Wonder Woman -Athenian or Spartan?

There has been a lot of discussion recently about who Wonder Woman is, what she represents, how she acts, what weapons she uses, and well every aspect of the character thanks mostly to the new 52. Fans of the current incarnation point to the fact that Wondy has ALWAYS been a warrior. She's always fought her Gods at some point. So yes, we know Wondy has used guns, swords, and battle axes before. We know she's killed and chopped off heads before. All of that is previous canon, so those who love this current run point to that. They also mention how well the new title has sold compared to the last one. All of these may be valid points, but the major question has to be is does this character properly represent Wonder Woman? What is so vastly different about this incarnation as opposed to the previous one if there are so many similarities (and obvious differences, like new origin etc)? Well the answer is that Pre and Post-Crisis Wonder Woman had Athenian ideals and the current one is clearly following Spartan ideals.

First let me say that I haven't done extensive research into Greek history so I'm sure some historian can find flaws with my limited and basic understanding of these two Poleis.

That said, I find that the original Wonder Woman (pre-new 52) always followed the Atenian ideals. This meant her patron goddess was Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. That means Wonder Woman always tempered her violence with wisdom (aka peace). She wouldn't just chop off heads, she'd always try to find a better way. She often spoke with people and her villains to try to change them and reform them. She tried to use her mind as her main weapon, only resorting to more physical forms when needed. Of course, there were times when she didn't and those are the times that lead her to issues, like partially having the WW mantle taken from her by the Amazons for abandoning their ideals. Like Athens, Wonder Woman was a powerful force, capable of subduing her enemies if need be, but like Athens, she often waited to be attacked first, not openly provoking attacks. Now of course, the Amazons did launch unprovoked attacks thanks to silly editorial mandates, but most find that completely out of character for the Utopian Society because well it was. Also, like Athens, Amazon's were allowed to have multiple jobs and purposes, not just warrior. They could be artists, philosophers, warriors, and poets, just to name a few. They were a diverse and different crowd, that truly wanted peace, but would never shy from war if need be. Their patronage was mostly the Greek Goddesses, though the Gods were known to get involved and cause problems. They opposed Ares, God of War, for the wanton destruction that Ares caused. They even evolved at one point that Themiscyra had become a paradise for the best and brightest of the world, like Athens of ancient Greece.

Now? Wonder Woman and her Amazon sisters follow the Spartan way. Sparta was a massive war state, worshiping the god Ares. The Amazons no longer have diversity, they like the Spartan men, were raised solely for war. They think of nothing else and have no thought of philosophy or poetry. They just wish to kill and destroy. Wonder Woman, raised in this environment, has become more violent herself. It has been revealed that she was once the protege of Ares. Ares, once the greatest enemy of the Amazons and Wonder Woman, is now training one of them. This alone should signal to people that this is a massive shift in the character, but there is no real statement of such from anyone. Wonder Woman, now, uses her short sword as her sole weapon, her Lasso of Truth and mind often falling far behind of her hacking and slashing things. She relishes battle and charges in with open abandonment. The Amazons are blood thirsty and desire war above all else. They even act like Spartans, casting out their "Deformed" male children and keeping the "fit" female children. Gone are all thoughts of any philosophy, poetry, or ceramics, instead, the new Spartan Amazons train, practice, and fight. That is their life. They have no time or thought for anything else and it shows. This has lead Wonder Woman to the path of WARRIOR above all else. She is no longer a diplomat and she doesn't seem to care about anyone but herself. In fact, she only seems to tolerate the young Zola, who is of course a stranger to the Spartan world. It was also stereotyped that the Spartan's were not very smart because they lacked the artistic principals of Athens, and it shows in the new 52 Diana. She has consistently been shown as being either stupid or naive, having no real clue about her society or anything else for that matter. And Diana seems to have no real desire to learn more and of course her Spartan sisters have no desire to do more.

This, to my mind, is the major flaw in the current Wonder Woman run. She's completely abandoned all her principals that FORMED her. She's gone from being MORE than a warrior to nothing more than a warrior. She's gone from being an Athenian idealist, whom albeit fell short of her ideals, to a perfect Spartan warrior. It should also be mentioned that despite the fact that everyone cheers how well this current WW is selling, it is NOT the highest selling run. Back in 2006 when Heinberg was revamping WW, issue #1 was the #1 selling comic that month at over 100,000 issues. Despite massive delays, that relaunch still managed to sell roughly 10,000 more copies than this current WW at her height in issue #1. So no, this is NOT the best selling Wonder Woman and as far as relaunches go, the sales are actually pretty poor. Yes, they're better than the previous issues before the relaunch, but historically, this is the worst WW's done.

The Outsiders, My idea for the DC New 52

So here's a crazy idea.. I think it'd be awesome to have a group called the Outsiders. They are a group of fractured heroes, they have no clue who they are, where they came from, or where they got their powers. All they know is they seem drawn together, a desire to help people, and a general fear of the law and other heroes. The group has "flashes" of their various and complex pasts. The team would be Donna Troy, Lilith (Omen), Sarah Rainmaker (of Gen 13), Wally West, Jay Abrams (Blue Jay), and Deula Dent. Others may join the team later.

MUST READ Marvel books (for those that don't read Marvel)

I am not a huge fan of Marvel comics (As I'm sure most people are aware), but there are some comics that are just well.. fan-fucking-tastic and you should read them. There is A LOT you can skip, seriously, there is a shit ton, but.. this is a list of Marvel titles I think you should read:

DareDevil (1998) 16-19 (Wake Up trade) and 50-55 (Echo)- This introduces Echo and tells us more about the character. She's by far one of my favourite Marvel characters and her relationship with Matt was rather cute and sweet. She's a rather kick ass character.
DareDevil current series by Waid- It's pretty good actually. It's a lighter tone for DareDevil and it's actually interesting. I like this series thus far, I hope it continues to be rather great.
Agents of Atlas- If you are a fan of Golden Age characters revamped like JSA, you'll love this. Seriously, it's a group of crazy Golden Age characters, modernized and made so awesome and cool that you will love every minute of this.
Dan Slott's She-Hulk- For the first time in a long time, Jennifer Walters has to learn to be comfortable as well.. Jennifer Walters. She's hidden behind She-Hulk persona and it has allowed her life to kinda go to shit, so.. she gets kicked out of the Avengers and is forced to get her life together. How? She goes back to her lawyer roots and helps with Superhero Law.. the catch? She has to do this all as the puny white often squirrelly Jennifer Walters instead of the gorgeous, green and powerful.. She-Hulk!
Hawkeye and Mockingbird- This is a fun and amazing spy series about a divorced couple and their rekindling relationship as well as their working relationship. The two work so well together, it's really amazing.
Black Widow (2010, the most recent one)- I started this because of Marjorie M Liu's amazing take on Black Widow. After that, Duane Swierczynski (current BoP writer) took over and the series took a mild change of direction. Both show Black Widow as a kick ass take-no-prisoners spy and it's pretty damn awesome.
Widowmaker- So, you've read Hawkeye and Mockingbird and Black Widow and still want more? Well.. here it is! The trio investigate the deaths of various spies that have died in their respective networks. They start out, at first, a little at odds with each other, then reluctantly begin to work together to find out who is behind this travesty.
Incredible Hercules- Great, fun story about Hercules and his genius partner, Amadeus Cho. It's hilarious and great fun to read, seriously. Get it.. now!
Prince of Power- This follows Amadeus Cho as he becomes the new Prince of Power for the age of the mind instead the age of strength!
Greg Pak's run on Hulk (Yes all of it!)- Starting with Hulk shipped off to space to a savage planet where he finds peace and love before it gets destroyed.. to the evil Bruce Banner era. I love seeing Bruce as the "bad guy" and showing how he's an unrivaled genius and only the fact that he's become Hulk regularly get in the way.
Marvel Knights: Inhumans- An adult Inhumans story for the adult comic audience. A race of aliens where each and every one is completely individual (with their own powers and look) struggles to stop a war that could wipe out their entire hidden city on the Moon.
Alias- Former superhero, Jessica Jones, has put up her tights and turned to a life as a Private Investigator. Rather dark and edgy series that deals with Jessica's real problems and the fact that she used to be a rather goofy and naive super heroine named Jewel.
X-Force/X-Statix/X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl- What happens when you have a reality TV show based all around "disposable" mutant superheroes? Well.. X-Statix of course. They live life on the edge knowing that every mission could be their last.
Brubaker's Captain America vol. 5 & 6/Captain America & Bucky/Winter Solider (Upcoming)- Seriously, I am not a fan of Captain America. When he died, I didn't care. I was not interested in reading it at all, but.. I heard good things and FINALLY decided to check it out and well.. I'm now a Captain America fan.. or rather, I think I'm more of a Bucky/Winter Soldier fan tbh. This series is rather amazing. I love James Buchanan and how he's been revamped (and his history with Black Widow). I even enjoy the Steve Rogers stories as Steve no longer comes off as clean cut guy, but rather he's showing he's more of a soldier with less and less desire to be a symbol.