Wonder Woman History, Images, Videos, News and New Movie Reviews
Wonder Woman with Majic Lasso
Latest Comic Designers Discussions
Wonder Woman in History
Created during World War II, the character was initially depicted fighting the Axis military forces, as well as an assortment of supervillains and villainesses. In later decades, some writers and their editors preferred to retain the World War II setting, while others updated the series to reflect an ongoing “present day.” Wonder Woman has also regularly appeared in the team books Justice Society (from 1941) and Justice League (from 1960). Arguably the most popular and iconic female superhero in comics, she is informally grouped with Superman and Batman as one of a “Trinity” of DC characters who are regarded as especially important, both within their fictional universe and without.
The “Trinity” Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman
Wonder Woman and Batman; My Immortal
“Who Knew?” Superman/Wonder Woman
In addition to comics, the character has appeared in other media most notably the 1975-1979 live action Wonder Woman TV series starring Lynda Carter, but also in cartoons such the Super Friends and Justice Leagueanimated series. Although a number of attempts have been made to adapt the character to film, none have yet emerged from “development hell”.
Wonder Woman Linda Carter
Live Action Star of the 1970’s Televisions Show
That is….
h1. New Animated Wonder Woman
Untill Now!
In the tradition of Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontiers, and Batman: Gotham Knight, Warner Brothers proudly presents a straight-to-DVD rendition of the Woman of Wonder herself, Ms. Marv–I mean, Wonder Woman. So, maybe we won’t be seeing a Joss Whedon Wonder Woman movie. He’s overrated. But bitter, long-lasting disappointments aside, this actually looks like a pretty decent movie. The animation is detailed enough, and Nathan Fillion and Rosario Dawson are set to lend their voices. Enjoy the Animated Wonder Woman of 2009 and hope that they don’t officially decide to cancel the live-action Justice League movie.
Who is this Animated Wonder Woman? What is this movie all about?
The story takes us back to the origin of Wonder Woman. We’re talking straight from the clay. For those who don’t know, Amazon Queen Hippolyta (Virginia Madsen), couldn’t bear children so she decides to create her child through other means. Sugar & spice? Not in Themyscira, y’all. This child is gonna be a strong and durable Amazonian so with a combination of masterfully sculpted clay, a healthy dose of divine intervention courtesy of Aphrodite and a dash of mama’s blood for flavor the royal princess is born.
Though she is royalty, Diana is far from pampered. She trains in combat just like her fellow warrior sisters but whenever she asks for more responsibility Queen Hippolyta pulls her back out of motherly concern for Diana’s well being. All Diana wants is an opportunity to show that she is a capable leader.
Enter Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion). The studly pilot crash lands on the mystical island and is promptly taken into custody. Though Artemis (Rosario Dawson) would love nothing more than to string the dude up by his “heritage” the Queen has a more humane and less painful idea. A tournament is held to determine which Amazon will escort the lost pilot back to the “land of men”. Guess who wins?
Meanwhile, mean ol’ Ares (Alfred Molina) busts outta the brig and gathers an army to spread war and death all over the planet. It’ll take more than a miracle to bring him down. It’ll take a wonder!
Now most of us know that this is not Princess Diana’s first lone adventure. She’s had her own comic book line since 1941. Lynda Carter (hallowed be her name) portrayed the Amazonian superheroine in a wildly successful television series that has inspired artists, writers and drag queens since 1975.
But let’s be honest, folks. Though she’s considered to be a third of the DC Universe’s holy trinity alongside Batman and Superman she’s never really gotten as much of the pie as they have when it comes to live action adaptations. Both The Caped Crusader & Man of Steel have had countless tv shows and movies celebrating their adventures. So far, Wonder Woman has had one television series that she didn’t have to share with the Justice League or Super Friends. With her live action film still in developmental Hades this straight-to-DVD feature serves as an appetizer for what’s possibly to come. Is it worth chewing on?
I say “aye”! There is so much to love about Wonder Woman. For starters, the story is simple and uncluttered. It’s a clean and straight line through Princess Diana’s birth, her ascension to Amazonian ambassador, and her first major battle. I immediately wondered to myself why countless screenwriters and producers have had years of stress and strain creating a live action film when WB/DC pulled it off almost effortlessly.
As Mr. Gutierrez pointed out in his preview piece the story also touches on the strained relations between our world and Themyscira that further boils down to the eternal friction between man and woman. Diana views “man’s world” as violent, destructive and incapable of attaining a higher consciousness.
Steve argues that for all their armor plating and sword skills the Amazons are cowards for separating themselves from the real world and fleeing from the opportunity to discover that not all men are created evil. Sadly, poor Trevor sometimes fails to show the loftier virtues of the male species when he pulls boneheaded stunts like trying to get Diana drunk and vulnerable. Like some dude is really gonna succeed in out-drinking an Amazon. I guess somebody missed every episode of Xena: Warrior Princess.
The voice acting was decent. I mean, Keri Russell was okay. I liked that slight huskiness in her voice that gave the impression that though this was a younger Diana this was not “Wonder Woman, Jr”. I guess I just prefer Wonder Woman’s Justice League voice provided by Susan Eisenberg. Rosario Dawson is no stranger to playing the tough chick so she gives Artemis that same lovable bravado. Nathan Fillion is a funny guy so his delivery is spot on especially in the comedic scenes. But then most graduates of the Whedon School of Witty Repartee are pretty reliable when it comes to self-deprecating humor. That’s actually a compliment. I know it might not sound like one but Buffy, Angel and Firefly fans know that Whedon brings out the best in actors so Fillion is a hot commodity……on so many, many levels….drooolllll.
Whoops, um, er, so why is this cartoon rated “PG-13”? Because the filmmakers decided not to completely sugarcoat the Amazon way. Seeing the intensity of the opening battle between the Amazons and the forces of Ares in the first act establishes the fact this is no girly film. Though Wonder Woman is essentially an ambassador for peace she was brought up in a place where if you didn’t know how to thrust a sword or hurl a javelin then you were destined for a short time on the mortal plane. A vital aspect of Wonder Woman’s character is that she can handle any threat the male superbeings can and this animated feature doesn’t turn down the danger level just because the lead character is a lady. If you thought she kicked hiney in in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited toons get ready for even more jawbreaking and bonecrushing Amazonian thrashing.
Just as good as the film (or even better, depending on your perspective) are two History Channel caliber documentaries that feature a variety of writers, artists, and psychologists that reveal a treasure trove of trivia. Among the topics are the origin of the Wonder Woman comic book series, the impact Wonder Woman had on the Women’s Liberation Movement, and the evolution of Diana throughout the years. Much is shared about Wonder Woman creator and lie detector inventor, William Moulton Marsten, plus a brief mention of the evil Fredric Wertham (boo! hissss!) who tried to destroy the comic book industry by labeling the books as a threat to society.
Adventure, excitement, humor and good old fashioned heroism abound in this harrowing tale. Hop in your invisible jet and go get a copy.
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Latest Review about the Won... Mar 05, 2009 07:04:29 "DC's latest animated release is a fitting addition to the Wonder Woman mythos. The performances are uniformly strong, the animation is excellent and the script is engaging. The cat and mouse between Diana and Steve Trevor is sophisticated and c...
Wonder Woman's Weapons Oct 02, 2008 01:10:11 Wonder Woman's Weapons
Diana has numerous powerful weapons at her disposal, but her signature weapons are her indestructible bracelets and the L...
Diana Prince has Super Huma... Oct 02, 2008 01:03:32
Princess Diana, AKA Wonder Woman, possesses a host of superhuman powers granted to her by the gods and goddesses of Olympus, gifts which have bee...
Wonder Woman's Powers Oct 02, 2008 00:55:02 The Development of Wonder Woman's Powers
Originally, Wonder Woman owed her abilities to the goddess Aphrodite creating Amazons superior to men, ...
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