Friday, November 25, 2016

The Watcher and Amanda Waller



John Ostrander truly created a unique character with Amanda Waller.  Without any super powers, she's been able to go toe to toe with some of the most powerful characters in the DCU, just through her attitude, smarts and determination.  I wasn't crazy with the New 52 makeover that transformed her into yet another hard bodied model type, and I am glad that they seem to be getting away from that depiction.  It only served to make her a little more generic, in my opinion.

8 comments:

Richard said...

Glad I saw none of that 52 then. While I wasn't an overwhelming fan of Amanda Waller (I knew better than to enjoy her presence too much and expect a title for her in the near future), I enjoyed her 'unique' comic book depiction as well. She'd never be mistaken for Ororo Munroe, that was for sure.
Character-wise, she was entertaining to read.
Of course when she appeared on tv, they weren't going to cast anyone like Gabourey Sidibe (who truthfully must be the most obvious choice for the role should any of this go to movies) and instead went with Pam Grier on Smallville; for the usage, she was tolerable. I believe C.C.H. Pounder did her voice in the cartoons.
I wish comic books would realize what goes in one medium won't go in all others.

Clearly the heroes in film couldn't quite wear the same 'circus outfits' the superheroes in comic books wore and pass as realistic, so in the case of the Xmen, they opted for black leather, but not long after the first Xmen movie, I saw an Xmen comic book and they, of course, had adapted to the movie and the characters were in black leather, which looked like an ink printing nightmare gone mad.

But it's quite obvious to take a character like Amanda Waller and 'slim her down and make her beautiful' would do nothing more than make her come across as a feminist type; no different than skimpy outfit Sue Richards or Liberty Belle in All Stars striving to be a leader. No one was impressed.
Are we then STILL being unfair in thinking that a beautiful woman cannot be intelligent and a leader and that a woman must be heavy and homely to take charge?
Who's to say? Other than Waller, I really can't recall a heavy-set woman shown as a leader of heroes.
And the only time I can recall a truly unique delivery of a beautiful woman as a team leader, and a successfully memorable one at that, was Dream Girl in The Legion of Superheroes, who of course was aware of her vanity.
Amazing how, once again, when the woman is seemingly oblivious to her appearance, such as stripped-down Sue Richards or Liberty Belle, they fail in that department.

I really say this has nothing to do with a beautiful woman and is instead the fault of the writer, who cannot write any sort of characterizational conflict between a female lead and male opposition without it looking too one-sided and like a screwball comedy.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to do this to you, Ross. But, I just can't resist. ;-D

"Hit the road, Jack. Don't you come back, no more. No more!
Hit the road, Jack! And don't you come back, no more."

"UATU SAY???"

Anonymous said...

Super TEam Family presents AND
Watcher Amanda Waller

Unknown said...

Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) and the Wasp have both been effective leaders of the Avengers.

Mrs. Waller won me over too. She has many heroic qualities like courage, intelligence, and grit, but was mean and ruthless. She's the first cold-blooded government type I've really liked in a comic book. And remaking her as a gorgeous thin woman was a terrible idea.

Wayne Allen Sallee said...

I honestly laughed out loud at this one, Ross. Thank you!!!

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

So many story possibilities from this one. Just imagine the damage she could do....

Simreeve said...

So, candidates for a 'suicide squad' lineup recruited on Earth-616, anybody?

Carycomic said...

@Simreeve:

Taskmaster! Nuff said.

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