Posted in Comics, SFW on 06/30/2010 07:15 pm by fanboi
DC Entertainment is not only redesigning the costume of Wonder Woman, writer J. Michael Straczynski and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee are completely reimagining the amazing amazon by actually changing her past… At some point about 20 years ago or so, the time stream was changed. Paradise Island was destroyed, and Princess Diana was smuggled out as an infant before Hyppolyta and her people were killed. She was raised by guardians sent with her, and some surviving Amazons. Diana now has “a foot in two worlds, the urban world and the world of her people, which still exists in the shadows, underground.”
This doesn’t look or feel like Wonder Woman to me. Hell, it doesn’t even look like Wonder Girl. Apparently the idea was to approach the costume without deference to any of her prior history or the 1940s sensibility of which she was born, instead using a 20th century perspective as if they were designing a new character. I personally think this is a mistake. Her iconic nature is a strength, not a weakness.
JMS mentions that "while Batman to Superman and others throughout the DC Universe, have undergone substantial changes over the years, Wonder Woman has remained pretty much the same in appearance." OK sure, Bats and Supes HAVE had costume changes… but NONE of them stuck for long. They always revert to some new variation on the classic motif. Wonder Woman has in fact worn a few outfits that were significantly different than her tried and true togs over the years. From the semi-classic 60’s white catsuit revisited in the early issues of Gail Simone’s relaunch to the trampy 90’s revamp by Mike Deodato and her occasionally seen golden armor, Diana never seems to stay out of her star spangled swimsuit for long. She’ll work through the arc and defeat whomever changed history, restoring the original timeline and don a new variation on the classic.
A choker? and what is with the spur straps on her feet? Just say no to spurs. What would Tim Gunn say?
I think the Jim Lee’s redesign of Wonder Woman that was used for the oneshot title featuring Just Imagine Wonder Woman as she might have been if created by Stan Lee was MUCH better than this. That was regal, and really reflected the strength and power of the character. This looks just like a new costume for Gypsy.
I think this retcon is a cheap way out of the corner DC seems to feel Wonder Woman has been written into. And what the hell does this new history mean for Donna Troy and Wonder Girl?
Posted in Comics, SFW on 04/15/2010 07:25 pm by fanboi
The post Wonder Woman #600 arc “puts Diana, alone, against almost impossible odds in a situation that begins with the destruction of Paradise Island and nearly everything she holds dear. Pursued, hunted, with the events that led to this a mystery, and her future uncertain, the amazing amazon must go into the depths of her soul, and the darkest places in the world, to try and rescue the people, and the world, she cares for. Something, or someone, has flipped a switch so that the world she lives in is not the world that was…and she’s the only hope of restoring that world.”
How many times must we destroy and rebuild Themyscira. Been there done that. Not impressed J. Michael Straczynski.
I may give it a few issues, but i don’t see this as promising. In other WW news, the art team has been announced as Don Kramer and Michael Babinski.
Posted in Comics, SFW on 03/08/2010 12:09 pm by fanboi
The recent revelation that Gail Simone was leaving Wonder Woman has been followed by today’s announcement that J. Michael Straczynski (Rising Stars) will be taking over writing chores for 2 of DC’s biggest stars as of their July issues. He had a lot to say about Clark and Diana…
Wonder Woman is a strong, mythic, powerful character who for some time now has been kind of drowning under the weight of her own mythos, so I’m looking forward to paring away some of the layers of debris and undergrowth that have piled up around her in order to get to the core of the character. We’re going to be looking more closely at how Wonder Woman appears, and functions, and her role in the DCU… and what we have planned will, we hope, come across as dynamic and powerful as she deserves to be.
Similarly, we plan to bring Superman back to his roots, to really explore who he is…how he sees us, and how we see him, in a much more personal way than we’ve seen in a while. This is part of a larger effort that will have national ramifications, but I can’t say much more about it than that for now. Keep an eye on TheSource for more information when the time is right…but for now, let’s just say that Superman may be a lot closer in proximity to you, the reader, than you ever guessed.
J. Michael Straczynski couldn’t be more excited that DC is using this June’s monumental anniversary issues of these two titles to kick off his run. I’m not sure how much contribution he’ll be making to those issues, but his run begins in earnest with 701 and 601. To say he’s a lifelong Superman fan who is realizing a childhood dream with this gig is an understatement. He grew up a poor kid from Jersey who looked to Superman as the icon of inspiration and strength, even carrying the S symbol like a personal talisman.
You also might know Straczynski from his recent work on Thor, The Twelve, Fantastic Four, Supreme Power, and Midnight Nation (last 2 both with recent Superman artist Gary Frank). I’m not sure how excited I am about this. It REALLY sounds like he’s more interested in doing Superman and Wonder Woman might get the short end of the stick. Lets hope not.
Artists for his run have yet to be announced, but I’m hoping the fact that Straczynski has teamed with Gary Frank TWICE before makes him a likely candidate for regular Superman artist.
Fan Favorite writer Gail Simone is ending her lengthy run on Wonder Woman. There is no word as of yet who will be taking over as writer for the amazing amazon, but Gail has a mouthful about her mystery successor… She said she was “genuinely thrilled by who is taking over the book,” assures us that the new writer will rock this book like there’s no tomorrow” and adds “people are going to freak and that makes me smile a lot.”
I hope whoever it is (stay tuned) will keep Achilles and Patrick Cleese (Patroclus) around. I want to see that relationship develop and will be severely disappointed if the new team lets them languish in literary limbo.
UPDATE: former Rising Stars creator J. Michael Straczynski will be lead writer on not only Wonder Woman but Superman as well.
She reunites with Secret Six artist Nicola Scott for her final WW story arc in Wonder Woman #42 (a 3 part story about “a big, crazy invasion story featuring the return of someone from WW history”), ending her tenure on the book with issue #45, but will also contribute to the newly renumbered Wonder Woman #600 (which would be #45). She also revealed that a life-long dream of hers “comes true in WONDER WOMAN #600″
I’ve looked through an archive of Wonder Woman’s foes and there aren’t many alien females listed… two I noticed were Eviless and Badra but they are pretty obscure. Any guesses on Gail’s last pick for a big bad to go up against Princess Diana?
But fans should fear not! Big things are afoot for Gail Simone… Not only will she be continuing on with her fantastic work on Secret Six and is coming full-circle at DC by reteaming with artist Ed Benes on Birds of Prey (the book that marked her big start with the publisher), but she’s also penning a new Welcome to Tranquility mini due in July!
Posted in Comics, SFW on 02/25/2010 12:51 pm by fanboi
Matchmaker matchmaker, make me a match…
In the latest issue of Wonder Woman (#41), Diana arranged a meeting between the king of the Gargareans known as Achilles a.k.a. Warkiller and a Real Estate agent. After Achilles makes an impressive entrance on his 2-trunked, 3-eyed flying elephant, he agrees to buy the property (which is apparently the Playboy Mansion) in exchange for many “buckets of gold.” Those well versed in their ancient Greek mythology will notice the similarity between the name of the real estate agent … Patrick Cleese and Achilles’ beloved Patroclus. It wasn’t lost on Achilles either. He voices gratitude to Diana for the set up and decides he isn’t alone in “Man’s World.”
The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a key element of the myths associated with the Trojan War. Its exact nature has been a subject of dispute in both the classical period and modern times. In the Iliad, it is clear that the two heroes have a deep and extremely meaningful friendship, but the evidence of a romantic or sexual element is equivocal.
Commentators from the classical period to today have tended to interpret the relationship through the lens of their own cultures. Thus, in 5th century BC Athens the relationship was commonly interpreted as pederastic. Contemporary readers are more likely to interpret the two heroes either as non-sexual “war buddies” or as an egalitarian homosexual couple.
Isn’t it sweet of Diana to set Achilles up with (I’m guessing) his true love reincarnated? Since she first announced his orientation, I was wondering how Gail Simone was going to work Achilles being gay into her storyline but now we know. I’m equally thrilled at the idea of the Playboy Mansion being their gay love nest.
As Nekron continues to wage war on life throughout the universe, Hal Jordan discovers the grim, true mission behind the villain’s return.
But the truth is so cosmically abysmal that it threatens to expose a secret that could tear the very universe asunder. You can’t miss this stunning, penultimate issue to the year’s biggest
If you haven’t read Blackest Night #6 STOP WHERE YOU ARE AND DO NOT CLICK ON THE SPOILERIFIC IMAGES BELOW. Stand up, and go to a comic store, buy it, read it, then come back here and we’ll dish.
If you HAVE read it, then by all means take a look and then be sure to leave a comment telling me what you think. My own thoughts, more spoiler details (and another teaser image!) are available in the rest of this entry…
Posted in Comics, SFW on 12/10/2009 06:38 pm by fanboi
DC asked readers to send in postcards if they wanted to see the amazing amazon’s title reset back to it’s original numbering when it reached its landmark 600th issue. By their Halloween deadline they’d gotten 712 and late entries brought the total close to 800. As of June 2010 Wonder Woman will return to the old numbering with issue #600.
I was sure that Diana was going to be significantly changed since they showed the blacked out mystery Wonder Woman figure in DC Direct’s Blackest Night series 4. I considered that perhaps she might end up a White Lantern (I have a feeling we still may see some), but the solicited cover on #2 of this 3 issue mini-series cinched it as a White Lantern wouldn’t be fighting Mera.
Black Lantern Maxwell Lord has risen and he seeks revenge and retribution for his death at the hands of Diana. Look for unexpected changes to await Wonder Woman in the course of this series as she plays a major role in the War of Light against the Blackest Night.
Fan-favorite writer Greg Rucka returns to chronicle the adventures of the Amazing Amazon in the DC Universe’s darkest hour! With the beautiful images of Secret Six artist Nicola Scott!
Any ideas about what the “unexpected changes” could be? I’m still guessing White Lantern since we already saw her as Black Lantern in Blackest Night #4, so having the big surprise be that she turns into a Black Lantern would be no big whoop. But then I’m wrong a lot. That is the problem with guessing.
It looks like DC is getting ITS Big Gay Powerhouse in the form of Wonder Woman’s male analogue. In a recent posting at the DCU Boards, Wonder Woman writer Gail Simone unceremoniously confirmed that Achilles, the leader of Zeus’ race of male counterparts to the Amazons (the Gargareans) is in fact a friend of Dorothy.
I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that Marvel has similar plans for Stonewall. I’ll add more images of Achilles here as I find them, so stay tuned.
So we know he’s gay now. The big question is… will he survive “Rise of the Olympian” to become a force in the DCU? Or is he a throwaway foe to be discarded after a single arc? Lets hope for the former. I’d like to get to know Achilles a little better.
Posted in Comics, SFW on 09/26/2009 09:50 pm by fanboi
With the recent trend of bringing the issue # on long-running titles that had rebooted at #0 back to their original numbering, DC has asked readers to decide if they should bring WONDER WOMAN up to 600 as of issue #45 of the current run. They said if they 600 cards saying to renumber, they will. Two weeks in to the WONDER WOMAN #600 campaign and they’ve already crossed the midway point. As of Friday September 25th, 324 postcards have been sent in from fans asking for WONDER WOMAN’s numbering to be reverted to #600 at the appropriate time.
If you want to see this happen, send your postcards to this address:
WONDER WOMAN #600
c/o Dan DiDio
1700 Broadway
New York, NY, 10019
It certainly looks like Diana is in a foul mood after being dumped by Tom Tresser (a.k.a. Nemesis). Too bad for Giganta she happened to be in Wondy’s way.
In this chapter of writer Gail Simone and artist Aaron Lopresti’s “Rise of the Olympian” saga, Diana finds herself fighting for her life against the man chosen by the gods to replace her — Achilles, the Warkiller.
Secret Six is definitely one of the best antihero books I’ve ever come across. The shining heroic glory of the DCU pantheon often overshadows the myriad of fascinating characters that oppose them. Writer Gail Simone has really given this title a wonderful insight into the depraved mind of a “villain.”
A crisis of conscience splits the Secret Six right down the middle and puts them on opposite sides of a horrific war involving Amazons led by a deluded Artemis!
Umm so Artemis ISN’T dead then? With her experience as a warrior, Diana should REALLY be a better judge of a corpse.
But that’s just the opening bout for the main event… for the icing on the cake, folks: Jeannette and Wonder Woman step into the ring for an all-out brawl
These bad boys (Catman, Deadshot and Bane) are looking as hot as ever – Thank you Nicola Scott for all the comic book beefcake you provide monthly. Keep up the equal opportunity objectification!
UPDATE: I’ve read it and there is a major reveal of something they’ve TOTALLY hinted at (so obviously now that I think about it that I cannot believe it didn’t occur to me before). I expose the truth after the jump so don’t comment or read the rest of this entry until you’ve read the issue! Read the rest of this entry »
Phil Jimenez grew up a latch-key kid in Southern California, and entertained himself by creating his own little worlds, playing with his toy dinosaurs, and watching a lot of TV — where a lifelong fascination with Wonder Woman began.
You wanted to reach out and touch her; she was amazing. I mean, she was, like, six foot in her stocking heels, she walked around in the costume like she owned it, and she was just… stunning. The Lynda CarterWonder Woman turn was kind of big for a lot of gay guys I know. Some people talk about it a lot, the transformation of her doing it, spinning around, going from this dowdy, secretive woman and suddenly she’s this gorgeous superheroine. I practiced the spin when I was little. Probably because I was gay. I mean, I’m going to assume that it has something to do with all… all this.
Phil Jimenez moved to NYC to attend college at the School of Visual Arts (where he now teaches a life drawing course as part of the undergraduate cartooning program). His first published work was four pages in the DC Comics miniseries War of the Gods in 1991, but he first gained significant recognition for the Tempest mini-series.
He came out as gay in 1992 at the age of 22, and his first open relationship was with his first editor and mentor at DC, Neal Pozner, who was HIV-positive when they started dating, and was hesitant about dating someone younger and HIV-negative. Jimenez became Pozner’s caretaker until his death in 1994 and in the last issue of the Tempest miniseries, Jimenez dedicated the miniseries to Pozner, and wrote an editorial page in which he came out publicly for the first time. “It got over 150 letters,” he says, “including the classic letter from the kid in Iowa: ‘I didn’t know there was anyone else like me.’ Coworkers at DC were surprised to hear Jimenez referred to as Pozner’s partner at his memorial as their relationship wasn’t public knowledge.
Best known for his 2 year run as writer/artist on Wonder Woman, his work as the main penciller of the DC miniseries crossover event Infinite Crisis, his collaborations with writer Grant Morrison on New X-Men and The Invisibles and his recent work on Amazing Spider-Man, Phil Jimenez is on a very short list of beloved and gifted next generation Modern Age comic book master artists.
It is likely no coincidence that a large part of Phil Jimenez’ work is also related to these three works by Perez: Jimenez has worked repeatedly in several Titans-related series (some issues of the ongoing series New Titans and Team Titans, and the miniserieses JLA/Titans, Titans/Legion of Super-Heroes: Universe Ablaze and Tempest), was the main artist of Infinite Crisis, a sequel of Crisis on Infinite Earths and highly related to the historical limited series, and did a large run as writer & artist of Wonder Woman (as did Perez in the 80’s).
The two actually worked together on a few occasions. For Infinite Crisis, Jimenez was the main penciller, and Perez drew some sequences and covers for the series) and DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy was written by Jimenez and inked by Perez.
It was announced at the 2007 San Diego ComicCon that Jimenez had signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics. He will be one of the four artists to be working on Marvel’s flagship title, The Amazing Spider-Man, the company’s sole Spider-Man title, in which Marvel upped its frequency of publication to three issues monthly, and inaugurated the series with the “back to basics” story arc “Brand New Day” at the beginning of 2008. His first work on Spider-Man was in the Free Comic Book Day 2007: Spider-Man #1 (June 2007) comic book, with writer Dan Slott, which served as a prelude to Brand New Day.
Phil’s been nominated for Eisner and GLAAD awards, listed as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “101 Gay Movers and Shakers,” and featured in The Advocate and OUT. He also created the art for the first permanent AIDS awareness exhibit in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and had the good fortune to be Peter Parker’s hands, working in a scene as a hand double for Toby Maguire, in the scene from Spider-Man where Peter Parker sketched out his costume.
The animated origin of Princess Diana (no, the one with the star spangled swimsuit) is out on DVD today, MARCH 3rd. Rush right out and buy it… or CLICK HERE to buy online!
UPDATE: Watched it last night and really enjoyed it. The movie is very true to her origins, incorporating Steve Trevor and his crash landing with Diana’s mission to Man’s World. The only details that REALLY bothered me were…
A skinny bitchy Etta Candy. She is supposed to be a bit pudgy and a sweet friendly type, not a man-eater after Steve.
A new amazon named Persephone who has nothing whatsoever to do with Demeter, Hades OR his realm. Sure they used the name Artemis for an amazon, but she was a warrior – what does this amazon Persephone have to do with the Goddess of Spring? Nothing. There is enough source material that they don’t need red herrings.
“Wonder Woman” tells the truly epic tale of the character’s mythic origin, from her upbringing on the mystical island of Themyscira, to her inevitable journey into the world of man, where she establishes herself as a hero who plays by her own rules and laws. However, conflict soon arises as Ares escapes his imprisonment from the Amazons and swears revenge on the mortal and mythical worlds, and it’s up to Wonder Woman to stop him at all costs.
A new website’s recent series of “countdown” images to reveal the new Wonder Woman has been exposed as a hoax. Many movie sites ran with the news and one can see how they might be fooled. The photoshop work is impressive, all the right company logos are present and Megan Fox is one of a number of names that keep coming up in connection with the character.
A Warner Bros. rep (whose logo you see pasted to the bottom of this poster) confirmed the site and it’s contents are “complete BS.”
So Fox isn’t Wonder Woman but would she have made a good Wonder Woman? I’m inclined to believe that no; she’s too young, too skinny and too one-note as an actress to carry the film. Yet we still, as a fanboy nation have yet to come to a consensus as to who would make the best Wonder Woman on film. Please leave your suggestions below but beware, the first person to suggest Charisma Carpenter is getting smacked.
Posted in Comics, Preview on 09/07/2008 11:56 pm by fanboi
I’m still far from sure if the likes of Tom Tresser a.k.a. Nemesis is even remotely good enough for Princess Diana of Themiscaria, but its not MY opinion that matters. This issue he needs to gain the approval of Queen Hippolyta. Its hard enough to meet the parents of a new love, but it must be infinitely more emotionally taxing if your beloved mother is the mythical queen of a bloodthirsty tribe of ancient female warriors.
I FINALLY found an embeddable version of the trailer for the animated Wonder Woman origin movie due out February 2008.
I have one problem with it… The line SOME HEROES ARE MADE, THIS ONE WAS BORN is factually incorrect. Diana WAS made. Her “mother” Hippolyta literally sculpted the infant Diana from clay and the Olympian Gods gave her life.
If you saw Batman: Gotham Knight, then you likely saw the exclusive sneak peek at DC Universe’s Wonder Woman on Disc 1. ComicsContinuum had some news about that movie and a few other animated gems planned from DC Animated. They mention a February release date at a to-be-announced convention and that Wonder Woman is an original story from Gail Simone and Michael Jelenic. The official site has also launched.
