Last week’s DC Nation page featured a Wonder Woman renumbering controversy that fans of Wonder Woman hold dear to their heart – the issue is this – Why the hell is the preeminent female superhero of the DC Universe currently on issue #45 while Superman and Batman are edging towards #700?
Wonder Woman, like her Justice League teammates has actually had just short of 600 issues, however her title has been relaunched so many times that she’s now “technically” only on issue #45 of her latest relaunch. And there’s been a campaign going on to get her the recognition she’s earned. Well the fan cries have been heard because last week Editor-In-Chief Dan Didio addressed the issue in DC Nation and gave fans an opportunity to actually make a difference: send in a postcard in favor of Wonder Woman getting renumbered to #600 and if they receive 600 postcards, it will be done.
Now, I hate blogging about Wonder Woman because I always feel a bit like a wolf in sheep’s clothing as I’m really not a true fan. I keep trying…I WANT to love her so badly. But no writer has been able to make it happen for me yet. So why should I bother blogging about this issue? Three reasons.
1. I think it’s great when DC (or any corporation) actively wants to listen to their fans – and truly gives them an opportunity to voice opposition or approval and affect change, as Dan Didio is doing with this postcard pledge.
2. I’m not a big fan of revamping and “relaunching” books in general, so I see this as a way to right those wrongs. Not that books don’t sometimes need an update, or when they’ve gone horribly wrong, don’t deserve (or yearn for) a fresh start, but I’m pretty against starting off with an “ALL NEW FIRST ISSUE!” every time things get tough. I understand that it gets people excited and likely sales briefly spike, I get it, but as a long time reader I’m not a fan. It makes being a reader (and a collector) a huge pain.
“You’re talking about issue #3 right? Oh, wait, which issue #3…would that be volume 1, volume 2, the super secret alternative arc volume 8? ARGH!”
And I do believe it’s some of that madness that freaks other “normal” people (i.e. non comics fans) out and away from comics. Comics are DAMN complicated. And they don’t have to be. Sure, relaunch a title with a new creative team…but you don’t have to call it “ALL NEW WONDER WOMAN ISSUE #1” and undo the last 200 or however many issues.
There are of course cases where relaunching a book with an all new #1 has worked and been a huge benefit, not just in sales but in content and direction, but in general I’m not a fan, especially when the character isn’t changing. For example, though I’m personally not a fan of the ALL NEW Batgirl #1 relaunch, it makes sense for that to be a new series in a way, because it’s a new character. Sure it’s still Batgirl, but it’s no longer Cass Cain (much to my chagrin) so I find that more palatable. But Wonder Woman, in all her incantations over the years, is still Diana. And she earned the hell out of that #600.
3. I’m a feminist. Whether Wondy and I have come to love each other or not, she still deserves the same recognition as her teammates. And I think it’s only fair to acknowledge that as a female superhero, she’s actually had a much harder time becoming a success than Superman and Batman, and yet she has prevailed and stood the test of time. She deserves the recognition of each one of those issues she struggled for.
Didio made a decent point in his argument that he thinks the #45 is less off putting to possible new fans than the #600, but I just don’t think it’s really that much less off putting. 45 issues is still nearly four years of issues – so it’s not like it’s issue #3 or something and you can just jump on board with zero drama.
Anyway, if you agree with me, or if you have your own reasons. Send a postcard in to Dan Didio at DC proclaiming that you want Wonder Woman to start renumbering at #600. My postcard is in the mail. See?
