Secret Identities and Wonder Woman
I'm still contemplating Wonder Woman #6, and am not ready to write about yet. Ragnell thought it was pretty bad, and since my initial reaction was the opposite, and since I usually agree with her opinion, I wanted to ponder further before commenting.
I will say that I did enjoy the can't-pump-her-own-gas type issues, and while some people saw them as unrealistic, I was reminded of the parallels to President Bush the Elder who was chided for not understanding the grocery store scanner, as he was so patrician he never did his own shopping. (Also, I live in New Jersey, were self-serve is illegal, so it is not surpring to meet adults who have never self-pumped).
I will also admit that part of what made me enjoy it was not an explicit part of the story, but what I saw as the implied question of whether she should reveal here (new) secret identity to Nemesis. Nemesis seems like a bright guy, so I can't see him being fooled forever, and eventually he's going to be pretty upset that he spent whatever-number of issues chasing down the woman who turned out to be his partner. She could probably trust him with the secret, and get on with it.
Keeping Superman's secret identity from Lois took increasingly convoluted methods that painted Lois as a total moron, and they weren't even partners. The original Wonder Woman/ Steve Trevor secret identity issues were so far beyond the pale that I would hate to see them repreated. (Note to self: Compare Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane to Golden Age Steve Trevor -- the similarities are overwhelming.) Anyway, here are a few panels from Wonder Woman v.1 #92, which is perhaps the most ridiculous Wonder Woman (or anyone else) secret-identity-maintenance ploy ever.
First Steve and Diana Prince are sucked into another dimension and are attacked by diamond-monster thingies. When Prince disappears, and Wonder Woman fights the bad guys, Steve knows the "truth", because there was no other way that Wonder Woman could have gotten to the other dimension.
It seems you are busted, Ms. Prince. There is no way that Steve Trevor can BOTH hold your hand AND see you appear somewhere else! But wait! Steve never said that he would use his peripheral vision while holding your hand, so there's still a chance!
And through the whole conversation, both in and out of the tunnel, Steve never once looks to his left to see that "Diana Prince" was only "Diana Lasso Hand." Stupid, stupid Steve.
Anyway, I really want to like Nemesis, but for each issue in which he fails to realize that his partner (and not just co-worked, like Lois Lane) is really Wonder Woman, he falls further and further into "I confused Diana Prince with a Piece of Rope" Trevor territory.
In my reading, Diana is contemplating how far to take this new "Diana Prince" thing, and that is part of what makes it interesting to me.
I will say that I did enjoy the can't-pump-her-own-gas type issues, and while some people saw them as unrealistic, I was reminded of the parallels to President Bush the Elder who was chided for not understanding the grocery store scanner, as he was so patrician he never did his own shopping. (Also, I live in New Jersey, were self-serve is illegal, so it is not surpring to meet adults who have never self-pumped).
I will also admit that part of what made me enjoy it was not an explicit part of the story, but what I saw as the implied question of whether she should reveal here (new) secret identity to Nemesis. Nemesis seems like a bright guy, so I can't see him being fooled forever, and eventually he's going to be pretty upset that he spent whatever-number of issues chasing down the woman who turned out to be his partner. She could probably trust him with the secret, and get on with it.
Keeping Superman's secret identity from Lois took increasingly convoluted methods that painted Lois as a total moron, and they weren't even partners. The original Wonder Woman/ Steve Trevor secret identity issues were so far beyond the pale that I would hate to see them repreated. (Note to self: Compare Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane to Golden Age Steve Trevor -- the similarities are overwhelming.) Anyway, here are a few panels from Wonder Woman v.1 #92, which is perhaps the most ridiculous Wonder Woman (or anyone else) secret-identity-maintenance ploy ever.
First Steve and Diana Prince are sucked into another dimension and are attacked by diamond-monster thingies. When Prince disappears, and Wonder Woman fights the bad guys, Steve knows the "truth", because there was no other way that Wonder Woman could have gotten to the other dimension.
It seems you are busted, Ms. Prince. There is no way that Steve Trevor can BOTH hold your hand AND see you appear somewhere else! But wait! Steve never said that he would use his peripheral vision while holding your hand, so there's still a chance!
And through the whole conversation, both in and out of the tunnel, Steve never once looks to his left to see that "Diana Prince" was only "Diana Lasso Hand." Stupid, stupid Steve.
Anyway, I really want to like Nemesis, but for each issue in which he fails to realize that his partner (and not just co-worked, like Lois Lane) is really Wonder Woman, he falls further and further into "I confused Diana Prince with a Piece of Rope" Trevor territory.
In my reading, Diana is contemplating how far to take this new "Diana Prince" thing, and that is part of what makes it interesting to me.
Labels: Nemesis, Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman
posted by Ragtime at 7:49 AM
6 Comments:
My problem with WW 6 isn't that it was unrealistic, but that it didn't fit with how long Diana's been in the US and for the last year, living as an ordinary woman. The tone of the story was of someone who recently set foot off Paradise Island. It didn't ring true. More like, been there, done that, let's move along.
Hi Shelly!
Good points, but I guess I'm a little less sure about the time elapsed than you are.
Has she really been living like an ordinary woman for a year, though? She seems to have spent a big part of '52' as a bit player talking to Renee or Tim as they hang out in Nanda Parbat. That's hardly living like an "ordinary woman." It's unclear how long she's been back, doing her Special Agent thing, but it might not be that long.
Meanwhile, the comparison to President Bush I was meant to show that time isn't the issue. If you can fly wherever you need to go (on Air Force One, or by flying) and have servants, then you never need to pump gas or buy food, even if you are not technically royalty.
Diana should know the value of a dollar.
For a few issues in the 90's she had a job at a fast food restraunt. You don't get any more in touch with the common man than that.
Hi Shawn.
Diana may have worked in a fast food restaurant, but she wasn't relying on the income she made to be her sole source of support, with no safety net to fall back on.
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