Icons and statues....

When the management and writer J. Michael Straczynzki of DC Comics decided to change Wonder Woman's costume, the whole world seemed to get into a tizzy about the change. It was as if they undressed the Statue of Liberty herself. There were cries of outrage from all walks of life. Suzi Parker of Politics Daily writes:

But perhaps originality is too hard these days. It's better to toy with a known commodity like Wonder Woman than test-market an entire new brand. There's something endearing about a classic remaining -- just that -- a classic.

Wonder Woman in her red, white and blue glory is an American icon. She should remain so.

That's entirely the problem with Wonder Woman. To most, she's a symbol... she's not a living breathing character. There are very few great Wonder Woman stories and a pathetic rogue's gallery. There's Cheetah... and... and... well, you get my point. It was her costume and ideals that made her an icon. Other iconic superheroes have stories to add to their mythos. Bruce Wayne is as an important part of the Batman character. Clark Kent and Peter Parker are symbols as much as Superman and Spider-Man. Straczynzki's familiar with Spider-Man having been part of the ill-advised "One More Day" storyline that erased much of Peter Parker's past and memories in a move to get Spider-Man closer to his original character, or at least to the Spider-Man that older people remember.

Wonder Woman is the exact opposite in the sense that there's no texture to her. A motion picture about her is about the origin and the costume. There's nothing else to really draw from. The mainstream shock about this reminds me of the reaction when Major League Baseball wanted to retract the Minnesota Twins in the late 90’s. Minnesotans had been negligent in their support for their team, but the second that the proposed retraction was proposed there was outrage. You can’t take our team away from us! The retraction was dropped and the Twins have gone on to become very well supported and very well attended. But it’s the threat of having something taken away or altered that scares people sometimes, not the actual action. Famed feminist Gloria Steinem reacts every time Wonder Woman is changed, but it is about the symbolism, never about the character.

It’s a John Wayne western. You want to sit back and watch the western for what you want it to symbolize. Whether it’s about the fantasy of the American west, or the fight of good versus evil, there are people who want to just watch a John Wayne western. Never mind that Wayne only made 10 or so great westerns; the ideal and iconic images of John Wayne fighting the good fight make it all right to sit through some of his stinkers. Wonder Woman is about the ideal and the iconic image.

Most comic book fans (and they’re comic books, not funny books Ms. Parker, what are you, 80?) have looked at the changes and either dismissed them or liked the changes and treated Wonder Woman as she should be, a good character who had a costume change and will probably go back to the old costume in no time at all. To the rest of society, Wonder Woman is a porcelain statue who simply inspires by appearance and not by actions.