Posts Tagged ‘ Wonder Woman ’

When Comics Meet Mythology

2012/09/23
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I am a fan of both comics and mythology. In my mind, these are connected. After all, comics have been called “modern mythology” before. Both have fantastic elements, larger than life characters and convoluted continuities.

I tend to get extremely excited when mythological characters are used in comics because it combines too things I love. It’s often difficult to tell which elements of the mythology are canon with the comics, which can be a bit confusing for mythology nerds. It can also become incredibly creepy.

You see, Greek mythology has enough incest to put Ancient Egyptian dynasties to shame.

For example, let’s take the character of Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman.

In both the comics and the mythology, she is queen of the Amazons. In the comics (pre-Reboot), she was brought to life by some of the Greek pantheon. In the mythology, she’s the daughter of Ares.

In the direct-to-DVD Wonder Woman movie, Hippolyta has a son with Ares. Which – if we go by the mythology – means she slept with her father.

In mythology, Ares’s is  the son of Zeus and Hera, making Zeus Hippolyta’s grandfather. In the comics, Zeus slept with Hippolyta to produce Diana. So if we go by mythology, Hippolyta slept with her serial rapist grandfather in order to have a daughter. This makes Diana both the daughter and the great-granddaughter of Zeus.

I know Ares being Hippolyta’s father probably isn’t canon with the comics but considering that the comics seem to be trying to be closer to the original myths …

If it is canon, may I suggest this song as Wonder Woman’s new theme song?

Answering Questions that Lead People Here

2012/05/28
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One of the odd things about running a blog is seeing the search terms that lead people to my blog. Sometimes the search terms are actual questions, most of which I haven’t actually answered. Today, I’ve decided to fix this.

Here are some of the questions that lead people to my blog and their answers.

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Creepy Wonder Woman

2012/05/16
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While reading through my JLA issues, I discovered what may be the scariest panel Wonder Woman has ever appeared in.

The unnatural jaw. The plastic-looking face.  The soulless eyes.

*shudder*

I’ll be seeing that face again . . . in my nightmares.

Picture from JLA #90.

DCnU Hippolyta Isn’t Very Bright, Is She?

2011/12/13
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I’ve never been a huge Wonder Woman fan, but I love the concept of the character. Mainly because I am a huge mythology nerd. Her “molded from clay” origin fits in well with stories from Greek mythology, like the story of Pygmalion and Galatea and the automatons built by Hephaestus.

A lot of people have been commenting on her revised origin. I don’t mind Wonder Woman having a father. After all, Justice League Unlimited presented the possibility of Hades being her father, and I didn’t mind.

But I can’t say that I like the DCnU origins of Wonder Woman. Mainly because I don’t like what Hippolyta’s choice of lovers says about her judgment. (Or lack thereof.)
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NBC Doesn’t Pick Up Wonder Woman Pilot

2011/05/13
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Well, NBC has passed on the Wonder Woman pilot. Apparently test screenings haven’t been great, and what has been released on the Internet has been pretty harshly criticized by fans. Like I said a few days ago, I wasn’t impressed by what I’d heard about the pilot. I’m sure some fans will be angered by the decision, but I don’t blame NBC.

The pilot has gotten negative publicity from the start – mostly complaints about the costume. However, the more information that was revealed, the more fans had reason to be nervous. Wonder Woman seemed completely unlike her comics counterpart. She was set up as a corporate executive rather than a diplomat. She lacked the compassion and heart that makes Diana such a lovable character. She seemed to be a generic “tough girl” rather than the character that fans know and love. She was a vigilante fighting common thugs rather than a superhero fighting supervillains and mythological figures.

In spite of all this, I do hope that the pilot is released (if nothing else, on Youtube). Failed pilots can often be good studies of what not to do when creating a series. They can also be great sources of entertainment, especially when riffing with friends.

What Happened to Wonder Woman Being Compassionate?

2011/05/10
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Well, I’ve read this article on io9 about the script for the Wonder Woman pilot. (Spoilers, obviously.) From what I’ve read, I don’t really like how Diana’s character is being handled.

Spoilers, ahoy.

In the pilot, Diana does such things as: lift security guards up by the throat, give a man the finger for cutting her off in traffic, jabs a thug’s eye with her thumb and knocks out another thug who had surrendered. (She also whines because WW dolls being produced have breasts that are too big, and that hurts her body image.)

Wonder Woman has always been a force to be reckoned with, but she’s also an extremely compassionate individual who prefers diplomacy to fighting. I honestly can’t picture Wonder Woman giving anyone the finger – least of all for something inconsequential like being cut off in traffic. I also can’t picture her being self-conscious about her body. She comes from a society where everyone swims naked, and in the DC Universe, she’s widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women on the planet.

Diana is a princess: she’s dignified, diplomatic and confident. She is kind, selfless and cares deeply about others. She’s also a powerful warrior. However, these aspects seem to be forgotten by some writers because they’re too focused on the fact that she’s a woman. You don’t need to “compensate” for the fact that she’s a woman by having her use over-the-top violence. You don’t need to make her “relatable” by having her have boy trouble, a lousy body image and mopey. She’s a woman, not a teenager. (Apologies to any teenagers reading this.)

Writers need to pay attention to her character rather than her gender. I’m still willing to give the pilot a chance - I’ve always loved the concept of Wonder Woman, even if I’ve disliked the execution – but I’m not particularly optimistic. The fact that she’s going to be fighting thugs rather than supervillains and mythological figures makes her seem so much smaller.

I want to see the woman who was blessed by the Greek gods. The woman who defeated Ares with the truth of his actions. The woman who traveled through the underworld while blinded, to save the life of another. Not a CEO who beats up criminals (and rude drivers) in her off hours.

When Wondy Was Awesome

2011/05/04
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When I first got into comics, I wasn’t a fan of Wonder Woman. I never thought she was a bad character, but she never came across as a very interesting character. At least not in comparison to other superheroes. I was interested in her connection to mythology, but it never seemed to come into play in the stories I read.

Then I happened upon a series of posts by Bluefall titled When Wondy Was Awesome. If there’s a better way to convert comics readers into Wonder Woman fans, I can’t really think of it. The post series goes through Wonder Woman’s history (starting with the reboot in the 80s) and highlights the great moments, and gives commentary of Diana’s character, history, and how various writers have handled her character.

If you don’t like Wonder Woman, are curious about her, or are already a fan: check out this series of posts. It’s well worth your time.

Wonder Woman Pilot

2011/04/03
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A pilot for a live action Wonder Woman series is set to debut this fall on NBC. For the pilot, Wonder Woman has traded in her star-spangled swimsuit for pants and a top that looks about two seconds away from a wardrobe malfunction. (Pictures here and here.)

According to Wikipedia, the series will be “a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman — aka Diana Prince — is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.”

I’m hoping this doesn’t mean that they’re getting rid of the mythological roots of the character. I have always loved the concept of Wonder Woman, even though I don’t always like the execution. Like Marvel Comics’ Hercules, she is a hero that connects the world of comics to the world of mythology. There have been many great stories the involve the Greek pantheon and their interaction with Wonder Woman. A couple of my favorites are Wonder Woman’s modern origin story and Greg Rucka’s run on Wonder Woman (particular the “Eyes of the Gorgon” storyline).

I am cautiously optimistic about the pilot. If we’re lucky, we’ll get a fun, action-packed romp with DC’s most iconic heroine. If not . . . well, then we’ll probably get a repeat of the disappointing animated movie.