Despite the inclusion of many female creations, comic books and the action adventure pulps that inspired them are mainly a man’s world. However, that’s not to say that there is not an audience that is entertained and inspired by woman heroes. The role of the superherone is firmly established today, but once upon a time that was not the case.
The most popular and successful superheroine has to be Wonder Woman, a creation by William Moulton Marston, also inventor of the lie detector. Marston felt that young men needed a strong female role model to protect them. Princess Diana of Themyscira was created by Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons from the very clay of the island itself. Her desire to have a daughter in a society populated entirely by women was granted by Athena. One of the few characters of her ilk, Wonder Woman was on a mission of peace, yet also a trained warrior princess. Earning her place as an ambassador to the ‘world of men,’ she left Paradise Island for a n unknown world of danger.
Popularized in print, Wonder Woman is one of three superheroes to remain in circulation from her inception (alongside Batman and Superman). She has also been adapted into other mediums. appearing in the Super Friends cartoon series and in the live action Wonder Woman program.
From 1975-1979, Lynda Carter starred as the Amazon Wonder Woman. Rather than simply an exciting TV series full of action and skimpy outfits, Carter injected some positive messages of female empowerment and peace. It was a bold move, and one that the studio was reluctant to pursue (it was dropped later on), but the mere presence of a strong woman who more often than not saved her male companion rather than the other way around made an impact on young viewers.
Strangely, no modern version of Wonder Woman has appeared since her TV program aside from a stellar animated feature and as part of the Justice League animated series. Nevertheless, the superheroine is a vital part of Western popular culture and one that continues to inspire and empower people fro, various backgrounds. A PBS documentary explored the phenomenon to a great degree which I highly recommend.
Created by the inventor of the lie detector, Dr. William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman was created by the Queen of the Amazons, a society of only women. Longing for a child, Hypolita crafted a baby from clay and prayed to her Gods for the gift of life (this was later changed to twins when another similar child was introduced much later). Born from women in a society solely made up of women, it is no surprise that Wonder Woman became an icon of the women’s movement. She even traded in her eagle-emblazoned bodice for a WW-bearing one in the mid 1970′s to show her support for women’s lib.
Along with Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman is the only superhero to have remained in print since her first appearance back in 1939. She is also the most popular superheroine around, made all the more familiar by the outright feminist TV program in the 1970′s starring Lynda Carter in which the statuesque actress espoused sexual equality while defending the free world from its enemies.
So, uh… why is there no big budget Wonder Woman movie in the works?
A live action movie has been in production Hell since 2001 when producer Joel Silver of Lethal Weapon fame decided it was time to bring the Amazon Princess to the big screen as a ‘flawed hero.’ From what I can gather, the problem seems to be that no one attached to the project can understand the character or gain a foothold on a story, fan favorite Joss Whedon in particular who, when he was involved in a Wonder Woman film development back in 2005 said ‘there’s nothing from the comics that felt right 100 percent, no iconic canon story that must be told. Batman has it made — he’s got the greatest rogues gallery ever, he’s got Gotham City. The Bat writes himself. With Wonder Woman, you’re writing from whole cloth, but trying to make it feel like you didn’t. To make it feel like it’s existed for 60 years, even though you’re making it up as you go along.’
While studio execs continue to bungle a Wonder Woman feature film, this gem arrives from a fan…
Actress / performer Nina Bergman & director Jesse V. Johnson wanted to shoot a fan trailer for their favorite super hero.
Director: Jesse V. Johnson: facebook.com/jesse.johnson.942
latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-package-capsule-20130215,0,7843640.story
WW: Nina Bergman: n-i-n-a.com/
Representation: Kailey Marsh – Station 3 – Kailey@stationthree.com – 323-848-4334
Cast:
Peter Stormare facebook.com/pages/Peter-Stormare/11096889471
Timothy V. Murphy facebook.com/Tadhgomurchu?fref=ts
Matthias Hues facebook.com/mathias.hues.3?fref=ts
Crew:
Cinematography – Van Urfalian urfalian.com/URFALIAN.COM/HOME_PAGE.html
Producer – Hugh Daly facebook.com/Hugh.Daly?fref=ts
Effects supervisor David Kenneth ieeffects.com/
Editorial Harry Frishberg harryproductions.com/
DISCLAIMER: Wonder Woman is a non-profit film for private use only, and is not for sale or resale. It is strictly for the promotional use of the filmmaker. It is in NO way endorsed by Warner Brothers or DC Comics nor is it intended to undermine or compete with any existing or forthcoming material. Wonder Woman is created for fun and should not be sold, rented or used for anything of the sort. Station 3 and Jesse V. Johnson make no claim to any of the characters, locations, storyline, props, costume designs, logos, names or situations that are trademarked, copyrighted or otherwise protected by the federal, state, international or other intellectual property law. This film is produced solely for the personal enjoyment of the cast, crew and any other Wonder Woman fans. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.
To date, Warner Bros and DC Entertainment are holding off on a JLA movie until after Superman: The Man of Steel is released and deemed a success or failure (the same stance was made before the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern film). Previously, the general consensus was that films based on the Flash and Wonder Woman would precede the Justice League movie much like Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor led into the Avengers, but now the story is that a team movie will simply arrive without any build-up. In fairness, the characters of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Green Lantern are much more familiar to the general than the Marvel Superheroes and don’t exactly require character development… but it still strikes me as peculiar.
Wonder Woman by Greg Moutafis
The fan film is not perfect, but it’s a damn sight better than what has been attempted to date and successfully sells the notion of a female action hero in a period setting (I think… I can’t figure out if the modern skyline and WWII setting are mix-ups or intentional), thereby modernizing the Lynda Carter version for a new generation.
Wonder Woman is without a doubt one of the casualties of modern comics. Everyone knows who she is, everyone loves her… but there are so few stories that you can point someone toward. There’s the Perez run of course and everyone knows of the Lynda Carter TV series… but that’s almost it (I do like the Byrne run, there are some interesting moments with Phil Jimenez and the Rucka material is worth looking into). Even though Lynda Carter is the iconic representation of Wonder Woman, the program itself is all but unseen.
So… here’s something even more obscure, a precursor to the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman starring Cathy Lee Crosby as a crime-fighting heroine (who bore a passing resemblance to the comic book character).
Wonder Woman 1974 TV pilot coming December 11 to DVD
The Warner Archive Collection continues its rollout of fanboy-centric DC Comics properties with the December 11 DVD release of the original 1974 television pilot, WONDER WOMAN, starring Cathy Lee Crosby.
Before Lynda Carter took the heroine back to World War 2 for her “New, Original” incarnation in 1975, statuesque tennis pro-turned-performer Cathy Lee Crosby swung the magic lasso in a very different TV incarnation of WONDER WOMAN. As developed by scribe John D.F. Black (Star Trek, Shaft), and seemingly influenced by her recent turn as a mod, cat-suited crime-fighter in the pages of her DC Comics home, this Amazon Princess was more superspy than superhero. Still, many of the expected wondrous elements from bracelets and lassos to Paradise Island and invisible jets all make an appearance, albeit with a sleek, seventies espionage super-action refit. Three years before taking up residence on Fantasy Island, Ricardo Montalban plays laconic lothario Abner Smith, who lurks at the top of the conspiracy to make off with ultra-secret code books – leading Agent Prince to discover an Amazon sister-in-exile (Anitra Ford).
Undoubtedly the most important superheroine in comics, Wonder Woman nevertheless has a spotty history of success in print or in other media. Possibly due to the rather convoluted nature of her history and the weird implications that creator William Moulton Marston (also the inventor of lie detector). An outspoken feminist, Marston wanted to present a strong female character for male readers to submit in order to meet what he felt was a necessity.
Given the strong psychological roots in her character, it’s not surprising that so few comic book creators can get her to function. The recently abandoned TV pilot reportedly featured a post-modern Wonder Woman who is both a business woman and a superhero from all evidence was a disaster. Some fans have expressed a desire to see Joss Whedon helm the project based on his success with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but personally I don’t see it (and neither did Warner Bros. for the record).
But… Michael Goldenberg? Seriously?
With all the excitement yesterday of the potential for a Black Panther movie (which we’re hearing is false) and a writer being hired for Justice League, it seems another announcement got lost in all of the squealing and shouting.
Not only did Variety report yesterday about Will Beall being brought on to write the Justice League film, they also mentioned that Green Lantern scribe Michael Goldenberg has been brought on for Wonder Woman.
No word on release dates or casting yet, but stay tuned here as we will bring you any and all updates we have.
(Via SuperHeroHype)
Wonder Woman tackles Cheetah in Justice League: Doom
Official press release below:
Susan Eisenberg, the beloved voice of Wonder Woman in the popular Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series, reprises her role for the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie,
Justice League: Doom.
The all-new, PG-13 rated Justice League: Doom will be available February 28 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and for Download. Both the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy.
Eisenberg has focused her career in voiceovers for animation, video games and commercial use. In addition to her work for the past 12-plus as Wonder Woman for Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series and the DCU films Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and Justice League: Doom, Eisenberg can also be heard in a variety of animates series, including Jackie Chan Adventures, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and The Super Hero Squad Show, as well as video games like Star Wars: The Ford Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition and Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. She is one of nine actors return
Post New 52, an initiative started in September to attract new readers to the DC Universe, several characters remained more or less the same while others were altered drastically. Still more were left rather vague as to what the differences and changes were from the heroes and heroines readers had seen in August. Wonder Woman is one of the more complicated characters of the reboots and with good reason.
Along with Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman is the only superhero to have remained in print since her first appearance back in 1939. Created by the inventor of the lie detector, Dr. William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman was created by the Queen of the Amazons, a society of only women. Longing for a child, Hypolita crafted a baby from clay and prayed to her Gods for the gift of life (this was later changed to twins when another similar child was introduced much later). Born from women in a society solely made up of women, it is no surprise that Wonder Woman became an icon of the women’s movement. She even traded in her eagle-emblazoned bodice for a WW-bearing one in the mid 1970′s to show her support for women’s lib.
Flash forward many years later and DC Comics is struggling to make sense of Wonder Woman. There have been a few reboots, some reto-continuity that drastically changed her history and several high profile creative teams thrown at the character with varied success.
I have limited knowledge of the entire run of the monthly book but the George Perez run in 1985 is exceptionally popular with fans and also served as a major inspiration to the animated movie (that I highly recommend). A blend of mythology, superheroics and post-modern statements on society, the comic was a big hit with readers. Most recently Wonder Woman was given a new start and new costume in a long running story that struck a divide in readers.
Wonder Woman through the ages by Phil Jimenez
Wonder Woman seems to befuddle readers and creators alike. Is she a warrior or an ambassador of peace? An outsider of a caregiver? Read a scattered array of the past ten years and you’ll see a mixture of great and disastrous attempts to unravel the riddle, but a riddle it remains. Despite being one of the most important characters in the DC Universe stable of characters, she has yet to see her time on the silver screen… which speaks volumes. The most recent attempt at a live action depiction is the unaired pilot for a new Wonder Woman series by Allie McBeal creator David E. Kelley is rumored to be an inane self-aware slapstick parody of the character. Compare that to the amazing animated feature film from DC Entertainment and you can see that no one knows quite what to do with her.
Just two months back DC Comics tried again to modernize Wonder Woman with Brian Azzarello (famous for his crime noir series 100 Bullets) and Cliff Chiang (extraordinary artist of Green Arrow). Like the other 52 #1′s, the comic has been popular and generated some discussion of the character… but she remains somewhat vaguely different from her last appearance in print back in August. The series is very well received and is an exciting action comic that firmly establishes WW as a major force to be reckoned with. Her back story, however, is a bit unclear.
The story of the new Wonder Woman centers on a young woman Zola who is on the run from the forces of Ares who wish to murder her unborn child. Unbeknownst to Zola, the father of the baby is none other than Zeus. Unsure of where to go for help, she finds herself at the home of Wonder Woman, a well-armed warrior who takes up the mantle of Zola’s protector. From there, the series has mainly been a slug fest with occasional court intrigue as the Greek pantheon plans their next move.
Wonder Woman cover recreation by Greg Moutafis
This week the latest issue will hit stores with a major twist (it has actually been hinted at in the first two issues so heavily that I’m surprised that it is being treated as a revelation) in that Wonder Woman will be revealed as the daughter of Queen Hypolita and Zeus.
There are some very interesting articles circulating on what this could all mean for the feminist superheroine, such as the one at http://www.superheroesareawesome.com
I honestly think some DC writers, editors, and whoever else, were sitting around talking about how silly they thought Wonder Woman’s 1940’s origin was, or how complicated it was, and were like, “How can we change this stuff, dammit? I mean, she’s made out of clay. Seriously. Clay? That’s ridiculous.” And so, they just changed things up a bit.
They likely thought that making Wonder Woman half human and half god would set up all this dramatic potential and angst and confusion and stuff for the character. Wonder Woman can have all this, “Who am I?” stuff going on and “Why did you lie to me all this time?” stuff going on that she never had before. And plus, now Hera, the vengeful queen of the gods, can try to do all this evil stuff to Wonder Woman like she does to all of Zeus’s love children. These storylines may practically write themselves now.
And besides, it gives audiences a concept that may be easier for them to wrap their brains around. Which of these descriptions sounds like it has more immediate drama and conflict to a person who has no idea what Wonder Woman’s history is? “Hey, you know Wonder Woman, right? That lady with the lasso and the invisible plane and stuff? And those star-spangled daisy dukes? Yeah, her. Remember? She’s half god and half human, and she’s trying to find her place in the world and stuff, coming from two different worlds and all that. Her parents are always fighting. And she fights all these like, mythical monsters and gods and stuff. It’s pretty cool.”
Or this?
“Hey dude, you know Wonder Woman? That lady in those star-spangled daisy dukes and the invisible plane? Well, like, she was sculpted from clay and made human by some goddesses. And they gave her powers , too. And she’s like, super awesome and fights monsters and bad guys and stuff. She’s human, but she’s from clay, but she’s kind of not really from clay once she comes to life, sorta, and she has these godly powers and stuff, too.”
Those both sound good, but the first one has all this dramatic stuff set up from the gate. And it doesn’t have any clay. I don’t know. DC probably thought it was silly. You may not agree, but I’ll bet that’s what those folks in the DC offices were thinking when they came up with this stuff. They were just thinking simplicity and drama. And they didn’t take away any of Wonder Woman’s feminist awesomeness in the process, not in my opinion. She’s still one of the most famous and popular female superheroes, and one of the top superheroes period, male or female.
I suspect we’ll find out just what DC was thinking and intending though, or the start of it, anyway, in issue #3, which comes out later this month.
It figures that DC would consider modifying their number one superheroine a bit to make sure she stays relevant with the times. They know they’ve got a hot property to take care of for the masses in today’s saturated entertainment world. Ask anyone to name some female superheroes, list them, in fact, and she’ll be on there, at or near the top.
Vintage Wonder Woman by Jose Garcia Lopez
Whatever the story ends up being, it has people talking about Wonder Woman again… and that’s a good thing, right?
Note: To see more artwork by poster artist Michael Meyers, visit his site.
In October 2006-2010, the Wonder Woman Day I-V events raised over $110,000 for Domestic Violence programs in Portland, Oregon and Flemington, NJ. The five-year combination of auctions of over 1,100 original art pieces, plus collectibles, autograph signings, and photo opportunities garnered spectacular turnouts and four Mayoral Proclamations!
This year, the event will take on a new name and an expanded mission! On October 30, 2011, the new Women of Wonder Day — again as a part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month — will take place, returning to Excalibur Books in Portland, Oregon, and Comic Fusion in Flemington, New Jersey, as well as at Heroes and Fantasies in San Antonio, Texas!
100% of all monies raised goes to the designated 501(c)3 tax deductible charities!
The first Wonder Woman Day event was filmed for a half-hour documentary series, FANatical, shown on Canadian and Australian national television. Additionally, the event has been filmed for an upcoming worldwide documentary, The History of the Universe As Told By Wonder Woman.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Women Of Wonder Day – and its predecessor, Wonder Woman Day – was founded in 2006 by USA Today best-selling author and documentary director Andy Mangels.
This Friday, Wonder Woman makes her debut in Batman Brave and the Bold on Cartoon Network. The short pre-titles adventure is heavily influenced by the Linda Carter Wonder Woman TV series and even features her gent in danger, Steve Trevor and the familiar signature tune. One of the timeless icons of superhero mythology, Wonder Woman was nearly adapted for the TV screen again by Ally McBeal creator David Kelley, but luckily nothing came to pass there. From the 40′s to the 70′s and beyond, Wonder Woman is a symbol of independence and strength for children and adults and is one of the most instantly recognizable characters in comics.
Maybe Warner Bros. will figure how to best present her one of these days, but in the meantime this short clip is quite good. In her satin tights, fighting for your rights…
Also in this episode Batman and Hal Jordan work to take down Green Lantern’s greatest enemy, Star Sapphire. With his big screen debut just a few weeks away, it’s surprising that it has taken so long for Hal Jordan to make an appearance on the Brave and the Bold cartoon (he has been preceded by fellow Lanterns Guy Gardner and G’Nort), but maybe it’s all in the timing.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold’s new episode ‘Scorn of the Star Sapphire’ premieres tomorrow night on the Cartoon Network
Readers may recall that when I first started this blog back in 2007 there was a glut of comic book movie news. Chief amongst those rumors was a live action film based on DC Comics’ flagship superteam The Justice of America utilizing state of the art CGi animation similar to what was used on Beowulf. Happy Feet and Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome producer George Miller was set to helm the project, a casting call was made to fill the parts of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash (rumored at the time to be played by Ryan Reynolds) and two unknowns cast as Batman and Superman. The movie was gearing up for production in Australia, but the WGA writer’s strike killed the project.
Fast forward to 2010 when the newly formed DC Entertainment has stated that they had no plans to produce a movie based on the JLA and seemed miffed that reporters were comparing the project to Marvel’s Avengers franchise.
Just this week, all of that changed. Apparently the JLA movie is back in the works along with a reboot of Superman and Batman (post Batman The Dark Knight Rises).
Erasing doubts about the Justice League movie mentioned in its profile of incoming Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov, the Los Angeles Times reports a new script is the works, with the aim to have DC Comics’ top characters together onscreen in 2013.
That film would potentially serve as a launching point for other superhero movies — an approach mentioned in 2007, before director George Miller’s Justice League was shelved — including The Flash and Wonder Woman, a character whose NBC television pilot is being shot at this moment. Robinov doesn’t see the David E. Kelley revival as a conflict, though, pointing out that Superman Returns coexisted with Smallville.
But perhaps even bigger than the Justice League is Robinov’s acknowledgment that Warner Bros. will “reinvent” the Batman franchise following the release next year of The Dark Knight Rises — with Christopher Nolan and wife Emma Thomas remaining involved as producers.
It sets Nolan up as the architect, or godfather, of DC’s big-screen “universe” — he’s already producing Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot — a role that stands to benefit everyone involved.
As we noted earlier, Warner Bros. pulled the plug on Justice League even as it neared production in early 2008 because of a confluence of issues: the writers strike, Australian tax-credit uncertainties, the possibility of an actors strike and, the LA Times adds, concerns that another version of Batman might conflict with Nolan’s films. Some of the central cast was already in place, including Adam Brody as The Flash, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman and a then-relatively unknown Armie Hammer as Batman.
Additionally, there’s this missive from MTV’s Splash Page confirming that Warner Bros. is thinking of a complete reboot of Batman after the next Chris Nolan film:
The Many Faces of Batman
“We have the third Batman, but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman,” Jeff Robinov (president of the Warner Bros. motion picture group) told the L.A. Times. “Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.”
Could Batman be headed for yet another reboot? It certainly seems that way.Nolan has made it clear on various occasions that “The Dark Knight Rises” will be his last Batman film behind the camera, but the filmmaker doesn’t appear to be done with Gotham’s vigilante. Robinov’s comment would seem to indicate that Nolan will replicate his role in the upcoming “Superman” reboot, and serve as a producer and shepherd to whatever big-screen incarnation of Batman follows his blockbuster three-film franchise.
Still, it’s worth noting that this timeline doesn’t leave much room for a new Batman to be introduced to audiences ahead of the “Justice League” team-up in 2013. While current “Superman: Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill might be persuaded to return for “Justice League,” it’s unlikely that Ryan Reynolds’ schedule will allow for another turn as Green Lantern — especially if “Green Lantern 2″ gets the (*ahem*) green light.
All things considered, it looks like one fact is abundantly clear: fans should probably prepare themselves for a new Batman in a few years.
(or how I learned to stop worrying about continuity and love nostalgia)
The Justice League of America gather for the first time (as drawn by Alex Ross)
Alex Ross exploded onto the comic book scene in 1996′s Kingdom Come, a series crafted with Mark Waid set in the possible future of the DC Comics Universe. He remains one of the most important artists of the modern comic book world, his paintings of iconic characters serving as a shorthand version for the term ‘superhero.’ As a child of the 1970′s, he was strongly influenced by the Super Friends cartoon that he had viewed in his youth and includes many references to the cartoon in his work. In fact, much of his design work includes a massive dose of the Super Friends, as drafted by the dear departed master, Alex Toth (the same man behind Space Ghost, Johnny Quest and much more).
An unbeatable team made up of the biggest and best superheroes in comics, Super Friends was very important for many members of my generation regarding comic books. I enjoy the first few years, but for many the cartoon really came into its own with the 1978 run, Challenge of the Super Friends. Beset by an assembly of their greatest foes, the Super Friends met the brilliantly twisted schemes of the Legion of Doom week after week.
The Legion of Doom
Back when there was a reason to get up early on Saturday mornings that did not involve diapers, the Super Friends served as a kind of gateway to the world of comic books. The cartoon had been on for a few years previously, but Challenge of the Super Friends was the real deal. It featured somewhat obscure heroes and villains crossing swords with the fate of humanity in the balance. Where else would a kid see Gorilla Grodd, Solomon Grundy, the Riddler, Cheetah, the Riddler, Black Manta, Giganta, Captain Cold, the Toymaker, Braniac, Sinestro, the Scarecrow and Bizzaro threaten the peace? Likewise, Green Lantern, the Flash and Hawkman were welcome additions to the animated world (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were already mainstays of the 70′s zeitgeist), even if Green Lantern sounded like he was voiced by Sir Laurence Olivier.
As a unique twist, the Challenge of the Super Friends was mainly centered on the villains and their madcap schemes to defeat their enemies. The plans were varied and bizarre (one dealt with a ‘Living Monolith’ that rested in a Hellish part of the underground, another dealt with a demonic entity that granted the Legion of Doom power over the dead), but one of the oddest involved a subject that comic book fanatics hold dear, the he Secret Origins of the Super Friends.
Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch enemy and leader of the Legion of Doom, has found a way to view the origins of the three most powerful members of the Super Friends. How? Who knows. Through the use of his unknown technology, Luthor reveals the seminal moments of Wonder Woman, Superman and Green Lantern (betcha thought I was gonna say Batman, right? Wrong. In Super Friends Batman is useless without his utility belt). By sending himself and Cheetah into the past, he wrecks history, thus removing Green Lantern and Wonder Woman from the equation that has presumably kept them from conquering the Super Friends.
A brief trip through time and space allows Luthor to divert the interstellar crib/space craft delivery little baby Kal-El to Earth where he would have been found by the well-meaning country folk, Martha and John Kent. The pod continues to a nameless planet orbiting a red sun where Superman will never be born.
Viewers are presented almost immediately with an alternate history that, to be honest, barely differs from the world that they knew. None of this makes any sense, of course. If the most powerful members of the Super Friends (or Justice League of America) never existed, how could the Legion of Doom have altered history? Surely, tampering with the time stream would produce catastrophic effects! Yet the Legion of Doom is exuberant and capture the remaining members, ordering them to engage in a battle to the death! Batman, Robin, the Flash and Black Vulcan (a kind of flying version of Black Lightning) steal what appears to be an important computer tape and return to their HQ to plot their next move.
Somehow the tape contains the original, unaltered history in which Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman are alive, prompting the team to travel back in time and undo the interference in the proper course of time (thus introducing a further temporal paradox). Apparently, the JLA is now an integral part of the secret origins of their own members. That’s not a headache or anything…
Before you can say ‘Blinovitch Limitation Effect,’ the Super Friends attack the Legion of Doom with their old members back in action. Green Lantern forms massive emerald anchors that stop the Legion’s flying HQ, Superman burns a hole in the hull of the craft to free the remaining team members (Hawkman, Aquaman and Samurai) only to see Green Lantern also one of the captured teammates!
Huh??!!
Well, things like this happened all the time in Super Friends. Hawkman would spontaneously lose his wings, Batman’s symbol would revert colors and Green Lantern would suddenly have three arms. The sudden appearance of a second Green Lantern is to be expected, I guess.
Super Friends remains an important part of the comic book experience. The plots are frantic, the dialog stilted and the animation shaky, yet they perfectly presented the origins of the JLA! Very few of the animated versions of comic book characters showed as close an eye to detail as this one did. They even presented Batman’s origin in its final year! Just imagine if the Legion of Doom had disrupted Batman’s origin! I can just picture Gorilla Grodd getting in the path of Joe Chill’s hand gun… fast forward to Bruce Wayne dressed as a man-gorilla fighting crime.
Currently there is nothing remotely like the Super Friends on the air and frankly I think that kind of thing has a direct impact on comic book readership. The Bruce Timm Justice League/Justice League Unlimited came close to drawing people back to the realm of superheroes, but somehow failed to have as strong an impact as Super Friends had (despite being much better made). I wonder what a world without these campy cartoons would be like and I shudder.
Then I think of Gleek the space monkey… and I know real fear.
Part One
Part Two
buy 'Challenge of the Super Friends - The First Season (1978)' on DVD
Despite the inclusion of many female creations, comic books and the action adventure pulps that inspired them are mainly a man’s world. However, that’s not to say that there is not an audience that is entertained and inspired by woman heroes. The role of the superherone is firmly established today, but once upon a time that was not the case.
A live action movie has been in production Hell since 2001 when producer Joel Silver of Lethal Weapon fame decided it was time to bring the Amazon Princess to the big screen as a ‘flawed hero.’ From what I can gather, the problem seems to be that no one attached to the project can understand the character or gain a foothold on a story, fan favorite Joss Whedon in particular who, when he was involved in a Wonder Woman film development back in 2005 said ‘there’s nothing from the comics that felt right 100 percent, no iconic canon story that must be told. Batman has it made — he’s got the greatest rogues gallery ever, he’s got Gotham City. The Bat writes himself. With Wonder Woman, you’re writing from whole cloth, but trying to make it feel like you didn’t. To make it feel like it’s existed for 60 years, even though you’re making it up as you go along.’
