Yesterday, DC Comics announced and released a new approach and costume design for Wonder Woman. The first appearance of this “new” Wonder Woman is in WONDER WOMAN #600, released today.
(New on the left, Traditional on the right)
This isn’t the first time Wonder Woman (or any other superhero) has had a costume change and likely won’t be the last. But as so many announcements in comic book/superhero land, it gets buzz and sparks conversation.
It got me to dig up some sketches I’d done a while back after discussing Wonder Woman in an Re: Comics column for acmecomics.com (read it here). Given the buzz I thought I’d share. (and if you want more Wonder Woman designs, check out Dean Trippe’s Project Rooftop site here, where numerous cartoonists submitted designs back in 2007)
The common complaint I’d heard about WW’s costume were the star-spangled underwear (many have suggested a star-spangled skirt (which she’s worn on occasion) as a better alternative). I thought a bigger “issue” was the strapless bustier. I’ve seen many a female in a strapless top and they spend considerably more time adjusting that than seems comfortable or functional. So I considered both and well, here are the sketches:
Out of the gate I tried for a “halter” style top, something minimal. For bottoms I liked the loincloth look and stuck with that.
Then I tried variations on sleeves and tank/sleeveless tops. (and even gave the skirt look a whirl for good measure).
And then started monkeying with the chest emblem, looking to make it more of a graphic, simpler element than the eagle crest type thing it has been for so long. (and yes, I even dropped in a little cape at one point for a test run; it didn’t take so much)
In the end I suppose I never settled on one “final” look, but I was definitely going towards maintaining a “superhero” look; clean, simple, and hopefully recognizably iconic. Something that might be fun to draw (and relatively easy to reproduce).
But seeing as I wasn’t commissioned to redesign Wonder Woman, it’s somewhat moot. I, like everyone else, will have to see if this “new look” WW will stand the test of time or not…