#Wonder Woman: Earth One

[brucestalia]

are there any recorded instances of grant morrison's racism/sexism outside comics?

as far as i know, there are no widely known or publicly documented instances of morrison engaging in outward/direct racism or sexism outside of their comics. i am, by no means, an expert on the topic, because i have not interacted with anything primarily morrison-related in a loooong time.

most discussions of such issues tend to focus on problematic themes, depictions, or tropes in their writing (of which morrison does have a lot 😭) rather than their personal actions or statements in real life.

[ trigger warning for rape going forward ]

Kibbles ‘n’ Bits 12/15/14: What Grant Morrison has to say about diversity is like a unicorn

Q: I love that the first issue of “The Multiversity” is full of people of color, from black superheroes and politicians to aboriginal gods and gay geeks. Why did you do this, and does it have anything to do with the super-white superheroes who have made the jump from comics to film and TV?

A: To be honest, it happened quite naturally and wasn’t something I did consciously. A couple of characters were ones I’d created for “Final Crisis” and others were new, but all of them were introduced to play specific roles in the story and it wasn’t until I’d finished writing the first issue that I realized my team of superpowerful, multiversal justice champions didn’t include a single straight white man.

I live in a world defined by a diversity of skin color, sexual orientation and opinion. I think it’s important to reflect the influence of that world in my “art.” An accident of birth has made me what I am — a middle-aged and obviously decaying white dude from the west of Scotland — so I’d never presume to elect myself a spokesperson for any minority or group. I’m not trying to make political points here but I do feel it’s important to reflect a world in the comic books that more closely approximates the world in which I find myself living. And basically, I identify with everyone who ever felt like an outsider.

22/08/11 Grant Morrison Talks Straight about Superhero Sexism and the ‘Death Spiral’ of Comic Books

Comics sales are so low, people are willing to try anything these days. It's just plummeting... There's a real feeling of things just going off the rails, to be honest. Superhero comics. The concept is quite a ruthless concept, and it's moved on, and it's kind of abandoned, the first-stage rocket... and moving on to movies, where it can be more powerful, more effective.

It's hard to tell because most men try to avoid misogyny, really they do, in this world we live in today. It's hard for me to believe that a shy bespectacled college graduate like Brad Meltzer who's a novelist and a father is a really setting out to be weirdly misogynistic. But unfortunately when you're looking at this beloved character who's obviously been a**-r*ped on the Justice League satellite, even saying it kind of takes you to that dot dot dot where you don't know what else to say.

I pick [an issue of Marvelman] up and there are fucking two rapes in it and I suddenly think how many times has somebody been raped in an Alan Moore story? And I couldn't find a single one where someone wasn't raped except for Tom Strong, which I believe was a pastiche. We know Alan Moore isn't a misogynist but fuck, he's obsessed with rape. I managed to do thirty years in comics without any rape!

in fact, in morrison's public statements, they are very eager to express their commitment to diversity and inclusivity in their work. whether or not that has been applied to their writing...? that is the question.

contrasting grant's views against, for instance, wonder woman: earth one (a graphic novel aimed to revisit wonder woman's feminist origins, with an all-male creative team...) which was criticised for its less-than-progressive depiction of women throughout. it also involved steve trevor, a black man in this version, washing up on the shores of themyscira, clad in chains, which was deemed as controversial in its reception.

there's also their take on judge dredd built on just incredibly orientalist tropes about egyptian culture and hindu practices, which was absolutely offensive and lacked any authenticity. very exoticised.

in inferno, morrison introduces us to an indian character named judge bhaji, which roughly translates to.....judge curry.

bhaji (😭) is a shamanic figure of psychic/spiritual wisdom spouting off random tidbits of hindu myth references.

It’s shallow caricature and stereotyping that is tiresome in its lack of any real truth. It all feels deeply…white, and perhaps if one were being impossibly generous- tokenistic at best, but really in all honestly…downright insulting or fetishistic.

morrison has also made it clear that they don't like the al ghuls. their characterisation of ra's and talia has been nothing short of racist and orientalist.

while it is often argued that the drastic changes to talia's character were made in continuance with death and the maidens, it was never mentioned by morrison. it wasn't done to make characters like selina look better either, because his works weren't very well-received by catwoman's fanbase, too. there were only two reasons: namely, misogyny and racism.

this personal bias is made somewhat worse by the fact that they drew upon their parents' divorce for inspiration in writing talia's story with bruce and damian.

"I wanted Batman to be a lot more withheld and a lot more repressed. I don't like the idea of Batman weeping because I think he's the sort of man who turns tragedy into action," Morrison admits.

there is also this, which has been my biggest quip with their characterisation of batman. it contributes to the one-dimensional perspective of his character. strong or weak, a father or a son, a man should be allowed to feel. he should be allowed to grieve. especially when grant has previously referred to batman as a two-dimensional character themselves.

what causes this apparent disconnect between the writer's views and work? is the art separated from the artist? is the artist separated from the art?

as always, if there are any corrections to be made, or anything of note that should be added, please let me know.

thank you for the ask. my personal conclusion is that reading morrison's work has dealt me irreversible psychic damage.

[intentionally-out-of-context-dc]

Diatemis intentionally out of context b/c I did not like the context

wonder woman: Earth one (vol 3)

[fancyfade]

i read ww earth 1 last night (vol 1, 2, and 3)

it was rather mid.

i feel like they way over-emphasized the kink thing. like i know its what people remember about golden age ww, but last time i read golden age ww i do not remember it being such a big thing in the worldbuilding of the amazons or in the stories. and this isn't me kink shaming or w/e, it just felt like that was p much the only worldbuilding axis morrison was interested in, leading to a very flat story.

if i never once again heard the phrase "in submission to loving authority" that would be too soon.

I also feel like not many amazons characters were flshed out beyond the submission to loving authority thing. like artemis is like 'let's kill all men' and then diana is like 'no lets fight' and then artemis gets her butt kicked and she's like 'haha ok ;) just making sure you're strong enough to be queen we don't have to kill all men lets make out'

like i would love to see artemis and diana making out! if it wasn't an 'obviously diana has to be stronger and righter and artemis has to follow her'. like what happened to her arrogance being artemis's best quality?

a bunch of stuff was just not fleshed out.

golden-age inspired misandrist amazons was weird considering in the very first wonder woman appearance we see the amazons are all fine with helping save steve and not locking him up forever. like. i in general feel like the people who want amazons to hate men miss the point of them completely.

anyway overall it felt very boring and like someone who heard a lot of golden age ww trivia, but didn't care much for ww as a character.

[graphicpolicy]

All three volumes of Wonder Woman: Earth One are collected in the DC Compact Comics edition

All three volumes of Wonder Woman: Earth One are collected in the DC Compact Comics edition #comics #graphicnovel #wonderwoman

For years, Diana of Paradise Island yearned to leave the only home she knew behind for adventures that laid beyond its shores. Now, after a fateful meeting with Air Force pilot Steve Trevor, the Amazon Warrior finds herself in Man’s World. And she is ready for anything that it may throw at her. But is the world ready for Wonder Woman? An American government, fraught with dissension and conflicts…

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Now I have to ask- WHY do you hate Pacific Rim?

Okay, fair warning, this is about as bitter and salty and small-minded as day-old caviar. But. My bitter, salty (probably fishy) opinion:

Pacific Rim is only a good movie because it's a well-written story about robots punching monsters.

That's it. That's all there is to the movie.

I started out merely disappointed by Pacific Rim. We went gaga for the preview materials that promised these unique well-rounded character pairs and trios with these idiosyncratic robots from all these different Pacific nations... And then the movie itself is about some bland white American guy who pilots a robot named a racial slur, the second most fleshed-out team is bland white Australian guys, and the Chinese team is there, kind of, in the background, but don't worry they're going to die first. The "character-driven story" turned out to be "various characters take turns punching aliens" but, sure, whatever, I love the MCU so why not.

The day I went from "Pacific Rim is overrated" to "Pacific Rim is the worst thing that has ever happened to human civilization, I'm extremely normal about this" was the day I saw a Tumblr post suggesting we replace the Bechdel test with the Mako Mori test. Because Mako Mori has her own plot and doesn't kiss North Carolina at the end, making her a whole new type of feminist icon.

To which I was like:

We are talking about the same movie here, right? The Pacific Rim that can't even pass the Bechdel test? The Pacific Rim that's all about might-makes-right, the Pacific Rim that has ONE speaking role for ONE female character in its (from IMDB) 50-person cast? The Pacific Rim that repeatedly puts its only female character in danger and has her rescued by first Idris Elba then North Carolina? THAT Pacific Rim?

Is there a different Mako Mori I haven't met? Because the one I've seen a) has a character arc driven by deciding whether to obey her father or follow her heart, which is as inoffensive and stale as an unblessed communion wafer, b) does nothing that Ellen Ripley didn't do 30 years earlier, but with about 5% of the character depth Ripley got, and c) stands there in silence looking sad as two men punch each other over the question of her virtue.

Any post assuming this movie invented the idea of "small Asian woman kicks monster ass" needs to learn its damn history. Especially the ones acting like her being physically small is somehow a feminist bonus. There's something embarrassingly ahistorical about the whole thing.

And look. I get how we got here. I know how easily Tumblr backs you into a rhetorical corner of "calling a story Good can never mean merely 'enjoyable'; calling a story Good must mean 'virtuous'". Until next thing you know you're arguing that actually, shipping Obi-Wan/Darth Vader is a net good for all of society, because gay divorced middle-aged tyrants who use supplemental oxygen and murdered their exes in a custody dispute over the one kid (out of two) they actually care about deserve to see themselves in sci fi too! You only end up in that corner because half the time you're arguing against someone who says that shipping Obi-Wan/Darth Vader is literally the same thing as supporting father-son incest, so your real reasons for shipping them (1. foe yay, 2. old man yaoi) seem wildly insufficient.

Much of what I see about Pacific Rim seems neck-deep in the "it's not allowed to be a Good Movie unless it single-handedly dismantles the patriarchy" fallacy. There's nothing progressive about shipping two dudes best known for chopping off each other's body parts with laser swords. And there's nothing progressive about a movie having its only female character hug the male protagonist at the end instead of kissing him. You're allowed to like a thing just because it's well-made, without acting like a bog-standard normatively-broey action flick somehow invented a new form of feminism. Anyway, "Pacific Rim is a perfectly fine movie" is the hill I will die upon, heretical though it may be.

[g1rlr0b1n]

Yet another commission by the amazingly talented @ookamihanta!!! Go check out their page to see more art!!! Their commissions are still open so go check that out as well!!! I highly recommend them!!! 👹

Gods and Demons (Preview)

Damian's preparations for departure were almost complete when Superman hailed him down. For a moment, Damian considered pretending he had not seen him, but ultimately rose to meet the two men who had now landed gracefully beside him and Goliath. He was familiar with the man known as Superman, but the second man was a stranger to him. He was tall with wavy dark locks framing a sharp jawline and piercing steely grey-blue eyes, he bore a resemblance to the other man. He had a pretty good idea now of who he might be. The man's attire was peculiar though, causing Damian to wrinkle his nose slightly in disapproval. He wore a black suit adorned with shimmering silver stars, his deep crimson colored cloak billowing behind him. The most unnerving part of his uniform however, was the obvious missing "S" shield in the center of his chest, leaving the skin underneath exposed for all to see. Damian quickly averted his gaze, focusing back on Superman. “What’s this?” Damian's features contorted in suspicion as Superman extended a piece of paper towards him.

“An olive branch” he replied calmly, then motioned to the tall figure standing next to him, Kal-El cleared his throat, “this is my son, Zod-El. He will be stationed in Tibet with you for the foreseeable future.” There was a moment of tense silence as if to allow for Damian to process the information. Then, Superman spoke again, breaking the stillness. "Consider him an ambassador of good faith," he said firmly.

Damian scoffed, crossing his arms, “Tt. More like a spy to make sure I behave," he retorted with a sharp edge to his voice. The Justice League's true intentions were clear, they had their own agenda, but he intended to manipulate it to his advantage. Despite their lack of trust in Damian's ability to change the League of Assassins, it gave them an excuse to keep him under observation and under their protection. They needed to keep Damian alive regardless of his intentions because the absolute worst case scenario for them would be for him to lose control. It was an obvious choice, he was the only option with ties to the Justice League and a genuine desire to make the world better, even if his methods had not been received well by them. He could only stand to benefit from such a relationship, nonetheless, he’d make them work for it.

Superman let out a weary sigh, his broad shoulders slumping in exhaustion, “you agreed to observation after the attempts on your life," he reminded Damian sternly. The mention of those close calls made Damian flinch slightly, the memories still fresh and painful. Ever since his grandfather’s passing things had not gone as smoothly as anticipated, with everyone with even the slightest of claims coming out of the woodworks, but he survived and he’d continue to do so. Of course, some extra protection would be prudent, even though he had managed to reunite his family giving him the most claim, the attacks still occurred. His mother had even begun to express concern, certain that there was a rat among his inner circle. Damian didn’t want to consider that, the notion that the people he cared for most wanted him dead. Although it was a reality that he hated to admit, he could probably benefit from an impartial set of eyes and ears. Yet, Damian was proud if nothing else and he refused to allow anyone to think him weak.

"That may be," Damian huffed, "but I never agreed to an indefinite placement and certainly not from one of your B-list cast offs." His lip curled teasingly as he surveyed the man clad in black in front of him. He was curious to see how he would react.

The man grit his teeth and extended a hand with a forced smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Dam-”

Damian interrupted firmly, his piercing gaze fixed on the man's face. “You may call me The Demon’s Head.”

The man chuckled nervously as he pushed back some unruly curls from his forehead. “No offense but...” he hesitated before continuing, “I’d rather call you anything else.”

Damian's lips curled into a menacing smile, his pearly whites barred behind a mask of feigned politeness. "Then, may I have the pleasure of calling you Jonathan?" The man remained silent, his expression guarded. Damian pressed on. "surprised that I know your other name?"

He cleared his throat, his voice betraying forced calmness as he responded, "Not really...and it's just Jon."

The smile fell from Damian's face, replaced by a look of disdain, "I'd rather call you anything else." The lack of push back from his opponent was slightly off-putting, it was simply no fun if they just stood there and took it. But then again, what did he really expect from the son of the Big Blue Boy Scout, always so righteous and obedient.

The tension between them hung heavy in the air, like a thick fog that refused to dissipate. Goliath finally broke the awkward silence with a restless shift, his large frame causing the ground to tremble beneath him. "I see there's no point in arguing with you," he grumbled, casting a patronizing look at Jon. "If Super Slut is ready to depart, then we shall." With the grace of a seasoned rider, Damian pulled himself up and swung himself onto his fiery red companion, feeling the heat emanating from its powerful body. Beside him, Jon effortlessly lifted himself off the ground and into the air. The bat dragon spread its massive wings and with a few strong flaps they ascended into the sky.

[jayzelnut]

Commission for @this-was-a-terrible-idea

Women :))

[cantsayidont]

Batman gets Superman roses for his birthday, in SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 (1985), the much-quoted "For the Man Who Has Everything" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

[fantastic-nonsense]

truly every time I stop feeling disgust and disdain towards Grant Morrison and start thinking 'oh maybe I can forgive them someday' some bullshit comes up to remind me of how much they SUCK

[chernobog13]

Dave Gibbons depicts the first meeting of the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America, from Justice League of America (vol. 1) #21 (August, 1963).

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

So I was looking up Wonder Woman's Star Sapphire appearances and apparently there's one from Robinson's run? I looked it up and it's Annual #2 from 2018- wait, is that an animal paw?

Yo, there's a Star Sapphire fox (Sapphox?)

I have no idea if this is an alien that just happens to resemble an Earth creature like Ch'p or B'dg, or if they're an actual animal with a power ring like Dex-Starr. If it's the latter, and the Star Sapphire Corps only has one or two members per sector like the Green Lanterns do, that would make this fox Carol's partner/replacement, and that's fucking hilarious

This was a pretty fun read ngl. The Star Sapphires feel less like the GL's sexy sidekicks and more like an actual Lantern Corps- right down to their Central Battery getting rekt and needing a special Earth inhabitant to save the day lmaooo

Damn they really looked Wonder Woman in the eye and told her she wasn't even their first choice and that Carol Ferris is better than her. Ouch

Jokes aside, this one Wonder Woman annual did more to develop the Star Sapphires than Geoff Johns's entire run. Diana's history with them from Blackest Night is explicitly mentioned and she even recognizes the two blue ladies speaking to her as Miss Bloss and Miri Riam. Plus, there's actual diversity of body shapes and most of the Corps aren't dressed like space strippers (look, the bar was below the fucking floor)

Hell, Robinson even has Diana point out that this isn't an all-girls club anymore!

[morninkim]

woman who wonders about many a thing

[psychokatrixxxy]

So, I work at a dollar store. We have a really small book section. Yesterday, I noticed that we got some DC comics (only one copy of each). So of course, I had to buy a few.

They were only $5! Their price on the back is $20! (Small one was $2.50)

All in all, I think I made smart money choices.

[wondyvillains]

Baroness von Gunther from WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE #2 (2018)

[raphael-angele]

Happy Pride Everyone!!!

& Happy Anniversary to these two

I'm still waiting, DC

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Diana catching Barbara in her arms, Barbara naming her Wonder Wonder, Diana embracing it instantly, and Barbara shouting "CALL ME!" were all more romantic than anything with Steve Trevor in Absolute Wonder Woman.