Wonder Woman Gets Make-Over

wonder-woman_jim lee–Sign Of A Film In Works?–

The New York Times reports that DC Comics is giving Wonder Woman a new costume, attitude, and back-story.
For Wonder Woman #”600″ (a bit of number juggling) the 69 year old Amazon will adopt a new costume designed by Jim Lee, and an “alternate history” provided by by J. Michael Straczynski (BABYLON 5).
In Straczynski’s reboot of her origin: “Wonder Woman, instead of growing up on Paradise Island with her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and her Amazon sisters, is smuggled out as a baby when unknown forces destroy her home and slaughter its inhabitants.”
Wonder Woman was created by Dr. William Moulton Marston (AKA Charles Moulton) a psychologist, feminist theorist, and inventor—responsible in helping to create the polygraph “lie detector”. With artist Harry G. Peters, he shaped Wonder Woman out of classic mythology and the new superhero tropes for 1941’s All Star Comics #8 (actually published by Max Gaines’ All-American comics group, later to merge with DC’s National Periodical Publications).
Though she was part of DC’s ‘Big Three’ for decades, interest in Wonder Woman’s comic books has not been super for a number of years. Save for a short time in the late 60’s when Diana Prince lost her powers and became an all white-wearing Emma Peel wanna-be, she’s always worn some variation of her orignal Americana-styled bodice and star-spangled shorts.
Michael Straczynski told the Times that he wanted to change the character’s costume when he was offered the title.

“She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941… If you’re going to make a statement about bringing Wonder Woman into the 21st century, you need to be bold and you need to make it visual. I wanted to toughen her up, and give her a modern sensibility.
…What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?”

This updating, along with recent reports of interest by X-MEN producer Laura Shuler-Donner, may fuel hopes that a live action feature film WONDER WOMAN will finally escape from Development Hell. Even a strong sign that at least DC / Warner Brothers still has any serious interest in making one would be a positive step.