Then again, Wonder Woman's creator, William Moulton Marston would probably smile since the first series of Wonder Woman comics were borderline pornographic in his day.
And it is really no surprise from previous sneak peaks from older issues from DC's new 52 reboot that the new Wonder Woman, is more sexually charged than in previous incarnations. What with Wonder Woman meeting her father Zeus -- as he stands before her -- totally nude. That's not awkward at all. And then later, a visibly naked Hera, covered up by a gigantic axe confronts Wonder Woman about her paternity.
Now in the 7th issue, we learn how the Amazon women are able to keep their female status quota, so to speak.
Remember people, it takes a male and a female to make a baby and Amazon women are no different.
The premise of #7 actually draws a lot of parallels from an early episode - mini movie "Hercules and the Amazon Women," starring Kevin Sorbo and guest star Lucy Lawless (who later got her own series, "Xena.")
Hercules and Iolous investigate mysterious "beasts" attacking a small village. Upon arrival at said village, our heroes notice that there are no women. So you can see where this is going. The "beasts" are actually Amazon women in disguise who continually raid the same village for one purpose: to have sex with the males, kick them out, get pregnant and then probably come back in a few generations to 'rape' men for their seed. See this wiki entry.
Okay, we basically get the same plot with the new Wonder Woman except there is a dark twist. After having consensual sex with the men (and in a group but not all together, just look at the picture below), the Amazons kill the men they just had sex with. Yes, they are like pray mantis' who kill their mates after doing the deed with them.
Note: An interesting tidbit about Hercules and the Amazon Women, Hippolyta makes an appearance and she is portrayed by 'Touched by an Angel' star, Roma Downey.
"Wonder Women! begins explaining not just the genesis of the character but the evolution of superheroines over nearly a quarter of a century. The interviews include experts from scholars, writers, actresses and even fans, from Gloria Steinem to Jane Espenson and Lynda Carter (pictured at top). It may be surprising to learn that the original character was written by a man who believed there would be a social shift towards matriarchy -- perhaps despite the titillating appearance of a chesty woman in a bustier."We all know what a colorful character, William Moulton Marston was, having an open relationship with his wife and his mistress, with both women inspiring elements of Wonder Woman.
The first half of Wonder Women! stays focused on the history and the social and political pressures that changed the title heroine from one helping the Allies defeat Fascism to a nearly helpless fetish figure more in need of rescue than doing the rescuing.This good!
Unfortunately, the latter half of Wonder Women! falters as it shifts focus toward young filmmakers, not to mention the scarcity of interviews with men, especially in the comic and graphic novel industry.I wouldn't expect to see a male perspective in a feminist documentary, but okay.
It also diffuses the focus from comic characters to cinema and television, and not just on characters adapted from comics. It skips over the double-edged significance of Star Trek's Uhura -- especially in the 1960s, which is more relevant that an extended sequence about a filmmaking project for girls (in terms of a cohesive film).
