The annual rundown of the best and worst for DC Comics’ women is up at DC Women Kicking Ass, and I got to participate in the worst list along with great ladies like Kelly Thompson, Liz Pfeiffer, Lisa Fortuner, and Corrina Lawson. It was rather distinguished company!!
I got to comment on Wonder Woman #7 and the revelation that the Amazons are rapists and murderers, which I found rather upsetting, and on the Wonder Woman/Superman romance, which was a bad idea that’s continuing to play out poorly. I agree with the rest of the list as well. It wasn’t the best year for women at DC in several ways.
However, there were a few bright spots in 2012. Ann Nocenti and Christy Marx joined Gail Simone as regular writers, and then Gail Simone joined them after she was fired and re-hired. Wonder Woman, despite the whole Amazon thing, has had good moments over the year, and Batwoman and Batgirl have been consistently good and well-reviewed. I don’t hear much about Supergirl, but I’m still enjoying it, particularly the way Mahmud Asrar draws her in a classy manner. On the digital side of things, there are gals all over the place, more so than in print (and then eventually in print, I suppose… nothing is exclusively digital yet). The year definitely had it’s bad moments, but it certainly wasn’t all bad.
Head over to DC Women Kicking Ass and check out the full Worst of 2012 list!!
TIM HANLEY 
I really enjoyed reading that piece. You were absolutely right, Tim. This SM/WW “romance” is all part of DC’s desperate (and rather misguided) attempts at making him more popular. Hell, for the last couple of months they’ve been practically begging people to read his eponymous title:
1.) They put a six page preview of issue #13 in the back of all of the comics that came out in November.
2.) They pulled another publicity stunt by having him quit his job (as if its the first time he’s ever quit the DP).
3.) Scott Lobdell has been doing interviews with with just about every comic book-related website in what’s nothing more than a pathetic “hearts and minds” campaign to win over people who’ve lost interest in the title or never were interested in it.
At the end of the day, good storytelling is what wins readers over, and by most accounts, “H’El On Earth” has been comically horrible. (God, that guy has the worst pun of a name in the history of comics)
What’s really disconcerting is that it seems like only the hardcore Wonder Woman fans like us realize what a terrible disservice this “romance” with Superman is to her. With Didio and Lee at the helm of the company, I fear the worst is yet to come.
But you know what? I’m content to sit back and watch DC continue alienate readers and be the instrument of their own destruction. Apparently Marvel dominated the charts again last month, and it looks like DC will again be stuck playing catch-up to them just like they were a before the launch of the New 52. I’ve even gotten back on the Marvel bandwagon myself.
Btw, Happy New Year, Tim! 🙂 *headbutt*