There’s a time to shake things up and there’s a time slow things down, but there’s never a time for outright regression. No matter how it’s packaged and no matter how it’s presented, regression is toxic to characters, relationships, story, and everything in between. This is what has me so dismayed about the current state of Superman and Wonder Woman with DC Comics right now. While some characters, like Aquaman and Batman, are allowed to progress, Superman and Wonder Woman are basically being forced back into the box they were in before Flashpoint. It’s tragic because it basically abandons all the progress that they made as characters and as lovers.
Tragedy or not, it does help give what I’m going in Broken Legacy more meaning. I’m developing this story with the idea that Superman and Wonder Woman, who they are and what they stand for, can be deconstructed without regression. I like to think I’ve taken some chances and pushed these characters into unknown domains. It has been dramatic, strenuous, and challenging. However, the payoff is just around the corner.
The stage is set. The final showdown is here. Superman is laying everything on the line to stop Tyr-El. He can’t win this fight as Superman. He can’t even win this fight as Clark Kent. He has to be Kal-El. He has to be the last surviving son of the House of El. That’s the only way he’s going to preserve what’s left of his legacy. Moreover, he needs to trust that Wonder Woman can preserve hers. Now that the Amazons are involved, she has just as much to lose and just as much to gain. It’s a battle of high emotions and high drama, one which will change both characters in a major way, but it sure as hell won’t regress them. And it all unfolds in this latest chapter.
As I’ve said before, I don’t have any plans for other Superman or Wonder Woman stories after this. Plans do change though. While this story hasn’t garnered the same support as Strangers In Paradise, not that I expected it to, I am continually amazed at the passion and support by fans.
The Superman/Wonder Woman crowd are proud, passionate bunch. The support they give writers like me can’t be overstated. I know these are dark times for them and they’re bound to get darker with DC’s current policy of constant regression. I hope that changes, but for now I hope to do my part with stories like Broken Legacy. There are only a couple chapters left, but I intend to make them count. For beleaguered Superman/Wonder Woman fans out there, I hope to make it worth the wait. Nuff said!
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