So last week, in a parallel universe, DC Comics decided to generate a bit of publicity and buzz for Wonder Woman, one of the company's iconic properties. Among the bullet points announced was a new storyline and, most importantly, a new costume.
Like the rational society it is, the comic book internet community responded with tact and grace. While many were skeptical of the move, they applauded the creators involved for taking a chance, and said they would give DC the benefit of the doubt and adopt a wait-and-see approach to the changes.
Over in our universe, DC made the same announcement. And like the anarchistic society our comic book internet community is, we responded by hurling personal insults at the creators, cried about our childhoods being sullied, and declaring it one of the worst ideas in comics history.
You'd think with the amount of bile being spewed, Wonder Woman would be one of the top selling books in the industry. Yet it's barely a Top 100 book, finding itself at #78 in April 2010, selling just over 25,000 units, being out performed by both Supergirl and Batgirl in the process (source: ComicsBeat.com).
I tell ya... Nothing pisses off the comic book fanboy more than change, or at least change he didn't think of first. And this Wonder Woman hoopla is further proof of that.
What's really comical is when the storyline is over, hindsight will show this outrage to be misplaced, because we're talking about alternate timeline here. One in which Wonder Woman's memories of the original timeline will progressively return to her.
Therefore, I believe at the end of the story, the timeline will be restored, but Wonder Woman will retain her memories of her alternate life. And to show respect for her alt-self and her friends and loved-ones from that life, she will design a new costume, combining elements of the classic and alt versions.
But will the fanboys look back and say, “Oops. We overreacted. The whole Wonder Woman thing wasn't that horrible after all. Our bad”? Heck no. They won't remember anything about this. In fact, that short term memory will cease about a week after the first issue with the new costume hits the shelf. Such is the way of the internet.
So what was my reaction to all of this? Well, I added Wonder Woman to my pull list for the first time ever. Really. No joke.
I didn't add the title because I think the storyline and costume change are the greatest ideas ever in comic-dom though. It's more to show DC that not every fan is a whiny,self-important fanboy. In fact, had the internet not over reacted, I probably wouldn't have added the book.
“Big deal,” you say. “Don't act like you're making a huge sacrifice by picking up another book in the store each month.”
On the surface, you might have a point. But remember, I don't buy my books at a local comic book store; I buy online, and the deadlines for adjusting my July and August orders, of which Wonder Woman #601 and #602 would be a part, were long gone before DC made its announcement.
So I had to quickly email customer service imploring them, along with a healthy dose of sucking up, to adjust my orders. Fortunately, adding those two issues wasn't a problem. That's just one of many reasons DCBSerivce.com rules.
Had I been unable to adjust the orders, I'm not sure which would have won out; my frustration with whiny, self-important fanboys or my distaste for the comic book stores in my area? Fortunately, I won't have find out.
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