I just happened across an article on the CBC about a new costume for Wonder Woman. I have very mixed feelings on this subject.
The classic version of Wonder Woman's costume is pictured to the left. I personally feel that superhero costumes need to be somewhat functional; fighting crime in a one-piece with what must be the ultimate Wonderbra (pun intended) doesn't seem very functional to me.
At the same time though, the whole outfit really works and has become the defining look of the character. When a costume gets redesigned, especially on an iconic character like Wonder Woman, enough elements of the original look to make the character instantly recognizable must remain.
The image to the right is Wonder Woman's new look. This isn't the first time Wonder Woman has been redesigned, but looking at this new outfit, I doubt it will be the last.I like that the top is no longer strapless; it makes a lot more sense from a functional standpoint. I also like the addition of pants.
That is all that I like about this costume.
While I like the addition of pants, I really don't like the solid black. Wonder Woman is a bright, shining superhero, the inspirational equivalent of Superman. While dark pants with almost no contrasting colours are starting to become a fad in superhero costumes (the redesigned Captain America and the Thor movie costume, for example), it is too bad this trend is hitting Wonder Woman.
Her bracelets and tiara are included in the outfit, but the tiara seems kind of small. The bracelets are just hideous; sometimes simpler is better, and this is a perfect example of why.
The original look draws heavy influence from the American flag, and this look does not, which would be a bonus except Wonder Woman has been wearing the flag for something like 60 years. It has become a part of the character, plain and simple.
Has Wonder Woman had worse outfits than this? Yes, she has. But I really hope that this look does not last for long; if I had just seen this image on its own I would not have known this was the new look for Wonder Woman. I would have thought it was a poorly-designed fan drawing.
There is nothing right about that. It looks nothing like Wonder Woman! I hate it. I was Wonder Woman when I was 5, and it was probably my most favorite costume ever. That being said, it is probably better she is wearing more clothes!
ReplyDeleteWhile it's far from the best costume ( characteristic of Jim Lee's less-than-stellar superhero designs, though this is much better than his other female characters ), wouldn't judgment be best reserved until we see it drawn by other artists on actual comic pages? Plenty of franchise superhero costumes rise or fall based on how the artist handles them-- Iron Man's classic red and gold suit spent many years being a lame design before Bob Layton gave it a convincing metal texture.
ReplyDeleteNitz: I don't know if you've seen them, but there are scans available on Newsarama of the outfit in action, I just didn't post them here.
ReplyDeleteReally, I would be surprised to see this look last long term, and truth be told it may not even be designed to do so.
I don't mind change in iconic superhero costumes, as long as some element of the old is still there. I actually quite liked Superman's energy revamp (though I stopped reading right before the red/blue split), although I knew it wouldn't last long term. But the S shield was still dominant in that look, making it clear it was Superman. This new Wonder Woman look might work better if the eagle chest piece was still a part of it. And with some colour below her waist.
New costumes of wonder woman is not good.I don't like her costume because she doesn't look real wonder woman in this costume.
ReplyDeleteZombie Costumes Online