John Ostrander doesn't like the changes made to Amanda Waller
2 Comments Published by Avi Green on Sunday, March 16, 2014 at 1:00 PM.
John Ostrander's said that he's disappointed with changes made to the physique of Amanda Waller, the government operative who led the Suicide Squad back in 1987-92:
While I agree it's ridiculous how drastically they're changing a notable co-star in the DCU all for the sake of Hollywood-ish diversity, I still wonder if Ostrander thinks the change he made to the terrorist group featured in the original run of Suicide Squad called The Jihad was also misguided. Why'd he even take up the assignment for the 2008 miniseries if that's all he could think of doing? By retconning the premise to one where it's claimed Qurac was "misusing" the name Jihad for the terrorist group they operate, the story loses its edge, and it becomes too obvious the mini was published more for political reasons. If he's annoyed at the arbitrary changes made to Amanda Waller's physical appearance, that's fine, but changes made for political reasons are surely even more troubling.
Both Amanda’s appearance on Arrow and in the New 52 DC Universe is changed; rather than older, stouter, and shorter, she’s now model thin and young and, well, sexy. I’ve always thought of Amanda as many things but “sexy” was not one of them.It's certainly weird why a company whose top brass said they're catering to people over 45 doesn't want older folks as cast members. That only enforces the perception it's not story quality they care about, but superficial visuals.
I don’t control what happens with Waller or where she goes or how she looks; she is owned by DC Entertainment and Warners. I knew that going in. She is their property. That said, I think the changes made in her appearance are misguided. There were and are reasons why she looked the way she did. I wanted her to seem formidable and visually unlike anyone else out there. Making her young and svelte and sexy loses that. She becomes more like everyone else. She lost part of what made her unique.
While I agree it's ridiculous how drastically they're changing a notable co-star in the DCU all for the sake of Hollywood-ish diversity, I still wonder if Ostrander thinks the change he made to the terrorist group featured in the original run of Suicide Squad called The Jihad was also misguided. Why'd he even take up the assignment for the 2008 miniseries if that's all he could think of doing? By retconning the premise to one where it's claimed Qurac was "misusing" the name Jihad for the terrorist group they operate, the story loses its edge, and it becomes too obvious the mini was published more for political reasons. If he's annoyed at the arbitrary changes made to Amanda Waller's physical appearance, that's fine, but changes made for political reasons are surely even more troubling.
Labels: dc comics, politics, women of dc
I'll admit that as a guy, I'm not opposed to seeing some T&A in comics. But I can get T&A anywhere these days, so the overemphasis on it in some cases is distracting. I get it, women in comics are impossibly sexy most of the time because comics are, in part, a fantasy, an escape. But would it hurt to have women whose curves aren't exaggerated? You know, some girls who look...normal? Not everyone has to have the boobs and butt that Wonder Woman and Catwoman do, for crying out loud.
And for that matter, not every male needs to be a rippling mound of muscle.
B-b-b-but we need Amanda Waller as a positive role model for ALL of the young black girls reading comics! We can't have her fat! We need to help First Lady combat obesity!