You know, your Supermans, Batman, Hulks, Spideys, etc.? Yeah, I've never ever really dreamed of writing or drawing any of those.
Not that I'd turn that opportunity down. I mean, art-wise, I know my limitations, and sequential art is something I am not comfortable with. But writing? Yeah, if they came to me tomorrow and said, "We want you to write the next Firestorm comic," I'd do it in a flash.
That said, I had a discussion with someone a while back about which characters we would actually want to write for if given the opportunity. I talked about how I'd love to have the opportunity to write a comic starring Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, kind of a buddy-cop sorta comic. I also mentioned that, though that is the comic I would like to write, it is probably not the comic I feel I would be able to write the best.
I love the two characters, but I'm not sure I could live up to the quality of writing that they have had in the past. Worse yet, I'm not sure I could bring anything really new and unique to the assignment.
So, what character do I feel I could really bring something to?
Wonder Woman.
I know. I was shocked, too.
When I was younger, I actually read a lot of Wonder Woman comics. They were always in the cheap bins (25 cents each, five for a dollar sorta deals), and so I picked up a lot of them. I just wanted comics to read, I didn't really care what they were. At the library (at that time), there was only one comic book related book - the Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume 2 - Wonder Woman. It was filled with... well, everything about Wonder Woman you would ever want to know. I must have checked that book out a dozen times, simply because it was there. (By the way, the three volumes of this "set" of encylopedias has been reissued - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman - if you are interested. Check for them at any online book vendor.)
I'll also admit that as a kid I watched every episode of Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter. But, didn't everyone? (Please note: If you are too young to have done this, don't bring it up to me. I feel old enough already.)
Without even realizing it, I have a good feel for what Wonder Woman should be. When the new series premiered, I was legitimately excited about it. Then, when there was a three month delay between the first and the second issue, I dropped it.
The fact is, though, I know exactly how I would write Wonder Woman. She doesn't have to be the generic female version of Superman. She should be her own person completely. I was never into her as the damsel in distress or the diplomat or the Amazon Warrior.
In fact, Wonder Woman is one of those rare characters that not only can, but should be written very tongue in cheek. The best aspect of the Lynda Carter was the feeling that Wonder Woman was in on the joke, not humorless or unaware of the situations.
In my mind, Wonder Woman needs to be written like that for the comics. There are even more current examples of Wonder Woman, though not in her titles. The TV show Xena: Warrior Princess followed that Wonder Woman tradition, as well as Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The formula still works, and is incredibly successful.
But they aren't using it on the one character that inspired these others!
Its a bit frustrating. Wonder Woman is arguably the most recognizable female superhero, and is touted as being one of the "Big Three" for DC Comics, but the character simply isn't being utilized the way she should be. Superman and Batman both appear in anywhere between two and five comics a month. Wonder Woman didn't have any book for a while, and then, when the book did start, it suffered from delays that killed any momentum that could truly have lifted the character to the potential she had.
So, yeah, if given the chance? I'd write Wonder Woman. She's the one character I really feel I could do something great with.
Type at you later.
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