VILLAINS! Your Thoughts On: CIRCE!

[Gail Simone]

Like her, love her? Who wrote her best, and who drew her best?

[BnL]

I like her a lot, but despite her frequent use these last few years, I don't think she was used well in most of those appearances. When she makes her comeback, it has to be in grand style.

I think Perez drew her best, though I like some aspects of the Dodson redesign.

Choosing who wrote her best is more difficult. Pre-Infinite Crisis, I think most writers handled her very well.

[Constantine Drakon]

She can be fun, but I have a problem with her weak motivation. Her background just isn't fleshed out enough. I'd love to see what sort of things made her the woman she is, explain why she does the things she does, get some real insight into her.

As for her abilities, I always thought she worked best when she was mostly limited to creating and controlling animal-people. Sure she can do other magic stuff, but it I figure it should take time and preparation to do spells. As the character drifted away from that, I think her abilities became too ill-defined for really good stories (a problem many magic users have). Plus the bestiamorphs make her rather distinct from other evil magic users, I think

Honestly I've liked all the designs. The current one is good, and I figure it can last for a while.

[BnL]

She can be fun, but I have a problem with her weak motivation. Her background just isn't fleshed out enough. I'd love to see what sort of things made her the woman she is, explain why she does the things she does, get some real insight into her.

Ooh, I'd love a detailed origin.

[Damo]

She's not my favorite villain, and I think she's overexposed. She's potentially one of Diana's most dangerous foes, but I think it's scuppered by the fact that I don't think we really know who she is, even after all this time. She's really a blank slate, seemingly not much more than a powerful misanthrope (kind of like Psycho, but without all the personality and the sick sense of humor that make him disturbingly fun and fascinating).

I'd much rather see some forgotten enemies get dusted off until there's a Circe story that screams to be told.

Take a break, Circe, it's Blue Snowman's turn to shine!

[suedenim]

I liked her more in the animated Justice League series than elsewhere. I thought that was a neat take on an immortal character - she long ago gave up on whatever thoughts she had of "ruling the world" or whatever, and is mostly motivated by boredom.

[Rawhide Kid]

She's not my favorite villain, and I think she's overexposed. She's potentially one of Diana's most dangerous foes, but I think it's scuppered by the fact that I don't think we really know who she is, even after all this time. She's really a blank slate, seemingly not much more than a powerful misanthrope (kind of like Psycho, but without all the personality and the sick sense of humor that make him disturbingly fun and fascinating).

I'd much rather see some forgotten enemies get dusted off until there's a Circe story that screams to be told.

Take a break, Circe, it's Blue Snowman's turn to shine!

I totally agree with you and suedenim for the "motivated by boredom".
She didn't seem to have a meaning aside messing with Wonder Woman for the sake of it.

[Free-Man]

I liked her more in the animated Justice League series than elsewhere. I thought that was a neat take on an immortal character - she long ago gave up on whatever thoughts she had of "ruling the world" or whatever, and is mostly motivated by boredom.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought her Post-Crisis origin mentioned her hating the Amazons because they locked her up on Transformation Island.

[BnL]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought her Post-Crisis origin mentioned her hating the Amazons because they locked her up on Transformation Island.

This was added during Phil Jimenez's run. She was also bitter about the Amazons taking custody of her daughter. He also wrote her as being critical of Diana's authenticity and message, in much the same way as Veronica Cale was during Rucka's run.

Before that, her motivation was that her patron, the Titaness Hecate, had a grudge against the Olympians for their treatment of her. As the champion of the Olympian Gods, Diana became a natural target for Circe. Over the years, she found her own reasons to hate Diana. She cast a spell on herself to create the illusion that she was a normal woman, so that she could befriend Diana, and later enact a ruinous betrayal against her. Unfortunately for her, her spell worked too well, and she believed that she really was a mortal woman, and Diana's friend. Of course, the illusion eventually wore off, and her near-reformation at the hands of Wonder Woman gave her even more reason to resent her.

All of that should amount to some good story potential. I would love to also see some kind of encounter between her and the Amazons in ancient times, setting the stage for her hostility toward them.

[meek?]

Like her, love her? Who wrote her best, and who drew her best?

Like her! A formidable opponent for WW. I was introduced to the character from and enjoyed her take in JLU. I've only read stories of her in Heinberg's opening arc and AMAZONS ATTACK.

So, yeah, Heinberg wins the who wrote her best award.

I wouldn't care as much for the character if not for Terry Dodson's redesign. He's one of those artists that has that gift of making characters look so interesting and aesthetically-pleasing that you'd want to know more about and see more of them.

Just not in back-to-back arcs, though, where the first one hasn't yet finished.

Peace.

[WillBooth]

Personally, I’m tired of seeing her. The end of the previous run and the start of the current run saw Circe used again and again, with diminishing returns.

I think I probably liked her best in her very first (post-Crisis) story, as a sinister presence on a mysterious island, directing complex schemes from a distance. She seems to move further and further away from that original premise with every appearance, and not for the better.

[4PointOh]

Like her, love her? Who wrote her best, and who drew her best?

I LOVE Circe. And I love her best when she functions as Diana's philosophical and political opposite. If Diana is about peaceful co-existence, equality between the sexes, freedom, and order, then Circe is about strife, gender supremacy, slavery, and chaos. She's decadence to Diana's sensuality; darkness to Diana's light; woe to Diana's hope.

Of all of Diana's foes, it's Circe who knows Diana best, who knows which buttons to press to push Diana over the edge.

The story I loved Circe in most was WONDER WOMAN #176 where she learns to use her magicks to transform herself into a being with a power level equal to Diana's and has a knock-down, drag-out fight with Diana amongst the Greek ruins.



I think Phil drew her best; I loved all the trendy outfits she would wear. And I think William Messner-Loebs wrote her best; his Circe was complex and multifaceted.

[Shatagni]

And I think William Messner-Loebs wrote her best; his Circe was complex and multifaceted.

I agree. I liked that whole "We could've been best friends if only..." angle. She one of those villains who's bad to the bone but you kinda feel sorry for in the end.

[Xeres]

She can be fun, but I have a problem with her weak motivation. Her background just isn't fleshed out enough. I'd love to see what sort of things made her the woman she is, explain why she does the things she does, get some real insight into her.

Yes x 1000! She has the most potential of all Diana's villains but she needs personality and a reason why she does what she does. Even if the reason is because she's just plain evil, that's fine. The character herself is a little bland. Of all of them she needs this the most. Give her a very outgoing personality, something easily distinguishable and you've got a winner.

I like the current version best though.

[AaronJ]

Circe is a good character, with great motivation.

That being said, she has been around WAY too much! I hope that Circe, Luthor, and Joker are given a long rest for a while.