World of Wonder | Week 32 | Women of Wonder: Gail Simone | Mar. 4-10

[nu52]

World of Wonder Week 32!

Women of Wonder: Gail Simone

World of Wonder will be teaming with New to DCU Book Club, DC Pride Book Club, and DC Comic Book Art Connoisseurs for Women of Wonder in the month of March. Women of Wonder will be celebrating the contributions women have made to the comic book industry (specifically DC Comics).

World of Wonder is becoming Women of Wonder this week in honor of Women’s History Month. The first of the real life Wonder Women we will be discussing this month will be Gail Simone. Gail Simone is the longest-running female writer for Wonder Woman. Her run lasted from 2007-2010.

When: 2020-03-04T08:00:00Z → 2020-03-10T07:00:00Z

What to read: Wonder Woman (2006-) #14-17

SPOILER Discussion Begins Now

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. World of Wonder has covered some of her work before, but have you read any of Gail’s projects outside of Wonder Woman? Do you have any favorites?

2. Did find ‘The Circle’ to be compelling as antagonists?

3. Which elements of these issues did you most enjoy?

Share your thoughts on the reading overall and let’s discuss

Questions or concerns? Reach out @Nu52

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[Jay_Kay]

Awesome – Gail’s run is one of my favorites and The Circle is one of my favorite arcs, so looking forward to getting into this.

[nu52]

It’s definitely one of the first Wonder Woman stories I remember reading. I’m excited to discuss it with all of you.

[AntLeon]

I probably have not read enough of Gail Simone, writing Wonder Woman or otherwise, to really have a favorite.

I did like the Circle as antagonists. There is the classic doing something wrong for the right reason(s). I liked that they were flawed.

I liked how the nazi soldiers weren’t really all that into it.

More to come as the week progresses!

[nu52]

The Circle being as flawed as they were made them all the more compelling for me too.

[WonderWoman_85]

It is amazing how you can feel sorry for a group of “protectors,” turned murderers. The four queen guards, where they jealous of Diana? or truly believe her to be an abomination?
“She should have been mine,” leads me to think it was more of being denied a child than protecting the Amazons from envy. The circle was envy embodied.

[WonderWoman_85]

@nu52

World of Wonder has covered some of her work before, but have you read any of Gail’s projects outside of Wonder Woman? Do you have any favorites?

Her Secret Six comics are a good read. I also liked her Birds of Prey version.

[msgtv]

This Wonder Woman run was one of my absolute favorites. It has everything a Wonder Woman story should have, an exciting story with a viable threat, a great supporting cast, deep Amazon mythology, and some beautiful art of Wondy kicking butt.
They weren’t round long, but the white gorillas are the best, very funny hanging around Diana’s apartment but real warriors in the field.

I like the call-back to the powerless Diana days in this run. Wonder Woman has no powers in her civilian disguise and her super-agent outfit feels inspired by Emma Peel.

The best version of Etta Candy ever. She’s a little mischievous, curvy and she kicks butt. Not around long enough.

Butt kicking by Hippolyta

Another awesome panel.

[WonderWoman_85]

@msgtv

Butt kicking by Hippolyta

Hippolyta is fierce! I love that scene. Fighting for her people and her daughter.

[Jay_Kay]

Well, she was the only one there as penance for the events of Amazons Attack, but still, pretty awesome sequence.

[AntLeon]

@WonderWoman_85

where they jealous of Diana? or truly believe her to be an abomination?

they might have been jealous of Hippolyta. I think the circle’s leader might have projected her feelings that all the amazons would react the same way. whether it was about being denied or being convinced the birth of one child would ruin the amazon culture can be debated. Also, i think she would be less likely to share her child in the way Hippolyta shared Diana with the rest of Amazons.

[Jay_Kay]

World of Wonder has covered some of her work before, but have you read any of Gail’s projects outside of Wonder Woman? Do you have any favorites?

I’m pretty sure I’ve read at least 90% of her runs on Birds of Prey, which while having some ups and downs were still good, same with her New 52 Batgirl run. Her Secret Six was absolutely stellar, as is her run on Red Sonja.

So yeah, needless to say I’ve read a pretty good amount.

Did find ‘The Circle’ to be compelling as antagonists?

In concept, absolutely. They are great tragic adversaries in their pathos. I will say that I think they say they love and are devoted to their Queen a lot without ever really showing it in clear action. I wonder if that was purposeful, that they are so enamored or brainwashed in Amazonian dogma that they can’t see what’s really going on in front of their eyes.

I will say that I feel like the climax didn’t quite hit as hard as I think it could have. Like, I think if I were editing this, I would suggest moving the Captain Nazi fight from the first half of the arc to be part of the climax, something to punch it up a little. I think Diana’s confrontation with Alkyone was also a little anti-climactic, but then I remember what happens later in this run and, I don’t know just how much of this run we’ll explore in the near future, but I will say…they will meet again.

Which elements of these issues did you most enjoy?

I really liked the aforementioned Captain Nazi fight – it was cool to see her as Diana fend for herself as being essentially mortal, and then when she is able to become Wonder Woman, how she was able to put down Nazi not through fists, but by showing him the truth of what he is and what he’s become.

I also agree that the Apes, Hippolyta and Etta Candy were great in this arc.

[WonderWoman_85]

@Jay_Kay

Alkyone was also a little anti-climactic,

A warrior dishonored didn’t want to return to her prison.

Alkyone threw herself from a cliff

I thought the internal person vs. self conflict was spot on when it came to Alkyone. She yearned for a child much like the Amazon she ordered killed for fear of Amazons all falling into a madness.
But she herself had a clay token. She is a walking contradiction. She swore loyalty, but plotted. Loved her queen but still envied the gift/demon the Gods sent to Hippolyta.

Alkyone couldn’t kill Diana in infancy or in the final exchange.
Did she jump because she didn’t want to return to her prison cell? Becuase she wasn’t blessed with a child? Did she finally question her motives and acts of disloyalty? I think she finally realized her perceptions were jaded with her own desire

[nu52]

@WonderWoman_85

The circle was envy embodied.

Yes, sadly. I like that we got to see why Alkyone was how she was. I just wish we could have seen more of the inner thoughts and reasonings for the other three Amazons in the Queen’s Guard.

@WonderWoman_85

Her Secret Six comics are a good read. I also liked her Birds of Prey version.

I’ve got to read those! I always hear great things about them.

[nu52]

@msgtv

They weren’t round long, but the white gorillas are the best, very funny hanging around Diana’s apartment but real warriors in the field.

It was great having them around. They’re adorable as heck! I like that some of them stayed back on Themyscira. Though they’re male, I suppose they’re not men, technically.

@msgtv

I like the call-back to the powerless Diana days in this run. Wonder Woman has no powers in her civilian disguise and her super-agent outfit feels inspired by Emma Peel.

I like the call-back to the spy era and outfit, but I don’t like that she becomes depowered. It really feels like a way of forcing a weakness upon Diana so that she can have a “Kryptonite.” I just wasn’t fond of that part, but watching her use gadgets was fun.

@msgtv

The best version of Etta Candy ever. She’s a little mischievous, curvy and she kicks butt.

I couldn’t remember if she did start out as an antagonist to Diana in this run, so it was a pleasant surprise seeing her at Wonder Woman’s party hanging out with all of the costumed heroes.

The action was handled really well. Love those panels you chose.

[nu52]

@AntLeon

i think she would be less likely to share her child in the way Hippolyta shared Diana with the rest of Amazons.

That’s a great point you bring up. Had another Amazon had a child, would they have hidden the child away or done what Hippolyta did and had her be a daughter to all?

[nu52]

@Jay_Kay

her run on Red Sonja

Oh, I gotta make time to read that! I might have some issues on Comixology. I agree with you that even though her writing might have some ups and downs, the ups are always what I remember and stick out in my mind.

@Jay_Kay

I will say that I think they say they love and are devoted to their Queen a lot without ever really showing it in clear action.

Perhaps, in a way, that is them convincing themselves that they are noble and love their queen when the truth might be different. They might not want to face that harsh reality.

@Jay_Kay

I wonder if that was purposeful, that they are so enamored or brainwashed in Amazonian dogma that they can’t see what’s really going on in front of their eyes.

I do believe it was purposeful, but I’m not sure if it was that they were enamored or brainwashed in Amazonian dogma. Would you mind clarifying that point?

It could be a multitude of things and it could many any different combination of them for each one of the four Amazons. Maybe for one it was that, for another it was something else. You do get a sense that these women were treated as lesser by their sister Amazons for their job duties. Each one of them may have already felt like they had given up a lot for very little. All they had was that they were equal in being Amazons. That they all sacrificed the same things, except that suddenly a royal (who is already above them in station) is allowed to circumvent that and have her “cake and eat it too” while they have to settle for whatever is decided for them.

@Jay_Kay

I would suggest moving the Captain Nazi fight from the first half of the arc to be part of the climax, something to punch it up a little.

I might have just made it so that he did go to the island after their initial confrontation for a rematch. I never felt Diana was in any danger from them even when they mentioned they were suped up and had the number advantage. It was her home turf. They stood no chance.

I agree with you about the confrontation with Diana and Alkyone, but knowing that wasn’t the last meeting makes this a satisfying conclusion to this arc. I like that it’ll build to something. I figured she wasn’t completely gone as you know if you don’t see the body, they’re still alive.

I was thinking about whether or not this story could be done as a movie since it’s one of the bigger “names” and I don’t think so. I feel it might be better as an HBO Max miniseries where Alkyone, the other three Amazons, and Hippolyta are the main characters.

@Jay_Kay

I really liked the aforementioned Captain Nazi fight – it was cool to see her as Diana fend for herself as being essentially mortal, and then when she is able to become Wonder Woman, how she was able to put down Nazi not through fists, but by showing him the truth of what he is and what he’s become.

Yeah, I like that we got to see that aspect of the lasso again and how it can work to make people tell the truth in that way. Also, if any of you have seen The Witcher on Netflix, the scene where Diana used the weakened wall behind her to escape from Captain Nazi reminded me of an action scene involving a weakened floor and Geralt.

[nu52]

@WonderWoman_85

I thought the internal person vs. self conflict was spot on when it came to Alkyone. She yearned for a child much like the Amazon she ordered killed for fear of Amazons all falling into a madness.
But she herself had a clay token. She is a walking contradiction. She swore loyalty, but plotted. Loved her queen but still envied the gift/demon the Gods sent to Hippolyta.

That was some pretty powerful stuff. It’s sad how through all of her contradictions, Alkyone truly believed her own lies. None of the other three saw through her lies either and wanted to believe them. I really felt like they resented being Amazons at times. Did Alkyone fear the Amazon she ordered killed because she was feeling herself slipping and that Amazon was like a mirror being held up to her?

You bring up many great questions. I wish we had less of the Nazis so we could get more into what those Amazons were thinking and feeling because it was fascinating.

[Jay_Kay]

@nu52

I do believe it was purposeful, but I’m not sure if it was that they were enamored or brainwashed in Amazonian dogma. Would you mind clarifying that point?

It’s very probable I didn’t have the right words. Their reverence for the Queen felt very fanatical, like they almost worshiped her as a goddess.

@nu52

Maybe for one it was that, for another it was something else. You do get a sense that these women were treated as lesser by their sister Amazons for their job duties. Each one of them may have already felt like they had given up a lot for very little.

Which is really sad when you think about it, and kind of humanizes the Amazons in a way. Even in paradise, where everyone is raised and trained to be the best, people always find some way to put others down and make them feel small.

@nu52

I was thinking about whether or not this story could be done as a movie since it’s one of the bigger “names” and I don’t think so.

I was thinking about it too, though an idea that came to my head was something with Grail. Maybe Alkyone goes after Diana, thinking she’s “the Dragon” that will destroy Themyskira, when it’s actually Grail?

[Jay_Kay]

@nu52

I wish we had less of the Nazis so we could get more into what those Amazons were thinking and feeling because it was fascinating.

Yeah, I think that sums up what little flaws there are with this story, almost like the Nazis are just instigators to get Diana to the real conflict that is the confrontation with Alkyone, but the instigators take up way more panel time than the actual antagonists of the story.