her invisible plane (Pre Perez Wonder Woman couldn't fly under her own power, rather she could "glide on air currents" and used the plane for long haul flights)



To be honest I'm not sure how much of a part in the next issues the WW Foundation had....

So Diana arrives back home, and sees a welcoming committee.. or is it (and yes, pre-Perez Hippolyta was a blonde)



She discovers that Hercules, a definite bad guy in this era, arranged events so that Hermes (Who is not only god of messengers and speed but thieves) would steal Hippolyta's Magic Belt of Strength (without which Hercules was able to beat them), in return for which, Hermes would get Diana... and yes, I mean "get" in the skeeviest sense you can apply to the word in this context.

Diana challenges the two of them to a contest. In the past she has proved herself stronger than Hercules and faster than Hermes, and if either fo them can beat her now, she will surrender willingly to them.

Hercules doesn't fall for that, but luckily Hermes DOES, and tells Diana that the winner will be the first one to reach the girdle which he throws as far as he can.





No Herc, you'll be lucky if you're in any state to even CRAWL!



"And I ALWAYS pay my debts"... so saying she forces Hercules to the ground, and defeated, he vanishes from the island in a puff of magic, to plot anew.



And you know, I rather think it did!

Thank you again for your work Mr Colan.

Comments

[chocochuy]

I never knew Mr. Colan had worked with Princess Diana before. I must say this is a very interesting treat because it's also the first time that Diana used the breastplate with the Double W insignia. Kudos to his Hercules who really looks like a serious villain/opponent. Finally, I wanna say that the way he treated the Wonder Woman's Spinning Metamorphosis looked pretty good (New artists should give it a try).

[icon_uk]

I'm sure the spin-change has been used a time or two in recent years, I know Phil Jimenez used it, and I think Heinberg might have done when we had the Diana Prince ID back, but I could be wrong there.

[kamino_neko]

'Didn't you ever see an invisible plane before?'

B'dum-tish

Interesting story...Though Hermes is the last god I'd have expected to be that much of an idiot (even if he is thinking with his small caduceus)...

[blackruzsa]

Definitely, Hermes falling for it is a weird thing.
Unless he knew they had to lose so he did it for the better.

[icon_uk]

As they rarely have to face consequences for their actions (being immortal, and GODS), the gods tend towards the impulsive. and if the prize is a "willing" Wonder Woman, I can see him risking it.

[blackruzsa]

I don't know if it's the inking style or if Gene Colan has secretly been working on our grade school textbooks or if Tanghal has his style. Either way, I grew up with that art.
Also, hooray for a respectable, interesting Wonder Woman!

[icon_uk]

Romeo Tanghal is a very talented inker who can work with anyone from Gene Colan to George Perez, and do it very, VERY well.

[lieut_kettch]

It does have a certain komiks feel to it, doesn't it?

[blackruzsa]

It does quite so.

[retro_nouveau]

I don't see Diana creating new entrances in brick walls often enough. This cover is double the wonderful, because bullets & bracelets is my favorite game.

Ha. Hercules calls her a mortal, and I like that a lot. Not in the sense that she doesn't age, but that's the difference between her and Thor. Diana's a top-tier super-powered person, but still one of us.

Pain, Panic, got a little riddle for ya. How do you kill a god?
I ... do not know!
You can't? They're immortal.
Bingo! They're immortal.

[marco]

Ya know, I never what to consider her... Since she's made of clay but given life and meant to be like a human, what do we consider her exactly? (I did like the Heinberg WW though and how she felt human and mortal, but still so separate.)

[icon_uk]

Currently, she's a magically created body with a human soul. The fact the gods used clay to create her is fairly irrelevant as she wasn't clay by the end of the spell.

[espanolbot]

She's a female Golem. :) Though the only one of those I've heard of was one made of wood and nails that comes from a Spanish bit of folklore or something.

I guess it could be a riff on Pygmalion to an extent too.

[icon_uk]

Actually, a Golem is exactly what she isn't. A Golem is clay brought to life, but still clay. Diana was shaped from clay, but the gods transformed her completely into flesh and blood, she wasn't clay at the moment her soul was united with her body, and more than you or I are a pile of chemicals in the distribution

65% - Oxygen
18% - Carbon
10% - Hydrogen
3% - Nitrogen
1.5% - Calcium
1.2%- Phosphorus
0.2% - Potassium
0.2% - Sulphur
0.2% - Chlorine
0.1% - Sodium
0.05% - Magnesium (Plus trace Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Zinc, Iodine, Selenium and Fluorine)

[espanolbot]

I wasn't really being literal, more using Golems as a frame of reference. :P

[icon_uk]

Yeah, sorry, just irks me, the golem comparison thing has been used in the comics a time or too, and her origin makes it clear she's not, any more than we're a chemistry set.

[drexer]

What is the current proper origin(s) by the way? I'm thinking of following the WW title post-reboot so I really should try to get my knowledge of the backstory in order.

[icon_uk]

Last I heard, still the basic is that the some of the God's of Olympus saved the souls from women who had been murdered by men throughout ancient history (Hippolyta was the first, and was unique inasmuch as she was pregnant at the time). Ultimately a number of the gods; Athena, Artemis, Hestia and Hermes (Maybe Hera, I forget) re-incarnated those souls as the Amazons (leaving the one soul of the unborn child apart). Eventually, at the bidding of the Gods, Hippolyta formed the likeness of a child out of clay, and the last soul, her unborn daughter, was used to create Diana.

[philippos42]

Demeter and Aphrodite were in the Pérez origin, Hera wasn't that I recall.

[marco]

You mean in general, or in the current timeline thingy? Because as far as the clay part goes, I understand that, but it's generally used as an interesting part in her characterization (and concerning certain debates). Although... Isn't she sometimes still clay regardless? Like in the story w/Clayface? (I don't know if that's just because of writers not knowing or what...)

[icon_uk]

It has been used a time or two, but when it has been I believe fans were rather vehement in their "WTF!?" reaction.

[red_menace]

Hmmm, so not only was Diana making wry observations about pork spending before it was cool, but she was also doing endorsement deals before Booster Gold ever showed up. This lady's a trend-setter.

[icon_uk]

This iteration of Diana had lived as Diana Prince in "Man's World" for a long time, and as a successful serving officer in the military was very clued in on modern political matters.

[marco]

That was really schway. I'll have to remember to hunt for that next time I go to the LCS.

[halloweenjack]

Diana, you're an excellent fighter, but you have to find someplace better to stash classified information than a garbage can in a street-level alleyway.

[red_menace]

Diana went to the Umbrella Corporation school of document storage.

[espanolbot]

Eh, still better than the UK government's method. They just forget to pick it up again when they use public transport, so people find classified info on buses and trains and stuff.

[icon_uk]

Though that being said, remember the exchanges in "Yes, Minster"

Bernard: Shall I file it?
Hacker: Shall you file it? Shred it!
Bernard: Shred it?
Hacker: No one must ever be able to find it again!
Bernard: In that case, Minister, I think it's best I file it.

Or...

"'The matter is under consideration' means we have lost the file. 'The matter is under active consideration' means we are trying to find the file."

Wow, I'd forgotton how nasty DC's Hercules is..

[steverodgers5]

This was an interesting issue. thanks for posting the scans..

Gotta say though, I REALLY wish during one of the many marvel/dc crossovers of the last decade..(before the heads of each fell out again..) that they'd had Marvel's Hercules meet and beat the crap out of his DC counterpart. With him maybe giving an apology to Diana over all the evils his dc version seems to have perpetuated on the amazons. That would have been quite the sight to see. (i.e Something roughly akin to the Thanos/Darkseid bust up in DC vrs Marvel that still is my mostly fondly remembered part of that series..)

I mean know Marvel's Herc gets around a bit, and certainly could never be accussed of being a sensitive soul, but I don't believe he's ever forced himself on any woman. Amazing how different the approaches are there..

Re: Wow, I'd forgotton how nasty DC's Hercules is..

[ravenous_raven]

Marvel's Herc gets around a bit, and certainly could never be accussed of being a sensitive soul


As far as Marvel Herc's sensitivity, I remember there was a story posted here where Venus and a female Avenger (Black Widow? Jessica? don't remember) went around to tell Herc's various girlfriends, friends, and business partners ( all beer related) that he was dead. When they were talking to a Japanese girlfriend, you could see a pair of steel beams pulled into a shape of a heart that she said he made for her. And then he also used to go to a hospital for terminally ill kids, mutants and humans alike, and played with them because they knew that even if they died, they would live forever in the immortal Herc's memory.

That's when I first started liking the character, actually.

Re: Wow, I'd forgotton how nasty DC's Hercules is..

[steverodgers5]

Well I'd say that the first example is could be interpreted as Herc just wooing the ladies, and would'nt be any more difficult for him, than one of us doing that with a ribbon.

But your second example is a fair one indeed. I'd forgotton all about that.

I should probably say, that I wasn't criticising the Marvel Herc. I kinda adore him actually, as a big jolly Brian Blessed type figure. (Hmm...that makes me think, I wonder if Herc and Volsdagg have ever interacted much? As they would probably get on like a house on fire!)

[whitesycamore]

See, this is how you draw Wonder Woman's classic costume.

Note how the breastplate actually looks like it fits comfortably, and how the trunks cover the entirety of her arse and don't make us all privy to her waxing habits.

*sigh*

[liara_shadowsong]

Yes, precisely!

[icon_uk]

Is it sad to anyone else that in the intervening 29 years, which has (I think) seen so many advances in gender relations, that the costume of one of the major proponents of female empowerment has become MORE objectified?

[silicondream]

This isn't exactly an original observation, but it's seriously messed up that the Amazons, of all people, had two critical weaknesses against men. What kind of message did that send?

[eyz]

I love how Diana looks here^^