Top 10 Wonder Woman Villain Moments of 2022
Trying something a little bit different this year... let's look at the top 10 moments of the year featuring Wonder Woman's Villains!
Medusa's Redemption - Medusa is one of Wonder Woman's deadliest adversaries, so many of us weren't too surprised when she emerged as a major threat on Themyscira in the pages of NUBIA & THE AMAZONS. What did surprise us was Nubia using her mythical spear to purify Medusa of her reptilian curse. Similar to Paula von Gunther in the 1940s, Medusa was ultimately invited to join the Amazons and continues to remain on Themyscira despite her past deeds. Compassion and rehabilitation have always been major themes for the Wonderverse, so it was truly a delight to see Nubia redeem Medusa this year.
The Villainy of Our Fears - One of the first supervillain teams to ever appear in comics is Villainy Inc., a group of Wonder Woman's archenemies who first appeared way back in 1948. While there has been a modern incarnation led by Queen Clea, the team hadn't been used for decades until 2022. Doctor Psycho takes command of the newest incarnation which is comprised of some… questionable members. While many of us would have loved to see the classic 8 members return, it's great to see the Villainy Inc. name live on.
Feral - While Greg Rucka has established quite possibly the best version of Cheetah in her 79 year history, subsequent writers have fallen back into the habit of treating Cheetah pretty poorly. However, the current comics by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad are showcasing Cheetah as a powerhouse and a reluctant ally for Wonder Woman. While it remains to be seen where her character is going, seeing her interact with Steve, Etta, and Siggy on a regular basis has been very entertaining, to say the least.
Dolos, the Duke of Deception - The Duke of Deception was a major archenemy from the 1940s to the 1960s, but modern Wonder Woman stories have pushed the Duke to the wayside in favor of other villains like Deimos and Phobos. 2022 saw the Duke's return, with a major addition to his mythos: he is now Dolos, a figure from Greek myths and the embodiment of trickery and deceit. Fans have long speculated that the Duke and Dolos were one in the same, but it's great to see it confirmed in the comics.
The Men of Historia - If you haven't read WONDER WOMAN HISTORIA, you don't know what you're missing. The male Olympian Gods are outraged when Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Demeter, Artemis, and Hecate create the Amazons. Zeus, Ares, Poseidon, and several others appear as the antagonists in some of the most beautiful pieces of art ever put to page.
Dark Crisis - Several of Wonder Woman's rogues gallery appear throughout this major event. Ares is one of the first recruited into Darkseid's Dark Army, though he is later joined by Cheetah, Giganta, and Angle Man. While none of the Wondyvillains get too much spotlight, it's great to see some representation even if they're all possessed by the Great Darkness.
Giganta vs. Nubia - We're still waiting for a big, iconic Giganta story, but for now, we'll take this fun romp from DC PRIDE 2022 SPECIAL. In this segment of the anthology special, Giganta joins the Babes of Bodyslam, a group of female wrestlers, as part of her parole. This ultimately leads to a clash with Nubia, a breakout Wonder Woman character in her own right.
Trial of the Amazons - The first big major event featuring Wonder Woman since War of the Gods (because Amazons Attack should always be ignored), Trial of the Amazons is a decent story that unfortunately doesn't feature any classic Wonder Woman villains in a major capacity. While Chaos serves as the major antagonist, we do get an Echidna appearance as well as Altuum the Survivor, a new villain introduced for 2022.
Hell Hath No Flurry - Blue Snowman's had quite a year in 2021, but we haven't seen much of them in 2022 beyond this chapter of SENSATIONAL WONDER WOMAN SPECIAL #1. Byrna has been gender-bending since the 1940s, and it's fitting that they'd be the antagonist of a story about a young boy who dresses as Wonder Woman.
Gigantaur - 2022's JURASSIC LEAGUE was… a choice. Fans weren't sure what to expect… but the series ended up being quite a fun ride. Featured in the series is a dinosaur version of Giganta who serves as arch-nemesis of Wonderdon (Wonder Woman as a triceratops). Ares also makes a brief appearance.
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https://youtu.be/gmUeNnuFrl4
This made me think of your Swap AU Reaper Nurses
The Silver Reapers were quite the spectacle. Seemingly immobile statues made of the gray metal, dressed in traditional 18th-century dresses. They only show how dangerous they are when you turn your gaze away from them.
Their hollow eyes are always open, covered by the pink sheer veil that hung under thier giant decorated hats. They're always watching, and you'd never know until you've got the blade of a smallsword driving through your chest.
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Remember this joke?
Well, I am going to do something similar only with photography. This is a photo someone took for an Amazon review of their Clinique products.
Honestly, it is not a terrible photo. They did some staging. They have an interesting background. All of the labels are legible. It is properly exposed. This would be a perfectly acceptable product photo for an Etsy page.
I've been taking these advanced photography courses in preparation for whenever I am able to create a new studio in the house. And my teacher is a photography badass. I just watched a 6 hour class on how to recreate a professional Clinique ad. And at first glance it looks deceptively simple. It's just some skin care products being splashed with a little water.
Which is why I wanted you to see an average person for reference.
This is what Karl Taylor came up with.
And I don't think I've learned so much about photography in one tutorial before.
Product photography is just loads and loads of problem solving. You have to light the chrome caps with a gradient. Which requires giant diffusion scrims.
Those big white panels are literally only there for the two chrome caps.
You need a pure white background, but you can't let light spill all over the studio, so you put up giant black light blockers.
And you have to add another light just for the orange bottle on the right.
Oh, and if you want the bottles to glow, well, you have to hide a silver reflector behind them.
But you still want the edges of the bottles to be darker so they have some contrast. So you add some black tape to the sides.
And in order for the reflective labels to have bold black lettering, you have to reflect black cards into them.
Ack! Karl's beautiful bald head is showing up in the chrome caps! He must put on the naughty blanket.
And once you get every aspect of every bottle perfectly lit, you finally get to yeet some water at it all.
I don't love product photography because I have a weird obsession to help greedy corporations make their wares look more beautiful. I love it because it is a complicated and challenging new puzzle every time. Every product is a different shape and requires a different technique to make it look its best.
I don't know if I will be able to live up to Karl's standards.
This is about the level I was at in 2017 before I quit photography.
I have so much more knowledge in my brain now. I'm really hoping I can surpass that.
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I had a character concept form in my head after hearing a line in one of those video essays on youtube (less a build and more just a general vibe/concept)
An aged Eldritch Fighter, recently gone grey but wrinkles have yet to truely take hold of hid features. However he doesn't carry a weapon and his demeanor is almost akin to that of a Monk, being very calm and diffusing in tense situations.
When threatened by some random thug with a sword who makes some comment about how his blade makes him a Big Man compared to an 'decrepit old coot', the Fighters response is only
"Any child can pick up a sword, a Man knows when to put it down."
He then summons his pact weapon from the aether and defends himself unlethally before dismissing it and being on his way.
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