Wonder Woman. David Kelley. Adrianne Palicki. Costume.

Let’s do this.

The first official image of Adrianne Palicki in full Princess Diana regalia was released this past week, and faster than you could say “Wow! That looks like sh—” fans of the iconic DC character were already voicing their, shall we say, unenthused opinions about it. Far be it from me to just jump on the bandwagon, but, all I can say is, “Wheee! Look! A bandwagon!”

That thing sure is shiny. And loud. And cheap-looking. The common complaint is that it looks like a bad Halloween interpretation, and I agree. I’d take it even a step further and say that it looks like the awkward picture you’d see on the packaging for the Halloween costume. She’s not wearing the outfit so much as the outfit’s wearing her.

A flurry of photoshopped alterations soon showered the net, most toning down the colors to a manageable level, some redesigning the cut of the pants and the boots. I have no problem with the shape or cut of any of it, though. I mean, let’s be honest, William Moulton Marston’s fetishistic early costume wasn’t designed with any high-minded thoughts of feminine modesty to begin with. While the bustier might be debatably acceptable, it’s unlikely that a skirt, hot pants, or bikini bottoms would fly in this day and age, so any tight pant (That’s right, bitches, pant! Singular! How you like me now?) that covers the leg is fine. Just as long as there’s nothing cheesy like stars running down the side of … OH, GOD DAMN YOU, KELLEY! Sigh.

It’s basically the colors and the material I don’t like. The red, it’s just the kind of color that looks great on paper but ridiculous on a real person. And the blue is just … wait, actually, it’s Blu-ray blue! Check out the trim on the packaging of your Blu-ray discs! It’s that color! What does that mean? No idea! But I know I don’t like it. The material looks flimsy and sort of weightless, though I think the bright colors once again don’t help. Remember when Wolverine joked about the idea of wearing yellow spandex in the first X-Men? This picture is why.

The only hero I think can get away with looking that goofy in live action is Superman, because his character is inherently sort of cornball, and his look is so iconic you can’t really deviate too much from it.

Kelley recently gave an interview to Vulture where he spoke of how he pushed himself to take on Wonder Woman specifically because it was a stretch for him. He said that he was reluctant at first, but then he started thinking about the character and her sense of social isolation, and from that angle he started to feel like he could get a good handle on it.

I’m all for someone pushing themselves creatively and taking risks, but I’m still dubious. Unquestionably, having a character who behaves like a realistic human being is crucial, but with the superhero genre in particular that’s only half the battle. I stand by the assertion I made when I discussed Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark the other week. You have to know how to handle the silly stuff. The secret identities. The fighting. The action. The powers.

The costume.

If this design that Kelley wrote off on is any indication how he’ll make future decisions regarding the series, I am afeard the show will vanish from sight faster than the invisible plane Kelley chose not to use.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• It’s All Geek To Me — Wonder Women and Batmen
• It’s All Geek To Me — Trying on The Cape
• It’s All Geek To Me — Fantastic Death, Wonder-ful Life
• It’s All Geek To Me — Superhero Show and Tell!
• It’s All Geek To Me — With Great Hubris Comes Great Responsibility
• Ryan Reynolds in His Green Lantern Costume!