angelcreations:
adventuresofcomicbookgirl:
For a demonstration of this, you just need to read some comics. I’d suggest the Hikieta, League of One, Eyes of the Gorgon and the four trades out of Perez’s run.
But okay if you want me to break down the ways in which Wondy is so uniquely badass:
This is a woman who fights Gods. On a regular basis. And wins. Also hydras and monsters and dragons and all kinds of mythological shit. She is deeply connected to myth, which is cool because myth is the coolest thing to exist. Gods! Monsters! questions about the inherent philosophy of deities and how they are connected to our modern society! This stuff is cool as hell.
Wonder Woman has a lasso of truth. This isn’t just a weapon, it’s uniquely connected to her. She has the power of truth and it’s connected to the lasso. And this shit isn’t just a lie detector. It makes people see the truth about themselves. WW’s first big battle post-crisis was against Ares, the god of War, who was gonna blow us all up. He beat the crap out of Diana, but she got her lasso around him and he saw that once he had destroyed the entire world the humans who gave him power with their lust for violence would be gone. He’d be utterly alone and he would crumble and die. This made the God of War break down in tears. And so he left us alone of his own volition. That is the power of the lasso. It shows you the real deal of what’s up. As someone who prefers psycholigical battles to just straight beat em ups, that’s cool as hell. Also, one time WW lost confidence in the truth and it threw the entire universe out of wack because truth and belief became the same and the moon started turning to cheese and shit. Diana was like “oops”. That’s how powerful her lasso is, guys. If WW doesn’t believe in herself, the moon will turn to cheese. It’s a good thing she’s badass enough to maintain the TRUTH OF THE WORLD.
Read More
hmm… yes.. perfect.
also reblogging this bc why not
official-which:
adventuresofcomicbookgirl:
So I really don’t think I should have to explain this. If Wondy was a dude, I wouldn’t have to. Do people get asked why Superman is not useless and a badass. No. But I’ve gotten two asks in a row asking me to explain this to various relatives and Wonder Woman could always use more love so here goes.
First, I’d ask everyone to look at bluefalls amazing series “When Wondy was Awesome” which kind of explains this in ridiculous detail. But this post is going to be (slightlylol) shorter, drawing evidence from these posts. http://bluefall.insanejournal.com/13190.html#cutid1
Believe it or not, I once believed the common arguments against WW too. I was resentful that this was the “woman superhero” I was supposed to like, I thought she was a second-class Superman, a bone thrown to the girls. Then I actually learned about her and I grew to love her.
Okay. 1. Real World Impact I feel Wonder Woman is one of those heroes that has specific real world impact that is really invaluable. Moreso than Superman, moreso than Batman. The original Wonder Woman comics had some weird shit in them and some of it was awful (Marston was racist as hell) but there was a message to some little girls in the 1940s, 50s and beyond I think they needed. I once read an essay at GW.org where they collected letters little girls sent into the comic back then, and it had these girls wishing they could go to Paradise Island, a place where women could be strong and be themselves. Little girls really do look up to Wonder Woman, and she tells them they can be more, even today. I recently was in Barnes and Noble and there was a six year old girl squealing over Wonder Woman and how cool she was, who was dissapointed when she could only find an encyclopedia in the comics section. These are the kinds of customers DC needs, but god forbid they do a WW book aimed towards these little girls.
What’s more, Wonder Woman is very queer, even if DC is too chicken to be upfront with it. There’s a reason she’s a queer icon. Frederick Wertham busted a lung over all the lesbian subtext in those old stories, Perez was finally able to say in a comic that a portion of the Amazons were lesbians and Rucka heavily implied bisexuality with Diana when she said “I don’t have a boyfriend. I should mention I don’t have a girlfriend either.” She’s a woman on an island full of women, who has upfront stated that queerness was a huge part part of her childhood several times. She’s the most prominent female superhero, and if DC ever gets their head out of their ass, she has the potential to have a queer relationship. Many people have said WW helped them become comfortable with their queerness. That’s important.
Wonder Woman also has a entire day where funds combatting domestic violence against women are raised in her name. She’s a feminist icon. There’s not a lot of comic book heroes that have impact on social justice like that, who can be applied to real, important causes, who really stands for something other than the generic truth and justice and punching criminals in the face. She can help people in real life despite being a fictional construct, on both an individual and societal level. Wonder Woman’s very special in that way.
Read More
Awesome post is awesome. I wanted to quote the best part of this in order to entice you guys to read it, but I basically would have been quoting the whole damn thing.
I mean, if you want a nuanced and thorough take on my opinions on WW and the whole killing bit, go here. Otherwise, no, I’m not interested in explaining stuff, this shit is old.
Also, thanks <3
backwardblackbyrd asked: Hi! I was just wondering what you'd recommend reading if I wanted to get more familiar with Wonder Woman? I'm not super big into the comic book world, so I figured you'd be a great person to go to for a little guidance. :)
no prob! I thought I’d answered this before but apparently I didn’t tag it.
The Hiketeia and League of One are really good one shot Wondy stories available in graphic novel format.
The Wonder Woman run I’d reccomend the most is Greg Rucka’s- It’ all available in graphic novels you can find online- Wonder Woman: Down to Earth, Bitter Rivals, Eyes of the Gorgon, Land of the Dead, Mission’s End.
If you want her origin, go with the George Perez stuff from the 80s. That’s all collected in graphic novels titled: Gods and Mortals, Challenge of the Gods, Beauty and the Beasts, Destiny Calling.
I also believe there’s a graphic novel out called “Wonder Woman: Greatest Stories ever told” which collects a good variety of one-shot stories from her history. It contains the issue where she’s interviewed by Lois Lane, which is one of my faves.
If you want a online resoruce for reading scans from all of her awesome stories, learning her complete history from the 80s on and also reading awesome feminist analysis and explanation of it all, read this post series- When Wondy Was Awesome. Start from the bottom up and click the ”Next 20” link at the bottom of the page to go to the next page when you’re done with the first three posts. I really reccomend taking a look at this stuff.
(You’ll notice I’m not mentioning any newer comics- because the newer comics completely threw away Wonder Woman’s origin to give her a father figure and made the Amazons rapists and murderers. I don’t approve, and it’s one of the many reasons I don’t buy DC comics anymore)
since1938:
Hell Yeah Superman-n-Wonder Woman: The repeated, horrible misogyny of Superman/Wonder Woman fandom
therearecertainshadesoflimelight:
missionariaprotectivia:
therearecertainshadesoflimelight:
Let’s just be clear on something in case anyone is confused:
If you are running a blog that is in anyway affiliated with Wonder Woman—-an icon that is supposed to uplift women and encourage us to see the greatness within us—-and you are in any way…
Since when did hellyeahsupermanandwonderwoman ever come across as mysoginistic? I think the point here is that, for the most part of Superman’s history, Lois Lane is an uninspiring character who doesn’t seem worth the love of an incredible person. She is average Jane - class A average Jane. By supporting a Wonder Woman pairing with Super man, I support a bond between two equals, and an elevation of feminist ideals above the average, normalcy endorsed by all that Lois Lane embodies.
The rant posted above really needs to think before picking their battles. What does Lois Lane embody versus Wonder Woman, and which qualities are worthy of praise and elevation?
(keep in mind I am referring to the generalizations of Lois Lane, not a specific Lois Lane, such as the strong willed character portrayed in Smallville)
I suggest you go back to school and study irony and the history of gender discrimination because your reply to my post made my point for me to the point where I’m almost embarrassed for you.
You also need to study feminism because you clearly do not understand it.
Referring to any woman—-even a fictional one—-as being a “Class A Average Jane unworthy of love of an incredible person” is a product of misogyny.
Using Wonder Woman as a way to degrade another female character and the women who find her inspiring is misogyny.
What does Lois Lane embody? The strength of a working woman without the privilege of superpowers rising above discrimination to get to the top of her job where she is outnumbered by men. Courage under fire? Passion for justice? She embodies a number of qualities that millions of women find inspiring. Wonder Woman is also one of the most inspiring characters ever created. Attempting, as you did here and as the site that you follow continues to do over and over again, to act as if Diana is “above” Lois by disparaging her is misogyny.
What you are describing? This “higher level of woman” is eugenics. It’s discrimination and it goes deeply against the entire point of Diana which was NEVER EVER to make a point that “regular” women who didn’t have the privilege of her power and beauty were not also wonderful and incredible in their own right.
Just what do you think love is based on? Do you think love is based on who is the most beautiful? The most physically powerful?
So any woman without a perfect body is “unworthy” of being loved by an incredible person? Women who go to jobs every day as opposed to picking up a sword are “average?” Women who aren’t stunningly beautiful are “average” and unworthy of greatness? Women who express their power through their words and their inner strength are “average” and unworthy? How about women in wheelchairs? Women who are disabled? Your words are highly, highly offensive.
Who made you the judge of what is “average” and how dare you state it with any kind of objectivity. What a sad, sad view on the world.
Wonder Woman was not created to be used as a weapon to call other women who weren’t born with her privilege to be “Class A Average Janes.” If you don’t understand this then you don’t understand Wonder Woman at all.
Wonder Woman, of all people, would look at a woman like Lois Lane—-or any “normal” working woman without her privilege—-and admire how far they had gotten in life and admire their courage. That’s the entire point of the character.
By degrading that which Lois Lane stands for, you are not supporting a “higher ideal of feminism” you are supporting misogyny. By using Wonder Woman as a club in which to call other women “average” you are supporting misogyny and your deeply and shamefully co-opting a character that would be ashamed of the way you are acting if she were real.
The website you follow has clearly done it’s job well as you clearly follow their philosophy. But this is why they have the reputation they do. So I would think long and hard about your understanding of feminism going forward. Shipping is subjective and I don’t care what you ship. But your concept of female empowerment is deeply flawed right now and deeply discriminatory in a very shameful way.
(via adventuresofcomicbookgirl)
