That Iconic Wonder Woman Look

Superman is, by far, the most iconic Superhero of all time. Back in 1932 when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman, I'm sure that they didn't have a clue that they had created a character that would have an enormous impact on American culture for decades to come. And, when comic book publisher Detective Comics (DC Comics) purchased the character from them in 1938, they couldn't possibly have known that the character would become the catalyst that would revolutionize the comic book industry. If that first appearance of Superman had never happened, characters like Batman and Spider-Man may have never seen the light of day. Superman is truly the king of superheroes.

The female equivalent to Superman in terms of iconic status is definitely Wonder Woman. In my opinion, there aren't any other truly iconic female superheroes out there. If asked to name a female superhero, the first thing that comes to mind is Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman's very patriotic red, white, and blue American flag like suit probably helped boost her popularity in the 1940's and it's now a cultural icon that represents who the character is and what she stands for. Of course, Wonder Woman's suit and appearance has been tweaked and upgraded over the years. But, those alterations were minor and the modern day Wonder Woman looks similar to Wonder Woman from the Golden Age of comics. OK - technically, there was a brief period when Wonder Woman's appearance changed dramatically - I'll get to that later.

Golden Age Wonder Woman from the cover of Sensation Comics #1

To the left is Wonder Woman as she appeared on the cover of Sensation Comics #1 in 1942. To the right, is Wonder Woman as she appeared on the cover of Wonder Woman #103 from 1959. The Silver Age version does have some updates - a slightly different hair style and body - and the suit has some minor modifications as well. But, the overall appearance is, essentially, the same. The American flag look remains as a key part of the Wonder Woman character - much like Superman's red, white, and blue caped suit with the prominent "S" logo on the front. Superman just wouldn't be Superman without that suit - and the same goes for Wonder Woman.

With that being said, in the 1960's, Wonder Woman was not the cultural icon that she is today. She was popular then, but she was definitely not an icon yet - that would take another decade or two.

Silver Age Wonder Woman from the cover of Wonder Woman #103 from 1959

In 1968, DC Comics decided to give Wonder Woman a new modern hip look. After all, it was the 1960's and change was what the 1960's were all about. So, in Wonder Woman #178, DC unveiled the "NEW Wonder Woman"...

The new hip and trendy mod Wonder Woman was not stuck in just one outfit. She sported a bunch of new outfits then. Unfortunately for the "NEW Wonder Woman", that didn't last too terribly long - about 4 years. The "New" Wonder Woman made her final appearance in issue #203 in 1972 - which by the way was a "Special Women's Lib Issue".

As soon as 1973 rolled around, Wonder Woman's classic appearance was restored in issue #204 - that is with some updates - slightly more revealing suit, bigger boobs, more curves, longer hair, cuter face, etc. But, the classic red, white, and blue suited Wonder Woman look was back. In fact, for that issue, DC titled the book, The New Adventures of the Original Wonder Woman.

To the right, is Wonder Woman as she appeared on the cover of Wonder Woman #206 - just 2 issues after the classic Wonder Woman look returned. The return of the original Wonder Woman look was permanent. For the next 37 years, Wonder Woman's basic appearance would not experience any dramatic changes - tweaks and updates, yes - but the red, white, and blue suit would stay.

Wonder Woman from the cover of Issue #206

The images below show Wonder Woman from a few decades ago. This is a vey polished Wonder Woman look. It's definitely not a Golden or Silver Age Wonder Woman. But, the key is that it's obvious that it's Wonder Woman at first glance.

The following images show more recent versions of Wonder Woman. You'll notice some slight modifications to the suit and a much more defined anatomy - even bigger boobs and a very sexy look. But, the classic Wonder Woman look remains.

Wondrous indeed!. But, really, Wonder Woman is an icon. She is the ideal super-heroine - a super sexy brunette in a red, white, and blue suit that can seriously battle if and when the need arises.

Back in the late 1970's, Wonder Woman got a TV series. I think that they may have made a Wonder Woman movie for TV a few years earlier too. But, I'm referring to the TV series with Lynda Carter playing Wonder Woman. She was a pretty good version of the comic book character. I recall seeing that show on television when I was I kid, but I don't recall if it was actually any good - probably not. Anyway, here's the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman...

When a woman decides she's going to dress up as a female superhero, the character of choice is typically Wonder Woman - sometimes Supergirl, but usually Wonder Woman. Over the years, numerous female celebs have been seen sporting the Wonder Woman costume - some good and some not so good. But, the point is that only an iconic super-heroine could inspire that.

Wonder Woman even made the cover of Playboy in 2008...

Wonder Woman on the Cover of Playboy Magazine

In my opinion, that Playboy chick just doesn't cut it as Wonder Woman. But, it may have inspired Kim Kardashian to dress up as Wonder Woman later that year for Halloween. She's the best real world Wonder Woman I've seen to date...

Kim Kardashian is an Awesome Wonder Woman!

Of course, Kim Kardashian could not really be Wonder Woman. She's not tough enough. But, she's definitely got the look right. I spoofed a Wonder Woman comic book cover to see if her look really fits. I think it does...

Kim Kardashian Wonder Woman Comic Book Cover

Then again, Kim Kardashian would probably look good as any dark haired female superhero. I know it's a little bit off topic, but here's a spoofed comic book cover with Kim Kardashian as She-Hulk...

Anyway, there's even been talks about a Wonder Woman movie, a Wonder Woman TV series, and a Justice League movie. Whoever plays Wonder Woman would have to be really hot AND very capable of acting - the latter definitely leaves Kim Kardashian out. I've read somewhere that Hope Dworaczyk was a possibility. In my opinion, she's definitely got the looks for the part.

Hope Dworaczyk could be a perfect choice for the Wonder Woman role!

Hope Dworaczyk could be a good Wonder Woman

She's definitely got the looks and body to play a good Wonder Woman, but I'm not sure if she can act. After all, she's really only a Playboy model. Well, she was Playmate of the Year. But, I'm not sure if she has any acting experience. As eye candy, she'll definitely work. I'm just not sure that she could make Wonder Woman work on the big screen - maybe TV. There's lot of rumors flying about who is interested in playing the role and who Hollywood is interested in. So, I dunno. Beyonce made it public that she is very interested in the role. In my opinion, that's just stupid. Don't get me wrong. Beyonce is definitely hot, but she just doesn't have the Wonder Woman look. It doesn't matter anyway because I also read somewhere that both the Justice League movie and the solo Wonder Woman movie are on hold and maybe even scrapped altogether.

IMHO, Beyonce just doesn't work as Wonder Woman
Beyonce Wonder Woman

Now, the whole reason that I was inspired to rant and rant about Wonder Woman's iconic appearance is that DC Comics recently decided to give Wonder Woman a completely new look. The classic red,white, and blue suit is gone. And, now she's actually wearing a pair of pants. Here's the new Wonder Woman as she appeared on the cover of Wonder Woman #600...

That's not Wonder Woman! Why in the World would DC alter an icon that's been around for nearly 70 years? Sure, they did it for a short stint in the late 60's. But, Wonder Woman was only around for a few decades at that time and she wasn't yet the icon that she is today. 50 years from now, people are not going to be dressing up as the new Wonder Woman for Halloween. In fact, if DC keeps this look, Wonder Woman won't be around 50 years from now - at least not the new Wonder Woman. What's next? Is DC gonna ditch Superman's iconic suit and put him in a tight white tee-shirt and some black leather chaps? Sure, Spider-Man got a black suit for a while, but it still looked like Spider-Man. Plus, Marvel didn't ditch Spider-Man's iconic red suit. Spidey now has choices depending on his mood. Hopefully, Wonder Woman's new look is temporary. We certainly don't want to see an icon just disappear into history forever.

To be fair, it's a cool looking character...

But, the above should be used for something else in some other way, not as a replacement for the classic Wonder Woman look. Anyway, that's my opinion on the matter.

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