The latest pop culture controversy concerns the makeover of the classic super heroine from DC Comics, Wonder Woman. Starting with Issue 600 of her comic book, her star-spangled swim suit costume will be replaced with something more utilitarian.

Wonder Woman will be wearing black leggings, a red top with blue sleeves, a gold belt, and the iconic gold bracelets. It is much more sensible attire for fighting evil. It is also much less American.

There is a disturbing trend in American pop culture that is de-Americanizing some of its most iconic figures and making them more — well — international. This trend seems to have invaded comic books to a certain extent.

For instance, during the most recent attempt to make a Superman movie, the catch phrase, "Truth, justice, and the American way" became "Truth, justice, and all that other stuff." The excuse the film producers made at the time was that "the American way" wasn't all that popular during the presidency of the Great Satan (i.e., George W. Bush). The movie bombed at the box office, and the franchise is now in limbo for the time being.

The first attempt to make a live action G.I. Joe film ran into controversy when it was announced that the Joes would no longer be "Great American heroes" and more of an international organization. The studio attempted to smooth things over during the subsequent outcry. Indeed, the two main characters in the film were American, but the damage had been done.

Which brings us back to Wonder Woman. True, a lot of her mythos did stem from the myths and legends of ancient Greece; she was an Amazon with super powers derived from the Greek goddesses and with magic artifacts like "the lasso of truth." But, like many immigrants to America, Wonder Woman had adopted her new country with a will and her costume, with the red, white, and blue and the gold eagle on her bosom, reflected that. Wonder Woman, who was introduced in the 1940s, also fought Nazis, along with the usual assortment of super villains.

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