When it comes to funny books, opinions are never in short supply. So with every announcement must also inevitably come the backlash. And if you think Forbidden Planet is immune from having the feels (or “feeliopolises” as we will come to call them in the year 2026), we certainly aren’t. So let’s talk about what’s got people SJW-ing to their problematicness until they swallow the red pill and become meninists this week – superhero costumes!
In the realm of cape and tights comics, costumes are a lot like buttholes – everyone’s got one and most of ’em stink. So who can be surprised when heroes and villains get revamp after revamp? Whether it’s a long term change, or just the equivalent of comic book laundry day, every Bruce, Dick, and Peter Parker gets an update now and again.
Lately, though, it seems like we’re on new costume overload – Batgirl, Spider-Woman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman… all of ’em have either gotten a costume change already or have a major one incoming.
And, yo, I heard you’re mad about it. No worries. Happens to the best of us.
When I saw the new Wonder Woman costume, por ejemplo, I sent a text to Julia saying, “The Finch’s are giving Wonder Woman pants and I’m mad about it,” hence the title of this article. Julia’s response? “I almost vomited.”
So, obviously, we came in already having some well-reasoned and respectful thoughts on this costume update.
And, surprise, surprise, we were not alone. But for every person decrying the change, there were just as many people lauding it. Which has led to a lot of yelling back and forth on the internet. Poor Erik Larsen left Twitter behind completely so heated were the tweets that he both tweeted and were betweeted in kind! And I only say that mostly sarcastically! It has been, in short, “a thing”.
And while we wouldn’t dream of saying “maybe stop yelling at each other” mostly because it would only mean we would become the focus of the yelling, it’s worth pointing out that the major points made both pro and con new Wondie have validity.
On the pro, it is super ridiculous to expect Diana’s breasticles to stay solid sans some serious support. As a proud member of the teeniest tiniest of titty committees, I can tell you that, even if I go strapless, there still remains a dread fear of flippity flopping out all over the place. So, hey. Keeping the girls protected is not unreasonable.
On the other hand, this costume is a little less eye-catching. Some call it ugly, I would personally say that I think the Wonder Woman standard costume is iconic for a reason and I’m relatively confident that reason is more than just sex appeal. The darker, more sedate blues of the new design are less exciting, and the collar is a clear nod to Jim Lee’s New 52 Superman design which almost no-one liked.
The point is, this new costume feels like a place-holder for whenever we get around to flipping back to Wondie classic, boob dangers be damned.
Yes, just like killed-a-million-@#$ing-times Jean Grey, Wonder Woman’s classic costume will inevitably rise from the ashes. And, considering how well people have responded to J. Scott Campbell’s take on what he wants to see, that rise will probably come sooner than later.
So what’s the point? Is this just a flashy, better-get-this-special-issue cash-grab signifying nothing? Or can the heated debate surrounding this new costume make a temporary change worthwhile? Or, as Julia and I keep wondering, wouldn’t it be great if we could also talk about the way Wonder Woman is being written at this moment as much as how she’s being drawn? Because that is just as worth discussing.
But maybe the best thing we can do right now is make like we are all in the 1994 classic college film, PCU, take a brief break from being on opposite sides, and enjoy the rhythmic stylings of George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Or, in this case, all agree that Batman’s giant rabbit mechanized suit coming in DC’s CONVERGENCE event series sure is… something.
