Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl: Why Comics Are Now Ads

Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl was the hot topic in a number of DC comic circles. From a debut that hit all the right fan buttons to DC executives giving her all of their backing. This is especially the case with a CW TV show before her full comics appearance! Tragically, her stardom burned out as quickly. How or why? Let’s talk about it.

Who Is Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl?

Yara Flor was created by comic creator Joelle Jones. Jones’ characters and stories tend to revolve around women’s self-discovery often in contrast to traditions. Her first major story Lady Killer gets acclaim for vibrant art while a housewife revels in her passion as a hitman. Thankfully Yara doesn’t need anything that drastic, just a niche to fill in her own. Because when you get the title of comics most noted superheroine, you gotta find what makes you unique.

Yara is designed after Brazilian model and actress Suyane Moreira.

As the above image implies, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume Moreira’s role in a few TV shows was also influential. Most of them are as an indigenous Brazilian dealing with the plots’ intercultural struggles. Heck her longest role in the Os Mutantes trilogy (almost) has the same name as Yara.

Speaking of, Yara might as well be a character Moreira played. As the daughter of an Amazonian and a river deity, Yara’s arcs revolve around the clash of cultures. Between her Esquecidas Amazon tribe and the Greek Pantheon is a need for balance. For example, Yara’s outfit is a combination between her tribe’s clothes and Themysciran armor. Only problem is, there are forces trying to push Yara to disrupt that balance including Yara herself.

Reputation vs. Character

DC put a lot of investments towards Yara Flor and it shows in the early days.

We won’t be talking about the 5G rumors and the rest Dan DiDio’s plans. Jones confirms that has nothing to do with what really happened.

DC already forwarded plans for a TV show on the CW. You know that network where they reworked Smallville spin-off pitches into Arrow. But why? It’s not like they can use her source material’s fanbase to drum up interest. Apparently the showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez got a sneak preview and got Berlanti Productions to back her up. For all we know, the comics could’ve been a backdoor pilot.

How about we take a look at Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl reactions to get a better idea.

 

As the videos and Screenrant article show, Yara Flor has been well received. Aside from her eye-catching design, she is a well-rounded character in the process of discovering herself. This allows her to connect with the reader as a larger world unravels including the overlooked Brazilian folklore. All the while staying humbly connected to the common people by being a bonafide hero. She also had plenty of arc potential when it comes to flaws like her impatience. Frankly it’s no wonder everybody bet the barn on Yara.

The Decline of Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl

So what went wrong? It wasn’t because of Yara or Joelle Jones’s storytelling but events out of their control. Basically, there was so much going on and the marketers tried to rush Yara into the spotlight.

But for more details, let’s start with the CW…

The CW ultimately had to pull back on their DC properties including Wonder Girl. As for the comics, Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl rushed its first arc. By the next half of the series, Yara and the cast virtually become more like plot devices than characters. Combine this with the series’ cancellation in favor of the Trial of the Amazons crossover’s many moving pieces, the character lost her direction.

But maybe this video explains it better. I asked Miss Jones and she more or less confirmed it:

Where Is She Now?

Nowadays, Yara is a semi-regular character in the Wonder Woman franchise, all but finishing her series arc with a different writer. But at this point it’s unknown if this Wonder Girl can make a comeback. Because as some insightful cynics say, mainstream comic books are little more than ads for licensors. But like all ads, you still have to market them to a target audience with patience, not expect every comic fan and investor to be on board. Hopefully Joelle Jones’ Wonder Girl will inspire future appearances of the character.

Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.