RUCKA, COHEN TALK WONDER WOMAN #200

[MattBrady]

Yes, she has been here before, but in January, DC’s Wonder Woman hits #200 in a double-sized issue with plenty of extras. In addition to the main story, the special issue has back ups, set ups for the next year, and pin ups. It’s also got Greg Rucka writing and Ivan Cohen editing, and we chatted them up.

First off, yes, this is the second time past the #200 mark for Wonder Woman at DC. The first series (which started in 1942) hit the mark in 1972, and ended with #329 in 1986 – a direct result of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The current Wonder Woman series (with a revised origin and written and drawn by George Perez) started in 1987, year after the first concluded.

So – if you want to go by Marvel numbering, January’s issue #200 is actually issue #530 (with the one added in thanks to the Zero Hour #0 issue of the current series) – but can we not, and just get back to talking about issue #200?

Good.

“’Anniversary’ issues need to be extra-special; otherwise, they're just tarted-up issues celebrating what's merely the odometer showing a bunch of zeroes in a row,” series editor Ivan Cohen told Newsarama. “To do this milestone justice, I felt #200 should be a double-sized issue that included stories and pinups from a wide range of creators -- and an issue that, like what worked so well in Flash #200, wrapped up a major storyline while launching the next stories, as well. We're going to get new readers with the issue -- double-zero, extra-sized issues almost always do – and we want them to come back for 201, 202, and so on.”

Of course, the extra pages and content mean extra work for the series’ editor, without the addition of extra days to the month to get the work done. “But they also provide a nice change from the monthly routine,” Cohen said. “And there were people in the lineup – Brian Stelfreeze, Linda Medley, Robert Rodi, just to name a few – whose work I admire that I've never worked with before. And among people I have worked with, it's awfully hard to complain about getting to work with folks like Eric Shanower, Ty Templeton, Walter Simonson, and Rick Burchett.”

The issue’s lead story is the wrap-up of Rucka, Drew Johnson and inker Ray Snyder’s first arc, “Down to Earth,” which has, to date, been working to establish the new status quo in which Diana operates. “The story in #200 will close out our first six issues, and execute on everything that we’ve positioned, and then sets up the status quo for the next dozen issues or so – and possibly longer,” Rucka said. “We’re going ot have some big things that will come out of it that may impact on the rest of the DCU. I’ve been talking to Dan Didio - Judd Winick, Geoff Johns, and I have this uberplot that we’re sort of teasing that this would play into.”

And for readers who’ve been waiting for Rucka’s Wonder Woman to hit something. The time has come. “It’s got a nice, knock-down, drag-out to beat all,” the writer said.

But both the writer and editor are keeping the details close to the chest. “The lead story features some fairly catastrophic changes for Wonder Woman and her supporting cast,” Cohen said. “By the end, we'll show how Doctor Psycho is going to contribute to discrediting Diana, and the conflict in Olympus that Ares has been engineering plays out in a way that, like most of Greg's run so far, will infuriate almost as many readers as it intrigues.

“We set out to make Wonder Woman – as a book, and as a character – distinct from every other hero. She doesn't patrol her city, she doesn't respond to bank robbers or forest fires the same way other JLAers do, and her title is a different kind of superhero comic. And the response from readers and retailers – who are boosting their orders every month – and reviewers seems to suggest that we're making that difference.”

As for a few more teases, Rucka said that by issue #200, Diana still won’t know that Veronica Cale is pulling the strings behind all the recent problems surrounding her, as well as the massive outbreak of violence in the issue itself.

“As a result of the actions in #200, Diana will eventually find herself having to track this back to its source,” Rucka said. “But because of what happens in #200, she can’t actually, immediately go to it – something else, something far more personally important to her happens in the issue, and will kind of dominate Diana’s actions, to even perhaps the neglect of some other duties. She’s going to try and save a friend, and she’s going to get somewhat tunnel visioned about it, because of what’s happened to this friend of hers.”

And as for the machinations of Ares Cohen hinted about – well, they play out in a big way. Not the way Ares originally expected them too, but a big way nonetheless. “Ares was just being the agent provocateur, and tempers fly in a way he never imagines with implications and outcomes he never imagined, either,” Rucka said.

“One of the things that becomes apparent in #199 is the agenda that Ares is working with, and why he’s working with that agenda, so when you see what the results of it are in #200, while they aren’t exactly hat he was pursuing, they’re pleasing to him. He’s not going to say, ‘Oh, I didn’t want that to happen.’ It’s more of an unexpected outcome, but it really opens up the second half of the first year in a really wild way. Then #201 is a standalone aftershock, #202 is another standalone, but focuses primarily on Cale, and gives the readers a window on why she does what she does – what the motivation is there. Then, starting in #203, things will get ugly on multiple fronts.”

As Rucka hinted, issue #200 will pull the “Down to Earth” storyline together in more than one way and will also act as a springboard for the series for the next 12-plus issues. Cohen was able to map out a few more suture plot points that will be their start with January’s issue.

“Cale's reaction to something Diana's staff pulls off in #200 -- in text pages written by Greg and illustrated by Eric Shanower -- doesn't manifest until #202,” Cohen said. “And the story Greg does with Linda Medley – an absolutely charming retelling of a myth readers may think they've heard before -- will help readers catch some things in the next several issues, but the storyline that really comes out of it doesn't have a ‘Part 1’ until #205 or so. Issue #200 may be a fixed point, but it's on top of a moving train. A moving, invisible train. That flies.”

As to why include the myth that he and Medley are retelling, Rucka pointed to another pretty well-known comic writer who would occasionally use the same approach when he found himself dabbling in the mythological and relating it to his current story.

“Neil Gaiman couldn’t tell people about Orpheus and bring him into Sandman unless people knew who Orpheus is,” Rucka said. “So we did the same kind of thing, and took eight pages to lay out the facts as you need to know them for what we’re going to be setting up. Take it as you will. Of course, the myth will be colored by the teller of the tale – and it’s not Diana, actually. It’s Cassie.”

Also included in the issue are excerpts from Diana’s book, Reflection which was, as Rucka explained it, one of the trickier inclusions. Writing a character’s actions and dialogue is one thing, but to write the kind of material Rucka had Diana include in Reflection is another thing altogether, something more akin to channeling another being, writing someone else’s innermost thoughts, beliefs and feelings. It’s hard enough to do when your personal beliefs map out pretty nicely over the character’s, but it’s harder when they don’t – as in this case.

“The excerpts from the book are Diana’s words, not my words, and that’s really important,” Rucka said. “It’s weird because most of the time when you’re writing fiction or whatnot, and even if you do have a political agenda, you don’t want to write a polemic, because if you do write a polemic, you’re going to turn people off. The problem with Diana is that she is going to write a polemic – and her polemic and my polemic actually don’t agree in a lot of places, so trying to figure out the agenda that she is forwarding, and how she would articulate it. These are things that come out as excerpts of speeches or essays, or articles, so that in each case, there’s a slightly different narrative approach to it – there’s a different voice. If nothing else, those have been a fascinating exercise.

“In the excerpts, Diana talks about violence, she talks about the use of force, and violent and nonviolent protest. She talks about spirituality. She talks about the environment, for lack of a better word, love, and the interactions between peoples. All of those things.”

The decision to include the excerpts go back to Cohen’s comments about making sure it’s clear that Wonder Woman is not Superman with breasts. Under Rucka’s purview, Diana is a much more spiritual and philosophical character than virtually anyone else in the DCU. It’s something that kind of rubs off on you when you’re raised in a culture that’s first cousin to Ancient Greece, and mythology isn’t just a bunch of stories.

“Diana’s not about enforcing her views, but rather she’s about asking people to look at what they believe and why they believe it, and pointing out where she feels there are flaws,” Rucka said. “It seemed to me to be pretty logical that we would want to share that with the readers - that we would want to give the readers that insight to what is going on with her. And it seems to me that it furthers the story, so that if you can read it and understand what she is saying, and how that is potentially inflaming people or angering people or annoying people, or inspiring people, then that just serves the book that much the better.”

Back to running down the grocery list of items included in issue #200, the issue contains a Golden Age-style story by Robert Rodi and Rick Burchett and a Silver Age style story by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Ty Templeton. Despite Rucka’s run being about moving Diana, as a character, ahead, there were bigger issues to worry about, Cohen said.

“When you’re talking about Wonder Woman, there's a legacy to consider,” the editor said. “There really aren't that many current series that have made it to one hundred issues, much less two hundred. After the depowered Wonder Woman and the Perez eras, which I think Phil and Walt/Jerry took care of pretty recently, I thought there were two distinct periods which deserved a tribute: the William Moulton Marston/H.G. Peter Golden Age stories, and the Kanigher/Andru/Esposito Silver Age stories, in which Wonder Woman was in an oddly marriage-oriented love triangle with Steve Trevor.

“At one point, I suggested doing Golden and Silver Age versions of the current storyline, and we get a tiny bit of that in the Golden Age one, but the creators involved had their own ideas, which, thankfully, I liked better than my own.”

Cohen was a little more forthcoming on teases for the two stories. “Robert Rodi's love of Wonder Woman is no secret, especially to anyone who's read his novel What They Did to Princess Paragon,” Cohen said. “Having him do a Golden Age-style Wonder Woman story guaranteed that it would have the appropriate tone and a sense of humor while still showing respect for the ideals that William Moulton Marston tried to instill in even the weirdest of those tales. And it has spanking in it.

“On the other front, I've enjoyed Nunzio's and Christine's work for Oni quite a bit, and after Greg shared some of their Wonder Woman ideas with me, I knew they'd be perfect for the Silver Age story. They gave me a Steve Trevor-in-space adventure which used the ‘invisible rocketship,’ and my only addition was adding an anachronistic use of Wonder Woman's ‘magnetic hearing’ – a Golden Age gimmick that made more sense in this story than in Robert's.”

Art-wise, both Burchett and Templeton’s work looks like it just popped out of a sealed time-capsule from the respective eras. “I knew Ty could evoke Silver Age styles very well and that Rick, in addition to being one of the best storytellers in comics, has worked in Golden Age–flavored styles before,” Cohen said. “Rick took on the challenge with a plan – ‘All I have to do,’ he said, ‘is forget everything I ever learned about perspective.’ He's too good an artist to do that completely, so it's the right style, but not quite so wonky. And Ty found reference shots from his extensive Wonder Woman collection, and included some intentional internal glitches to make things feel even more authentic.

“Both Rick and Ty added small flourishes to the story that weren't in the script that were just spot-on, and Todd Klein's dusting off some of the old-school lettering styles he's used on the ABC books to make these stories pitch-perfect.”

And no, they’re not in continuity, so put the slide rulers away. “I have a lot of affection for these types of stories, but the current continuity and readership are better served by stories informed by contemporary events and tastes,” Cohen said.

Rounding out the issue will be a handful of pinups from some of the industry’s luminaries. As such, Cohen was able to approach specific artists with specific ideas. “I didn't want it to be Wonder Woman's Swimsuit Special,” Cohen said. "Although that would sell, it's not the book we want to do. I basically enticed some top artists with the idea that, if they finished their sketches first and I liked them, they could do the kind of Wonder Woman shot they had in mind, unless someone else beat them to it... I got results pretty darned quick.

“We already had the Steve Rude piece – a beautiful inventory cover that appeared, in truncated form, in Les Daniels' Wonder Woman: The Complete History, and Eduardo Risso and Stuart Immonen came through for me simultaneously. Eduardo's piece is, no surprise, gritty and stylized and cool, and Stuart's piece makes me feel that yes, Wonder Woman would want an invisible plane. Walter Simonson wanted to do the Wonder Woman version he wrote, so we got a great montage piece of the short-haired Wonder Woman and some of the rest of the cast of ‘The Game of the Gods.’ Brian Stelfreeze rounds out the package with a very striking shot of Diana mid-motion. It wasn't what I expected at all, and if I'm surprised, hopefully readers will be, too.

“Speaking of surprises of course, this issue features the debut of the book's first new regular cover artist in more than five years. As weird as it may seem to have a big Wonder Woman issue without an Adam Hughes cover, #200 sees the debut of cover painter J.G. Jones. I used to prefer J.G.'s linework covers to his paintings, but he's made me reconsider that opinion with his cover to #200... the cover for #201 is even better, but I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet.”

[Jeffbot]

I've never really been interested in Wonder Woman's solo book, but I'll probably pick this one up, being #200 and all.

[Barry]

Originally posted by MattBrady


And for readers who’ve been waiting for Rucka’s Wonder Woman to hit something. The time has come. “It’s got a nice, knock-down, drag-out to beat all,” the writer said.

But both the writer and editor are keeping the details close to the chest. “The lead story features some fairly catastrophic changes for Wonder Woman and her supporting cast,” Cohen said. “By the end, we'll show how Doctor Psycho is going to contribute to discrediting Diana, and the conflict in Olympus that Ares has been engineering plays out in a way that, like most of Greg's run so far, will infuriate almost as many readers as it intrigues.

[/b]

You got that right! I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'm liking Rucka's current run. On one hand, his writing, from the dialogue to the characterization is a joy to read. On the other, I COMPLETELY disagree with Diana's actions in the last issue regarding the forest fire, especially in light of the recent real-world tragedy. Regardless, Rucka is most definitely challenging his reader, especially in respect to how we and the DCU perceive Wonder Woman and her role as a superhero.

That said, I have faith in Rucka and I will most definitely remain on board until what looks like a spectacular issue 200 with a great line up of talent behind some of the extras and a hopefully great story from Greg. And the art is pretty sweet as well...

Here's to another 200!

[kcekada]

The cover for issue 200 looks quite beautiful. I've been very happy with Adam Hughes's work, but I think the change in cover artists will be good for this series.

I'm still not sold on Rucka's Wonder Woman (both the series and the character). The new take on the Olympians is interesting, but I'm not sure it works with how the Gods have been presented in Wonder Woman prior to this story.

Some of my dissatisfaction is probably due to the growing pains that come with quickly establishing a new direction and supporting cast--neither of which has excited me to date.

The art is okay, but the wethead look for Diana is annoying. And Drew's version of the WW logo/emblem is probably the worst I've ever see it look. Maybe it's time to bring back the eagle.

KC

[joeker_1]

The last three issues have been thought provoking. I enjoy Rucka's take on Diana. I hope he get's more leway with this he than his Elektra run.

[cncoyle]

Originally posted by Barry
On the other, I COMPLETELY disagree with Diana's actions in the last issue regarding the forest fire, especially in light of the recent real-world tragedy...

What did you disagree with? She said to save the houses, but to let the fire run its course through the forest. Isn't that what most forest rangers say about natural fires? (Been a while since I've had conservation in 7th grade science class. ) Plus, IIRC, the fire in the comic was a natural fire while the one in Cali is set by two @$$hole arsonists.

Anyway, back on topic--While Diana's had her ups and downs over the years, I'm glad she's still in print. It seems like Justice League on CN is finally giving her some characterization, so maybe DC will better utilize the third point of its Big Three heroes!

[apoehler]

I bought the most recent issue largely because of the Flash cover and guest appearance. It was boring, and essentially nothing happened. I won't be buying more.

[Barry]

Originally posted by cncoyle
What did you disagree with? She said to save the houses, but to let the fire run its course through the forest. Isn't that what most forest rangers say about natural fires? (Been a while since I've had conservation in 7th grade science class. ) Plus, IIRC, the fire in the comic was a natural fire while the one in Cali is set by two @$$hole arsonists.

heroes!

I've never heard or learned anything about letting a natural fire run it's course. Of couse while that doesn't mean it isn't true, to me, a fire is a fire and it should be put out, regardless of who started it. And I was quite confused while reading the issue, as she wasn't very specific about how he save the houses without putting out the fire.

[jedidz23]

I have to admit, my only knowledge of Wonder Woman lies in Linda Carter and what I've seen on Cartoon Network. I wonder if this will be a good starting point. Any recomendations on learning more about the comic book version?

[SpyGuy]

I was also extremely disappointed with the latest issue. What was hyped to be a significant Flash appearance turned out to be nothing more than a cameo.

And apart from book signings and allowing a fire to run its course, what has happened that would interest readers who haven't read the book for a while? If George Perez was still writing this book, Diana would've visited Olympus, clashed with Ares or the Cheetah, or both by now. The Doctor Psycho subplot could be promising, if only Rucka would GET ON WITH IT...

[Barry]

Originally posted by SpyGuy
I was also extremely disappointed with the latest issue. What was hyped to be a significant Flash appearance turned out to be nothing more than a cameo.

And apart from book signings and allowing a fire to run its course, what has happened that would interest readers who haven't read the book for a while? If George Perez was still writing this book, Diana would've visited Olympus, clashed with Ares or the Cheetah, or both by now. The Doctor Psycho subplot could be promising, if only Rucka would GET ON WITH IT...

I think that was addressed in this particular article. Have we no patience? :-)

[AlbertXII]

Originally posted by MattBrady

So – if you want to go by Marvel numbering, January’s issue #200 is actually issue #530 (with the one added in thanks to the Zero Hour #0 issue of the current series)

Oh yeah, what about the #1,000,000 issue, hmm? Shouldn't that count?

Anyway, I like that this has backup stories. Anniversary issues haven't had backups in a long time. Backups are cool, and these ones sound pretty rad.

[roblewmac]

Originally posted by cncoyle
What did you disagree with? She said to save the houses, but to let the fire run its course through the forest. Isn't that what most forest rangers say about natural fires? (Been a while since I've had conservation in 7th grade science class. ) Plus, IIRC, the fire in the comic was a natural fire while the one in Cali is set by two @$$hole arsonists.

Anyway, back on topic--While Diana's had her ups and downs over the years, I'm glad she's still in print. It seems like Justice League on CN is finally giving her some characterization, so maybe DC will better utilize the third point of its Big Three heroes!

Agreed but I've always liked WW on JLA. The one who really need a better script is Flash

[Caramuru]

Originally posted by Barry
You got that right! I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'm liking Rucka's current run. On one hand, his writing, from the dialogue to the characterization is a joy to read. On the other, I COMPLETELY disagree with Diana's actions in the last issue regarding the forest fire, especially in light of the recent real-world tragedy. Regardless, Rucka is most definitely challenging his reader, especially in respect to how we and the DCU perceive Wonder Woman and her role as a superhero.

That said, I have faith in Rucka and I will most definitely remain on board until what looks like a spectacular issue 200 with a great line up of talent behind some of the extras and a hopefully great story from Greg. And the art is pretty sweet as well...

Here's to another 200!

I agree. The jury's still out for me on this run. I think Rucka has intriguing ideas of where he's going to take this story, and that's always good. And he's a good writer, no doubt. But the forest fire thing was at best silly. Seemed ideological more than practical to me. Some kind of forest Darwinism that, if it actually has any sense, it should have been made more clear. I mean, are we always supposed to let forests burn to see if they are strong enough to resist the fire? Tell that to California.

Adding to that, there was something else which I thought sounded misplaced in the previous issue: the ACLU comment. It's always bad news when someone starts gratuitously bashing the ACLU.

I don't know yet if I like the characterization. But that's an ongoing thing with Wonder Woman. The last few WW writers always seem to have the tendency of making her too regal, too "perfect," too unattainable. I know she's a former Amazonian princess, but even the Greek gods were known to kick back and have fun sometimes. Without trying to get into feminism, I think that it might be a character concept flaw that male writers might unconsciously have, to make strong and smart women as an ideal, more than a person. I think Diana should be depicted as capable of getting shit-faced drunk, singing karaoke and having a one night stand, or whatever is the Dionysian equivalent in her culture. (I'm not suggesting she should be graphically depicted doing any of that, just as maybe being capable of something like that.) I would like to see her a little more down-to-Earth with more of a human personality.

And it's the same thing every time we see Themyscera. If the Amazons are not in battle mode, they seem to be in phallus-candle-burning, Melissa-Etheridge-lyrics-group-study contemplative mode. Even with lesbian innuendos from time to time, it seems to me they can do better than that. Sappho was very passionate, right? Someone should start looking at groups of women to get a clue as to how they behave.

I'm still giving Rucka's run the benefit of the doubt though. I still want to find out what he has to say. But I'm hoping it gets better than this.

[dollman]

Originally posted by Barry
I've never heard or learned anything about letting a natural fire run it's course. Of couse while that doesn't mean it isn't true, to me, a fire is a fire and it should be put out, regardless of who started it. And I was quite confused while reading the issue, as she wasn't very specific about how he save the houses without putting out the fire.

The theory of letting a fire burn is to clear the underbrush and additional plant life which have been allowed to accumulate - partially because of man's need to intervene and put out any and all fires. When conditions become tinder dry, the last thing you want is to give the fire more fuel to burn, which is what the underbrush becomes - fuel. By having less underbrush to burn, it creates a natural fire break, and gives firefighters a better chance of to gain control of the fire, and possibly save property in its path. That's why there are programs which allow for a "controlled burn."

Forest fires are like a phoenix, and burn out dead and suficating vegation, to make room for new fauna. What's different now is man's continuing encroachment and habitation into areas which historically been left wild. If you're going to build in a forest, it's a given mother is going to wreck havoc with your property at some point.

[xdemon]

I read the first two issues of Rucka's run and it didn't grab me. I'll probably flip through #200 when it hits the stands but that will be about it for WW.

[Barry]

Originally posted by Caramuru
I agree. The jury's still out for me on this run. I think Rucka has intriguing ideas of where he's going to take this story, and that's always good. And he's a good writer, no doubt. But the forest fire thing was at best silly. Seemed ideological more than practical to me. Some kind of forest Darwinism that, if it actually has any sense, it should have been made more clear. I mean, are we always supposed to let forests burn to see if they are strong enough to resist the fire? Tell that to California.

Adding to that, there was something else which I thought sounded misplaced in the previous issue: the ACLU comment. It's always bad news when someone starts gratuitously bashing the ACLU.

I don't know yet if I like the characterization. But that's an ongoing thing with Wonder Woman. The last few WW writers always seem to have the tendency of making her too regal, too "perfect," too unattainable. I know she's a former Amazonian princess, but even the Greek gods were known to kick back and have fun sometimes. Without trying to get into feminism, I think that it might be a character concept flaw that male writers might unconsciously have, to make strong and smart women as an ideal, more than a person. I think Diana should be depicted as capable of getting shit-faced drunk, singing karaoke and having a one night stand, or whatever is the Dionysian equivalent in her culture. (I'm not suggesting she should be graphically depicted doing any of that, just as maybe being capable of something like that.) I would like to see her a little more down-to-Earth with more of a human personality.

And it's the same thing every time we see Themyscera. If the Amazons are not in battle mode, they seem to be in phallus-candle-burning, Melissa-Etheridge-lyrics-group-study contemplative mode. Even with lesbian innuendos from time to time, it seems to me they can do better than that. Sappho was very passionate, right? Someone should start looking at groups of women to get a clue as to how they behave.

I'm still giving Rucka's run the benefit of the doubt though. I still want to find out what he has to say. But I'm hoping it gets better than this.

Good points all. The more I think about the forest fire, the more I think the scene was unecessary, just a forum for the reader to get a sense of Rucka's take on the character's philosophy and how it differs from the traditional superheroes, i.e., Flash. How did she know that the fire was 100% natural? The bird? If so, then why even bother to show up? To protect the houses? She didn't seem to think, based on what she was saying, that they'd even be in danger? And how could she possibly know this?

Also, I agree about Diana's personality: she has none. At least not that I've ever been able to discern. And unless Rucka turns the focus away from her supporting cast and onto her, I don't think that's going to change.

[Caramuru]

Originally posted by dollman
The theory of letting a fire burn is to clear the underbrush and additional plant life which have been allowed to accumulate - partially because of man's need to intervene and put out any and all fires. When conditions become tinder dry, the last thing you want is to give the fire more fuel to burn, which is what the underbrush becomes - fuel. By having less underbrush to burn, it creates a natural fire break, and gives firefighters a better chance of to gain control of the fire, and possibly save property in its path. That's why there are programs which allow for a "controlled burn."

Forest fires are like a phoenix, and burn out dead and suficating vegation, to make room for new fauna. What's different now is man's continuing encroachment and habitation into areas which historically been left wild. If you're going to build in a forest, it's a given mother is going to wreck havoc with your property at some point.

I appreciate that explanation. However, that's the firefighter's perspective and strategy to control a fire, right? Since the story was about super-humans who had the power to easily put out the fire, why not do it? Additionally, the Flash could have cleaned out the forest of any underbrush as well. I'm assuming this was not some sort of localized fire in a remote area or it wouldn't have attracted the attention of two super-heroes and a twitty bird. I didn't get the impression it was a natural occurrence in an enclosed ecosystem with no risk of spreading out..

[bollandfan]

Wonder Woman hit #200 a few decades ago...who cares about a relaunch hitting that mark?

[OM]

Originally posted by Barry
I've never heard or learned anything about letting a natural fire run it's course. Of couse while that doesn't mean it isn't true, to me, a fire is a fire and it should be put out, regardless of who started it. And I was quite confused while reading the issue, as she wasn't very specific about how he save the houses without putting out the fire.

...The concept comes from studies that show wildfires have a place in the natural chain of events that maintain a forest ecosystem. In layman's terms, it clears out the old dead wood and makes space for new forest to grow and restart the cycle. It's one of the few instances where hippie treehugger propaganda has turned out to be essentially not totally full of LSD-influenced bullshit.

...However, those same treehugging freaks also argue that controlled fires intended to produce firebreaks are far more evil because Man is deciding which tree lives or dies, and that burning the trees releases pollutants, yadda^3. As usual, they ignore the fact that the uncontrolled burning releases far more pollutants than a controlled one, but that's what you get for doing bad drugs while reading communist propaganda, natch.

Originally posted by Caramuru
And it's the same thing every time we see Themyscera. If the Amazons are not in battle mode, they seem to be in phallus-candle-burning, Melissa-Etheridge-lyrics-group-study contemplative mode. Even with lesbian innuendos from time to time, it seems to me they can do better than that. Sappho was very passionate, right? Someone should start looking at groups of women to get a clue as to how they behave.

...Ah, yes. Mel Ethridge, whose first album can be summed up as about a dozen songs with the same theme: "I'm a dyke, you're not, and if you don't at least become bi and hop in bed with me I'm going to kill myself and maybe you too!" Wonder if Rucka will have Mel giving a concert on Themyscera anytime soon, just to see what sort of reaction she'll get from the Amazons?

I can see it now:

"Phillipia, she sings well, but it's obvious she's somewhat of a wimp."

"Exactly, Hegemonia! Why, if any of the situations in her songs were to happen to me, I wouldn't just whine about it! I would fight for the love of the woman in question, and Zeus help the male who stands in my way!"

"Either that, or just let the bitch find out for herself how despicable males are. After all, there's always more fish in the sea, no?"

"True. Still, she does sing well. I suppose we should at least get her autograph on this CD."

"CD? But isn't that the one you..."

"...Downloaded from Kazaa? Well, now that you mention it..."

[IanZL]

Originally posted by joeker_1
The last three issues have been thought provoking. I enjoy Rucka's take on Diana. I hope he get's more leway with this he than his Elektra run.

They restricted his Elektra?

[Brian Langlois]

Fires or no fires, Rucka's Wonder Woman is JUST PLAIN BORING. I'm really beginning to dislike Rucka, though I have liked him in the past. He hasn't done anything good lately. I said I'd give WW to #200 to make up my mind, but It doesn't look like I'll be hanging around. Rucka has this annoying habit of ditching the entire supporting cast and bringing in new ones. He did it to Batman. Gordon, Bullock, even Alfred was gone for a while. As someone pointed out earlier, where is Ares? Cheetah? To me WW has always been a story on a grand scale with gods and goddesses and history and mythology. Now it's just been scaled down so much that it bores me. After the wonderful Simonson/Ordway/Russell run, this just doesn't cut it.

[Caramuru]

Originally posted by OM
...The concept comes from studies that show wildfires have a place in the natural chain of events that maintain a forest ecosystem. In layman's terms, it clears out the old dead wood and makes space for new forest to grow and restart the cycle. It's one of the few instances where hippie treehugger propaganda has turned out to be essentially not totally full of LSD-influenced bullshit.

...However, those same treehugging freaks also argue that controlled fires intended to produce firebreaks are far more evil because Man is deciding which tree lives or dies, and that burning the trees releases pollutants, yadda^3. As usual, they ignore the fact that the uncontrolled burning releases far more pollutants than a controlled one, but that's what you get for doing bad drugs while reading communist propaganda, natch.

...Ah, yes. Mel Ethridge, whose first album can be summed up as about a dozen songs with the same theme: "I'm a dyke, you're not, and if you don't at least become bi and hop in bed with me I'm going to kill myself and maybe you too!" Wonder if Rucka will have Mel giving a concert on Themyscera anytime soon, just to see what sort of reaction she'll get from the Amazons?

I can see it now:

"Phillipia, she sings well, but it's obvious she's somewhat of a wimp."

"Exactly, Hegemonia! Why, if any of the situations in her songs were to happen to me, I wouldn't just whine about it! I would fight for the love of the woman in question, and Zeus help the male who stands in my way!"

"Either that, or just let the bitch find out for herself how despicable males are. After all, there's always more fish in the sea, no?"

"True. Still, she does sing well. I suppose we should at least get her autograph on this CD."

"CD? But isn't that the one you..."

"...Downloaded from Kazaa? Well, now that you mention it..."

Uh... Forest fires, hippies, LSD, communism... How couldn't I see it's all connected!!! Let me see... all these trees in the forest, they all share the same soil, the same resources, they don't own any property... Commies all!!! Red menace posing as Greens!!! Now I can't understand why the tree-humpers wouldn't be all for uncontrolled fires with the possibility of inhaling burning weeds, mushrooms and all... Damn hippies! Can't decide if they are for or against anything.

[Caramuru]

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
Fires or no fires, Rucka's Wonder Woman is JUST PLAIN BORING. I'm really beginning to dislike Rucka, though I have liked him in the past. He hasn't done anything good lately. I said I'd give WW to #200 to make up my mind, but It doesn't look like I'll be hanging around. Rucka has this annoying habit of ditching the entire supporting cast and bringing in new ones. He did it to Batman. Gordon, Bullock, even Alfred was gone for a while. As someone pointed out earlier, where is Ares? Cheetah? To me WW has always been a story on a grand scale with gods and goddesses and history and mythology. Now it's just been scaled down so much that it bores me. After the wonderful Simonson/Ordway/Russell run, this just doesn't cut it.

Yes, it's been kinda boring. I agree.

Talking about Ares, I'm intrigued with his appearance in Teen Titans. Taking Wonder Girl as some sort of protege and (apparently) assuming a non-absolutely evil role seems refreshing.

I also liked the S/O/R run. Now, did anybody else think the death of Trevor whatsisname was a bit premature? It was the first time since I can't even remember since Diana had any sort of boyfriend. I wish they gave the character some chance to develop into something...

[perk9600]

Originally posted by Caramuru
I appreciate that explanation. However, that's the firefighter's perspective and strategy to control a fire, right? Since the story was about super-humans who had the power to easily put out the fire, why not do it?

The logical answer to this is...because the next one would be worse.

I had no problem with how she handled that situation. Flash was looking for the easy way out. We put out the fire with no thoughts about the ramifications for the future. What if next time no super heros are around to simply put it out?

I agree that the timing of the issue is certainly makes it a hot issue(haha). However as hard as it may be to take that course of action it is certainly the most natual solution. Forest fires are a necessary part of a healthy forest enviornment.

Anyway. I'm enjoying the book so far. While nothing crazy has happened it is clearly builiding. So I'm going to stick it out and see where it goes. But well...read my sig.