On the other hand it doesn't stand out from other anthropomorphic animal characters. Also it dehumanizes her. Isn't the human part that drives her to become the Cheetah what draws old school fans to her as a character?
Whatever I finally decide as an opinion on the character the art as a whole it's done really well. Not only on the technique but I can feel the emotion and Cheetah trying to assert her dominance. It's unsettling which is a good thing. I think for a second there I imagined some non intended sexual tension on Cheetah's part?
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Edit: If CHeetah was a man in that pic people would be taking a shit fit.
Cover itself... lends itself to quite a bit of speculation, because Barbara is approaching Diana as if she's hitting on her in a very predatory way, so of 'hello lady' fashion that would make most very uncomfortable. And Diana is just a second or two from lamping her one.
Actually the vibe I am getting off Cheetah here is very much like:
On the other hand it doesn't stand out from other anthropomorphic animal characters. Also it dehumanizes her. Isn't the human part that drives her to become the Cheetah what draws old school fans to her as a character?
I would argue that her Perez design was hardly unique... considering it had been mostly lifted from Marvel's Tigra and now supplemented with a bunch of cat-girl characters from Japan. Regarding her humanity... ehh, hasn't Barbara mostly left that behind ever since she first transformed? Like Perez wrote her as quite happy with ripping people open with her bare claws, it's not been unusual to see her eat raw meat, murdering harmless old women or even master mind a walking atrocity like Genocide. And now in the New 52 she's even worse, having already killed 1 or 2 members of her own family, and eaten the hearts of who knows how many people thats gotten in front of her. If anything, her appearance now just reflects how she's been for decades now.
I would argue that her Perez design was hardly unique... considering it had been mostly lifted from Marvel's Tigra and now supplemented with a bunch of cat-girl characters from Japan. Regarding her humanity... ehh, hasn't Barbara mostly left that behind ever since she first transformed? Like Perez wrote her as quite happy with ripping people open with her bare claws, it's not been unusual to see her eat raw meat, murdering harmless old women or even master mind a walking atrocity like Genocide. And now in the New 52 she's even worse, having already killed 1 or 2 members of her own family, and eaten the hearts of who knows how many people thats gotten in front of her. If anything, her appearance now just reflects how she's been for decades now.
That's what I read into it. The fact that she's so far gone that the design is to show she's more completely removed from humanity. I think that even in the #1 issue Wonder Woman says something along the lines of "you've stooped this low" at seeing she made a freakin' shrine out of human bones. I don't know, that suggested to me that before she was a little more like the version we've seen before, but the curse has taken an even stronger hold.
I guess we'll find out. I like it, personally, design wise as it does differentiate from the usual cat-girl motif and actually makes Cheetah scary.
I don't think I mind Cheetah's Rebirth aesthetic. Granted her previous look was way more fap-worthy (since that's apparently a thing in this thread) but there's nothing wrong with focusing on the bestial side of Cheetah and it's not as if it looks bad thanks to Liam Sharp's breathtaking pencil work. Also, I don't buy the dehumanising point brought up, Cheetah has pretty much zero humanity both Pre New 52 and in the New 52. She murdered innocent people left and right before the reboot, specifically during Rucka and Simone's run and New 52 she murdered members of her own family, cult and consumes hearts FFS. Cheetah's appeal as a villain should not be linked to her humanity at all.
@outside_85: I would argue that her Perez design was hardly unique... considering it had been mostly lifted from Marvel's Tigra and now supplemented with a bunch of cat-girl characters from Japan.
I see what you're saying but still now she looks like fodder to me.
Regarding her humanity... ehh, hasn't Barbara mostly left that behind ever since she first transformed? Like Perez wrote her as quite happy with ripping people open with her bare claws, it's not been unusual to see her eat raw meat, murdering harmless old women or even master mind a walking atrocity like Genocide. And now in the New 52 she's even worse, having already killed 1 or 2 members of her own family, and eaten the hearts of who knows how many people thats gotten in front of her. If anything, her appearance now just reflects how she's been for decades now.
I was mostly playing devils advocate. I don't particularly find cheetah as one of her interesting villains. So I was trying to latch onto something that could be. That's why I mentioned a group who generally uses the human side as a reason she's interesting and who usually calls for them to bring back that aspect. Right now she just comes of as the recurring shallow beatdown. That's just my opinion though.
Still the art as a whole is great don't you agree?
@outside_85: I would argue that her Perez design was hardly unique... considering it had been mostly lifted from Marvel's Tigra and now supplemented with a bunch of cat-girl characters from Japan.
I see what you're saying but still now she looks like fodder to me.
Regarding her humanity... ehh, hasn't Barbara mostly left that behind ever since she first transformed? Like Perez wrote her as quite happy with ripping people open with her bare claws, it's not been unusual to see her eat raw meat, murdering harmless old women or even master mind a walking atrocity like Genocide. And now in the New 52 she's even worse, having already killed 1 or 2 members of her own family, and eaten the hearts of who knows how many people thats gotten in front of her. If anything, her appearance now just reflects how she's been for decades now.
I was mostly playing devils advocate. I don't particularly find cheetah as one of her interesting villains. So I was trying to latch onto something that could be. That's why I mentioned a group who generally uses the human side as a reason she's interesting and who usually calls for them to bring back that aspect. Right now she just comes of as the recurring shallow beatdown. That's just my opinion though.
Still the art as a whole is great don't you agree?
If she had a long standing tradition for teaming up with Circe, I might agree with you. But as it is, all thats really changes is her facial features thats grown more beastly, which I approve of since I dont believe she was meant to be pretty, and the loss of the hair... that I never understood why that remained when she actually grew fur to cover the rest of her.
Well personally I have been waiting for DC to come down on one side of the fence or the other regarding Cheetah, either they retain the current power-level where Batman and Green Arrow can get the drop on her and compensate her by making her smarter. Or they grew a pair and made it a fact that Cheetah is someone who can physically challenge someone like Wonder Woman... right now it appears Rucka has come down on the side of making her powerful.
Perhaps she can transform from one shape to the other? If it's not something that's not intended for the series now, perhaps it can be written in at another time.
Her human form for inconspicuous travel, her more recognized cheetah form for wonder speedy tasks, and her more anthropomorphic form for the big fights.
I don't think I mind Cheetah's Rebirth aesthetic. Granted her previous look was way more fap-worthy (since that's apparently a thing in this thread) but there's nothing wrong with focusing on the bestial side of Cheetah and it's not as if it looks bad thanks to Liam Sharp's breathtaking pencil work. Also, I don't buy the dehumanising point brought up, Cheetah has pretty much zero humanity both Pre New 52 and in the New 52. She murdered innocent people left and right before the reboot, specifically during Rucka and Simone's run and New 52 she murdered members of her own family, cult and consumes hearts FFS. Cheetah's appeal as a villain should not be linked to her humanity at all.
For the record as I said to Outside
I was mostly playing devils advocate. I don't particularly find cheetah as one of her interesting villains. So I was trying to latch onto something that could be. That's why I mentioned a group who generally uses the human side as a reason she's interesting and who usually calls for them to bring back that aspect. Right now she just comes of as the recurring shallow beatdown. That's just my opinion though.
Also I was speaking purely conceptually and that doesn't always align with going on.
@dernman: That's fine, it was a fair devil's advocate post. Mine was more general and if directed, it was at other dissenting opinions in the thread than yours anyway.
Perhaps she can transform from one shape to the other? If it's not something that's not intended for the series now, perhaps it can be written in at another time.
Her human form for inconspicuous travel, her more recognized cheetah form for wonder speedy tasks, and her more anthropomorphic form for the big fights.
Or it could indicate how human she acts and feels which would be zero right now?
I like the new look and her head looks so fluffy. I want Sharp to draw more animals.
I like it too. If I can't have my favorite version which is the Debbie Domain look that's not in any of the comics I own, making her more bestial and apparently formidable is a nice change. She's been a pushover for far too long.
Haven't been a Wonder Woman fan long enough to care, but for what it's worth I don't mind either design. I've always thought of her as WW's archenemy so if her being more bestial means a power boost then I'm down with that.
Is it me or is Liam Sharp drawing Diana kinda strange? I mean her head seems pretty big in comparison to her body in this cover, not to mention that her waste is ridiculously thin.
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