Comics / Comics News

Entertainment Weekly Announces Superman's New Girlfriend

By Hervé St-Louis
August 22, 2012 - 14:59

Justice League #12, published on August 29, 2012, will be more than a milestone of the first year after the 52 reboot of DC Comics. It will also be a milestone of major proportions according to publisher DC Comics because Superman's main romance partner will not be Lois Lane, the perennial girlfriend and sometimes wife of Superman. Instead, Wonder Woman will replace Lois Lane as Superman's main romantic partner.

The cover by Justice League artist Jim Lee is inspired by Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss and Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square photograph. Entertainment Weekly writes about the union of Superman and Wonder Woman that "She’s a mythic Amazonian warrior; he’s a veritable demigod. Both have huge hearts for mankind, yet also feel estranged from humanity. Relationships with civilians are tricky for caped crusaders, even liabilities."

The pairing of Superman has been suggested for years in many comic books stories, usually in apocryphal stories. Ciphers for Superman and Wonder Woman such as Ultra Man and Super Woman or Marvel Comics' Supreme Power's Princess Zarda and Hyperion have all dated each other. This reporter's only beef with the presentation of Superman and Wonder Woman's union is that it is described as Superman having a new girlfriend instead of Wonder Woman getting a new boyfriend. I'm definitely not a feminist, but I don't like how Wonder Woman is subjugated as Superman's new "chick" instead of the opposite.

For years, DC Comics has pretended that Wonder Woman was her own character and able to stand on her own without any male character to back her up. Yet, at the first suggestion that she would date Superman, it is Superman who is made the dominant partner in the relationship, much like how independent super heroine Black Canary, who was created independently of Green Arrow has been transformed since her pairing with the archer as essentially his sidekick and part of "his" family.

Wonder Woman is not Superman with boobs. Wonder Woman is her own character, not Superman's sidekick or chick of the month. While I'm open to reading the story, I and several fans of comic books who have appreciated the latest Wonder Woman series launched in the new 52 would be very disappointed if Wonder Woman's character was reduced as a footnote on Superman's resume.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12