Twelve years ago, DC Comics made the boldest publishing move in its history with the New 52 relaunch. That relaunch/reboot, while initially successful, ended up as a missed opportunity. Now, DC Comics is looking to start a new publishing initiative again with DC All In, only this time, they’ve seemingly learned from the mistakes of the past. The classic DC universe will remain, with a new, edgier universe existing alongside it. This was all announced by DC writers Joshua Williamson (Superman) and Scott Snyder (Batman, Dark Nights Metal) in a special announcement video, which you view below:

Snyder is part of what they are calling “Absolute DC.” This will be an adjacent universe featuring reimagined takes on DC’s biggest characters, starting with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. This resembles Marvel’s Ultimate Comics line from the early 2000s. Snyder himself will write Absolute Batman, which looks to feature the most jacked-up Dark Knight we’ve ever seen. Unlike the New 52, this new universe will coexist alongside the current DC Universe, which will continue with new creative teams or new storylines for their existing titles. The classic universe will not get a reboot again.

Another difference from Marvel’s Ultimate line is that while the DC Absolute titles will be their own universe, they will tie-in to a greater storyline connected back to the classic DCU involving Darkseid. As Snyder explained, the main DC Universe is a world predicated on “Superman energy.” This was something made explicit in the mini-series Doomsday Clock. Meanwhile, the Absolute Universe is a “wild world” composed of “Darkseid energy.” Certainly, the looks of the Absolute versions of the DC trinity look much darker and edgier. The heroes of this new universe will be underdogs. They’ll have to be “tougher and more resourceful” than their counterparts, according to Snyder.

Absolute Batman

This series is written by Batman legend Scott Snyder, featuring art by Nick Dragotta. In this iteration, fans will be introduced to a version of the Dark Knight that doesn’t have the money, mansion, or butler of his core-line counterpart. Readers will quickly find out what makes this the “Absolute” version of Batman when the debut issue arrives at participating comic book shops and digital retailers on Wednesday, October 9.

Absolute Wonder Woman

For Diana, there is no island paradise, no sisterhood to shape her, nor a mission of peace. So what is the purpose of an Amazon warrior in this new universe? Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson and breakout artist Hayden Sherman reinvent her from the ground up in Absolute Wonder Woman #1, on sale October 23.

Absolute Superman

Writer Jason Aaron (Thor) and artist Rafa Sandoval join forces to present a new Man of Steel with the launch of Absolute Superman #1. This Superman has no family, no Fortress of Solitude, and no home. Will he still stand for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow in this new universe? Readers can find out when Absolute Superman #1 hits participating comic book shops on November 6.

DC Universe Ongoing Series

All of this begins in October, with the DC All-In Special. The special will be an 80-page flip book. It contains one side drawn by Wonder Woman artist Daniel Sampere, and the other by artist Wes Craig. The other side of the book will be from the point of view of Darkseid. The seeds for all of this will begin in DC’s current summer crossover event, Absolute Power. The special will reintroduce Darkseid “As he should be, the greatest villain of the DC Universe,” according to Snyder. This will culminate in the much-anticipated return of a new Justice League, formed by Superman. The regular ongoing DC titles will get new creative teams, or new jumping on points for fans. Arriving first in October are the following:

Superman

Superstar artist Dan Mora joins Joshua Williamson in a new story arc spinning out of Absolute Power. One of Superman’s most lethal enemies returns. The Man of Steel and Superwoman (Lois Lane) must now deal with the return of the rampaging Doomsday. But how long will Lois’s newfound powers last? And as if Doomsday isn’t trouble enough, another one of Superman’s greatest enemies lurks in the shadows: the Time Trapper.

Action Comics

Another one of DC’s foundational titles goes weekly beginning in October! “Death of the Phantom Zone” spins directly out of Absolute Power and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. Writer Mark Waid and artist Clayton Henry plunge Superman into the Phantom Zone to prevent an otherworldly horror from laying waste to Metropolis. In the second story, “Supergirl: Universe End,” Eisner Award winner and Zatanna: Bring Down the House writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Skylar Patridge take Supergirl to the farthest reaches of space. All in pursuit of a mysterious threat only she can handle.

Batman

Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, and Carmine Di Giandomenico are back with a vengeance with a new story arc, “The Dying City. It features an unexpected turn from the Riddler, a mysterious new superhero named Commander Star, and the shocking murder of one of Gotham City’s greatest citizens. Batman ships twice monthly in October.

Detective Comics

Following “Gotham Nocturne,” another of DC’s most historic titles gets a new creative team in the form of superstars Tom Taylor (Nightwing) and Mikel Janín, and a new story arc, “Mercy of the Father.” Years after the tragic murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, a ghost from Gotham City’s past has been lying in wait to strike at Batman ever since that fateful night in Crime Alley. This story will result in major changes for the Dark Knight, and things may never be the same again.

Expect more announcements for new creative teams for the classic ongoing DC titles at Comic-Con, as well as for the new series in the Absolute line.

Originally published July 17, 2024.

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Chris Pine recently expressed some strong emotions about the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3, even though he wouldn’t have been in the movie himself. He shared, “I’m stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere… I don’t know what the reasoning was behind that; it’s above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character. Patty [Jenkins] is such a thoughtful director.”

Pine also revealed that at first, he resisted joining the movie. “I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle,” He shared, “Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, ‘Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is ‘Casablanca,’ that’s the movie I want to make.’ I was like, oh, now that is very cool because when have you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing shit up.”

Of course, he added, his character, Steve Trevor, would not be involved in any way with Wonder Woman 3, so his wonderment is purely on behalf of the franchise. He noted, “Me. No. Homie is dead. Steve is gonzo. It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back.”

Of course, Hollywood has done more ridiculous things. But, while Wonder Woman 3 won’t be back, we’re excited for James Gunn’s DCU Paradise Lost series, which will take place in Wonder Woman’s home,  Themyscira. Hopefully, we’ll also see more of Pine in Star Trek 4, should it manage to finally take off, and more of Patty Jenkins in her revived Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie.

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Two years ago, DC Comics’ ongoing flagship Justice League title ended with issue #75. It featured the death of the entire League. Oh, they got better pretty quickly. By the end of the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event, they were all back in the land of the living. Having said that, the comic giant decided to let the concept of the Justice League rest while they figured out their next move, leaving the Titans as Earth’s protectors. However, these two years have been the longest DC has ever gone without publishing a title with “Justice League” in the name since 1960. So what’s the hold up with a new Justice League series? And how can DC make sure a new iteration becomes a necessary and talked about comic book?

DC Comics: A World Without a Justice League

The Justice League of America first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28, published in February 1960. After a successful three-issue trial, the JLA received their own series by the end of that year. Unlike the World War II era Justice Society, the JLA had Superman and Batman as regular members. This elevated the team to A-list status. Since 1960, an ongoing book with the words Justice League in the title has been published by DC. That unbroken run ended after 62 years in 2022. The idea was that they’d come back bigger and better very soon. But unless you’re talking about out-of-continuity tales like Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, we’re all still waiting for the League’s return.

DC is probably thinking “absence makes the heart grow fonder” in considering when to bring back the League, which makes sense. Marvel did a similar thing when the flagship series Fantastic Four ended its decades-long run in 2015. When the quartet relaunched in 2018, it was to much fanfare. But what will make this League relaunch stand out from so many in the past, aside from an unusually long break? We have some ideas on angles DC could take with League when the World’s Greatest Superheroes make their very welcome return. In fact, some of these ideas could inform James Gunn’s new DCU.

The Original 7 Justice Leaguers Have All Died and Come Back, Forming a Unique Bond Among the Team

The original Justice League was founded by seven members—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter. Many other members have come and gone over the years. Yet in a lot of ways, those original seven remain the most iconic version of the team. However, since Barry Allen died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, the founders have not headlined a book together. When Barry returned after 23 years in 2009’s Flash: Rebirth, the assumption was a big JLA reunion book was next. Then 2011’s New 52 reboot happened, and everyone met again for the very first time. However, the New 52 continuity has largely been undone, with much of the original history of the League restored. And we haven’t seen the Big Seven reunite as a team since. Now seems like an ideal time.

The Original Justice League: Death Becomes Them

Besides being a nostalgic reunion, one thing bonds the original seven. They’ve all died and come back. And not just the standard “We thought they were dead, but it was a clone/they were in a coma/it was an alternate universe version.” They all actually died, went on to a form of an afterlife, and returned. Yes, even the very human Batman in the event series Final Crisis. Some were dead for many years, like Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. Others, like Wonder Woman, for just a few months.

With this detail in mind, the Leaguers all having gone to face the Grim Reaper and come out the other side could serve as the basis of an interesting team dynamic. Are they all functionally immortal now? Writer Grant Morrison played with the metaphor of the “Big Seven” Leaguers as Olympian Gods of the DCU in his ’90s JLA series. Could that interpretation be more literal than metaphorical? They certainly share a weird bond no other team has at DC. (However, we must note, that the X-Men at Marvel certainly do.) It’s fodder for an interesting reunion take for DC Comics’ most famous heroes.

It’s Time for Justice League Unlimited in the DC Universe

Having said that, the original seven should just be a starting point for whatever DC does next. Because let’s face it, that’s a heavily white and male team for the year of our Lord Darkseid 2024. It’s time for the League to take a cue from their greatest media incarnation of the team, the Justice League Unlimited. It’s time to open the doors to every hero in the DCU. In the JLU animated series, the League became more than a team. It became almost a conglomerate for superheroes. It was a true society of superpowers, in a way their predecessors the Justice Society of America never were.

The comics have played with this notion before, like the excellent Justice League International run of the ‘80s. Yet never on the scale of the Justice League Unlimited cartoon show. The League expanding in this manner allows it to truly grow into something unique, something its rival the Avengers over at Marvel have never been. Maybe, the original seven founders realize they had to return from their respective graves to make the League something bigger than they ever dreamed of in the beginning. It could be something grander that goes beyond the definitions of what we now think of as a superhero team.

A Strong Comic Book Justice League Can Inform the Big Screen Version

Of course, comics are the primary source of inspiration for most live-action content. The New 52 League was the main inspiration for the DCEU version, from Cyborg as a founding member, to their first villain being from the planet Apokolips. So it would be fitting for whatever DC’s new Justice League becomes to inspire the eventual DCU version. We’ve believed for some time now that Gunn’s DCU would have an already existing Justice League in it, but if the comic book League is a gigantic group with many members and branches, we wouldn’t hate for that concept to make that transition to film and TV.

Whatever DC does when it inevitably relaunches the Justice League title, there should be top-notch creatives on it. Justice League should always be DC’s biggest title. It was in the Silver Age, again in the post-Crisis JLI era, and also in the ’90s Grant Morrison years. Like it or hate it, the New 52 Justice League carried the line, sales-wise, for a good long time. It was not an afterthought series for the publisher. It would be shocking if we don’t see a relaunch by 2025, the Justice League of America’s 65th anniversary. Here’s hoping it’s something that gets the readership excited, and springboard’s comics’ greatest superhero team into the future. They deserve a series that reflects their status as the world’s greatest superteam.

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Younger comic book fans might not know the name José Luis García-López. Rest assured, they do recognize his art. The Spanish-Argentine artist drew many iconic comics back in the day, like Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk, The New Teen Titans, and more. However, it’s one project that has cemented him as the DC Comics artist, and no fan could ever actually purchase it. In 1982, the publisher commissioned him to illustrate all their major heroes and villains for their in-house Style Guide. It was the reference book other artists were meant to use to get characters’ costumes right, especially in merchandise. Now, DC Comics is honoring JLGL with a series of variant covers using his original DC Comics Style Guide art.

Click To View Gallery

This July, the key character turnarounds from the legendary DC Comics Style Guide are set to be featured for the first time on a set of Artist Spotlight variant covers honoring the DC Comics legend. Look for Artist Spotlight variant covers on Batman #150, Green Arrow #14, Green Lantern #13, Shazam! #13, Superman #16, The Flash #11 and Wonder Woman #11. The Justice League of America has never looked so good. You can check each of them out in our gallery above.

DC uses many of these José Luis García-López illustrations in products for the Super Powers action figure line in the ’80s, and even on t-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise still today. Even with many costume changes at DC over the decades, these Bronze Age versions of the characters remain the most iconic. For years, fans have clamored for DC to release the entire Style Guide to fans, as before it was for internal use only (images have all been online for years). Here’s hoping this is the first step towards actually seeing that in print.

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Fighting evil villains with earth-shattering powers? Defending a galaxy far, far, away from the dark side? You may not be doing that every day, but why not tackle even the most ordinary of obstacles in fine form? A new line of sleek performance apparel from Bioworld’s Heroes & Villains wants you to do exactly that. This collection of fabulously fannish athletic wear celebrates the women of Star Wars, Wonder Woman herself, and, of course, you! It wouldn’t be the same without you. So get your superpowered racerback tank tops, scrunchies, and shorts ready and let your favorite women of this universe and beyond inspire you to action.

Heroes & Villains Star Wars Performance Racerback Tank Tops (And Ahsoka Shorts)

Whether you’re a Jedi, a Rebel, or just a rebellious Jedi, Bioworld’s Heroes & Villains has a new performance racerback tank top for you in their new Star Wars collection. These cool new Star athletic tops come in Jedi, Rebel, and Ahsoka varieties, which we think is pretty fitting because you just can’t label Ahsoka. We love how this T-shirts seem plucked right out of the Star Wars universe itself. We’d personally love to go to “Rebel Camp.” But we also love to tap into a little bit of the Force when we’re exercising. (It’s not cheating. We’re sure Anakin would back us up.)

Click To View Gallery

Each of the tank tops also comes with a fun Star Wars reference detail running along its back. It’s a lovely touch. You can take a look at the different Star Wars options from Heroes & Villains above.

Ahsoka, being the queen that she is, also has a pair of shorts to go with her tank top. They are absolutely adorable and we love seeing her symbol on them.

These Star Wars Performance Racerback Tank Tops cost $48 each. Meanwhile, Ahsoka Women’s Performance Shorts cost $52.

Heroes & Villains Wonder Woman Performance Tank Top

Okay. We can literally not say enough about this Wonder Woman performance tank top. It is so cute. We need it yesterday. We can’t imagine anything that would make us feel more powerful than this red, white, and gold get-up. The back detail, which reads “Strength. Grace. Love,” really completes the top. And we love the intricate gold designs running across its back and sides. Stylish and sensationally nerd. Great job, Heroes & Villains.

This Wonder Woman Performance Tank Top is also $48.

Scrunchies, Galore!

Who doesn’t need a nerdy scrunchie? We need at least ten because no matter if you wield the Force or have superhuman strength, you are still losing your scrunchies all the time. Complete your nerd jock look with matching a Star Wars or Wonder Woman scrunchie and headband set to keep your hair out of your face while you’re fighting evil or fighting with your laundry.

Click To View Gallery

The Star Wars and Wonder Woman Scrunchie & Headband Sets cost $16 each.

Bioworld’s Heroes & Villains Sets You Up in Style

To recap, here is everything available in this new collection, on sale now:

• Jedi Women’s Performance Racerback Tank Top, $48
• Rebel Women’s Performance Racerback Tank Top, $48
• Ahsoka Women’s Performance Racerback Tank Top, $48
• Wonder Woman Women’s Performance Tank Top, $48
• Jedi Scrunchie & Headband Set, $16
• Ahsoka Scrunchie & Headband Set, $16
• Rebel Scrunchie & Headband Set, $16
• Wonder Woman Scrunchie & Headband Set, $16
• Ahsoka Women’s Performance Shorts, $52

Heroes & Villains often has many fun and immersive fannish collections. We love this new line and can’t wait to see what’s next.

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New Year’s resolutions. Almost everyone makes them. Very few people hold to them. But what about superheroes? If you’ve got the powers of a god and you make a resolution to “eat less dairy,” do you have a bigger obligation to keep to it? Well, we may never get an answer to that question. But via DC Comics’ official Instagram, we did get the New Year’s resolutions to several of the company’s most iconic heroes. In fact, six of the seven main members of the Justice League all revealed their New Year’s resolutions going into 2024. Sorry, Martian Manhunter, maybe next year. You can check them all out down below:

Ok, so all of these Justice League New Year’s resolutions were very tongue-in-cheek. Although some of these are ones we think the actual characters might actually have in the comics. Wonder Woman vowing to “mediate daily on the freeing power of truth?” is very on brand for her. And, “Revise the contingency plan for my contingency plan’s contingency plan?” That sounds very Batman. Hey Bruce, how about no more contingency plans on how to stop your fellow Justice Leaguers in case they go bad without telling them first? That never goes well.

Speaking of being mind-controlled and going bad, we kind of love that Superman has “Make it the full year without being mind-controlled and going evil” as part of his resolutions. The world would surely be a better place if that happened less, Clark. We have enough “evil Supermans” on The Boys and Invincible. Some major DC Comics characters didn’t get to reveal their New Year’s resolutions alongside the Justice League. But we’d like to think Nightwing’s is, “Stop competing with my father figure.” Maybe Black Canary’s resolution is, “Stop raising my voice to Green Arrow, it makes his ears bleed.” Hopefully, next year we find out the DC Villains’ New Year’s Resolutions. Although we admit, we’re a wee bit scared to see the Joker’s.

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The DCEU may be over, but over the decade of its existence, it left more than a handful of films to be watched and debated about endlessly. Although the original plan was for all DC films to have an exclusive home at Max, as of January, 14 DC films are also now on Netflix. Although two of them are technically not DCEU films, just films based on DC properties. Chalk this one up to the realities of streaming service revenue in tough financial times for all the major studios. This is why many of these same films are now on ad-supported Tubi as well. The news came via Netflix’s Tudum.

So which DCEU movies can you now enjoy on Netflix? You can literally start with the first DCEU film, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and work your way down. Next is Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

While that’s most of the DCEU films, there are a few still only on Max at the moment. 2023’s The Flash and Blue Beetle are still exclusive to that streaming platform, at least for now. Also, Zack Snyder’s extended 4-hour version of Justice League remains a Max exclusive. There are also two DC films not part of the DCEU as part of the Netflix deal—The Batman and the animated DC League of Super Pets.

As for classic DC Comics-based films, right now, most are only streaming on Max. Those include the four original Christopher Reeve Superman films (and Superman Returns) plus Supergirl and the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman movies. Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is also there, too. For those brave souls out there, the 2004 version of Catwoman and Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern are also available to watch.

How long the previously mentioned DC movies will remain on Netflix is a mystery at the moment. However, if you have a fix to watch Cavill as Superman and Affleck as Batman and only have a Netflix subscription? Then now’s your chance to watch the “Martha scene” in BvS as many times as you like.

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She’s the most famous female superhero of all time, with comics published nonstop for over 80 years. And in those eight decades, Wonder Woman, both as a character and as a comic book title, has had many ups and downs. We’re here to count down to the best of the best, the greatest comic book creative team runs for Diana of Themyscira that truly defined DC Comics’ Amazing Amazon.

10. Wonder Woman (Vol.4) by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang

with Tony Akins, Goran Sudzuka, Aco

When DC rebooted its universe in 2011 in what it called “the New 52” initiative, no one got a bigger status quo change than Wonder Woman. Writer Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) and artist Cliff Chiang’s (Paper Girls) run was critically acclaimed and sold very well. So why is it at the bottom of this list? It’s not a particularly good Wonder Woman comic. Much of it seems to disregard the original intent for Wonder Woman and the Amazons from her creator William Marston back in the Golden Age of comics.

In Azzarello’s take on Diana, she was not born of clay and given life by the gods with no male influence. Instead, she was the secret result of a torrid love affair between Zeus and Queen Hippolyta. The story revealed the Amazons as sexual assaulters and murderers of men, and then quickly removed them from the story. Azzarello’s reinterpretation of the Olympian Gods was extremely interesting, though, a highlight of the book. But they became more of a focus on the title than the titular heroine. DC would undo most of these changes, although Diana may or may not still be Zeus’ kid these days. DC doesn’t even seem to know. We do think some of the story choices here were bad for Wonder Woman. But objectively, as just a comic book about interfamily drama among gods, the craft on display is top-notch.

Issues in Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman Vol.4 #0-34, (2011-2014)

9. The Legend of Wonder Woman by Kurt Busiek and Trina Robbins

Writer Kurt Busiek is known for many legendary runs of comics for well-known heroes, specifically, Avengers, Superman, and his own creator-owned work, Astro City. In the mid-80s, he produced a love letter to Wonder Woman’s Golden Age heyday, along with underground comics legend Trina Robbins doing the art and helping with the plot. Robbins’ art style was a near-perfect mimic of Harry G. Peter, Diana’s principal artist in the ‘40s. Shockingly, Robbins became the first woman to illustrate Diana’s adventures, over 40 years after her creation. Hard to believe it took that long.

Released in 1986, this 4-part mini-series came out after Diana “died” in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but before her George Perez reboot. As the Amazons mourned their lost princess, her mother Hippolyta recalls an old adventure of her daughter’s. One where she battled Atomia, “Queen of the Atom Universe.” Told in complete retro style, this series featured many staples of ‘40s Wonder Woman. There was a precious little girl Diana befriends, and wacky super science. Plus, Wonder Woman always looking to rehabilitate an enemy before fighting one, a Golden Age staple. It was meant as a fond farewell to the Wonder Woman of old, and succeeds at doing so. Hopefully, one day DC will collect this fun throwback.

Issues in Kurt Busiek and Trina Robbins’ Wonder Woman run:

The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol.1 #1-4, (1986)

8. Wonder Woman (Vol.1) by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru

The ten years of Wonder Woman stories after the death of her creator William Moulton Marston were mostly a dreary affair. The character was still popular enough that she survived the post-World War II decline in the popularity of superhero comics. But these uninspired stories focus too much on Diana’s romantic pining for pilot Steve Trevor. Then, the late ‘50s saw a renaissance in superhero comics, an era we now call the Silver Age. Wonder Woman got in on this change too, and the writer/artist duo of this time, Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, produced some of the most off-the-wall (yet fun) Wonder Woman stories of all time.

During the Kanigher/Andru run, Diana got a new origin story. The first one where she had a father, the long-lost Prince Theno. The gods blessed her upon birth, hence her amazing powers. Following Superman’s lead, Diana had a “Wonder Family” of her own which included time-traveling versions of herself, like baby Wonder Tot and a teenage Wonder Girl. Wonder Girl was so popular, she would eventually evolve into her own, separate character for Teen Titans, Donna Troy. Silver Age Wonder Woman fought space aliens, and wacky characters like the Crimson Centipede, Angle Man, and even Paper Man.

Because of all these weird stories, clearly written with 8-year-olds in mind, Wonder Woman eventually began to feel like a relic of a bygone era. Especially as Marvel Comics grew in popularity as the ’60s rolled on. But many aspects of the Kanigher/Andru run stuck around in Wonder Woman lore. Although the idea of Diana having a father would go away by the early ‘70s, modern versions retain her being blessed by the Gods as a baby for example. Certainly not a complex series of stories, but filled with imagination just the same. And perfect for a young kid to read, even today.

Issues in Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman Vol.1 #98-170, (1958-1967)

7. Wonder Woman (Vol.2) by William Messner-Loebs and Mike Deodato

We want to start by saying this run on Wonder Woman is somewhat problematic. The ‘90s art style of artist Mike Deodato is heavy on the cheesecake style, with Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons practically all wearing thongs and overly sexualized togas. (We should add Deodato’s style has definitely evolved since then). But writer William Messner-Loebs’ storytelling skill was still on point, and made it so the reader can look past the extremely dated artistic elements. Messner-Loebs took over writing on Wonder Woman after five years of George Perez, who famously reinvented the character. An unenviable position, to be sure.

But after a couple of years of oddball stories, including one where Diana worked as a fast food employee, Messner-Loebs got to write his own Amazon epic. For twelve issues, he told the story of how Hippolyta was so disappointed in Diana’s failure to change the world, that she began a new contest to pick a new Amazon champion as Wonder Woman. The winner was Artemis, a surly Amazon from a militant tribe. One who thought she had what it takes to be a better Wonder Woman. But Diana didn’t quit the fight, even if she wore a hideous biker outfit to fight in now. This story is very “of its time,” but also fun. It introduced a very important member of the supporting cast in Artemis. Most importantly, it also reaffirmed why Diana was, and always will be, the best Wonder Woman ever.

Issues in William Messner-Loebs and Mike Deodato’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman Vol.2 #0, 90-100 (1994-1995)

6. Wonder Woman (Vol.3) by Gail Simone

with Terry and Rachel Dodson, Aaron Lopresti, Bernard Chang, Matt Ryan, Nicola Scott

After successful runs on the female-centric Birds of Prey, fans wondered out loud when writer Gail Simone would take on Wonder Woman, a character she professed much love for. The day finally came in 2007, when Simon took over writing duties on the third volume of Wonder Woman, which had been plagued with writer turnover since it began. She wound up being the female writer with the longest tenure writing Wonder Woman ever. Simone’s run built upon much of what came before, even largely hated events like Amazons Attack. And it made lemonade out of lemons.

Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman stories weren’t mainstream newsworthy and attention-getting, and there was no major reveal or change to Diana’s personality or history here. It was just really good comic book storytelling. She also created some truly memorable villains like the Circle, a band of Amazons who believed Diana’s supernatural birth was an abomination. Also Genocide, her physical rival in the way Doomsday was for Superman. A villain with incredibly creepy ties to Diana herself I won’t spoil here.

She also found a way to address the other pantheons of Gods, and how they related to the Olympians who gave Diana her powers. The artwork, primarily from Aaron Lopresti and Bernard Chang, showed off how good they were at just telling a story. This run ended the storyline of Wonder Woman that Perez had begun in 1986, and we could think of much worse ways to go out. Plus, Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman had talking apes in it as a supporting cast. That alone makes this an all-timer.

Issues in Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman Vol.3 #14-44, Vol.1 #600, (2007-2010)

5. Wonder Woman (Vol.2) by Phil Jimenez

with Roy Allan Martinez

When writer/artist Phil Jimenez came on board the monthly Wonder Woman title in 2001, he was already a well-known super fan of the character. He’s even the author of the Wonder Woman Encyclopedia. However, by the time he took over, the book had drifted from its core, altering the character to fit into stories about other DC characters the current writer wanted to tell.

Jimenez, whose art style draws heavily from George Perez’s interpretation, explored ideas post-Perez creators just glossed over. What did it mean to have two different tribes of Amazons on one island? What did it really mean for Hippolyta to time travel and replace her daughter in World War II history? And what did it mean for Diana and Donna Troy to effectively share a soul? Jimenez crafted compelling stories around these lingering questions with some of the most gorgeously rendered art the series had ever seen, before or since.

Most importantly, Phil Jimenez crafted the best single issue of Wonder Woman ever, titled “She’s a Wonder.” It covered reporter Lois Lane tailing Diana for a full day, examining what 24 hours in her existence were really like. Turns out, it wasn’t as perfect as most would like to think. Jimenez’s run only lasted three years, but I felt his deep love for the character on every page. Luckily, he got to return to the world of Diana in the Wonder Woman prequel graphic novel Historia, itself a masterpiece. If there’s any creator we’d follow on a Wonder Woman project anytime, it’s Phil Jimenez.

Issues in Phil Jimenez’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman, Vol.2, #164-188, (2000-2003)

4. Wonder Woman: Earth One, Vol. 1-3, by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette

Writer Grant Morrison is a legend when it comes to writing comics, and has been for the better part of forty years. Their runs on X-Men, Superman, Batman, and JLA are among the best ever for those characters. They finally gave fans their take on Diana in a series of three original graphic novels, Wonder Woman: Earth One, which came out between 2017 and 2020. Joining on all three volumes of Earth One was artist Yanick Paquette. He had briefly drawn the ongoing Wonder Woman series in the late ‘90s, but now his craft was on another level. It’s safe to say his version of Paradise Island remains the most beautifully illustrated ever.

While most other writers since William Marston had shied away from the sexual and BD/SM aspects of Wonder Woman, Morrison leaned in hard. They explored why it was both great and problematic at the same time. Their Diana was finally openly bisexual giving her a girlfriend at last. They also restored one aspect of Diana’s lore that DC disregarded for years, which was the weird sci-fi angle. We acknowledge that Morrison’s Earth One version of Wonder Woman is a love-it-or-hate-it affair. Some moments are overblown and almost campy, and many modern readers don’t like to be reminded of the innate absurdity of superheroes, something Morrison absolutely loves.

And yet, Morrison did what they almost always do with their take on iconic superheroes. They take pieces from decades of lore, and fashion them into something new and modern while honoring the past. There’s almost no era of Wonder Woman comics Morrison doesn’t lovingly homage in Earth One. Even the bad ones. Elements from Perez, Messner-Loebs, and Greg Rucka are all here in some form. All refashioned as a statement on 21st-century misogyny, and how to fight against it. For that, Morrison and Paquette’s three-part graphic novel series is well worth the time of any Wonder Woman fan.

Issues in Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volumes 1-3, (2017-2020)

3. Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics by William Moulton Marston, Harry G. Peter, Elizabeth Marston, Olive Byrne

In the cases of Diana Prince’s fellow Trinity friends Superman and Batman, their creators did not necessarily write their best stories. But in Diana’s case, her creator William Moulton Marston absolutely did weave some of her most formative tales, even if some aspects of them are cringe nearly 80 years later. It’s well documented how Marston, along with his wife Elizabeth and their partner Olive Byrne, wanted to create a modern feminist icon with Wonder Woman. Someone strong who would serve as the antithesis of the “bloodcurdling masculinity” of most comics back then.

With the help of artist and collaborator Harry G. Peter, whose art style was unique for the time resembling Victorian illustrations. Marston, Elizabeth, and Olive (who were uncredited) crafted stories of Amazonian super science, mythical lands, and bizarre villains. Perhaps more important were tales where Diana Prince helped her enemies become better people, and didn’t just throw them in prison and wait for their escape. Yes, some of these stories have problematic politics. Diana wasn’t so much for equality of the sexes, Marston believed women should rule over men. We don’t want to kink shame, but the focus on bondage imagery was over the top, and the less said about its depictions of the Japanese during World War II, the better.

And yet, more than almost any other Golden Age superhero comics of the time, Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics remain incredibly readable today, even if you’re often thinking “Wtf is going on” while reading them. The stories are wildly entertaining, featuring one wonderfully bizarre concept after another. It’s no surprise that so many prominent American feminists were readers of these comics as little girls. When Marston died in 1947, it marked the end of five years of wild and weird stories, soon replaced by other writers who didn’t adhere to Marston’s feminist views. But despite massive changes to Wonder Woman after Marston’s tenure, the core of what he created in these stories remains, and always shines through.

Issues in William Moulton Marston’s Wonder Woman run:

All-Star Comics #8, Sensation Comics #1-68, Wonder Woman Vol.1, 1-24 (1941-1947)

2. Wonder Woman (Vol.2, Vol.5) by Greg Rucka

with Drew Johnson, J. G. Jones, Rags Morales, Cliff Richards, James Raiz, Nicola Scott, Liam Sharp, Bilquis Evely

Prolific comic book writer Greg Rucka, famous for his work on Batman, has not just one but two excellent runs on Wonder Woman. He first took over the series with issue #295 back in 2004. Many previous runs after Perez’s tenure on the title focused on traditional heroics. Yet Rucka chose to focus on Diana’s role as ambassador of Themyscira. Her main function in society was to help people become the best versions of themselves through example. She even wrote a bestselling book to get her point across.

But Rucka didn’t shy away from portraying Diana as the greatest warrior on Earth. In the graphic novel The Hiketeia, she shows Batman just who is the most skilled fighter on the planet when she upholds her sworn duty to defend a young woman. When she takes on Medusa, she blinds herself to fight her, proving she doesn’t need eyes to take her down. Rucka also deftly deals with the consequences of Diana’s moral failing, when she kills Maxwell Lord to save Superman (and countless others).

In 2016’s Rebirth era, Rucka returned to Wonder Woman, this time restoring much of her original lore that was removed by the New 52 run. In “Year One,” Wonder Woman’s new origin story goes back to Marston’s original, while also keeping key elements of the Perez-era Amazons. For “The Lies,” Rucka and Liam Sharp address Diana’s role in the present time, and reimagine villains like Cheetah. Most creators are lucky to have one run on a particular superhero that is so great. Greg Rucka gets to say he had two.

Issues in Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia (2002) Wonder Woman Vol.2 #196-226 (2003-2006), Wonder Woman Vol.5, #1-25, Rebirth Special #1 (2016-2019)

1. Wonder Woman (Vol.2) by George Perez

with Greg Potter, Len Wein, Chris Marrinan, Jill Thompson, Colleen Doran

After the sales highs of the Golden Age, Wonder Woman as a comic book rarely sold like gangbusters. However, a clause in the contract with her creator’s estate meant DC had to publish Wonder Woman comics, or the company would lose the rights. Wonder Woman was too valuable as an IP due to merchandise sales to ever let her go but the actual comics were neglected creatively for years. The only exception was the bump when the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series was on the air. DC used their big 1985 continuity reboot Crisis on Infinite Earths to give Diana a big makeover. The trouble was, no one wanted the job.

Artist George Perez was already a comics superstar thanks to his work on The New Teen Titans and The Avengers. When he finished drawing Crisis, he realized Superman and Batman had major creators doing their respective reboots; Wonder Woman had no one. So he volunteered, and along with writer Greg Potter, did a massive overhaul of Wonder Woman in 1986, bigger than almost anything that had been done before. Under their guidance, the Amazons became more like the warriors of Greek myth than ever before, and the importance of the Olympian pantheon went into overdrive. The artwork and stories were detailed and epic, somehow evoking ancient myth and modernity at the same time.

Under Perez, Diana was powered up, befitting her status. She didn’t need an invisible plane to fly anymore, she could do so on her own power. Her super strength was now on par with Superman’s. Her longtime love interest, Steve Trevor, became an older man who was like a big brother. Perez was in no rush to give Diana a love interest. Perhaps the biggest change, the secret identity trope was done away with. Diana Prince was over, she was just Princess Diana, ambassador of Themyscira. Not only that, he made her principal supporting cast a single mother and daughter, amping the feminism of the title harder than anyone since Marston himself. However, unlike Marston, fewer people were tied up.

Perez illustrated the book for only 25 issues, but wrote (and did covers) for the entire five-year run. Sales and critical acclaim for Wonder Woman were better than they’d been in decades, and it was the foundation for the next two decades of Wonder Woman storytelling, including many of the other great and creative runs on this list. Both the modern animated and live-action versions of Wonder Woman owe George Perez an incredible debt for his version of Princess Diana. For this reason, we rank it as the greatest of all time.

Issues in George Perez’s Wonder Woman run:

Wonder Woman Vol.2, #1-62, Annual #1-2, Wonder Woman: War of the Gods #1-4 (1986-1991)

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Last December, director Patty Jenkins revealed she was no longer developing a third Wonder Woman movie for DC Studios. That was just one of the many big changes to take place under new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. They’re overseeing the franchise’s transition from the DCEU to the DCU. That switch will include new actors in some major roles, including for both Superman and Batman. But in news that will delight fans of the previous Diana Prince, it looks like they might be keeping her around. Gal Gadot says Gunn and Safran informed her they’re developing a Wonder Woman 3 movie starring her as Themyscira’s greatest hero.

Gadot shared the news while speaking to ComicBook.com‘s Chris Killian about her new Netflix film Heart of Stone. (The interview took place prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.) Gadot’s announcement could have huge ramifications for the DCU. She said, “I love portraying Wonder Woman. It’s so close to and dear to my heart.” That’s not news, but what came next certainly is. Gadot added, “From what I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a Wonder Woman 3 together.”

Obviously “hearing” something about a possible Wonder Woman 3 movie is far from a guarantee the film will happen. Still, Gadot went into a little more detail in an interview with Flaunt. She said, “I was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran [co-chairperson and CEO of DC alongside Gunn] and what they told me, and I’m quoting: ‘You’re in the best hands. We’re going to develop Wonder Woman 3 with you. [We] love you as Wonder Woman— you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ So time will tell.”

However, sources with knowledge of the situation have told both Collider and Variety that Wonder Woman 3 is not in development. Sources said Gunn and Safran don’t have any plans for any kind of Wonder Woman project in the new DCU aside from already announced Paradise Lost series.

Will Gadot’s Wonder Woman ultimately join him in the DCU? We don’t know and she probably doesn’t either. Gunn and Safran themselves might not either. As Gadot said, time will tell.

Originally published on August 2, 2023.

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DC characters at the movies may be in a state of flux, as we are at the end of the DCEU and the dawn of James Gunn’s new DC Universe in film and TV. But the actual DC comics have been going strong for 87 years now. As the home of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many, many others, DC Comics spawned a modern mythology, chronicled in a new 3-part documentary series on Max called Superpowered: The DC Story. It premieres on July 20 on the platform, and you can watch the trailer right here:

Leslie Iwerks, who directed the excellent The Imagineering Story on Disney+ last year, directed Superpowered. Rosario Dawson, herself no stranger to DC as someone who voiced Wonder Woman in several animated features, is the narrator. The 3-part series will cover the birth of DC during the Great Depression. Then, of course, the arrival of Superman and Batman and the Golden Age of comics. And also the near collapse of the comics industry when it was under siege in the ’50s. This led to the Silver Age and characters like the Justice League, and ultimately, to modern icons like Sandman and the Milestone heroes. It’s 87 years folks, there’s a lot of story to tell in this one.

Superpowered: The DC Story premieres on July 20 on Max.

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“Swimsuit Specials” were all the rage in comics back in the ’90s. Back then, publishers tried to cash in on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues by doing a version with their characters in skimpy swimwear. Of course, back then, the “models” were exclusively women. Things are a little more equal opportunity today. Case in point, DC Comics’ brand new G’nort’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, hitting your local comic shop this summer. If you’re wondering who the heck G’nort is, he’s an anthropomorphic dog-like alien who is the universe’s most incompetent Green Lantern. Fortunately, his name also rhymes with the word “sports.”

G’nort will be our guide through a 48-page collection of some of DC’s sexiest swimsuit covers over the years, all collected in one issue. We’re talking artists like Amanda Conner, Paul Pelletier, Nicola Scott, Mikel Janín, Jeff Dékal, Daniel Sampere, Gleb Melnikov, Derrick Chew, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, Emanuela Lupacchino, Joëlle Jones, Megan Huang, Terry Dodson, Babs Tarr, Pete Woods, Joe Quinones, Hélène Lenoble, Otto Schmidt, Michael Allred, Sweeney Boo, David Talaski, Jenny Frison, and more. You can see examples of their heroes in beachwear in the gallery below:

Click To View Gallery

Additionally, this one-shot will include Steve Orlando and Paul Pelletier’s Midnighter and Apollo story, “Out There.” This was originally published in DC Cybernetic Summer. Most surprisingly, there’s a new 8-page story featuring The Penguin. Julie Benson and Shawna Benson will clothe Oswald in the tightest bathing trunks you can imagine, in a story with art by Meghan Hetrick. And of course, as with any good Swimsuit Special, there will be a centerfold. There will be three potential centerfolds with each copy, but who they will feature will remain a mystery for now. There will be a main cover by Vasco Georgiev, along with cardstock variant covers by J. Scott Campbell and Adam Hughes, and a 1:25 variant cover by Pablo Villalobos. The G’nort Illustrated Swimsuit Edition goes on sale on August 29.

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New DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are now focusing on making a unified DC Universe across film, television, and gaming. But they have said there is still room for stories outside the shared continuity. Movies like The Batman: Part II, and Joker: Folie à Deux. These projects would have their own branding based on DC Comics — Elseworlds.

In fact, James Gunn recently mentioned on Twitter that some upcoming animated projects will be Elseworlds tales. Over the next few years, there are some much-wanted DC Comics adaptations that fit perfectly into the Elseworlds brand, based on stories from the comics. Here are some key Elseworlds tales we hope to see come to life over the next several years.

Batman Beyond

As of right now, there are going to be two big-screen Batmans, with the DCU’s Batman in The Brave and the Bold, and Matt Reeves’ Dark Knight in The Batman: Part II. But what about Michael Keaton’s Batman, who is showing up soon in Flash? We don’t want just a “one and done” for him. Well, we have a solution. For years fans have been asking Warner Bros. to make a Batman Beyond movie, especially one with Keaton as “Old Man Bruce.” This would be based on the classic animated show. One which later became a comic set in its own universe apart from the main DC timeline. So, it is an Elseworlds of a sort.

True, right now might not be the time for this, what with two cinematic Caped Crusaders already. But we really want to see a film set in a Blade Runner-style future where young Terry McGinnis becomes the new Dark Knight, trained by the elder Bruce. This teenage Batman is part Spider-Man, with all the high school drama, part Iron Man, with the advanced armor, but mashed up with Gotham City mythology. Maybe this would be best served as an HBO Max series? All we know is that we’re dying to see it.

Superman: Red Son

While Batman has many great Elseworlds stories, Superman has about half as many. But there is one that stands above the rest, and that’s Mark Millar’s Superman: Red Son. The story imagines a world where baby Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas. In Russia, he becomes the symbol, and ultimate weapon, of the totalitarian state. Krypton had a red sun, Superman is now the “red son” of the USSR. Clever, Mr. Millar.

The story also features other DC characters, given a Cold War-era makeover. An animated adaptation came out a few years back. However, it didn’t have the running time to do the original graphic novel justice. We probably won’t see an alt-Superman until our Clark Kent one is firmly established. Yet at some point down the line, a Russian Man of Steel seems like a no-brainer as an Elseworlds story.

Wonder Woman: Amazonia

Right now, aside from the prequel series Paradise Lost, there doesn’t seem to be any plans for Wonder Woman in the “Gods and Monsters” chapter. We still don’t even know if Gal Gadot is going to play Diana Prince when we see her next, or if it will be someone new. But while they figure out what the heck to do with the primary DCU Wonder Woman, maybe an Elseworlds tale could be squeezed in?

The 1998 graphic novel Amazonia by William Messner Loebs and Phil Winslade, imagined Diana in the Victorian era. We see her fighting against an era of systemic sexism, oppression, and uncomfortable corsets. Heck, if Gal Gadot doesn’t return as the DCU Wonder Woman, her swan song could always be this excellent Elseworlds tale. We’re in it just for the costumes alone.

DC: The New Frontier

We are clearly several years away from a new Justice League forming in this DCU. Gunn isn’t going to make the same mistakes the previous regime did, and rush a team-up film before it is ready. Having said that, a TV series adapting Darwyn Cooke’s epic series DC: The New Frontier could scratch that JLA itch until the eventual main DCU version arrives. The New Frontier is about the era of superheroes during the late ‘50s Atomic Age, coming out of McCarthyism and into the Space Race.

This story is set on an Earth still in the late ’50s/early ’60s. In it, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the “old guard,” the last heroes still fighting the good fight post-WWII. They find themselves dealing with a new generation of Space Age heroes like the Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern, who represent the idealism of the JFK/Camelot era. Eventually, an apocalyptic threat unites them all. Cooke’s series explored American history through a superhero lens, and would make for a great HBO Max series.

The Crime Syndicate of America

This entry is a bit of a cheat, as there’s not one specific Elseworlds comic based on the Crime Syndicate to adapt. However, they are alternate versions of iconic DC heroes. And they do live on the parallel world of Earth-3, so we say they count as an Elseworlds. The Crime Syndicate are twisted, criminal versions of the Justice League. Powerhouses who are brutal crime lords and dictators on their Earth. However, they are not exact analouges for the League. Ultraman isn’t an alien like Superman, Owlman isn’t an evil Bruce Wayne, etc.

The best stories featuring these characters are the animated film Justice League: Worlds Collide, and the Grant Morrison graphic novel, JLA: Earth 2. (And we know James Gunn loves Morrison’s work). This would probably work best as an HBO Max series, since it would definitely be pretty dark and violent. There are a lot of “evil Justice Leagues” in media these days, like the Seven on The Boys. But the Crime Syndicate did it first, and arguably best. Let this be their time to shine.

Kingdom Come

You probably guessed this one was coming. Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come is the granddaddy of DC Elseworlds stories, seen as the “final chapter” of the DC Universe. It’s set in the not-too-distant future, one where violent superheroes become the norm. “Heroes” who spend more time fighting each other than saving lives. After a personal tragedy, Superman retires, leaving these unruly characters to run amok. But after a terrible incident that costs millions of lives proves the world needs Superman, he returns. And the League follows him. But as you might guess, things do not go smoothly.

We’ve made the case before that this story would be the perfect final chapter for the Snyderverse heroes. It would be a fitting farewell to their versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as played by Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot. Right now, it seems James Gunn wants to focus on the future, and not tie up loose threads from the past. But maybe five or so years from now? Maybe then it will be time to do Kingdom Come. And if you wait some time, those actors will have aged into their roles naturally. Hey, in the meantime, an animated adaptation might work.

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One of the more intriguing projects James Gunn announced for his new DCU is a series called Paradise Lost, a sort of Game of Thrones-style series about the political turmoil in the Amazon nation of Themyscira. This show would take place centuries before Wonder Woman and will certainly feature a ton of other wonder women. And it seems the series is at least named after a Wonder Woman storyline from two decades ago—a story about an Amazon civil war. But before we get into that story, let’s get into the comic history of the two ancient tribes of warrior women at the heart of the comic storyline Paradise Lost.

The Bloody History of Wonder Woman’s Amazons

In the George Perez Wonder Woman 1980s reboot, they explored the history of the Amazons in detail. Perez’s top-to-bottom reimagining revealed that the Amazon tribe were all the reincarnations of women whose lives were cut short by the brutality of men. The Greek Gods granted these souls new life as Amazon warriors, emerging fully formed in adult bodies from the clay beneath the sea. This occurred roughly 3,000 years ago. The Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman film actually depicts a version of this in the history lesson Queen Hippolyta gave young Diana.

Heracles, the son of Zeus, was jealous of these warrior women, and had them enslaved. (This is a story straight from Greek mythology). The misogynistic demigod betrayed Hippolyta, stealing her gods-given golden girdle. Begging her gods to set her free, she led her people in a bloody revolt against him, vowing never to become enslaved again. But they disappointed their Gods, who thought the Amazons were foolish to ever let their guard down in the first place. They bestowed a penance on the Amazons; to wear their slave bracelets forever as a reminder, and to exile themselves from humanity.

One Amazon Tribe Becomes Two

But not all the Amazons agreed with this ruling. They abandoned their bracelets and refused to go to the island refuge. Hippolyta’s sister, Antiope, led these Amazons. The rebellious Amazon warrior took half the tribe with her, while her sister led the other half to the island of Themyscira. There, they would remain immortal as long as they remained on the island. But Antiope’s tribe lost their immortality when they forsook the gods and their divine orders. They then disappeared. It would be years into the Perez run of Wonder Woman before we discovered their ultimate fate.

An Uneasy Amazon Alliance

We eventually learned that Antiope’s tribe settled in Egypt, where they withdrew and became hostile toward mankind. They were still fierce warriors, and often traded weapons with outside tribes. They kept all female children and raised them, and gave up the males. They settled into a city they named Bana-Mighdall, which translated into “Temple of Women.” They remained in that city for centuries. In the modern era, they were referred to simply as the Bana, and became enemies of Wonder Woman. Eventually, the witch Circe transported all the Banas to Themyscira, and transported the whole island of Amazons into a demon dimension.

In this demon dimension, time moved differently. A whole decade passed, and the two tribes of Amazons, once enemies, joined forces to fight the demonic hordes. It was an uneasy alliance, but they eventually succeeded. When Themyscira returned to Earth, the Banas lived in their own section of the island, while Hippolyta’s Amazons lived separately. But from the get-go, the Themysciran Amazons treated them like second-class citizens.

Centuries of tradition separated the two cultures, and the Bana viewed the original Amazons as relics. Meanwhile, the original Amazons viewed the Banas as barbarians. This uneasy peace didn’t last long. Especially when one of the Banas, Artemis, became the new Wonder Woman after a grueling contest. The Banas learned Hippolyta gave her the title because she had a vision that Wonder Woman would die in an upcoming battle, and wanted to spare her daughter Diana. That didn’t help relations.

When Two Tribes Go To War

In the 2002 storyline, writer/artist Phil Jimenez united with Wonder Woman legend George Perez for a special two-part story about an Amazon civil war. Called Paradise Lost, it saw tensions rise between the two tribes to a fever pitch. This was despite a romantic relationship developing between two Amazons from rival tribes. Queen Hippolyta continued to neglect her new citizens, instead preferring to adventure with the Justice Society of America.

Secret forces on the island with long-held grudges stoked tension between the two tribes, and finally, blood was shed. This resulted in a full-scale war. The Themysciran Amazons were the more skilled warrior faction, but the Banas were adept at using modern weapons. It was only when Hippolyta renounced the monarchy and instituted a ruling council with representatives from both tribes that a lasting peace occurred, bringing about a new unified Amazon culture.

The Amazon Civil War in the DCU

How will this story influence the HBO Max series Paradise Lost? Well, for starters, the key difference is that there won’t be a Wonder Woman in this story. This new version takes place thousands of years prior to the birth of Diana. But we have a feeling that the show will reveal the existence of the Bana-Mighdall. In the movie, Antiope, played by Robin Wright, remained with her sister Hippolyta—unlike in the comics.

But that doesn’t mean she never founded another tribe of warrior women before rejoining her sister in exile. In fact, the Amazon civil war, and the manipulations leading to it, could draw inspiration from the Jimenez/Perez storyline. Of course, we know that in the films, Hippolyta never renounced the throne, so that’s another major detail that will be different. But with the upcoming Flash movie, DC Studios will reset a lot of history. Maybe the Amazons will be far more different from what we remember in this new DCU reality. Only the Gods of Olympus know. And for now, they’re not talking.

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DC Comics films are in a state of transition. Despite announcing just a few months ago that he was back, Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman. New DC Studios co-head James Gunn confirmed the news, saying in a tweet that his new Superman will be a young hero just starting out, played by another actor. All pretty much confirming that his DCU will be a reboot. Many fans, including us, think a full-scale reboot is the best way forward. Continuing to put bandages on the existing DCEU doesn’t seem to work. It’s time to start fresh.

Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022

However, we believe that since a full-scale reboot is likely on the horizon, the versions of these iconic heroes we’ve seen on film this past decade deserve a fitting ending. Especially Henry Cavill, who they had only just announced as returning as Kal-El. Shouldn’t he get at least one more great film for his version of the iconic hero? Especially after so many fans cheered his long-awaited return. It would just be a sad ending if his last time in the role is a walk-on cameo in Black Adam.

And then, there’s the issue of Wonder Woman. After becoming a global icon thanks to her solo film, doesn’t Gal Gadot’s Diana deserve a proper final act too? Especially as WB canceled whatever Patty Jenkins had planned for a third film. Before any possible reboot happens, we think the Princess of Themyscira deserves a glorious sendoff as well. And that sendoff should be an adaptation of one of DC Comics’ most beloved stories, Kingdom Come (spoilers for the original comics).

Kingdom Come: A rebuttal of ’90s comic book nihilism

Originally published in 1996, Kingdom Come was creators Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ statement on the state of superheroes at the time. Ever since Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns in 1986, comics saw “grim ‘n gritty” anti-heroes surpassing traditional ones. The late ‘80s, and especially the early ‘90s was an explosion in popularity with these kinds of characters. Chief among them the Punisher, Wolverine, and gun-toting Cable. When the Image Comics boom happened, new characters like Spawn and others leaned heavily into the dark antihero vibe. It became a cliché, and eventually, a joke. Waid and Ross told a story about where a continued obsession with these kinds of “heroes” might lead us.

“They chose the man who would kill over the man who wouldn’t. And now they’re dead.”

Kingdom Come was set in a relatively near future. Violent, often gun-wielding heroes spend more time fighting each other than fighting criminals or saving innocent lives. The old guard of Justice League heroes have mostly retired. The reason for this was thanks to Superman abandoning his post as Earth’s protector, after humanity deemed his brand of heroism outdated. When the Joker killed dozens of reporters at the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane, Superman apprehended him.

But a new vigilante named Magog, a not-so-subtle take on Marvel’s Cable, decided to kill the Joker in cold blood. Superman arrested him for murder, but the public wanted Magog’s style of punitive justice. The world picked Magog over Superman, who they now considered a relic. So he retreated to his Fortress of Solitude for a decade, leaving the Earth to a new breed of not-so-heroic heroes.

With Superman and many of his fellow old-school Leaguers following suit, either gone or operating in the shadows, the world falls apart. Things come to a head when a reckless incident from Magog results in millions of lost lives. Superman returns to the world, which welcomes him back. He seeks to see a return to a time of virtuous heroism. But his methods for returning to “the old ways” isn’t exactly right either, as he seeks to force this new generation to see things his way, or suffer the consequences. His old friend Batman realizes he’s in way over his head.

A truly apocalyptic generation gap

This upcoming battle between generations of superpowered people is witnessed by our POV character, a kindly old pastor named Norman McKay. He, with the help of the unearthly Spectre, try to prevent the upcoming Armageddon. One that will happen thanks to two generations of superpowered people clashing in battle. Without giving the whole story away (really, you should read it), Kingdom Come’s final act is a dark one. Although its ultimate ending denouement is one of hope. One that celebrates the pure heroism of DC’s Trinity, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and what they represent to pop culture. Oh, and Shazam too. He plays quite a role, but that one’s a bit spoilery. (Again, read Kingdom Come).

A rousing end for Cavill’s Superman and Gadot’s Wonder Woman

So, why attempt Kingdom Come as the finale for the old DCEU? For starters, Henry Cavill truly deserves a great Superman story, and Kingdom Come is that story. Clark has a full character arc, and the story ultimately explains why Superman is the greatest superhero of all time. It’s the Superman story Cavill deserves. It’s also a great Wonder Woman story. The Amazon goddess must reckon with whether her skills as an ambassador of peace or as warrior of righteousness are more effective in this world. It’s a much better conclusion to Gal Gadot’s version of Diana than Wonder Woman 1984.

In Kingdom Come, Batman must also reckon with the toll decades of crime fighting has had on his body. And how it hindered his ability to keep Gotham City safe. And he must also be the voice of reason when his old allies cannot see the flaw in their methods. Now, Ben Affleck could or could not return to play Bruce Wayne in this. In the original comic, Bruce is an old man. But thanks to their respective Kryptonian and Amazonian DNA, both Superman and Wonder Woman have aged very little. While it would be nice to see Affleck return to the role, we don’t see it as a deal breaker if they recast him with someone older.

The DCEU was perfect for Kingdom Come as a finale from the start

It also makes sense for the DCEU’s endgame (pardon the marvelous phrase) because it’s simply always been a darker version of these characters than the comics. In the original comic, it seemed almost a stretch to believe that world of the Justice League could cause such a violent new generation of heroes. It’s not much of a stretch to believe the world started in Man of Steel would result in this new breed of metahumans.

Although there are dozens of DC heroes in Kingdom Come, they are mainly background soldiers in Superman and Wonder Woman’s army. (They will all make for great action scenes, and even better toys). However, The focus of the story is entirely on Clark and Diana, along with Bruce Wayne and Billy Batson. Not to mention our human guide, Norman McKay. All versions of these characters exist in the DCEU as is, except for Norman, and deserve a proper conclusion.

Making plans. pic.twitter.com/cubPgga066

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 30, 2022

A certain breed of fandom will no doubt take issue with certain portrayals of the characters, chiefly Superman. His arc, where a tragic piece of his past forces him into self-imposed exile, before returning triumphantly when the world needs him, was hated by many when applied to characters like Luke Skywalker and Captain Picard. However, one thing those fans won’t be able to say is that it’s not true to the comics. It’s straight from one of DC’s most beloved comic book tales. Cavill, Gadot, and even Zachary Levi’s version of these heroes deserve some kind of closure, even if it’s years from now. Based on some of his recent posts, we know James Gunn is a Kingdom Come fan. Here’s hoping he loves it enough to allow for it to be the old DCEU’s swan song, after a new cinematic DC Universe is ushered in.

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Wonder Woman 3, at least with Patty Jenkins at the helm, will not be happening at Warner Bros. after all. The news comes from a report in The Hollywood Reporter, that claims that the script by Jenkins and Geoff Johns did not line up with whatever new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have in store for their new DC shared universe. Whether Gal Gadot continues on as the Amazing Amazon remains a question mark. Gunn and Safran might want to give the DCU a total makeover, and recast all the original Snyderverse characters.

2017’s Wonder Woman hit big, both critically and at the box office. However, the 2020 follow-up Wonder Woman 1984 did not receive as much love from fans and critics. It debuted in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time, at the height of the pandemic, which killed its box office prospects (it did receive high viewership on the streaming service, however). Warner Bros. still wanted Jenkins to return for a third film, but it didn’t work out. Patty Jenkins shared some insight into Wonder Woman 3 in a tweet on December 13.

Jenkins states she didn’t kill the movie or walk away. She says she was open to considering anything DC Comics asked of her, but she understands there was nothing she could do to move it forward at this time. Jenkins goes on to wish the future of Wonder Woman at DC well and thank Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot.

The original report from The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Henry Cavill might not return as Superman after all, despite his recent comeback. It even goes so far as to suggest that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might be the end of the road for Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry. Which seems wild, as the first Aquaman made a billion dollars at the box office. Whatever new universe Gunn and Safran cook up creatively, here’s hoping that Gadot, Cavill, and Momoa all stick around. Why throw the super babies out with the bathwater? Especially as they’re so identified with those characters now? We expect this story to take many turns before DC Studios unveils its multi-year plan next year.

Originally published December 7, 2022.

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We nerds love to bring every aspect of our fandom into our lives. We even permanently attached some fandom love to our very bodies. No, I’m not talking about tattoos (although those count too, of course). We’re talking about wedding bands. The formerly nondescript rings symbolizing our love for our partners can now symbolize our love for our favorite superheroes too. Specifically, the heroes of the Justice League. The folks at Manly Bands have teamed up with DC Comics to create a series of wedding bands based on their most iconic characters. 

You’ll soon be able to say “I do” and also swear your everlasting love to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and the Joker. Oddly enough, the iconic DC heroes most associated with wearing a ring, Green Lantern, is not among the options. In wave two, they’ve added three new rings, centering on Superman and Batman. You can check out images and descriptions of each of the wedding bands below:

The Batman

The other Gotham-related rings in this collection are named after the Caped Crusader’s alter-ego, Bruce Wayne. But The Batman ring evokes the Dark Knight’s endless crime-fighting nights. The Batman ring arrives in black zirconium with carbon fiber inlay and Batman logo engraving. The ring is 8mm wide. It’s a domed design in comfort fit with hammer finish. 

The Clark Kent

Mild manner and boy-next-door charm, keep people underestimating you as you fly under the radar. By day you give the world juicy scoops, but you’re one phone booth away from transforming into the man who saves it. This ring will take you to new heights. The ring is Tungsten with Blue and Black Carbon Fiber Inlay, and Superman Logo Engraving. It’s 8mm wide, with domed bevel design in comfort fit with a polished finish.

The Caped Crusader

Shedding all pretense by night, you fight to protect the city you call home. It’s a thankless job, saving your city in the shadows, but you’re just the man to do it. Follow the signal and come get this ring. The ring is Black Zirconium with Carbon Fiber Inlay and Batman Logo Engraving. It’s 8mm wide, with a domed design in comfort fit with hammer finish. 

The Superman

They made this 8mm wide ring of Cobalt Chrome with a Stipple Finish. Featuring his signature colors with a Blue Inlay with a Red Sleeve they also engraved it with the Superman emblem. Which, as Man of Steel fans know, is the symbol of the House of El. And the Kryptonian symbol for “hope.”

The Bruce Wayne

They modeled the Bruce Wayne after the eponymous CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Who also has a secondary nighttime job you might be familiar with. This 9mm wide ring is made of Black Zirconium with a Machine Finish. Black Diamonds add to the richness of this ring and it’s finished off with the Bat emblem.

The Wonder Woman

The Wonder Woman is a 4mm wide ring, made of Cobalt Chrome with a Distressed Finish. Featuring a 1mm 14k Yellow Gold Inlay paying homage to Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth and two thin Blue Inlays. They engraved her Red Sleeve with the Wonder Woman emblem. Maybe not as strong as bullet-deflecting bracelets or Amazonian strength, but we’ll take it.

The Aquaman

The Aquaman is an 8mm wide Black Zirconium ring with a Bead Finish. The 3mm offset dark Mother of Pearl Inlay, speaks to the sea much like Aquaman himself. It’s finished off with a Green Sleeve and the Aquaman emblem. Show your love for your partner at the same time as showing off your Atlantean pride.

The Flash

The Flash is an 8mm wide, Black Zirconium, Domed Ring with a machine finish. There’s also an asymmetrical Red Inlay to represent “The Fastest Man Alive.” The sleeve is 14k Yellow Gold with The Flash emblem engraved inside. Aside from Green Lantern, no other major DC superhero is more associated with rings. After all, the Flash stored his costume in a ring for years!

The Joker

The Joker ring is the perfect nemesis to our Bruce Wayne ring. The 8mm wide ring is a domed Black Zirconium ring with a satin finish and Damascus Steel Inlay, with green accents. The Purple Sleeve also has the infamous “HAHAHA” of The Joker. If you want to symbolize your love for your partner while celebrating a homicidal maniac, who are we to judge?

The DC Comics Collection of wedding rings launches on the Manly Bands website with prices starting at $325. Each order will receive a complimentary silicone band and free shipping. For more information and to shop this collection, head on over to Manly Bands’ DC Collection page.

Originally published April 19, 2022.

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For more than 40 years comic book artist George Pérez did it all. He brought to life basically every major comic book character of both DC and Marvel. Now his dedicated fans around the world mourn a monumental loss. Pérez has passed away at age 67 from complications related to pancreatic cancer. The comics legend died at his home surrounded by his wife Carol and his family. He leaves behind a legacy that will endure longer than even his own illustrious career.

George Pérez’s place in comic book history is unquestioned. More than that it is nearly unmatched. During his long and storied career, the famed artist drew some of the best, most memorable, most beloved comic book stories. The complete list of his contributions to the industry is almost unfathomable. Just some of his work includes The New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman, Superman, The Avengers, and Infinity Gauntlet. But even that awe-inspiring collection is just a small part of what he did. If an important character from the two biggest publishers graced a comic bookshelf around the world, he almost certainly drew them. His career was not limited to just DC and Marvel, though.

Born in New York City on June 9, 1954, Pérez began his career at Marvel. His first published work, Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25, hit stands in 1974. It marked the start of one of the most astonishing comic book careers anyone has, or will ever, have. By 1975 he was already drawing the Avengers. The Fantastic Four soon followed. In the 1980s he also began drawing for DC Comics, starting with Justice League of America. He officially retired for health-related reasons in 2019.

A memorial service for the iconic artist will take place at MEGACON in Orlando at 6 pm on Sunday, May 22. The service will be open to all. And we’re sure many fans will make the pilgrimage to say goodbye.

Pérez first shared his cancer diagnosis in a touching Facebook post in December 2021. The outpouring of love and admiration that followed made clear how much his work touched the lives of generations of comic book fans. That included our own Eric Diaz, who wrote about Pérez’s truly incredible career and why he will always mean so much to so many. We leave the last word to him.

Mr. Pérez, when it comes to creating comic book art, you are the greatest of all time. You gave the world thousands of indelible and beautiful images. And you made kids and adults alike dream of epic battles and cosmic grandeur that would inspire us our whole lives. You are the reason I love comic books, the reason why enjoying comic books is a lifelong love that will never die. And I know I speak for comic book fans everywhere when I say, thank you, George.

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Ever since George Pérez revealed his cancer diagnosis last winter, the entire comic book industry has raised their voices in celebration of the legendary artist. Tributes poured in from both fans and creatives. And Marvel and DC even joined forces to reprint Pérez’s epic JLA/Avengers crossover for charity. Now, the folks at DC Comics are celebrating George’s 68th birthday in June with an all-star tribute piece. It will appear as a two-page spread in all June issues of DC Comics. You can see a preview of this gorgeous artistic jam below.

Working from a layout designed by Dan Jurgens, some of the industry’s biggest names including Jim Lee, Walter Simonson, Alex Ross, Dave Gibbons, Todd McFarlane, Daniel Sampere, Jerry Ordway, Nicola Scott, and many more, collaborated on the colorful spread. A key highlighting the characters and artists that participated will accompany the spread on a separate page.

The tribute will also feature as a variant cover for Dark Crisis #7. Each issue of the event series will have a cover highlighting a previous crisis event from DC’s history, starting with the genre-defining Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for issue #1. Many characters included in this piece are ones that George created—chiefly, the New Teen Titans characters. But also ones he had a hand in shaping in terms of their popularity, like Wonder Woman.

Legendary Death of Superman artist Dan Jurgens did the layout for this piece. And here’s what he had to say about his part in creating this tribute:

When I was asked to come up with a design and layout that would honor George Pérez and his many incredible contributions to DC Comics over the years, I was truly honored. I have admired George’s work since I first saw it and have had the good fortune to work with him in different capacities, on a number of projects. More importantly, I’ve been able to see the way George treats fans and readers, always smiling, gregarious and approachable. It was a joy to watch this cover come together and I’m sure everyone who contributed feels the same way.

Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson said:

George Pérez is one of my favorite comic storytellers of all time. To say he’s a ‘great artist’ is a massive understatement. His work on the original Crisis of Infinite Earths inspired so much of my love for DC Comics. When I saw DC editors pull together this incredible piece with so many amazing legendary artists celebrating George, I won’t lie, it was emotional. And now it’s an honor to have this tribute be a cover to Dark Crisis.

Hopefully, at some point, DC issues this amazing tribute as a poster. A special version of the Dark Crisis #7 variant cover will be available for sale by The Hero Initiative to raise funds for one of Pérez’s favorite charities. Pérez is a founding member of Hero Initiative’s board of directors and has served as chair of its Disbursement Committee.

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Comic book artist extraordinaire George Pérez is a legend. With over four decades of work behind him, Pérez changed how comic book art was presented. Including just how elevated it could be. Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve seen his work. Certainly his characters. Thanks to over 40 years in the business, George Pérez has drawn nearly every single major Marvel and DC character created in the 20th century. On top of all that, he’s also the creator who really made me love comics.

On December 7, 2021, Pérez revealed to his legion of fans that he recently received a Stage III pancreatic cancer diagnosis. He has six months to a year left, and he wants to make the best use of his time, which is with his family. His positive outlook on the life he’s lived, and to the future ahead of him, should be an inspiration to everyone. And his revelation has allowed his fans to share just how much they love him and how his work changed their lives. And today, it’s my turn.

I loved superheroes since before I could even read. I grew up with two older brothers who were comic fans, nine and 10 years my senior. At first, I just looked at the pictures. But thanks to shows like Super Friends, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman: The Movie, I already loved comic book characters. In the summer of 1980, I turned six-years-old. I could finally read, and my big brother brought home a copy of New Teen Titans #1 home from 7-Eleven. It marked my first time seeing the stunning artwork of George Pérez.

It blew me away. I already loved Robin from TV. But I’d never seen him presented like this before. Under Pérez’s pencils, Dick Grayson wasn’t a kid, but a cool and capable hero. Characters like Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg, all designed and co-created by Pérez, instantly grabbed my attention. It was the first comic book I read on my own, and then the first comic I ever collected regularly. Marv Wolfman’s characterization was fantastic, but it was Pérez’s art that transfixed me. Suddenly, all the art in my brother’s old comics looked quaint at best, hokey and archaic at worst. No one else could touch Pérez. I quickly learned he was in a class all his own.

George’s detailed and realistic art was unlike anything I had seen in any comic. His panels made me feel like I was watching a live-action movie, but with superheroes. (A rarity back then). He brought an unmatched cinematic flavor to comics. He left no background detail underserved. And his artwork influenced his fellow comic book artists too. Folks like John Byrne, Walter Simonson, and others got better in the wake of George’s popularity. Everyone else stepped up their game with Pérez in the room.

I didn’t know it as a child, but Titans was the book that helped save DC Comics during perilous financial times. But he wasn’t only working on Titans during that era. In the early ‘80s, Pérez’s work graced the pages of books like Fantastic Four, Avengers, and Justice League of America. Often, he drew two monthly books at once, in his deliriously detailed style. In 1980 alone, he drew Avengers, Justice League, and New Teen Titans. In fact, he has the honor of illustrating both Justice League of America and Avengers 200th milestone issues.

After falling in love with the Titans, I devoured everything I could find from Pérez. But it did not prepare me for his next big opus. In 1985, DC Comics commissioned the Titans creative team with a company-wide crossover that would alter their continuity forever. Crisis on Infinite Earths was an epic the likes of which comics had never seen. The destruction of the Multiverse rocked the status quo, and every single DC hero and villain appeared in this series. From the opening panels of the first issue, where the “evil JLA,” the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3, sacrifice their lives to protect the world that hated them, I knew this was going to be one of the greatest comics stories I ever read.

Pérez handled the deaths of two iconic heroes, Supergirl and the Flash, in Crisis. The way he drew Kara Zor-El’s heroic sacrifice, and the anguish of her cousin Superman, made this the first-ever comic book that made me cry. And to follow it up the very next issue with the equally poignant death of the Flash? I can close my eyes and still conjure the image of Barry Allen running so fast that he literally melts away. It was terrifying imagery to me as a kid, but also heartbreaking. These images remain seared into my brain. Such is the power of Pérez’ art.

While Pérez drew every single DC character in Crisis, he somehow produced covers with dozens of characters interacting with each other. And at the same time as Crisis. This was for Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe. This “A-Z” guide was alphabetical, so the first issue was all the “A” characters, and so on. Somehow he could compose an image featuring Aquaman hanging out with obscure Air Wave, or Abra Kadabra, and make all these unrelated characters hanging in one big scene seem natural. He did 11 of these covers. Other artists mimicked his kitchen sink style for the rest of the series. But none matched Pérez’s ability to make scenes like this look effortless.

Following Crisis, Pérez drew The History of the DC Universe, a book chronicling the new chronology of the now singular Earth. This was an expensive “prestige” book, selling out before I could buy it. But they collected it as a hardcover edition, and I remember getting it for Christmas the year it came out. I practically ignored every other present. I just pored over each page looking at his representations of every iconic hero repeatedly. DC now collects it with Crisis in a hardcover edition. And sometimes I still pull it out and just lovingly look at every page. It still has that power. Even if they rebooted the history it chronicled several times since then.

But Pérez’s most impactful work at DC for me was yet to come. In late 1986, they gave George the reins of the Wonder Woman reboot. Thanks to the Lynda Carter TV series and Super Friends, I already loved the character of Diana Prince. But her own comics seemed hopelessly dated. Especially the artwork. When George Pérez helmed her story, I was blown away again. He rendered her mythological world in stunning detail and gave a depth to the character, along with her Amazon sisters, I had never seen before. His version of Mount Olympus in a sort of M.C. Escher style, defying the laws of physics, felt like art worthy of a museum. Not something for a $0.75 comic book.

Wonder Woman is also where Pérez proved he was as good a writer as an artist. He injected humanism and spirit of kindness into his Diana. It defined the character. His Wonder Woman was truly aspirational, as much someone who always exuded empathy and kindness as she was a fierce Amazon warrior. His time on the book lasted five years, and every other creator since has recognized the Pérez run as the definitive one of the character. Everyone who takes on Wonder Woman knows they are living in the shadow of Pérez’s work. And for me, it truly made Princess Diana my favorite comic book hero of all time.

As the ‘90s rolled in, and I became a teenager, I started to wonder if George Pérez was going to be a relic of my childhood. As edgier, more “extreme” artists took hold of fandom’s love in that era, was the realistically rendered art of George Pérez not hip enough anymore? I shouldn’t have worried. He returned to Marvel after a decade-long absence, illustrating their epic mini-series The Infinity Gauntlet. This event told the story of how the Mad Titan Thanos acquired all the Infinity Gems, and snapped his fingers, rendering half the universe dead. You might be familiar with this saga. Pérez illustrated four of the six issues, and reminded everyone, myself included, that no one in the comics industry does superhero epics like him. No one.

By the late ’90s, it had been a while since Pérez had done a regular ongoing series. It looked like he might never have one again. But again, I was thankfully wrong. Together with writer Kurt Busiek he did a three-year run on Avengers, which brought the team back to prominence after being overshadowed by the X-Men for the better part of a decade and a half. His opening story had every living Avenger back together in a saga only he could illustrate. To this day, in my humble opinion, Busiek and Pérez’s Avengers run remains the greatest. Pure, quintessential Marvel.

Perhaps the last epic superhero crossover for Pérez came in 2004. After a 20 year wait, Busiek and Pérez reunited to do the four-part JLA/Avengers crossover event for Marvel and DC. It’s the comic kids had dreamed up forever, drawn with meticulous detail by the only person on Earth who could do it justice. Every Justice Leaguer and every Avenger ever joined together in an epic fight for the ages. If George Pérez had never drawn another comic book panel again in his career, he’d still be iconic for the shot of Superman holding Thor’s hammer and Cap’s shield.

I should note here, that JLA/Avengers has not been in print since 2008. The corporate rivalry between Marvel and DC (and their parent companies) has kept it a sought-after collector’s item. It is, frankly, a crime. It’s Pérez’s ultimate superhero comic in many ways and doesn’t deserve to be virtually deleted as it has been. So hey, Warner Bros. and Disney, put this book back in print and keep it there forever. Worried about profit sharing? Make sure all proceeds go to cancer research. You know it’s the right thing to do.

George Pérez has, of course, created a ton of other comics I’ve loved over the years. The apocalyptic Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect, and the DC team-up book The Brave and the Bold. He returned to lend an artistic hand to the sequel to his own ’80s epic in 2005, with Infinite Crisis. He finally tackled DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes in his usual way, combining every version of the team from across the multiverse, in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. And there are so many others. But the ones I mentioned changed me. They made me realize that comics could do a kind of cosmic grand storytelling no other medium could mimic.

And for all of you non-comics readers who may read this—even if you don’t think you know his work, trust me, you do. When Nightwing and the Titans kick ass on HBO Max? That’s George. When the Amazons battle on Themyscira in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman? That’s George, too. When the CW Arrowverse combines all their DC heroes for Crisis on Infinite Earths? George again. When Thanos snaps his fingers? Yes, also George. His work permeates modern pop culture.

In 2016, I attended Dragon Con in Atlanta. As I rushed from my hotel to grab a cab to go to the airport, I saw a group of DC cosplayers gathered together outside. I instantly thought “this feels like a George Pérez scene.” And then, I saw the man himself standing with them. Despite knowing I might miss my flight if I didn’t get a move on, I ran across the street. I needed to meet the man who had given me such a huge chunk of the happy memories of my youth. I knew this was my chance to tell him how much his work meant to me, and how he is the reason I love comics. We only chatted for a minute, but he was as gracious and kind as I’d heard.

I told him then, and I’m telling him now: Mr. Pérez, when it comes to creating comic book art, you are the greatest of all time. You gave the world thousands of indelible and beautiful images. And you made kids and adults alike dream of epic battles and cosmic grandeur that would inspire us our whole lives. You are the reason I love comic books, the reason why enjoying comic books is a lifelong love that will never die. And I know I speak for comic book fans everywhere when I say, thank you, George.

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What would you say is Wonder Woman’s greatest weapon? Her lasso of truth? Her bulletproof bracelets? Maybe her invisible plane? Well, what if we told you the weapon Wonder Woman uses most frequently isn’t one of her own, but one of the Dark Knight’s? As in, one of Batman’s iconic Batarangs. Okay, maybe it’s not Wonder Woman per se who used it, but Gal Gadot, the actress that has portrayed her in live-action for the past five years. And actually, she stole the Batarang from Batman!

During press for the Netflix film Red Notice, journalist Jake Hamilton asked Gadot if she had ever stolen a prop for any film set. An appropriate question, since she portrays an art thief in the movie. And it turns out, she actually stole one of Ben Affleck’s Batarangs from the set of Batman v. Superman. She claims she still uses the Batarang to open her Amazon boxes. Oh, and “Amazon” as in the website, not Amazon as in Princess Diana’s people from Themyscira. When it comes to Wonder Woman, the word does merit clarification. You can watch the full clip above.

We must admit, we get a kick out of the thought of Wonder Woman using one of Batman’s signature weapons to do mundane, household tasks. We kind of hope that either Batman or Superman took one of Wonder Woman’s tiaras from the set and used it to feel fierce. Yes, it’s technically stealing, and stealing is wrong. But it would be very hard to resist taking a cool prop from a set. Especially a set from a superhero movie or sci-fi spectacle Like a Batman v. Superman. We’ll look the other way at your flagrantly criminal behavior this time, Wonder Woman. Just don’t make it a habit. Young kids do look up to you after all.

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DC is making great strides when it comes to queer representations. First Batman‘s Tim Drake and Superman’s Jon Kent shared their bisexuality in their respective comics. Now, Nubia & the Amazons has made one thing very clear. Trans women are welcome on Themyscira. Transgender Amazons are a part of Wonder Woman‘s world.

This incredible clarity was offered by Nubia & the Amazons writer, Stephanie Williams, on her Twitter. Williams shared the following powerful words.

Bia will have a role on Themyscira beyond just existing – she isn’t set dressing, she isn’t a box to tick, she is a fully fledged character that is important to her community.

Just as Black trans women are important to us in real life.

— ✨Steph✨ (leave a message at the beep) (@Steph_I_Will) October 21, 2021

“Themyscira is a place for ALL women.” Williams affirms. And while, in a more perfect world, this truth would seem obvious. The sad reality is that until we take strong strides to show representation and fight for it, there are many that would continue to argue that isn’t the case. As Williams shares, she and co-writer Vita Ayala have established this important canon truth for more than just their story. Now every Wonder Woman comic from here on out can build on this new established reality. We hope to see many more transgender Amazons to come.

DC Comics

Which is to take nothing away from the specific story being told here as well.  Williams promises, “Bia will have a role on Themyscira beyond just existing – she isn’t set dressing, she isn’t a box to tick, she is a fully-fledged character that is important to her community. Just as Black trans women are important to us in real life.” When it comes to representation, the most important thing is to make sure the representative characters are as nuanced and real as any others. That remains a work in progress for many media properties, but we know Williams has it on lock.

As Nubia & the Amazons continues to release, we look forward to following Bia’s story and seeing her shine in the narrative. Nubia & the Amazons #1 is now available for purchase.

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While certain movies like The Flash and Black Adam got the lion’s share of the attention at DC FanDome, a metric ton of other projects were showcased at the event. All with surprises of their own. Here are some of the biggest reveals from DC FanDome 2021.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Asher Angel and Zachary Levi took to the virtual stage at DC FanDome, which shows the Shazam! family getting together once more. Only this time, they are taking on Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler as the goddesses Hespera, Calypso, and another unnamed daughter of Atlas. “Fury of the Gods,” indeed!

Peacemaker

John Cena stole the show in The Suicide Squad, and we’re about to see more of him and his tighty whities in James Gunn’s new HBO Max series Peacemaker. At the panel were Cena (Peacemaker), Freddie Stroma (Vigilante), Steve Agee (John Economos), Danielle Brooks (Leota Adebayo), Jennifer Holland (Emilia Harcourt), and Chukwudi Iwuji (Clemson Murn). They promised that his adventure with Task Force X was just the tip of the iceberg, and it sure looks that way to us. You can watch the hilarious teaser trailer below, which also announced Peacemaker’s January 13 2022 debut.

Batgirl 

Gotham City’s librarian turned vigilante is getting her own film at long last, heading straight to HBO Max. On hand were directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, screenwriter Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, The Flash), and Leslie Grace (Barbara Gordon). Although the film is only in pre-production, we did learn that Babs will indeed have her signature red hair, and wear a cowl and not a domino mask, as in recent comics. They’re keepin’ it old school. We got one glimpse of concept art, with Batgirl perched among the Gotham City gargoyles.

Warner Bros.

Blue Beetle 

Although still in its earliest stages, Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto, writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai) were on hand to introduce the world to the DCEU’s first sol0-starring Mexican-American hero. And we saw a very brief look at concept art of the Beetle suit, which you can see right here.

Warner Bros. 

Batman: Caped Crusader 

Nearly thirty years ago, Bruce Timm redefined the Dark Knight in animation with Batman: The Animated Series. And earlier this year, they announced that he was teaming up with J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and James Tucker for a new take on an animated Dark Knight, with Batman: Caped Crusader.

The four detailed their ideas for the series, with Timm saying “It’s more Batman than Batman the Animated Series, I get to do what I want to do” This alludes to a more mature take on Batman than the animated series from the ’90s. Expect a 1940s, noir-esque take, with a young Dark Knight with few gadgets, and no superhero allies. It’s Batman “back to basics.”

Catwoman: Hunted

Warner Bros. Animation 

Speaking of animated adventures in Gotham City, an anime-style film based on Selina Kyle also got a moment to show off. Catwoman: Hunted will voice-star Elizabeth Gillies as Catwoman, and tells the story of the feline femme fatale as she attempts to steal a priceless jewel, a heist which pits the Gotham underworld against here, l as well as Batwoman, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz. It hits on February 18, 2022.

The CW Arrowverse

Arrow may have gone off to that quiver in the sky, but many of its children are still going strong. Although Supergirl is taking its final bow this year,  still continuing its gigantic universe of DC content. At DC FanDome, fans got cast panels and sneak peeks at Batwoman, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Naomi, Stargirl, Superman & Lois, and Supergirl.

Superman and Lois 

One of DC’s breakout hits of 2021 was Superman and Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as the titular pair. Season one saw the Kent family move back to Smallville. Back to Clark’s childhood home, specifically. At FanDome, we got a special treat, as Tulloch and Alex Garfin (Jordan Kent) give an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the interior set of the Smallville home of the Kent family with fun, insider commentary.

Supergirl

Supergirl star Melissa Benoist was joined by stars from across all six seasons of the show — including Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, Katie McGrath, Jesse Rath, Nicole Maines, Azie Tesfai, Julie Gonzalo, Staz Nair, Mehcad Brooks, Jeremy Jordan, Chris Wood, and Peta Sergeant — to take a look back at the epic run of the series, which is wrapping up this year.

Batwoman

In season two of Batwoman, we got our first glimpse of the live-action Batwing, Luke Fox. As comics fans know, Luke is the son of longtime Batman ally (and brilliant inventor) Lucius Fox. Actor Camrus Johnson hosted a video spotlight on his transformation into the heroic Batwing, which you can view down below, along with a special season three trailer.

The Flash 

It’s not just the big-screen version of Barry Allen that’s getting a costume upgrade. In anticipation of season eight of The Flash TV series, Grant Gustin revealed the finishing touch to his ever-evolving costume. The Scarlet Speedster will finally run in his gold boots from the comics, completing the classic DC look.

Gustin said the new boots as “the final element that’s been missing. I’ve loved all the versions of The Flash suit we’ve had on the show, but the suit we have now is the closest to the many iterations you see in the comic books—with the exception of those gold boots! I’ve always felt that those boots would be the final touch.” The costume, which you can check out down below.

DC Comics

Legends of Tomorrow

Believe or not, this unlikely spin-off of The Flash and Arrow will soon cross the century mark. At least in terms of episodes. And to celebrate, Legends of Tomorrow prepared a very special video looking back at 100 episodes in 100 seconds. From Rip Hunter’s first welcome on the Waverider to a first look at the show’s 100th episode, the Legends — past, present and future — have been saving the timeline by mucking up history. You can watch the video right here.

Naomi

A recent DC Comics creation by Brian Michael Bendis, Naomi is coming to the CW with superstar producer Ava DuVernay in charge. Naomi follows the journey of a cool, confident, comic book–loving teenager as she pursues her hidden destiny. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes. Here is a first-look clip from the series, coming soon to The CW.

Stargirl

Now in its second season, Stargirl has proven to be a delightful mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and DC Comics lore. Now at FanDome, DC has given fans a peek of next week’s episode. Banished to the shadowlands, Courtney Whitmore, better known as Stargirl (Brec Bassinger) finds herself trapped in a black-and-white purgatory while her life hangs in the balance. You can watch the DC FanDome clip right here.

Smallville

DC FanDome fell on the twentieth anniversary of Smallville, and Tiffany Smith hosted a special reunion between Clark and Lex, a.k.a. Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum.

Doom Patrol and Titans 

Both shows originated on the DC Universe streaming platform, but have since transitioned to HBO Max. And both shows are currently in their third seasons, with Titans wrapping up on October 21. They have officially announced both series for season four renewals at FanDome, and released a mid-season trailer for Doom Patrol, highlighting the incredible weirdness yet to come. And we also have a sneak peek at the season three finale for Titans.

Milestone Comics

The creators of Milestone Comics revealed that the first-ever animated film featuring the Milestone universe. This is in addition to the already announced Static Shock live-action movie in development.

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is an irreverent and often crude comedy series takes DC characters and knocks them off their pedestals. Pretty much anything goes on this show. And at DC FanDome, we got our first look at the upcoming third season on HBO Max.

Young Justice: Phantoms

The fourth season of Young Justice is another transfer from DC Universe to HBO Max. And in a surprise move, at DC FanDome they announced that Phantoms has its first two episodes streaming already on the platform!

The post All the DC FanDome 2021 Reveals You Might Have Missed appeared first on Nerdist.

DC Comics/DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV will release the comic in four chapters with the first installment dropping today. Serving Up Justice has a killer creative team, too. Amanda Deibert is writing. We have Cat Staggs on illustrations, Dave McCaig coloring, and Josh Reed lettering. The synopsis for Chapter One of the Wonder Woman and Serena Williams mashup is as follows:

Serena Williams’ grand slam tournament turns into the competition of her lifetime when a sudden robot invasion interrupts the match. As she uses her tennis skills to try to protect innocent people from these overzealous invaders, she discovers a rift in the multiverse and someone who looks a lot like her… or an alternate version of Wonder Woman?

Robot invasion? The multiverse? We’re glad to see this comic isn’t holding back. Bring on silly comic book goodness, please.

This campaign has a Twitter component that kicks off in conjunction with the comic release. If fans share what they think about this dynamic duo on Twitter using the hashtag #DIRECTV or #GetYourTVTogether, they’ll trigger an #EpicSerena custom Twitter emoji.

Serving Up Justice: Featuring Serena Williams and Wonder Woman launches today at DIRECTV. Stay tuned to that site for the remaining three chapters of the story.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The post DC Comics Brings Wonder Woman and Serena Williams Together in New Comic appeared first on Nerdist.

After months of rumors, Warner Bros. animation revealed that DC’s popular Injustice franchise is getting its own animated adaptation. It’s the story of an alternate world where the Joker tricks Superman into killing Lois Lane, only to see Clark Kent become a mad tyrant. And it’s coming on October 15 as a DTV film. A new trailer for Injustice recently came out, and it looks super faithful to the source material.

But an Injustice fan trailer from YouTuber Darth Blender has also just come out. And it somehow improves on the animated one. All they had to do to make it more awesome was to add in some Christopher Reeve, Michael Keaton, and Lynda Carter. This is similar to the ’90s Justice League mashup trailer that came last year. (Although shouldn’t that have been ’80s? We digress). You can watch the full Injustice ’80s Mashup Trailer right here.

It’s always fun to see the classic versions of DC’s Trinity “team-up” as the JLA. But the best part of this mashup trailer is that “despot Superman” of Injustice is actually all culled from scenes from Superman III. For those of you who have not seen that 1983 masterpiece, there’s a whole bit where synthetic Kryptonite splits Superman into two. Kinda like that Star Trek episode where William Shatner splits into “evil Kirk” and “good Kirk.” Only less subtle.

Warner Bros.

Anyway, this Superman is only “evil” in that he wears a dirty version of his costume. And he drinks a lot. He’s also just an overall jerk. All the cheesy “bad Supes” footage was used to significant effect in this fan trailer, we must say. Christopher Reeve was having just way too much fun playing bad Superman, and it’s the best part of that movie. We’re happy to see it find new life. There’s also a Snyder-verse version of the Injustice trailer. But isn’t Snyder’s dark DC Universe basically just another version of Injustice anyway? You can watch that one by clicking here. At least it has more Harley Quinn.

Darth Blender was also responsible for the recent Masters of the Universe: Revelation mashup trailer. That one blended the 1987 live-action He-Man with Kevin Smith’s Netflix show. Before that, the Avengers: Infinity War and Star Trek mashups were also the bee’s knees. And their Marvel retro mash-up is also fantastic. To check out more fun trailer mashups, be sure to head on over to the Darth Blender YouTube channel.

Featured Image: Darth Blender

The post Fan Made INJUSTICE Trailer Gives Us ’80s DC Icons appeared first on Nerdist.

The folks at Mondo have been killing it with their vinyl soundtracks for DC Comics films lately. Movies like Aquaman, Shazam!, and Justice League have had soundtrack releases recently, featuring some amazing newly created artwork. Now, Diana Prince is joining her heroic colleagues. Mondo is releasing a new vinyl pressing for the Hans Zimmer score of Wonder Woman 1984, along with two new ’80s inspired prints from artist La Boca. Both will be available at MondoShop.com on Wednesday, June 30.

Mondo

The album features incredible artwork by La Boca, housed in a tri-fold jacket with holo-foil elements. It also includes liner notes by writer and director Patty Jenkins. The vinyl pressing is available on 3x 180 Gram Fireworks colored vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies. It is exclusive to Mondo’s webstore. Also coming soon is a 3x 180 Gram Black vinyl, as well as 3x Swirl colored vinyl. The latter is through select independent retailers. The artwork draws inspiration from the iconic ’80s artist Patrick Nagel, whose work is synonymous with the decade. 

Mondo

In a statement, Mondo’s Mo Shafeek said “Hans Zimmer’s score to Wonder Woman 1984 is quite possibly my favorite piece of superhero film scoring since John Williams’ Superman: The Movie and Danny Elfman’s Batman. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but even before our test pressings arrived, it was one of my most-listened-to albums on Spotify of the last 6 months. It’s that good. I can’t wait for you to hear how good it sounds on vinyl out of big speakers.”

The rainbow candy-colored vinyl album cover shows Wonder Woman in her Themysciran armor, once worn by the Amazon Asteria (Lynda Carter). For all kids who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, that candy color scheme will remind you of one specific thing: the Lisa Frank product line. This looks like the crossover between Lisa Frank and Wonder Woman that should have adorned lunchboxes and backpacks back in the day. You can check out images for these stunning posters below.

Wonder Woman 1984 (Version 1)

 Artwork by La Boca / Edition of 200

36″x24″ Screenprint /Printed by Lady Lazarus  / $50

Wonder Woman 1984 (Version 2)

Artwork by La Boca / Edition of 200

36″x24″ Screenprint / Printed by Lady Lazarus / $50

For more information, including a complete track listing, be sure to head on over to Mondoshop.com.

The post Mondo Announces WONDER WOMAN 1984 Vinyl Soundtrack and Posters appeared first on Nerdist.

With the upcoming Flash movie, DC Films are rumored to be soft rebooting their entire universe. What this means for the Justice League as a franchise remains to be seen. But maybe the title “Justice League,” with all the drama and toxicity surrounding it these past four years, needs to rest for a while. Meanwhile, there’s a great period from DC’s past that has the perfect feel for what the DCEU should look like… and it’s just waiting to be exploited. We’re talking about the Super Powers toy, merchandise, and cartoon branding from the mid ’80s.

DC Comics

From 1984 to roughly 1987, the Super Powers Collection was a DC Comics line of action figures from Kenner Toys, home of Star Wars. It featured the DC heroes in their most iconic incarnations, with classic villains getting cool new modern upgrades. Aside from the figures, there was also a metric ton of merchandise. And the long-running Super Friends cartoon also got a Super Powers makeover. While the stories for Super Powers were simplistic by modern standards, their colorful aesthetic and emphasis on fun adventure and pure heroism feel exactly like what the DCEU needs today. But before we get into how Super Powers can inspire the future, let’s take a deep dive into its history.

The Genesis of the Super Powers Collection

DC Comics

As completely mind-boggling as it might seem today, in the 1970s, DC and Marvel shared an action figure line together. From 1972 to 1981, the Mego company released The Word’s Greatest Superheroes 8” figure line. The line featured characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the Avengers sharing space together on toy store shelves, not to mention ads on TV. The line was extremely successful, but eventually, Mego hit a rough financial patch. In 1982, the company went bankrupt.

At the same time, the action figure market exploded thanks to the success of Kenner’s Star Wars. In the fallout of Mego’s dissolution, DC and Marvel became separate licenses. Marvel eventually went to Mattel, where the heroes populate the Secret Wars line of figures. But Mattel was focused on their mega-successful Masters of the Universe toys, and so Secret Wars suffered as a result. The first Secret Wars wave sold poorly. It received a smaller second wave, then vanished from toy shelves.

DC Comics

Meanwhile, Kenner Toys picked up the DC license in 1983. This is right as their Star Wars line of figures was winding down after the release of Return of the Jedi. This allowed them to properly focus on their new line of DC heroes. Instead of calling the line Justice League (or Super Friends, like the popular cartoon), Kenner went with the name The Super Powers Collection. This name was meant to trigger the power fantasies of young boys, and it worked. The fact that each figure had a “power action” feature—like punching (Superman) or running (Flash)—was fantastic for playability too. Marvel might have been far more successful in comics sales than DC at the time, but Super Powers totally trounced Secret Wars. 

DC’s Heroes at Their Most Iconic

DC Comics

Super Powers’ first wave of figures featured the world-famous line-up of JLA characters. It included Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman. Opposing them were arch-villains Lex Luthor, the Joker, Brainiac, and Penguin. The artwork for the packaging was mainly from celebrated comic book artist José Luis García-López. In fact, most Super Powers artwork is straight from García-López’s official DC Comics Style Guide.

Warner Bros. Animation

The first wave was a big success. Year two saw a wave that added even more iconic DC heroes, as well as Darkseid. All the New Gods characters became the primary villains for the DC heroes. Their creator, the legendary Jack Kirby, was hired to redesign them for the toy and product line. The second wave also saw the release of the Hall of Justice playset, which was based on the JLA’s headquarters from the Super Friends cartoon series. That very same cartoon series got a rebranding tying into the toys. So many key elements from DC’s history in comics and TV came together perfectly for a product line that celebrated everything appealing about these enduring characters.

DC Comics

Super Powers was bright and vibrant, with clear-cut heroes and villains. Since the look of the characters was straight from the DC Style Guide, all the heroes appeared just like their most well-known incarnations from decades of comics. Super Powers was the overall DC product branding for three years, and was all over everything from lunch boxes to pajamas to school supplies. Book and record sets, coloring books, stickers, “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style novels, and literally dozens of other products came later. If you were a kid in the ‘80s, chances are Super Powers was your introduction to DC’s characters.

Super Powers Decline 

DC Comics

Most action figure lines back in the ’80s lasted a couple of years max. Long-running lines like G.I. Joe and Transformers were outliers. Even Masters of the Universe, a billion-dollar brand, only lasted five years. Super Powers lasted three, which isn’t bad at all. They could have lasted longer, but they made some key mistakes. For starters, they had only one female figure in the entire line: Wonder Woman. And they basically hid her, as she didn’t appear in any ads for the toys.

By the time they got to wave three, Kenner began making up characters whole cloth, like Golden Pharaoh and Cyclotron. This was instead of including famous female heroes from the comics, like Black Canary, Supergirl, Batgirl, or Catwoman. Interestingly, those female characters appeared in Super Powers merch regardless. But sexist attitudes of the era only allowed for one girl in the boy’s club at a time. With several lame choices for characters in the last wave, and no new cartoon episodes to support the line, the Super Powers Collection disappeared off toy shelves in 1987.

The Legacy of Super Powers

DC Comics

Despite only a brief few years on the market, Super Powers has had a long-lasting effect on the DC brand. DC Comics updated their popular heroes after the 1985 event Crisis on Infinite Earths, yet the classic looks of the characters from the Super Powers era continued to show up on random merchandise for decades. Heck, if you walk into a big box chain store right now, chances are you can find a T-shirt with the Super Powers iterations of the Justice League, and the old starburst logo.

DC published three Super Powers tie-in comic series as well, with Jack Kirby himself supplying artwork. It was the only time Kirby ever drew the Justice League characters in his whole career. The comics showcased Darkseid as the JLA’s primary antagonist. Although the Lord of Apokolips has fought the JLA a couple of times before, it was Super Powers that solidified the character as the “big bad” of DC’s primary heroes. This would seep into the mainstream comics line, and eventually, future animated series and live-action films. DC might have attempted to get edgier as the years rolled on, but the impact of Super Powers’ straightforward all-ages aesthetic was hard to escape.

The Blueprint for a Justice League Reboot

DC Comics

So how could this relic of a bygone era inform the modern DC films? It’s not any one story from a cartoon or comic (which were, to be fair, aimed at little kids). It’s the overall positive and colorful vibe that Super Powers creates. The heroes and villains are well defined. The good guys are brightly hued and aspirational; and the villains just look cool. And most importantly for something based on DC heroes, kids can enjoy it. This is crucial.

Instead of calling a future film Justice League II, why not simply call it Super Powers? Use as much of the iconography of the line as possible without falling into camp. If Marvel Studios can juggle the number of characters that Infinity War and Endgame did, why can’t there be a Super Powers film showcasing the JLA versus the Legion of Doom and Darkseid? The vibrant branding and aesthetic of Super Powers once sold millions of toys. Don’t tell us something inspired by it can’t sell a movie.

DC Comics

Whatever Warner Bros. and DC decide to do next, looking to Super Powers for inspiration might be the best way to give the live-action Justice League a shiny new lease on life. The classic line of toys and merch continues to be beloved for very good reasons. And as an antidote to all the darkness in the world, maybe what we need is a little pure dose of Super Powers truth and justice right about now.

The post The SUPER POWERS Era Was DC Comics at Its Most Iconic appeared first on Nerdist.

The DC Universe is changing. Future State is flinging our heroes out of their time and into… well, the future. As one of DC’s most iconic heroes, Diana Prince is of course playing a vital part. Her story is being told in Immortal Wonder Woman—alongside a brand new Nubia story—from Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jen Bartel, and Pat Brosseau. We chatted with the team, and have some exclusive art from the issue to boot! So prepare to get mythical with the minds behind Immortal Wonder Woman.

The Vision for Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman

DC Comics

Fan fave artist Bartel crafted Diana’s vibrant technicolor world of Immortal Wonder Woman. Her vision of the Amazon hero is instantly recognizable, but also feels completely authentic to Bartel’s style. “I knew right off the bat that I wanted to preserve Diana’s iconic look as much as possible, especially since there’s so much legacy tied to it,” Bartel told Nerdist. She added, “I knew I wanted to give a nod to Cliff Chiang’s design. I love his work and his WW run so much. So I made sure to incorporate the stars and similar linework into her bodice.”

Bartel continued, “Becky and Michael both had a lot of awesome ideas on how we could quickly communicate to the reader that this was an older Diana. Despite the fact that she’s immortal, the years have taken a bit of a toll on her, even if it is just through a cool white hair streak and a couple extra wrinkles on her face. The design element I knew I had to add in just for me was definitely her ponytail hairstyle though. I love a good ponytail, haha.”

Bartel has accrued an impressive back catalog in both Big Two and indie comics. Still, Immortal Wonder Woman #1 represents a stepping stone for the artist. Although she’s done interior issues of Black Panther before, IWW was a new experience. “This is the first one I’ve done 100% on my own from layouts all the way to colors. I really wanted to challenge myself to try new techniques wherever I had an opportunity to. So there are definitely a lot of little glimpses at my growing pains on these pages.”

A Dream Come True

DC Comics

For all three creators, one thing is clear: this is a dream gig. “Writing Wonder Woman is a bit of a dream really. When we were presented the opportunity to tell a story about her in the deepest future we could imagine, all these bells started going off in my head,” Conrad said. “It felt easy, because this is the kind of thing fans like me have been imagining for years. Being able to actually tell it in Future State with very little interference on the vision has been great.”

DC Comics

Cloonan agreed. “Yeah, Future State really gave us the perfect opportunity to tell the Wonder Woman story of my dreams. We really dig into her character as an immortal, a demigod, and what wielding that kind of power means for someone at the end of time. We requested Jen Bartel really early on too, so we went into this issue being able to imagine exactly what she’d bring to the script. It was a perfect storm, really.”

Bartel shared her team’s enthusiasm. “It’s been really surreal. I never imagined I’d be considered to draw Diana, and I feel incredibly honored to have the opportunity. Working with Becky and Michael on this has been a dream too; it feels like we’ve been on the same wavelength from start to finish!”

Death, Loss, and Immortality

DC Comics

Cloonan and Conrad’s story deals with death, loss, and immortality. So what drew them to such a dark yarn? “When you only have a short amount of pages—in our case, two issues—to tell a full, engaging, emotionally impactful story, it takes a lot of work,” Cloonan shared. “I usually start by thinking of the end of the story, of what I want the reader to feel when they set the book down, and kind of work my way back from there. We were really lucky that we got to be a little poetic and indulge some heavy emotional beats, but also bring in some very big ideas as well! Our goal was to write a story that was not only true to Wonder Woman as a character, but also bring in our own vision of who she is and what makes her so great.”

Her co-writer Conrad expanded on the pair’s process. “Becky once told me that when writing a book, you have to shoot for the definitive story, otherwise it may not be worth taking the job,” Conrad said. “I know what she meant by that was less about competition with other stories, and more about telling the version of your story that is the most true for you as the writer. We pushed each other to refine something that could have been very long into a little diamond. I was worried we wouldn’t have room to tell such a big story, but then I remembered some of the short arcs in comics that have come to define entire characters. I think we did it.”

The Music of Immortal Wonder Woman

DC Comics

In case you enjoy a tailored soundtrack while reading comics, the team shared what they listened to while creating. “I like instrumental stuff while writing, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, movie soundtracks,” Conrad said. “Right when we wrapped the scripts for Immortal Wonder Woman, this song ‘Lasso’ by Phoenix came on. I’d heard the song before, but I was struck by how perfect the lyrics were for this particular story.”

Cloonan said, “I mostly work in instrumental music too, but for this story it was a lot of Drab Majesty, Messa, Domo…I’ve been on an eternal Type O Negative kick for decades so it’s safe to say I probably listened to October Rust a bunch too.”

As for Bartel: “I listened to a lot of the Oblivion soundtrack while working on this story. It’s fantastic if you haven’t heard it!”

The Team’s Favorite Moments

DC Comics

Fans will no doubt lose themselves in the immersive and engaging story. But the team members all have their own favorite things about the book. “If I had to pick one, it would absolutely be the scene in the Batcave,” Cloonan said, adding, “Gotham Academy fans might want to pay attention to the Robin Suit that Jen drew!”

For Bartel the answer was clear. “I think for me, my favorite page is the one where she’s just whipping Darkseid around like a rag doll with her lasso. I had never hand-lettered anything before this and doing the SFX on that page was really fun.”

And Conrad’s favorite? “The credits page. My name in a Wonder Woman book next to two of the most talented women in comics will never get old,” he laughed. “I’m only kind of kidding—I can’t pick a favorite, I’ll be interested to see what readers respond to.”

Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1 hits shelves on Jan. 19.

The post IMMORTAL WONDER WOMAN Team on Sending Diana into the Future appeared first on Nerdist.

After years on the sidelines, Nubia is back at the forefront of the DC Universe. Author L.L. McKinney is the driving force behind her return. Her two new comics—Nubia: Real One, with Robyn Smith, Brie Henderson, Bex Glendining and Ariana Maher; and Immortal Wonder Woman, with Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, Emilio Lopez, and Becca Carey—put Nubia center stage. Nerdist chatted with McKinney about her journey bringing Nubia to the page, the power of fiction, and superhero stories.

DC Comics

As both a storyteller and a fan, reintroducing Nubia to readers is a profound moment for the author. “It honestly means everything,” McKinney shared. “I’ve been very loud about my frustrations concerning what was done to Nubia post-Crisis [on Infinite Earths]. She went from being Diana’s twin sister, same powers and everything—and even a few of her own—to being a regular Amazon. And this isn’t me hating on the Amazons, but you gotta admit it was a bit of a downgrade going from being twin to Wonder Woman to guardian of hell or random advisor or whatever. Or, if she was around as Wonder Woman, it was an alternate reality or different world. I wanted the original Nubia back, as lots of fans did. Being part of her comeback is…affirming.”

McKinney’s passion for Wonder Woman‘s powerful twin sister goes back to childhood. “My first memory [of Nubia] is being at the library,” the author shared. “My parents used to take my sisters and I all the time. They had comics on this wire stand between the kid and teen sections, and the issue where Nubia and Diana are chained together with swords lifted was there. I remember being like, ‘Who was this Black woman fighting Wonder Woman?’ I picked it up and the rest is history.”

DC Comics

Though this is her first foray into comics, McKinney’s stunning fantasy series that began with A Blade So Black gave her a framework. “My main footprint as an author is in the YA space,” McKinney explained. “So crafting a story about a young Black girl with super powers wasn’t too far outside of what I was already doing with my original series, which is about a Black girl with super powers!” Once she finished Nubia: Real One, DC approached McKinney to take on Nubia in the mainline comics. “In that way, both stories were told entirely separate, but I based them both off of Nubia pre-Crisis. As far as a personal history that I stick to, it’s the original. Every time. Diana’s twin. I won’t write any other version of her.”

Interestingly, the two Nubia titles encompass both sides of DC’s current publishing initiative. The gorgeous and powerful Nubia: Real One represents the publisher’s move towards the younger readers market; meanwhile, the superhero action of Future State is part of their huge mainline event. McKinney shared her vision for both titles with us, beginning with the upcoming original graphic novel. “Nubia: Real One sees Nubia as a Black teen being raised in America and dealing with the nonsense that goes with that. She still has her Amazon origins in place, though.”

DC Comics

The author’s experiences as a writer speaking with young Black people shaped the YA comic. “On school visits and in virtual meetups, I talk to lots of Black teens about things they enjoy,” she explained. “Many times, these kids—who are brilliant and more aware than people give them credit for—will talk about how heroes will manage to save the world. But you never see those heroes doing anything about police brutality or trying to save the neighborhoods these kids come from or even caring about people from those neighborhood and what goes on there. And every time I was like, ‘You’re absolutely right.’ So, Nubia: Real One deals with that. It gives them a reflection of themselves and what they have to deal with in one of their heroes.”

While Nubia: Real One reframes the icon for a new younger audience, her Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman story is what McKinney calls “straight hero business!” As the author teased, “She’s here to knock heads and take names.” These two juxtaposing tales gave McKinney space to really dig into the hero. “Being able to explore different versions of this character has been important to me, and I hope either Nubia reaches the readers who need her.”

DC Comics

McKinney isn’t just juggling two different eras of Nubia, but also two different formats. Nubia: Real One is a vibrant full-size standalone graphic novel. But Immortal Wonder Woman is a more classic serial story. Putting together both at once afforded McKinney a unique learning experience. “The graphic novel came together over the course of a couple years, while Future State came together over the course of a couple months! Granted, the latter is significantly shorter, 40 pages compared to almost 200,” McKinney told us. “Younger Readers was much more open to what I wanted to do and the story I wanted to tell, likely because the graphic novels are part of their own universe and not the main continuity. DC Future State impacts a lot of stories in the main continuity, so your work is part of a larger tapestry, and that requires flexing a different creative muscle.”

Although the processes may have been different, there was one vital through-line for both books. “Having Black woman artists drawing Black women was my line in the sand,” McKinney shared. “I wasn’t going to do either project if they couldn’t do this for me, and for the books, really. With Nubia: Real One, my editor was like ‘Bet,’ and we went from there. It was a bit bumpier with Future State, but I was persistent and the team wound up respecting this, and I’m grateful for it. As a result, I got to work with Robyn [Smith], whose style really sells the warmth and heart at the center of Nubia: Real One. Her work encapsulates so much of the magic of Black girlhood. And Alitha [Martinez]’s style just fills the page with this unrepentant power and command that makes you sit up and pay attention.”

DC Comics

The response to the Nubia: Real One announcement threw the internet into paroxysms of joy. Readers were desperate to see Nubia given the respect and spotlight she deserved. Seeing her passion shared by other fans was a powerful thing for McKinney. “Oh man, it was…whew. It was incredible. The outpouring of love and support from the fans was heavy. I could’ve wrapped myself up with it like a blanket,” the author recalled. “Now that the book is out next month? I’m simultaneously excited and scared, but that’s how I get with the release of any of my work. I hope I did the fans proud. As far as if I have more stories I want to tell? Absolutely, I would love to see something like…Nubia meeting up with the Young Justice crew.”

Now that she’s playing such a vital role in the DC Universe, how does McKinney want to shape it next? Well, the author has a lot of plans. “Let me count the ways! Vixen, Rocket, I’d love to do a Black Superman in the main continuity. Red Hood is another favorite. Any of the mystic characters like Constantine or Zatanna. Doctor Fate? Seriously, the list goes on and on and on.”

Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman comes out on Jan. 19 and Nubia: Real One on Feb. 23rd.

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The smartest thing here would be to double down on the Greek mythology aspect of Diana’s source material—which 1984 woefully glossed over—and to adapt the actual stories found in the very best Wonder Woman comics. Below are five comic book storylines we think should inspire the forthcoming third film, which would ensure perhaps the best Wonder Woman movie yet.

“The Challenge of the Gods” (Wonder Woman, Vol. 2, #10-13)

DC Comics

This storyline came early in George Perez’s seminal reboot of Wonder Woman in the late ‘80s. After rejecting the advances of Zeus (who at this point in DC continuity was decidedly not Diana’s father), the King of Mount Olympus forced Diana to undergo a journey to prove her worth to the gods. She embarked on a harrowing mission through Doom’s Doorway, the portal under the island of Themyscira leading to the Underworld.

Beneath the island, Diana faced off against all kinds of mythological monsters, like a cyclops, minotaur, and hydra. She also encounters lost loved ones in the realm of Hades. This would be a perfect scenario for a third Wonder Woman film. It could bring in some much needed Greek mythology into the story, and show off Diana’s unmatched battle prowess. An encounter in the realm of Hades with her departed loved ones could also provide some closure. Especially with the likes of her Amazonian aunt Antiope and Steve Trevor.

“The Witch on the Island” (Wonder Woman, Vol. 2, #19)

DC Comics

This is another early George Perez tale, which reinvented the classic Wonder Woman foe Circe. The immortal enchantress from Greek myth is mainly known for turning men into pigs in Homer’s Odyssey. In the comics, her enmity towards Diana stems from an ancient prophecy; she believes means that Diana will steal her powers, thus robbing her of her eternal life.

This story sees Diana face off against Circe on her mythical island home in the Mediterranean. Circe is one of Wonder Woman’s top tier villains, and is a formidable foe for her to face onscreen. Besides, the villain best known for transforming humans into animals could be responsible for bringing back Cheetah. Circe stands right alongside Ares and Cheetah as Diana’s greatest enemies in the comics, and we think she deserves to be on the big screen.

“Paradise Found” (Wonder Woman, Vol. 2 #177)

DC Comics

Writer/artist Phil Jimenez was greatly influenced by the George Perez run of comics from the ’80s and ’90s. His two-year run on Wonder Woman in the early 2000s is a spiritual sequel in many ways to that seminal era. In issue #177, Jimenez restores the island of Themyscira into a new and  highly advanced nation, after its having been nearly destroyed in the previous years’ worth of stories. The broad strokes of this story, which saw the paradise island home of the Amazons join the modern world, could be adapted into something very cool onscreen. Ditto Jimenez’s designs for a new and advanced Themyscira.

“The Eyes of the Gorgon” (Wonder Woman, Vol. 2, #206-213)

DC Comics

This storyline, written by Greg Rucka, ran in issues #206-213 of the second volume of Wonder Woman. This storyline also ties deeply into Greek myth, and shows the Amazing Amazon facing off against the serpent-headed gorgon Medusa (here spelled Medousa). Realizing there is only way to defeat a creature whose gaze can turn one into stone, Diana goes so far as to blind herself to defeat her. First translated into animation for the movie Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, this story really should get a live-action equivalent.

JLA: A League of One (Original Graphic Novel)

DC Comics

This might be the hardest to adapt in a standalone Wonder Woman film, due to all the Justice League heroes involved. Despite the JLA title, this is a Wonder Woman story through and through. This original graphic novel finds Diana reeling when the Oracle at Delphi gives her the knowledge that the Justice League will die saving the Earth from an ancient dragon.

Determined to keep her friends from dying, Diana beats each one of her teammates one by one until only she remains, literally a “league of one.” This story shows how Wonder Woman is resourceful enough to subdue all her JLA teammates. Yes, even Superman. But also how she is caring and compassionate enough to go to any lengths to save them.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

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After the release of Wonder Woman 1984 to theaters and HBO Max, Warner Bros. took no time at all announcing plans for the future of their DC Comics films and streaming series. And according to a New York Times profile on DC Films’ Walter Hamada, fans are getting a metric ton of new DC Comics inspired content. In fact, there were will be at least four theatrical DC films hitting theaters in 2022. And then two more films hitting HBO Max during the same year. And that’s in addition to DC-themed shows like Green Lantern and Peacemaker.

Yeah, it’s a lot. Dan Casey breaks this news down for us in today’s Nerdist News.

One of the biggest takeaways from this news is that Hamada is doubling down on the whole Multiverse angle.  A concept that has been prominent in the pages of DC Comics for decades. The upcoming Matt Reeves reboot of the Dark Knight in The Batman will take place on “Earth-2,” separate from the the “Earth-1” of the regular DCEU. And that Batman (Ben Affleck) will soon be replaced by the original Batman, Michael Keaton. An ambitious plan such as this might have been way too confusing for general audiences just ten years ago. Hamada trusts in modern audiences as sophisticated (and nerdy) enough to understand it.

Readers of the original article suffered some confusion due to the the fact that Hamada mentioned two cinematic Batmen. But luckily, the original author of the piece clarified things on social media. While Robert Pattinson will remain the solo movie Bruce Wayne in his own franchise (on its own parallel Earth), the other cinematic Caped Crusader will be part of ensemble movies which require his broody presence, like The Flash. Given his age, one of those projects for the Michael Keaton version should definitely be Batman Beyond though. Maybe as an HBO Max series?

DC Comics

As for the DC movies that are said to be “riskier,” and therefore going to HBO Max with a smaller budget, the names mentioned were Batgirl and Static Shock. Having the “riskier” projects name dropped as ones with a female and African-American leads is a wee bit concerning. With nothing confirmed though, it is possible we may yet see both heroes grace the big screen.

So what DC stories can fans expect to see on the big and small screens soon? 2021 brings James Gunn’s Suicide Squad and its HBO spin-off Peacemaker, not to mention a certain Snyder Cut. But the following year brings The Batman, the Gotham Central spin-off series, The Flash, Aquaman 2, Black Adam, and presumably the Green Lantern streaming series. 2023 brings Shazam: Fury of the Gods and possibly the third Wonder Woman film, Zeus willing. And there is still other DC projects in various forms of development, like and a New Gods film, and a Justice League Dark series. Although the status of those is a mystery.

All of these projects are in addition to the six DC-themed CW series on the air, as well as shows like Doom Patrol and Titans, which began on the DC Universe app. Hamada doesn’t seem to have influence over those series, so they didn’t get much of a mention when talking about his big DC plans. But long story short, the 2020s will have a treasure trove of DC Comics related content. Now, here’s hoping they mostly stick the landing. A Multiverse can get unwieldy. No one needs another Crisis on Infinite Earths event to streamline it all in ten years time, do they?

Featured Image: Warner Bros. 

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Back in June 2018, as Wonder Woman 1984 commenced filming in Washington D.C., two things caught the internet’s attention: Chris Pine and his fanny pack. Luckily for DC Comics and people who care a lot about spoilers, by the time cameras started rolling, director Patty Jenkins had already confirmed the sequel was set in the ’80s and Pine was back as Steve Trevor. Sure, Steve’s resuscitation a mere 70 years after his (spoiler!) death in the first film left plenty of questions. But knowing it was surely part of the eventually-revealed plot meant we could instead focus on the utterly delightful fanny pack he was sporting. After all, an ’80s-set movie is nothing without a character donning the iconic hands-free accessory.

Now, anyone who has ever seen a photo of Chris Pine walking down the street knows he’s the Best Chris—besides Baranski, obviously—when it comes to overall style. And a true style icon knows how to make a fanny pack work. However, in addition to being a slightly controversial fashion statement, fanny packs are also wonderfully functional. The perfect detachable pocket for any quick grab needs—be it a pen, a wallet, or the Lasso of Truth. Unfortunately, Wonder Woman 1984 underutilizes its greatest accessory. 

Warner Bros.

As the lone newbie to the era, Steve is delightfully baffled by everything ’80s confection has to offer. The technological developments! The decked out airplanes with radar! The pop tarts! In a goofier movie, Diana would return home from work to find Steve in Hammer pants, eating an entire plate of bagel bites, and recapping an episode of Dynasty.

But the movie has the most fun with Steve’s (disappointingly muted) fashion. That is, save a single montage, in which he really gets into the colorful ’80s trends. He eventually settles on the suave, casual get-up we first see him in post-body swap… plus a beige fanny pack. (The body swap itself is a cringeworthy logistical nightmare that leaves us with a lot of questions, namely why?)

Warner Bros.

It’s unfortunate that Steve Trevor doesn’t utilize his fanny pack as often as he should. Nor does he use it for any particular purpose other than to look incredibly rad. There’s but a single implication that he’s using it for storage purposes. (Presumably for a visitor’s pass as he and Diana arrive at some sort of Smithsonian Archives air base to steal a plane and jet to Cairo.) And then, it disappears. Forever. Sure, is the continuity over whether Steve Trevor is wearing a fanny pack important in the grand scheme of things? I’d say yes, but I fully understand the correct answer is probably no. But, at least to me, the fanny pack represents how strangely muted the movie feels for its era.

Pedro Pascal is having a blast. Chris Pine is thriving on Pop-Tarts. But the movie almost feels out of place in the era it’s trying to depict. The marketing leans full ’80s and we even get little touches of ’80s culture—like a single scene in the mall and a perplexing shout-out to Cold War nuclear weapons. But without fun music drops (apologies to the briefest of showings from Duran Duran) or really much additional cultural markings, 1984 feels like a very arbitrary setting. Is the villain Max Lord supposed to have a specific ’80s appeal? The Trumpian parallels are not subtle at all, but if recent history is any indication, the same grifter energy would work in the ’90s, ‘00s, or even 2010s.

Warner Bros.

There are parts of the movie that make for a really fun ride. But I think I expected more from a movie that boasted its era in its title. We didn’t need to go full Stranger Things but I’d hoped for a little more than an AI depiction of what the ’80s might look like after looking at a few photos.

If Steve Trevor inexplicably returns for Wonder Woman 3—and I, for one, think he should—one can only assume he’ll stroll up in cozy Uggs. Better yet, let’s hope the film takes a page out of Pine’s iconic real-life closet and lets him style himself!

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Christmas Day saw the long-awaited release of Wonder Woman 1984, and to great consequence. Theaters across the country showcased the superhero feature, which accrued $16.7 million at the domestic box office. Paltry compared to your typical holiday blockbuster opening, yes. But that’s a significant intake given the heavy hand of the coronavirus pandemic. Diana Prince’s Reagan-era adventure released simultaneously on the Warner Bros.-owned streaming service HBO Max. While Warner Bros. has not publicized at-home viewership data, we can assume that eyes turned to the mighty Amazonian throughout the weekend. News broke on Sunday that the studio has formally greenlit a third Wonder Woman feature; Patty Jenkins, director of 2017’s Wonder Woman and its newly released sequel, will likewise helm the next entry.

Granted, the ostensibly speedy decision owes not only to Wonder Woman 1984‘s holiday weekend performance. The movie opened overseas on December 16, and has since amounted $68.3 million internationally; counting US and Canada totals, that comes to $85 million overall in less than two weeks. (Which, again, is nothing to sneeze at given the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.)

Warner Bros.

Though Wonder Woman 1984 may have collected ample attention, it hasn’t earned unanimous praise. The film gained mixed critical reception—especially notable when compared to its overall beloved 2017 predecessor. Still, this doesn’t seem to have impressed upon worldwide ticket sales, nor has it incited caution at studio headquarters.

Wonder Woman 3‘s proper announcement came with no mention of scheduled release, nor mention of whether Warner Bros. will deliver the film simultaneously to theaters and streaming, per its plans en masse for 2021 releases. We can assume at least that director Jenkins’ commitment to Lucasfilm’s Rogue Squadron movie will delay production on Wonder Woman 3, thus leaving us without another trip to Themyscira for some time yet. As Wonder Woman remains a hot topic across the web, we’re sure to hear more news on the Amazonian front before long.

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It’s one of the most recognizable elements of Wonder Woman’s mythology, dating all the way back to 1942. Ask most people with only a casual knowledge of the Amazing Amazon, and one of the top five things they’ll tell you about her is that she flies in an invisible plane. And yet, it didn’t make it into her first solo movie. But thanks to Wonder Woman 1984, the invisible plane finally makes its big screen debut at last.

In the new film, Diana uses some of the same energy her father Zeus famously used to cloak her homeland of Themyscira with an invisible shield. In the new film, Diana uses some of that same energy on an airplane with Steve Trevor. It’s a unique explanation, and one that fits into the mythos established by the film. But this explanation for the plane’s existence doesn’t come from any comic book or previous media. But that’s okay! The Invisible Plane has a long and strange history, with many different origin points.

Warner Bros.

In William Marston’s original conception in the ’40s, the Amazons of Paradise Island had very advanced technology, miles ahead of anything in “Man’s World.” When Diana left her home to fight in World War II as Wonder Woman, her mother gifted her with a special plane that was invisible to the naked eye and all forms of radar. Wonder Woman could even use her tiara to control her Robot Plane (as she called it) to appear. She could also telepathically command the plane, and maneuver the vehicle with a thought.

DC Comics

In the ‘40s, the plane appeared as a propeller plane, as was standard in that era. But in the ‘50s, when high powered jets became the norm, it took on that appearance to keep with the times. Starting in the early ’60s, there was a brief period where the plane was explained as once having been a mythical Pegasus, transformed into an airplane by the Greek Goddess Athena. But that was quickly dropped. During the four-year period when Wonder Woman lost her powers, she didn’t use her iconic ride at all.

DC Comics

In the ‘70s, Diana Prince finally leapt off the printed page and onto television. First, with the Super Friends animated series, and then with the Lynda Carter live-action Wonder Woman show. Both versions featured the invisible plane, forever cementing it as part of Diana’s iconography to the masses. The live-action show only used it a handful of times, probably because it looked really goofy. But on Saturday mornings, Wonder Woman was never too far from her iconic aircraft.

Warner Bros.

Despite this newfound fame, by the mid ’80s, the plane would vanish. (Pun fully intended.) TV versions felt silly than in the comics, giving way to  comments like, “Where does she find the plane once it’s parked?” By and large, the plane became a pop culture joke. So in DC Comics’ post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot of Wonder Woman, Diana would get a huge power upgrade. Rather than “gliding on air currents” as she once did, Diana now wielded the power of flight. This meant that she just didn’t need the plane anymore. And thus, the invisible plane went the way of the dinosaur for a whole decade.

DC Comics

In the late ’90s, writer/artist John Byrne reinvented the Invisible plane for the modern age, this time as a product of alien technology. It was an alien “morphing crystal”, which could change shape, and was actually sentient. The crystal was often a plane, but could transform into other transparent vehicles. This alien being was initially sheltered from the outside world by an underground race of creatures called the Lansinarians, who in turn gave it to Diana.

DC Comics

This new version of the invisible jet could communicate telepathically with Diana, and would eventually morph into her version of the Fortress of Solitude called the Wonder Dome. Saving Themyscria, the alien eventually died, leaving Wonder Woman once again without a cool vehicle of her own. Batman provided her with a stealth jet created by Wayne Enterprises, but it was decidedly not as cool. Wondy didn’t use it much; no one really loved the idea of Diana’s jet being a hand-me-down from Bruce Wayne.

DC Comics

2011’s big New 52 reboot of the DC Universe didn’t find much use for the invisible plane. But it did pop up, in a way, in a reinvented form. During this era of  Diana’s history, the emphasis was less on her relationship with her Amazon sisters, and more on her relationship with her Olympian siblings. So the god Hephasteus built his sister an “invisible chariot,” similar to one he built for himself “to move freely around the world without Olympus watching him.” Presumably it could fly, so it was kind of an invisible jet? In any case, it didn’t make many appearances.

DC Comics

When Greg Rucka returned to writing Princess Diana in 2016 for the Wonder Woman: Year One reboot, he brought back the invisible jet proper in a new way. His explanation for the plane was that it was pilot Steve Trevor’s plane that crashed on Themyscira. It was  destroyed in the crash, but the Amazons rebuilt it and added some of their own magical expertise. And presto—the plane was now invisible. Technically, it was Trevor’s plane, but Diana was the one flying it. The reasons for the invisibility was so it couldn’t be tracked leaving the secret island, thereby giving away its location.

Animation has continued to give the invisible plane even more wild explanations. In the Justice League animated film Crisis on Two Earths, the plane was a stealth jet with cloaking tech belonging to Owl Man, the evil alternate universe version of Batman. Wonder Woman bested him in battle and stole his plane as “the spoils of war,” and took it back to her own Earth. It’s kind of badass, but it’s always better when the plane doesn’t come from another character’s mythos.

Silly or not, the invisible plane has been a staple of Wonder Woman’s iconography since almost day one. Creators will continue to find a way to make it cool and relevant, despite public perception. Sure, the image of a woman just kind of sitting in the sky is weird, but all that aside, a supersonic stealth aircraft shouldn’t ever be not awesome. And as long as Wonder Woman is flying it, the Invisible Plane always will be.

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One of the big reveals of Wonder Woman 1984 is the story behind Diana’s golden armor. In the original comics, it originated in the alternate future world of Kingdom Come. The new film reveals it as the property of an ancient Amazon named Asteria. It is she, according to legend, who stays behind in Man’s World, so the Amazonian race can get away to Themyscira. Asteria is never heard from again. Diana tells Steve Trevor she searched the globe for her, only finding her armor.

Warner Bros.

But in the mid-credits scene of Wonder Woman 1984, we discover that Asteria is alive and well, and living in the modern world. In fact, none other than TV’s original Diana Prince, Lynda Carter, plays her. But is Asteria an actual character from the pages of DC Comics, or did Patty Jenkins just make her up? Well….yes and no.

Alternate Earth Amazon

DC Comics

A character named Asteria exists in the comics, but it’s a deep, deep cut. She appears in the 1998 out-of-continuity comic book Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl. That story showcases an alternate Earth where the main champions are Supergirl and Batgirl, and not their male counterparts. That world’s preeminent super team was the Justice Society of America. Earth 1098’s JSA showcases some familiar names, yet there was one powerful looking lady on the roster no one had seen before. Her name was Asteria.

While we know little about her in the story, it seems likely that she is another Amazon warrior. She certainly looks the part. But outside of this one appearance on Earth-1098, Asteria never shows up in another comic book again. Above is an image from her one and only appearance in the Elseworld’s Finest comic.

Warner Bros.

It is likely that Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns simply pulled the name out of a hat. This is similar to how Superman: The Movie’s General Zod is named after another Phantom Zone villain in the comics, yet looks and acts nothing like him. Zod is just a cool name the producers took a shine to. But it seems likely that Asteria is teed up for much more in a potential third Wonder Woman film.

Recent Hints

DC Comics

There is evidence that DC Comics has plans to introduce a different Asteria in the pages of the comics. Just two years ago, Wonder Woman mentioned an ancient Amazon warrior by that name in a Justice League event comic called Drowned Earth. Diana tells Aquaman about an Amazon of old, a warrior named Asteria whose deeds became legendary. An “ancient sister who fought against the gods.” Diana even names her trusty eagle companion after Asteria. We don’t see the character, but the fact they chose that name is very telling. It indicates they have plans.

Asteria’s Future

Warner Bros.

Just having Asteria brought to life by the legendary Lynda Carter is what really makes her so cool of course. They could have called her character Sally Jenkins and we would have been ok with that!  While we still hope we get to see Lynda suit up again as the original Wonder Woman on an alternate Earth in the Flash movie, we would also love to see her continue playing Asteria. Seeing her and Diana team up against a villain like Circe would be the bee’s knees. Here’s hoping Patty Jenkins and Warner Brothers makes this a reality.

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Patty Jenkins’ first Wonder Woman film was extremely faithful to the comic book origins of the character. But it left out one crucial element of Princess Diana’s backstory: the Amazonian contest. The contest is an Olympic Games-style tournament where the Amazons compete against one another in various forms. The competitions range from hand-to-hand combat to gymnastic feats. It’s all in the name of proving who is the greatest Amazon of them all. In Wonder Woman 1984, Jenkins found a way to incorporate this iconic piece of of DC Comics’ mythos into the live-action universe.

Wonder Woman 1984 transposes this event to Diana’s childhood, whereas in the comics she experienced it as an adult. But the film isn’t the first time the contest has been reinvented. It’s been retold and reinterpreted for different generations and for different mediums.  Here’s the nearly 80-year history of the Amazons’ contest of champions.

The Golden Age Original (1941)

In Wonder Woman’s 1941 origin story, the Amazonian contest is there right from the start. Back then, it only took up a handful of panels. One of the more ridiculous aspects of the story found Diana, forbidden by her mother from participating, joining anyway in disguise. Diana used a tiny domino mask to cover her identity. I guess it’s no more ridiculous than Clark Kent’s glasses, but it certainly seems silly in the modern day.

It’s noteworthy as well that the original version of the Amazonian contest is more an Olympic-style tournament, less about fighting prowess. Part of the original challenge was outrunning a stag! Of course, one violent aspect was the bullets and bracelets challenge, which actually injured an Amazon in the original comic book. It was rare to see blood in a comic of that day, but you saw it there. This version of the contest was very much the template going forward.

The Silver Age (1958)

DC Comics

The first change to the contest story came in 1958, at the dawn of comics’ Silver Age. This retcon had Diana as Wonder Woman in costume before leaving for Man’s World, which kind of makes no sense. In order to make sure that everyone didn’t know they were competing against Diana, Queen Hippolyta ordered all the Amazons to disguise themselves as Wonder Woman. It’s a wacky concept, and one quickly dropped from continuity. Going forward, most references to Diana’s competition have only called back to the original ‘40s version. Which is for the best.

Wonder Woman TV Pilot (1975)

The original pilot for the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman  TV series also recreated the classic origin story, pretty much intact. Much like the original comic book origin from William Marston, it included the Amazon contest. This was less hand-to-hand combat, more Olympic games. One big change had Diana not just wearing a flimsy mask, but also a blonde wig. I guess that was supposed to make her mother not recognize her? Oh well. Baby steps.

Challenge of the Super Friends (1978)

The 1978 Super Friends cartoon series also featured Wonder Woman’s classic origin…with a twist. The evil Legion of Doom decided to go back in time to undo the origins of the Justice League, including that of Wonder Woman. Her arch-nemesis Cheetah disguised herself as an Amazon, and fought in the contest. She won, using her “catlike skill,” becoming Wonder Woman instead of Diana. Naturally, history corrected itself. But it was nevertheless fun to see DC history come to life on Saturday morning television.

The Bronze Age (1979)

DC Comics

During the late Bronze Age of comics, Diana had to undergo the contest a second time. This occurred when a fellow Amazon challenged her for the right to be Wonder Woman. This time, Diana lost the challenge, and her Amazonian sister Orana donned the costume. The fiery redhead was far more headstrong that Diana, but this disposition ultimately cost Orana her life. Diana of course, would assume the title of Wonder Woman again shortly thereafter. This lesser known story was the template for another tale that would come later in the ‘90s. That saga, which you’ll see more about down below, had Diana and an Amazon named Artemis face off for the right to be Wonder Woman. A contest Diana would lose.

Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths (1986)

DC Comics

In the wake of DC’s continuity-shattering Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman’s mythos were completely rebooted by writer/artist George Perez. In this new iteration, the Amazons lost all their sci-fi trappings. Perez reinvented them totally as warriors out of Ancient Greek myth. For this updated version of the contest, all the Amazons had to wear helmets with masks, as to not let emotional attachment between sisters influence their performance. As one gifted by the Gods, Diana easily won this competition as well, becoming Wonder Woman.

The “Extreme” Age (1994)

DC Comics

After the glory of the George Perez years, Wonder Woman comics suffered a slump. The ’90s were an era of extreme art styles, and not a great period for how women were portrayed in mainstream comics. Artist Mike Deodato took on Wonder Woman’s art duties. Suddenly, every Amazon was scantily clad. It was… a choice. And it certainly hasn’t aged very well.

But sales went up, and DC began a story where Diana’s mother forced another contest for Diana to prove herself worthy of being Wonder Woman. All because she had a vision of Wonder Woman’s death, and was trying to save her daughter. This time, Diana lost to Artemis, an Amazon based very much on the now-forgotten character Orana. Artemis was far more popular, and is still around today. After a period wearing a terrible black leather biker outfit, Diana returned to the role of Wonder Woman. Thank Hera.

Wonder Woman Animated Film (2009)

The animated Wonder Woman direct-to-DVD movie also featured the classic contest as part of Diana’s origin. And it didn’t stray too far from the modern comics canon. It is probably a little more brutal and bloody than we’d seen in that past, lending to the PG-13 rating. A big difference from the comic book version: the bullets and bracelets portion of the competition is an “arrows and bracelets” contest instead. Which makes a ton more sense.

Rebirth Era (2016)

DC Comics

The New 52 reboot of Wonder Woman from 2011 didn’t really show us the contest, but the 2016 Rebirth origin story did. And writer Greg Rucka pretty much kept to the classic version. It was a little more George Perez, with a dash of Golden Age flavor. This is the most recent version of the contest in comics continuity. Judging from Wonder Woman 1984, director Patty Jenkins definitely took some cues from it.

The post The History of Wonder Woman’s Amazonian Contest appeared first on Nerdist.

Superhero fans everywhere are getting a pretty big present this holiday season. On Christmas Day, Wonder Woman 1984 will simultaneously debut in both theaters and on HBO Max. But that’s not the only gift subscribers will receive from Diana Prince. The streaming site has announced it has added Lynda Carter’s 1970s Wonder Woman TV series to its library.

The timing might be related to Patty Jenkins’ highly-anticipated sequel. But for fans it’s a long overdue addition to the service of a beloved version of the character.

Warner Bros.

Starting today, December 23, HBO Max users can watch the classic Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series on the site. The show, which ran for three seasons—the first on ABC, the next two on CBS—from 1975 to 1979, was the first successful attempt to bring Diana Prince to the screen. (A very different 1974 pilot, for a totally separate project starring Cathy Lee Crosby, was never picked up.) For some fans, even those who love Gal Gadot in the role of Diana Prince, Lynda Carter will always be the definitive Wonder Woman. Now a whole new generation will be able to find out why.

If you’re unfamiliar with the classic series, HBO Max and Warner Bros. shared a synopsis:

“Based on William Moulton Marston’s comic book character known to millions of fans throughout the world, beautiful Amazonian princess Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) travels to 1940s America disguised as Diana Prince, assistant to the handsome but trouble-prone Major Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner). Using her golden belt that imbues her with astonishing strength, her bullet-deflecting bracelets, a golden lasso that dispels dishonesty and an invisible supersonic plane, Wonder Woman bravely fights for peace and leads with compassion.”

Warner Bros.

HBO Max recently announced it would debut all of Warner Bros’ 2021 releases. It remains to be seen if that will actually happen. But one thing we know for sure is that Wonder Woman 1984 will be released there. It could prove huge for the service, which is looking to increase its subscriber base. But you don’t need to use the lasso of truth to learn that Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman will draw in viewers all by herself.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

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With Wonder Woman 1984 finally releasing, the conversation now turns to the future of the world’s premiere superheroine. Director Patty Jenkins has confirmed she has an outline for a third Wonder Woman film with writer Geoff Johns. And she seems pretty committed to making it. Only thing is, she’s got that little Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron, on tap as her next film.

With that film releasing in 2023, that means it will be at least five years before we see another solo Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot. And that feels way too long a wait to see the Amazing Amazon in action again. But we have a solution, and it’s one that kills three birds with one stone: a Wonder Woman and Superman team-up movie.

Warner Bros.

First things first. We believe that Patty Jenkins should 100% get the chance to finish her Wonder Woman trilogy. But we propose this solution while we wait, featuring both Wonder Woman and Superman, once again played by Henry Cavill. Not only that, we think this team up should serve as the DCEU introduction to Supergirl. And there is a perfect story in the DC comic book and animation canon that could be adapted: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. But hear us out—we think Batman should actually sit this one out.

DC Comics

The origins of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse started in 2004,  in the pages of DC Comics. Writer Jeph Loeb and artist Michael Turner decided to reintroduce the Kara Zor-El incarnation of Supergirl back into DC continuity. At this point, the iconic character had been removed from DC continuity for nearly two decades. The saga ran through the pages of the Batman/Superman title, in the story called “The Supergirl from Krypton.” Then in 2010, the story was adapted into a direct-to-video animated film that kept the broad strokes of the story intact.

Warner Bros. Animation

The story features a mysterious meteor crashing to earth, and from its wreckage emerges a teenage girl with extraordinary powers. Powers exactly like Superman’s. Not knowing a word of English (or any Earth language), she accidentally wreaks havoc with her uncontrolled abilities. Soon, Superman arrives and takes her in. Realizing she is Kara Zor-El, his first cousin and only living relative, he plans on raising her as a regular Earth girl. He thinks she should be brought up just as he was in Smallville. But Batman is far more skeptical of this latest strange visitor from another planet and suspects danger.

Warner Bros. Animation

So what does this story have to do with Wonder Woman? Despite the Superman/Batman of the title, she plays a very important role in this story. She knows that Kara’s raw power needs training for her to be able to control it. And where better on Earth for a young lady to train in combat than Themyscria? This creates a conflict between her and her friend Kal-El, who simply wants to recreate his own upbringing with his cousin. But Diana knows better, and realizes Kara needs some Amazon guidance.

Eventually, the evil god Darkseid seeks young Kara as a weapon to mold, and launches an attack on Themyscira to retrieve her. He brainwashes her in the Fire Pits of his home planet Apokolips. Soon, the trio of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have to go rescue her. Ultimately, she is deprogrammed and sent back to Earth. And after further training from the Amazons, she makes her debut as Supergirl.

Warner Bros. Animation

This storyline could be the perfect interim film while we wait for the inevitable (but far off) Wonder Woman 3. It solves a ton of problems for the DCEU in general. First, it gives us Wonder Woman’s presence on the big screen during the wait for a third film. Second, it is a perfect vehicle for the return of the Henry Cavill Superman, which is something fans have been clamoring for. And third, it introduces a new Supergirl to the DCEU. As a bonus, it could legitimately follow up all those Darkseid teases seen in Justice League.

As for why I’d leave Batman out, there are a lot of reasons. First off, the minute you have all three members of the Trinity present, it becomes a de facto Justice League movie. Second, Wonder Woman could easily serve Bruce Wayne’s role in the original story as well as her own. And lastly, Batman is overexposed enough these days. We don’t need one more Batman-related movie or show on the docket. Better to make this story chiefly about how the world’s two most powerful (and idealistic) beings decide they’re going to train a new hero.

Warner Bros.

As a story, it could highlight the differences and similarities between Superman and Wonder Woman, two characters that have barely had any real screen time together (despite starring in two film togethers). Superman is the world’s ultimate firefighter, and Wonder Woman its ultimate teacher. How would they deal with molding the next generation of hero? It would make for a great premise, and one we hope the folks at Warner Bros. and DC consider.

The post Diana and Superman Need a Team-Up Movie Before WONDER WOMAN 3 appeared first on Nerdist.

Fans responded warmly to the DC Comics movie, embracing Gal Gadot‘s Diana Prince and her journey into the world of humans. From Themyscira to the trenches of World War I, Diana fought to see the beauty in those around her and to save the planet from Ares, the god of war. She learned much about good and evil and hope, and even though she lost someone close to her, she kept fighting. And we can’t wait to see more of that in the film’s sequel.

So what exactly will we see in the sequel? Let’s look at everything we know about Wonder Woman 1984 so far. Bookmark this page and check back for updates.

The Trailers and Poster

The first trailer for the film finds the Amazonian goddess in the era of greed and glamour known as the 1980s. Although the trailer shows that her great love Steve Trevor miraculously returns from the dead, we still don’t know how that’s accomplished. The music in the trailer is an orchestral arrangement of New Order’s 1983 hit “Blue Monday.” We see Diana kick bad guy butt in a shopping mall, and we see both Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor inside the cockpit of a plane. Is that plane perhaps… invisible? We will have to wait and see.

On August 21, we got a look at a particularly vibrant piece of art advertising the upcoming film. Director Patty Jenkins tweeted the film’s new official poster, which is notable both for its color scheme and for its central figure’s magnificent wingspan.

Then on August 22 during DC FanDome, Patty Jenkins and the cast shared a new trailer showing off Cheetah’s full transformation:

The trailer teases a little more about Max Lord’s mysterious powers. He’s selling people their dreams. That seems connected to Steve Trevor’s return. It’s definitely connected to Barbara Minerva’s transformation into Cheetah—which looks incredible.

The above video shows the film’s opening scene. Young Diana (Lilly Aspell) participates in Amazonian games.

Release Date

Warner Brothers

Wonder Woman 1984 is  now set to arrive in movie theaters on December 25, 2020. The coronavirus caused the original release date to change a couple of times now. From Variety: “Patty is an exceptional filmmaker and with Wonder Woman 1984 she has delivered an incredibly dynamic film that moviegoers of all ages around the world will absolutely love,” said Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman. “We’re very proud of the film and look forward to bringing it to audiences for the holidays.”

As of November 18, 2020, the film is still arriving on Christmas Day but with a twist: Wonder Woman 1984 will also debut on HBO Max at no additional cost on the same day.

Director and Writers

Patty Jenkins has returned to the world of Wonder Woman to direct the sequel. She co-wrote the script with Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham.

Plot

“Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing an all-new foe: The Cheetah.” That’s Warner Bros.’ official description for Wonder Woman 1984, set in—you guessed it—1984. That puts the movie in the thick of the Cold War. During an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, Jenkins said, “Eras are important.” She thinks 1984 was a time when humankind was at its best and its worst; she wanted “to see Wonder Woman at a time that’s pretty much us at our most extreme. Everything we were doing right then, we thought would go on forever.”

Returning Cast

Warner Brothers

A Wonder Woman movie wouldn’t exist without Wonder Woman, so obviously Gal Gadot is back as Diana Prince. She now works for the Natural History Museum in Washington, DC. Her Wonder Woman costume seems to be a little brighter, too. She’ll even get a new iconic comic book costume: Wonder Woman’s golden armor. We know from the trailer that she’s still helping humanity, although her destruction of security cameras in the mall suggest she is keeping her role as Wonder Woman a secret from the world.

Warner Brothers

She’s not the only person coming back. Chris Pine will be costarring as Steve Trevor… somehow. He definitely died at the end of the first Wonder Woman, set some 60 years earlier than Wonder Woman 1984, but he’s here and wearing a track suit. Why? How? It is a comic book movie, so it’s not completely impossible.

Warner Brothers

Also returning are Connie Nielsen as Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta and aunt Robin Wright as her sister Antiope. The two are featured in a flashback which takes us back to Themyscira. It appears that we will see one portion of Diana’s origin story that was missing from the original film: the contest of Amazon championship.

New Cast Members

Warner Brothers

Kristen Wiig was the first new cast member announced for Wonder Woman ’84. She’s portraying Barbara Ann Minerva, a.k.a. Cheetah. The character is both a friend and enemy to Diana in the comics, and it’s looking she’ll be both in the upcoming film. The pair are colleagues at the Natural History Museum, where Minerva is a gemologist.

Warner Brothers

Pedro Pascal is part of the Wonder Woman 1984 cast, too. He’ll be playing ’80s tycoon Maxwell Lord, a character who once bankrolled the Justice League in the ’80s. Here, he’ll be portrayed as TV self-help guru, who makes millions from selling people the chance to make their dreams come true. He’s apparently the real villain of the film. Famously, he was once killed by Wonder Woman in the comics in a last-ditch effort to save Superman from mind control.

The Hindu confirms Soundarya Sharma is also part of the cast. Sharma said, “It’s exhilarating to be a part of such a larger than life character film where you get to play your dream role.” Given her quote, it sounds like she has a sizable part.

Images: Warner Bros.

Originally published on February 11, 2019 with updates on July 20,  August 21, August 22, and November 19 2020.

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Warner Bros.

Read just some of the reviews pouring in for Wonder Woman’s second solo cinematic outing below:

Alex Abad-Santos of Vox suggests that Wonder Woman 1984 is a better romantic comedy than superhero film, but it nails important traits about Diana. Such as how much she loves “the beauty of the world and learning all of its languages, relishes her sacred duty to protect the innocent and fight for those who cannot fight themselves, and dreams of making the world better, one good deed at a time.”

Angie Han from Mashable also gave the film a positive review, saying that although parts of the movie are messy, “WW84, like its heroine, has its heart in the right place. The emotions work even when the calculations behind them don’t quite add up.”

One of the many things critics seem to be praising about WW84 is how much it sticks to Diana Prince’s earnestness. IGN‘s Matt Purslow says “WW84 is the quintessential Wonder Woman film. Love and compassion are her driving force, layered on top of the morality and duty we’ve seen in characters like Clark Kent and Steve Rogers.”

Entertainment Weekly‘s Mary Sollosi was skeptical about returning Steve Trevor from the grave, but is ultimately glad they chose to bring him back. She says of Steve’s return that “his and Diana’s relationship is the beating heart of WW84, not at all tacked on but completely essential.”

Esther Zuckerman of Thrillist thinks that the follow up to the 2017 original is a fun movie, but it ultimately way too long (it clocks in at two and a half hours.) Although they call it a “fun but messy follow up,” they also add “there’s a lot to love in WW84: bold performances from a delightful cast, and fantastic costumes.”

Patty Jenkins has often said how much she was influenced by Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie when making Wonder Woman, a similarity that is noted by USA Today‘s Brian Truitt. He says in his review that WW84 is “a rousing, retro throwback to Christopher Reeve’s Superman.”

Warner Bros.

Kate Erbland of IndieWire loves the ’80s excess of it all, saying “all that neon and all those parachute pants? Just a bonus, as Jenkins and Gadot take their heartfelt heroine back to 1984, finding bombastic new territory for Diana Prince to explore.”

Ben Travis at Empire gave the film four stars, saying “It’s fitting that Diana Prince is the one to swoop in and save the day — after all, she was the original bright new hope of the DC Extended Universe, once so mired in morally murky seriousness.” A welcome respite indeed.

David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter was more mixed on WW84, but still had praise for Gal Gadot in particular, saying “there’s still a lot to love. Gadot remains a charismatic presence who wields the lasso with authority, even tethering lightning bolts in some arresting moments. However, I missed the more hand-to-hand gladiatorial aspect of so many fight scenes in the first movie.”

Matt Goldberg at Collider was definitely less keen on WW84 than most, saying “there are moments when Wonder Woman 1984 manages to be joyful and really lean into the colorfulness of its 1980s setting, but even here the movie is scattershot and at time surprisingly limp.”

Wonder Woman 1984 hits select theaters and HBO Max on Christmas Day.

Featured Image: Warner Bros

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She’s already helmed DC’s most powerful hero… twice. But now Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman, is heading to a galaxy far, far away. In the massively stacked Disney investors presentation today she was announced as the director of a new film that will get Star Wars fans incredibly excited: Rogue Squadron. On Twitter the director shared a personal video that even gives viewers a glimpse of an X-Wing.

Focusing on the pilots of the Rebellion’s Rogue Squadron, this will be the next Star Wars movie to hit screens. It arrives on December 22, 2023. The elite team has long been one of the most popular parts of Star Wars lore. Not only do they appear in the movies, but also in video games and books. According to Lucasfilm, Jenkins’ film will be a way of bringing new characters to the world. “The story will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy.”

Disney

In a statement, Jenkins shared her excitement. “It’s been a lifelong dream as a filmmaker to one day make a great fighter pilot film,” Jenkins said. “As the daughter of a great fighter pilot myself, some of the best memories of my life are of seeing my father’s squadron take off in their F4s every morning, and hearing and feeling the awe-inspiring power and grace. When he passed away in service to this country it ignited a burning desire to one day channel all of those emotions into one great film. When the perfect story arrived in combination with another true love of mine, the incomparable world of Star Wars, I knew I’d finally found my next film.”

Disney

The studio also shared an update about Taika Waititi’s upcoming film. While there wasn’t much concrete info, it sounds like it’ll be more comedic. They also teased a rad new Star Wars logo. So basically we’ve got plenty more Star Wars in our future.

Featured Image: Disney

Originally published on December 10, 2020.

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It didn’t seem likely for most of 2020, but audiences will get to see Wonder Woman 1984 this year… just not the way any of us expected. Originally set to be one of summer’s biggest blockbusters, COVID-19 has delayed its premiere repeatedly. Now director Patty Jenkins’ followup to her 2017 hit will be coming to HBO Max on Christmas Day. Can it live up the extended hype and anticipation? And will the move from the big screen to our television sets hurt the experience? We don’t know about the latter yet. But based on the first glowing critical reactions to the movie, its story, characters, and heart will make it worth the wait no matter where or how you watch it.

Warner Bros. gave some very lucky critics a chance to finally screen the movie. That included Nerdist‘s own managing editor, Amy Ratcliffe who says that it’s exactly the movie we all need right now.

She wasn’t the only one who felt that way either.

Fans of the Richard Donner Superman films should be extra excited about what to expect.

Some were completely overwhelmed by the movie.

There was also tons of praise for the film’s villains, played by Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig.

No real surprise here—the movie’s two stars were also pretty good.

Even the “harshest” reactions sound pretty positive.

Wonder Woman 1984 may not have come out in the midst of a summer blockbuster season. And we may have to settle for watching it at home on HBO Max as opposed to on the big screen. But based on these first reactions it, sounds like Wonder Woman 1984 will have been worth the wait no matter when, where, and how we watch it.

Image: Warner Bros.

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Not to sound too much like a pandemic-themed commercial, but the holidays do look different this year. Many of us are foregoing our usual traditions and travel plans to keep our loved ones and strangers safe. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get something special for the pop culture aficionado in your life! (Or, you know — add it to your wishlist, hint hint.)

And so, we’ve gathered a wide selection of gifts at different price points that might bring a little cheer to your winter. If you’ve got a cinefile in your life, someone who misses movie theaters, who wears their love of cinema on their shelves, this is the guide for you.

Shopping for a different kind of nerd? Check out our other gift guides here.

Star Wars: The Jedi Mind: Secrets from the Force for Balance and Peace

“Trust your feelings.” That’s easier said than done this year, which is why Nerdist Managing Editor Amy Ratcliffe’s new book is perfect for these stressful times. Follow the teachings of the Jedi — peace, knowledge, serenity, and balance — and find your own inner calm with this magical mindfulness guide. Buy it for $14.95 here.

Dune Action Figures

A beginning is a delicate time, and though we have to wait until next year to see Denis Villeneuve’s Dune in theaters, it’s the smart and safe choice. Until then, you can reenact your own version of the groundbreaking science fiction story with these action figures. If you purchase all of the figures (Paul Atreides, Stilgar, Lady Jessica, Baron Harkonnen, and Duncan Idaho) you can also build your own Beast as well. Buy one for $29.99 here.

Tarot del Toro: Inspired by the World of Guillermo del Toro

Dive into your future and the macabre world of Guillermo del Toro with this gorgeous tarot deck! Designed and illustrated by Tomás Hijo, the deck “features original artwork inspired by the themes, imagery, and characters of some of del Toro’s most popular films, including Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water.” Buy it for $29.99 here.

Wonder Woman 1984 Deluxe Golden Armor Doll 

Thank the Gods, we’re getting one of our most anticipated movies of 2020 IN 2020. With Wonder Woman 1984 releasing in theaters and on HBO Max, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Diana Prince with this intricate golden armor action figure. Buy it for $29.99 here.

Star Wars Ceramic Tiki Mugs

You don’t have to go to the Mos Eisley Cantina or Trader Sam’s to get your tiki on — just pick up one of these cute little ceramic mugs from a galaxy far, far away. If you don’t imbibe alcoholic drinks like the Port in a Storm, you can always get one of these for the youngling in your life and fill it with blue milk. Buy them for $14.99 – $45.99 here. 

Cinefile: A Card Game

“With multiple ways to play based on difficulty level ranging from casual movie-goer to bonafide film nerd, Cinephile will have you and your friends racking your brains for Sean Connery’s lesser-known films, Cate Blanchett’s filmography, and Steve Buscemi’s most memorable cameos.” Perfect for a game night at home or on a video call. Buy it for $20 here.

A24 Screenplay Book

For the self-proclaimed cinefile, only the best will do. And much like their movies, A24 is here to deliver. These book are for the aspiring screenwriter, the film nerd who can’t stop talking about Ex Machina and The Witch, or anyone who (understandably) just really loved Moonlight. Buy one for $60.00 here. 

Star Wars Instant Pot

If you haven’t yet experienced the power of the Instant Pot, now is the time. This easy-to-use kitchen appliance does it all, fast. Make perfect rice, hard-boiled eggs, baby-back ribs, soups, and more. Cozy up by a fire or under a blanket with the winter comfort food of your choice (as long as it’s not the Frog Lady’s last line of eggs). Buy it for $99.99 here.

Friday the 13th Blu-ray Collection

*ch ch ch ah ah ah* In this truly massive Blu-ray collection, “Jason slashes his way from Crystal Lake to outer space and back to fight Freddy! This Deluxe Collection includes all of the previously released extras plus all-new bonus materials, including new audio commentaries with cast and crew.” Yes, that includes the Alice Cooper music video for “Behind the Mask.” Buy it for $129.99 here.

LEGO Batman 1989 Batmobile

This one’s got a hefty price tag, but how else can you pay tribute to the best movie Batman? This fancy LEGO set features a slide-open cockpit, two hidden machine guns with a pop-up function, and a trio of minifigures: Batman, The Joker, and Vicki Vale. Buy it for $249.95 here.

The post Holiday Gift Guide 2020 – For the Cinefile appeared first on Nerdist.

Not to sound too much like a pandemic-themed commercial, but the holidays do look different this year. Many of us are foregoing our usual traditions and travel plans to keep our loved ones and strangers safe. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get something special for the pop culture aficionado in your life! (Or, you know — add it to your wishlist, hint hint.)

And so, we’ve gathered a wide selection of gifts at different price points, for different types of nerds, that might bring a little cheer to your winter. Whether you’re shopping for a cinefile, binge-watcher, gamer, tabletop master, comics lover, or just yourself, we’ve got something for everyone.

Check out our annual holiday gift guide below.

FOR THE CINEFILE

Star Wars: The Jedi Mind: Secrets from the Force for Balance and Peace

“Trust your feelings.” That’s easier said than done this year, which is why Nerdist Managing Editor Amy Ratcliffe’s new book is perfect for these stressful times. Follow the teachings of the Jedi — peace, knowledge, serenity, and balance — and find your own inner calm with this magical mindfulness guide. Buy it for $14.95 here.

Dune Action Figures

A beginning is a delicate time, and though we have to wait until next year to see Denis Villeneuve’s Dune in theaters, it’s the smart and safe choice. Until then, you can reenact your own version of the groundbreaking science fiction story with these action figures. If you purchase all of the figures (Paul Atreides, Stilgar, Lady Jessica, Baron Harkonnen, and Duncan Idaho) you can also build your own Beast as well. Buy one for $29.99 here.

Tarot del Toro: Inspired by the World of Guillermo del Toro

Dive into your future and the macabre world of Guillermo del Toro with this gorgeous tarot deck! Designed and illustrated by Tomás Hijo, the deck “features original artwork inspired by the themes, imagery, and characters of some of del Toro’s most popular films, including Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water.” Buy it for $29.99 here.

Wonder Woman 1984 Deluxe Golden Armor Doll 

Thank the Gods, we’re getting one of our most anticipated movies of 2020 IN 2020. With Wonder Woman 1984 releasing in theaters and on HBO Max, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Diana Prince with this intricate golden armor action figure. Buy it for $29.99 here.

Star Wars Ceramic Tiki Mugs

You don’t have to go to the Mos Eisley Cantina or Trader Sam’s to get your tiki on — just pick up one of these cute little ceramic mugs from a galaxy far, far away. If you don’t imbibe alcoholic drinks like the Port in a Storm, you can always get one of these for the youngling in your life and fill it with blue milk. Buy them for $14.99 – $45.99 here. 

Cinefile: A Card Game

“With multiple ways to play based on difficulty level ranging from casual movie-goer to bonafide film nerd, Cinephile will have you and your friends racking your brains for Sean Connery’s lesser-known films, Cate Blanchett’s filmography, and Steve Buscemi’s most memorable cameos.” Perfect for a game night at home or on a video call. Buy it for $20 here.

A24 Screenplay Book

For the self-proclaimed cinefile, only the best will do. And much like their movies, A24 is here to deliver. These book are for the aspiring screenwriter, the film nerd who can’t stop talking about Ex Machina and The Witch, or anyone who (understandably) just really loved Moonlight. Buy one for $60.00 here. 

Star Wars Instant Pot

If you haven’t yet experienced the power of the Instant Pot, now is the time. This easy-to-use kitchen appliance does it all, fast. Make perfect rice, hard-boiled eggs, baby-back ribs, soups, and more. Cozy up by a fire or under a blanket with the winter comfort food of your choice (as long as it’s not the Frog Lady’s last line of eggs). Buy it for $99.99 here.

Friday the 13th Blu-ray Collection

*ch ch ch ah ah ah* In this truly massive Blu-ray collection, “Jason slashes his way from Crystal Lake to outer space and back to fight Freddy! This Deluxe Collection includes all of the previously released extras plus all-new bonus materials, including new audio commentaries with cast and crew.” Yes, that includes the Alice Cooper music video for “Behind the Mask.” Buy it for $129.99 here.

LEGO Batman 1989 Batmobile

This one’s got a hefty price tag, but how else can you pay tribute to the best movie Batman? This fancy LEGO set features a slide-open cockpit, two hidden machine guns with a pop-up function, and a trio of minifigures: Batman, The Joker, and Vicki Vale. Buy it for $249.95 here.

FOR THE BINGE-WATCHER

The Great British Bake Off Coloring Book

If you and your quarantine loved ones have already marathoned the most soothing show in the world and need your sugar fix, this is the gift for you. Designed like the intricate illustrations depicting the bakers’ planned bakes, this Great British Bake Off coloring book will also calm you down after your fave gets cut from the show way too early. Buy it for $13.99 here.

The Haunting of Bly Manor Moonflower Shirt

We’ve all got that friend, who loves gothic horror and tragic romance, the moody and the macabre. (Hint: it’s us.) And so the follow up to Mike Flangan’s brilliant The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, tucked us away to relive our favorite moments over and over again. If you haven’t seen the show, trust us when we say that your friend needs this shirt. Buy it for $16.00 here.

Mad Men Carousel: The Complete Critical Companion

If you know someone who still can’t stop extolling the brilliance of AMC’s Mad Men, they’ll love this gift more than Don Draper loves self sabotage. This episode-by-episode guide from renowned TV and movie Critic Matt Zoller Seitz digs deep into digs deep into the show’s themes, performances, and filmmaking, as well as historical references from the time. Buy it for $15.00 here.

Avatar: The Last Airbender T-Shirt

They already have an Appa plush, Uncle Iroh’s tea set, and all of the comics. But luckily for you, there are about a bajillion great Avatar: The Last Airbender t-shirts out there to gift your friend with excellent taste. Seriously, it was hard to only pick a few to feature. Buy one here for $22.

The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra

No, we are not over Netflix canceling Age of Resistance, and no, we’re not ready to talk about it. But we are ready to dive back into Jim Henson’s imaginative world of Thra, and all of the creatures who inhabit it. This gorgeous book features all-new illustrations inspired by the original concept artist, Brian Froud, and expands the lore of the Dark Crystal universe from the film and series to canon books and novels. Buy it for $29.99 here.

The Mandalorian: The Child – Animatronic Edition

Remember last Christmas? When there was absolutely no Baby Yoda merch available, because Lucasfilm wanted to keep The Mandalorian‘s adorable sidekick under wraps? Those days are long gone. “The Child” is everywhere, and we’re not complaining. But if you really love that lil green baby, you might want to pick up this animatronic toy that moves, blinks, uses the Force, and makes adorable noises. Buy it here for $47.99.

Supernatural Mystery Gift Subscription Box

You may not know what “Destiel” means, why they’re sob-singing “Carry on My Wayward Son,” or really anything about Supernatural. But you do know that the beloved long-running show just ended, and your friend is NOT OK. You can’t bring Supernatural back, but you can gift them this quarterly subscription box, filled with themed goodies to remind them of the good ol’ days. Buy it for $56.99 here.

FOR THE VIDEO GAMER

Steam Gift Card

Have a PC gamer in your life? No idea what kind of game to get them? Get them a steam gift card, so they can choose their own. They (and their game library) will thank you for it. Buy one here.

VR Headset Compatible with Nintendo Switch

Yes, Nintendo has its own option, but if you really want to experience your favorite Switch games in virtual reality, try this baby on for size. Unlike some of the other VR options out there, this oddly affordable headset is not made of cardboard. It’s adjustable for all users, including those who wear glasses. Buy it for $22.99 here.

PAC-MAN Ghost Light Table Lamp

Perfect for the Gen Xer in your life, this PAC-MAN Ghost table lamp can turn any room into an 8-bit haunted house. The 8” lamp has 9 color options, plus a “party” mode where it flashes all the colors to the beat of your music. Buy it for $29.99 here.

Razer BlackShark V2 Gaming Headset

For the friend who trips over their gaming headset wire every time they get up, here’s a wireless one that won’t break the bank. Buy it for $59.99 here. 

Sega Genesis Mini – Genesis

Loaded with 42 games, the SEGA Genesis Mini could work for almost anyone on your list. Nostalgic for the good ol’ days of Sonic and Street Fighter? Get ‘em one of these. Want to introduce a new generation to this system? Prepare to be laughed at, but like, in a fun way. Buy it for $79.99 here.

Nintendo Switch Lite

Want to get the person you’re sharing lockdown with into games? Try the Nintendo Switch Lite. Unlike its big sister the regular Switch, the Lite is handheld only and has built-in controllers instead of detachable. But otherwise, it’s pretty much the same console. Buy it for $199.00 here.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Then you can play Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit with them! “Place gates and customize courses in the real world, then see them come to life with different in-game environments, like jungles and snowscapes, and obstacles like Piranha Plants. Use objects from around the house to customize your courses, then watch the game transform your home into the world of Mario Kart.” Buy it for $99.99 here.

FOR THE TABLETOP GAMER

The Dune Board Game

Fans of the Frank Herbert Dune novels will be thrilled to unwrap this asymmetrical strategy game. Best of all, the stylish tabletop game is designed for 2 to 6 players, so chances are high you’ll get to play alongside them. Choose your faction, strategize carefully, and make all the right moves to win it all. Buy it for $49.99 here.

Delicious in Dungeon

What do you get when you combine cooking and dungeon crawling? The tantalizing fun of Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi)! Monsters aren’t hunted for treasure in this whimsical story, but to make a tasty meal for hungry adventurers. Eight volumes of the hilarious manga are available now. Buy the first one for $13.99 here.

Young Adventurer’s Guide Gift Set

Ready to add new members to your D&D adventuring party? The Young Adventurer’s Guides make things surprisingly simple for anyone interested in getting into the world’s greatest role-playing game. The first four books covering characters, magic, and monsters are collected into one gorgeous box set. Buy it for $32.99 here.

Healing Potions Mug 

Paola’s Pixels is a one-stop shop for stylish and colorful tabletop accessories. If you know someone who treats their morning coffee like a healing elixir (which it is), we’ve found the perfect mug for them. Buy it for $18.00 here.

Dungeon Master’s Screen: Wilderness Kit

Not only is the new Wilderness Kit gorgeously green and lush, this official D&D Dungeon Masters screen comes complete with handy info for Dungeon Masters of all levels of experience. Buy it for $24.99 here.

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

What does the D&D player who has everything need? A Cauldron of Everything! The latest companion book from Wizards of the Coast includes new rules options for players and a plethora of puzzles for plotting Dungeon Masters. It’s also packed with stunning art. Buy the book for $49.95 here.

Beadle and Grimm’s Gold Dragon Coins

Stuff your special someone’s stocking with gold this year! Well, it’s the next best thing. Beadle and Grimm’s, makers of high-quality Dungeons & Dragons props and handouts, also sell small items separately to add flair to your game. The gold coins, called dragons in the Forgotten Realms, are one of our favorite stocking stuffers. Buy them for $15.00 here.

Dungeons & Dragons Socks Set

Everyone knows that socks make some of the best holiday gifts. And as an added bonus, this Dungeons & Dragons sock set comes in a box shaped like a d20! Buy it for $17.99 here.

Level Up Wooden Dice Set

Even if the tabletop player on your gift list seems to have every set of dice out there, we bet they don’t have a set like this. Gently carved wood and warm tones make these dice instant standouts in any role-player’s collection. Buy them for $160.00 here.

D&D Beyond Digital Gift Card

D&D has gone digital, and you can help a friend add books to their virtual bookshelf. D&D Beyond now offers digital gift cards so your future party member can buy and download the Player’s Handbook, latest adventure book, and more. Buy one here.

FOR THE COMICS LOVER

Far Sector

The award-winning author of The Broken Earth trilogy, N.K. Jemisin, makes her comic book debut with artist Jamal Campbell: A Green Lantern murder mystery. Buy it for $3.99 here.

Séance Tea Party

“Reimena Yee’s gorgeous graphic novel might be aimed at young readers but will speak to anyone who’s ever felt afraid of growing up. Séance Tea Party tells the moving story of a girl who befriends the ghost that haunts her house, but has to come to terms with learning to let go.” Buy it for $12.99 here.

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches

“From creators Maggie Stiefvater and Morgan Beem, this new YA title looks at the origin of Alec Holland through a new lens. Here he’s a quiet teen with a popular twin brother and, of course, a love for botany. That love will put him and everything he cares about at risk as he loses himself in a new experiment which, as fans of Swamp Thing, we can assume might end badly.” Buy it for $13.00 here.

Cosmoknights 

“For this ragtag band of space gays, liberation means beating the patriarchy at its own game.” Yes, Hannah Templer’s Cosmoknights has it all: Space knights! Gorgeous artwork! Inclusive characters and story! Buy it for $14.99 here.

Dracula, Motherf**ker 

“What do you get when you mix grindhouse horror and ’70s noir with the oldest vampire story ever told? Dracula Motherf**ker, from Eisner Award winners Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson. The timeless Dracula story, at its core, has always been about one man turning many women into his mindless ‘puppets.’ In Dracula Motherf**ker, however, his Brides are reclaiming their power…” Buy it for $16.99 here. 

Trick ‘r Treat Omnibus

Finally, Trick ‘r Treat fans are getting their due. For the 10th anniversary of Mike Dougherty’s creepy cult classic, Legendary Comics has released “the definitive Trick ‘r Treat comic book collection.” This special omnibus features 8 twisted tales told by Sam, our favorite lil Halloween demon. Buy it for $29.99 here.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Nearly a century later, when most of us think of Dracula we still think of actor Bela Lugosi. But the 1931 Universal version of the infamous vampire was very different from Bram Stoker’s original novel. Legendary Comics’ Robert Napton reimagines the iconic story with Bela Lugosi, in this sumptuous adaptation of two classics. Buy it for $29.99 here.

Solutions and Other Problems

Author and artist Allie Brosh is back with a brilliant follow up to the bestselling Hyperbole and a Half. Solutions and Other Problems is a new collection of illustrated essays, finding the dark humor in depression, grief, and just existing. Buy it for $30.00 here.

X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series

Did you hear the theme song in your head? We did, too. Pull back the curtain on this classic 90s cartoon with interviews from the writers, artists, producers, and executives, plus a ton of never-bef0re-seen concept art, animation cels, sketches, and more. Buy it for $50.00 here.

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The original Wonder Woman theme song lyrics said “all the world is waiting for you.” This has never felt more true. Wonder Woman 1984 is the potential blockbuster that feels like it’s never going to get here. This year alone, it has had three different release dates: June 5, then October 2, and now December 25. But with COVID-19 cases spiking all over the country, the current Christmas Day release is holding… with a twist. The film will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on December 25. Director Patty Jenkins shared the news on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

When everything is said and done, the highly anticipated sequel to Patty Jenkins’ 2017 blockbuster has actually had four release dates so far. November of 2019 was the first release date, before moving to June of 2020. Then the pandemic hit, and a game of “kick the can” started happening with this film. As of now, it’s the only blockbuster still on the docket for 2020. And Jenkins does mention some movie theaters have made it safe for attendees. In a county where the pandemic is surging like it hasn’t before, it’s hard to imagine sitting in a theater in December though.

Can a movie like this skipping theatrical show positive results? The Trolls sequel made over $100 million this way after all. Wonder Woman 1984 will undoubtedly draw new subscribers to HBO Max, which itself is relatively new.

Warner Bros.

And Wonder Woman isn’t just another Trolls movie either. It’s the sequel to one of the most successful superhero movies of all time. It has the potential to still make money. Warner Bros. likely just can’t justify holding a blockbuster in at this point. Now we see if other studios follow suit with their blockbuster films.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

This article has been updated to reflect recent news from Warner Bros. 

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If you grew up anytime from the ’60s to the early ’90s, then you remember the old Ben Cooper Halloween costumes. This company produced several cheap, plastic costumes based on pop culture favorites, then worn by millions of kids across America. But more often than not, the costumes came across as weird and off putting. Plus, at time, the masks were just plain creepy. The costumes weren’t really designed to look like the characters they represented. They so much as just had character’s face and logos splashed on the front. But for a whole generation, these costumes bring on all the nostalgic feels.

Old Guys Who Like Old Comic Books

Now, thanks to retro comics website 13th Dimension, we’ve discovered the work of cartoonist Karl Heitmueller Jr. He’s created a whole series of illustrations showcasing superheroes wearing the actual old school plastic costumes that kids wore back in the day. These are versions of the actual Halloween costumes instead of their, shall we say, more on-model outfits. Down below are some of our favorites:

Yes, the old Batman and Batgirl costume kids used to wear for Halloween had the words “Batman” and “Batgirl” displayed on the front and on the mask. In case anyone giving out candy thought you were supposed to be some other bat-themed superhero.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

We think that in Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse 2, Peter B. Parker needs to wear this cheap-o get up. We love the yellow shoulders.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

Yes, the classic Superman costume really used to come with a red domino mask. Don’t ask us why. It really did have a disclaimer that said “Only Superman Can Fly,” to make sure kids didn’t think they suddenly have Kryptonian powers and could now jump off a roof.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

Just like her Justice League buddies Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman also had her name written across her chest. In case you forgot who she was at the superhero work conference.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

I’m advocating for at least one of the evil speedsters the Flash always fights to wear this costume at least once.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

Those don’t look like wings on your head Cap. They look like earmuffs.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

These Avengers never looked less threatening than in the Halloween versions of their costumes. We can just hear Thanos laughing at them.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

It is perhaps for the best that Daredevil can’t see the terrible Halloween version of his outfit.

Karl Heitmueller Jr. 

Heitmueller plans to do more art featuring famous superheroes wearing their old retro Halloween costumes, including Supergirl, the Hulk, Aquaman, the Phantom, and more. To check out more of amazing work, be sure to head on over to Karl Heitmueller Jr.’s website, his Instagram account, or his Etsy shop.

Featured Image: Karl Heitmueller Jr.

The post Artist Reimagines Superheroes in Old Plastic Halloween Costumes appeared first on Nerdist.

You can check out our exclusive reveal of the radical cover below!

DC Comics

“Wonder Woman has been an iconic figure for girls and women around the world for generations,” Anderson told Nerdist. “She gave me the example of a woman who combined justice, compassion, athleticism, and power that I needed. When the good people at DC brought up the idea of an anthology of real-life Wonder Women to me, I was on board instantly.”

DC Comics, art by Anastasia Longoria

Anderson’s passion is clear and she has a vision for what she hopes readers will take away from the beautiful tome. “Our kids are hungry for examples of women and girls who have fought against oppressive systems to make the world a better place,” the author explained. “The incredible writers and artists in this anthology have created a masterpiece filled with those examples. Our book will inspire and strengthen every reader who picks it up!”

Wonder Women of History features art and stories by an impressive roster of talent which Nerdist is proud to reveal for the first time right here:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – written by Lilliam Rivera and drawn by Anastasia Longoria
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – written by Lilah Sturges and drawn by Devaki Neogi
Elizabeth Warren – written and drawn by Renae De Liz
Rashida Tlaib – written and drawn by Marguerite Dabaie
Teara Fraser – written by Traci Sorell and drawn by Natasha Donovan
Beyoncé – written by Mikki Kendall and drawn A. D’Amico
Mari Copeny – written by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and drawn by Sharee Miller
Edith Windsor – written by Amanda Deibert and drawn by Cat Staggs
Marsha P. Johnson – written by Jadzia Axelrod and drawn by Michaela Washington
Emma Gonzalez – written by Kami Garcia and drawn by Igzell
Judith Heumann – written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Ashanti Fortson
Ellen Ochoa – written by Cecil Castellucci and drawn by Carina Guevara
Shi Zhengli – written by Emily X.R. Pan and drawn by Wendy Xu
Serena Williams – written by Danielle Paige and drawn by Brittney Williams
Tig Notaro – written by Sara Farizan and drawn by Nicole Goux
Keiko Agena – written by Sarah Kuhn and drawn by Lynn Yoshii
Dominique Dawes – written by Danny Lore and drawn by Robyn Smith
Janelle Monae – written by Vita Ayala and drawn by O’Neill Jones

DC Comics, art by Marguerite Dabaie

One of the writers behind the brilliant book is Marieke Nijkamp. They’re the first disabled author to ever write Barbara Gordon in the recent Oracle Code graphic novel for DC. When it came time to pick who they would highlight in the book, Nijkamp immediately knew where to start. “It was both incredibly easy and very complicated,” the writer told Nerdist. “I knew from the start I wanted to focus on a disabled activist, and there are so many amazing disabled women (and disabled people of all genders) out there fighting for disability rights and justice that at times it felt impossible to narrow that scope.”

Nijkamp continued, “But I also knew I wanted to shine a light on the rich history of disability rights activism, including some of the essential turning points—like the 504 Sit-In. With that in mind, and especially combined with the release of Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution earlier this year, as well as her own memoir (Being Heumann), Judy Heumann was the very obvious right choice. Not just as a wonder woman of disability history, but also as part of a broader story.”

Picking just one person to highlight was incredibly hard but Nijkamp found a loophole. “When you read our story, you’ll find that I cheated a little and many of the people who didn’t make the cut still show up in the narrative,” the author shared. “It was incredibly important to me to show that activism is a communal effort, and to reflect how varied and diverse the disability experience is. I’m very grateful we were able to do that!”

They also told us who their top runner up was for being highlighted in the book. “I’d say Alice Wong. If future anthologists look back on where we are now, Alice is going to be one of the essential disability activists of this time, especially when it comes to supporting, platforming, and preserving disabled voices and narratives. She’s also the editor of Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, which is an essential, must-read collection of essays for anyone who wants to know more about or better understand disability justice.”

DC Comics, art by A. D’Amico

Just like Anderson, Nijkamp has a wish for what readers will take away when they read their story. “I hope it challenges readers to ask questions of the world around them and their own position in it, I hope it challenges them to continue to demand access and inclusiveness for all, and I hope it challenges them to keep fighting for a better world.”

You’ll be able to learn more about the book at the DC FanDome panel “New Voices of Wonder Woman,” moderated by me… Rosie Knight! The panel will take place on Saturday, September 12. Wonder Women of History goes on sale on December 1, 2020 and you can pre-order it now.

Featured Image: DC Comics

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The collective jaws of DC fandom dropped with the announcement that Ben Affleck would return as Batman for the big screen Flash movie. Even more exciting: his Batman will appear alongside Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight. In the Vanity Fair article that dropped the news, director Andy Muschietti suggested that the world of Tim Burton’s Batman isn’t the only alternate Earth we’d see. Here’s what he had to say:

“This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen before are valid. It’s inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you’ve seen exists, and everything that you will see exists, in the same unified multiverse.”

This quote suggests that we’ll see more than just one alternate DC Earth in the film. While I think it’s likely that only Keaton’s Batman will play a larger role in the narrative, the Flash film could rival last year’s CW Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover for sheer amount of DC live-action cameos. Down below are seven we’d love to see the most.

The Arrowverse Flash

The CW

The most likely DC live-action universe to appear would have to be that of the CW’s Arrowverse. And who better to represent the six CW DC-based shows than Grant Gustin as the Flash? After all, Ezra Miller and Gustin’s Flashes already met once in Crisis on Infinite Earths, establishing the big screen DCEU as part of a larger Multiverse. I’d say it’s time for a reunion. Besides, after seven seasons playing the Scarlet Speedster on TV, it is only fair to Gustin that he make some kind of contribution to any cinematic Flash endeavor.

The 1990s Flash

Warner Bros.

If Grant Gustin’s Flash gets to show up, then I think that the original live-action version of Barry Allen should too. I’m talking about John Wesley Shipp, who played him for one season of The Flash TV series in 1990-91. Now, fans who watched the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover last year know that Shipp’s version of the Flash died saving the Multiverse. However, a new Multiverse reformed after the events of Crisis, meaning another version of 1990 Flash may exist out there somewhere. If Grant Gustin shows up, we think Shipp should too.

The ’70s Wonder Woman

Warner Bros.

Speaking of Crisis on Infinite Earths, that TV crossover made reference to almost every single DC Comics-based TV series. From Batman ’66 to the 2002 Birds of Prey, almost everything got a shout-out… with the big exception of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. Word was they were saving Carter’s Wonder Woman for something bigger. Could it this upcoming Flash film give Carter the chance to twirl her lasso like it’s 1977? We’ll forgive her not being in Crisis if she gets a big screen appearance in The Flash!

Richard Donner’s Superman

The CW

Richer Donner’s Superman: The Movie started it all back in 1978, so some kind of nod to that film should be in order. Obviously, Christopher Reeve is no longer with us, and we hope Warner Bros. isn’t tempted to bring back Reeve as Kal-El via CGI.  They have a solution staring them in the kisser: Brandon Routh played an older version of the Donner-verse Man of Steel already in Superman Returns.

Last year he reprised that role in last year’s CW Crisis on Infinite Earths event. That storyline explains how Superman became a darker version of the character based on the comic book series Kingdom Come. As the Multiverse is reformed at the end of the crossover, Routh’s Superman is seen again, smiling and wearing his traditional colors. Let’s see that version of Superman—complete with John Williams’ music—make an appearance in The Flash. Fans would lose their minds.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman

Warner Bros.

It’s highly doubtful that Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy will get heavily referenced in The Flash, or that Christian Bale would make any kind of cameo. Bale seems very done with playing Batman, having once said that he felt that The Dark Knight Rises was a perfect ending for his iteration of Bruce Wayne. Nevertheless, the final movie in the Nolan saga did set up Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character to take over as Gotham’s new Batman. So why not fulfill that promise and give us a JGL cameo as the Caped Crusader of his own universe?

The Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern

Warner Bros.

As we’ve seen from Deadpool 2 and his own social media account, Ryan Reynolds has no problem poking fun at his big movie bomb Green Lantern. Based on how good-natured he is about it all, we think he’d hop on board for a cameo as Hal Jordan if it offered another opportunity to be self-deprecating about the whole experience. Just please, whatever they wind up doing, make that CGI costume looks better than it did in the actual Green Lantern film.

Joel Schumacher’s Batman

Warner Bros.

Like Ryan Reynolds, George Clooney has had no trouble making fun of the fact that his take on the Dark Knight in 1997’s Batman and Robin buried that franchise for years. Seeing as how he has a good sense of humor about it all, why not show up for a brief appearance as the Shchumacher-verse version of the Dark Knight? Or should that be the “Bright Knight”? And while we’re at it, bring along Chris O’Donnell as an older Robin. We’re pretty sure audiences would get a huge kick out of this.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

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We are less than two months from Wonder Woman 1984‘s current premiere date of October 2, 2020. The sequel to DC Comics’ Wonder Woman follows Diana in a new decade: the glorious 1980s. She works in cultural anthropology and archaeology in the Museum of Natural History, as part of the Smithsonian in Washington DC and in her free time, she helps humanity when it is in great need. “I think that she’s also in a place in her life where she gets involved with the world when there’s emergencies,” Gal Gadot explained to Nerdist and a handful of other outlets during a visit to the film’s set.

But don’t emergencies always pop up? And don’t they require new costumes?

As we toured the various departments on set, our group came to a halt when we spied golden armor on a mannequin. It was clearly a design based on the golden eagle armor Wonder Woman dons in the pages of comics. Director Patty Jenkins enthused, “I love that costume in the lore and I was like, ‘We’ve got to do it.'”

Wonder Woman’s shiny, fierce look debuted in 1996 in DC Comics’ Kingdom Come. And here it stood before our eyes. Diana wears the striking armor on colorful poster key art for the film. And though aspects of the costume will be generated digitally for fight scenes, a practical set of armor exists. With over 100 individual pieces, designing and crafting the armor took patience. Like, months of experimenting and experimenting some more kind of patience. Wonder Woman 1984 costume designer Lindy Hemming said, “This has been a long, long design process.”

Warner Bros.

Hemming wanted to blend the weight and heft of the armor while preserving Gadot’s ability to move smoothly. To that end, she worked with a specialist in Britain to make a flexible under suit. “[We’re] trying to develop a lightweight, movable sexy under suit, which is printed to look like some sort of armor,” Hemming detailed. “So it’s like an armor suit that’s very light in use, lithe and sinewy. All this work starts off almost like tights, and then on top of it, he prints different levels of texture. [Then] we can decide what goes best with the weight of the metal we’ve designed—which isn’t metal, of course—for the over suit. It’s a really amazing technique.”

DC Comics

The over suit (the armor) looks like gleaming gold metal. However, to make it from metal would be clunky and impractical unless Gadot wants to portray a superhero who excels at standing still. Hemming wanted the armor to be beautiful rather than clunky. She explained the material they used moves “rather like an armadillo.” That means the armor goes where Gadot’s body goes instead of weighing her down.

And with this iconic costume, you can’t forget the wings. Hemming stated, “There’s been miles and miles of debate about ‘Do wings really go with this?'”

Happily, wings do go with it (don’t worry, so does the helmet). Described as almost paragliding wings, Wonder Woman uses them more as shields and incorporates them into her fighting style. Jenkins remarked the way the articulated wings operate in a “super complicated” fashion. She also shared why Diana has a new costume in Wonder Woman 1984:

“I felt like it would be super exciting to have a new costume. That’s a costume that I love so much. Because Wonder Woman’s timeline is so [shoe]horned in between different movies, it felt weird to suddenly give her a new Wonder Woman costume, and then she puts it back on and [in] Batman v Superman she puts on the old and it’s even more… It just didn’t quite make sense,” Jenkins said. “So this was a fun way that actually is intrinsic to the storyline that she needs a different style of armor to fight Cheetah because Cheetah can get you on all of your limbs. It was something that came very naturally of like, ‘How are you going to get into it with Cheetah and how is that fight going to go?'”

We’ll see the new costume in action when Wonder Woman 1984 arrives in theaters.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available for pre-order now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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Diana Prince returns to the screen with Wonder Woman 1984. The movie originally slated for a June 2020 release has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s currently slated for October 2, 2020, and we’ll be getting a new trailer at DC FanDome on August 22. Set in the 1980s, the DC Comics film finds Diana (Gal Gadot) working for the Smithsonian and living quietly. She secretly saves the day now and again, but she’s lonely. And she’s lonely in a decade with excess pouring out of its ears. Meanwhile, the President of Black Gold, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), capitalizes on that excess and people’s desires, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) returns, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) becomes a friend and then a foe called Cheetah… Diana finds plenty of excitement, even if she isn’t searching for it.

Nerdist joined a group of reporters on the Wonder Woman 1984 set to take a look at the film. We learned about the setting of the ’80s, Amazon “Olympics,” where Diana’s mind is at this moment, and so much more.

Amazon Games

Pillars and platforms stood tall around an exterior Wonder Woman 1984 set. The area recently hosted the Amazon “Olympics.” The games mark a return to Themyscira in the past, with Lilly Aspell returning to play a young Diana. She competes alongside Amazon warriors in these games. The Amazons execute impossible challenges in multiple events. Associate producer Anna Obropta describes the games as “American Ninja Warrior meets extreme sports meets Cirque du Soleil, but kind of like none of that. All of that and none of that.”

Director Patty Jenkins wanted to include the Amazon games in the first movie, but they didn’t fit. “This was this great way to say, ‘Oh, there’s a lesson I really want to learn from the Amazons this time and what did we miss last time? And how can we see something totally different?’ Them in the Olympics, I’m loving it,” Jenkins shared. “It’s so completely different. And the work we’re doing with Cirque du Soleil and stuff, it’s like, ‘How did they get to be those people who could have that battle on the beach?’ Well, this incredible practice. When they go to the games against each other, it’s an entirely different kind of sporting event than we’ve ever seen.”

Why the ’80s

Warner Bros.

Wonder Woman 1984 occupies a very specific point on the timeline of humanity. Jenkins didn’t want to put Wonder Woman in the current day, because then she’d have to consider all the other superheroes. She wanted to make a solo Wonder Woman movie. And of course, we’ve seen Diana’s origin story. By setting the film in the past, Jenkins can still use another era as a lens to look at the modern day. Jenkins said of the 1980s, “We’re talking about mankind at their worst, most excessive and their greatest, most grand and opulent. And so instead of getting into the nitty gritty of right now and who’s to blame and what’s happening, it’s a way for us to talk about that. Like, this is basically the success of Western civilization. This is the success of modern mankind’s way of living and what is it like to put Wonder Woman at the core of that?”

Wonder Woman 1984 producer Charles Roven added they didn’t want to pick up the story the next day, because they wanted to deal with the evolution of Diana’s character. She helps humanity when she can, and she derives joy when she assists others.

Where Diana Is

Warner Bros.

It’s years before Batman v Superman, but Diana’s already fascinated with antiquities, perhaps as a way to connect with her past. In Wonder Woman 1984, she’s working in cultural anthropology and archaeology for the Museum of Natural History, as part of the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Though she leads a conservative life, she saves the world. Her heroic tendencies are illustrated in an early sequence in which she thwarts a robbery. But she’s still in the shadows we see her come out of in Justice League.

Roven said it’s “still challenging for her” to return to Themyscira, so Diana’s on her own. Gadot reflected, “I think she’s very happy to be here and I think she’s quite lonely. She’s not maybe… She’s engaging with people, but she doesn’t have any close relationships because it’s either she’s going to hurt them, at some point she’ll have to disappear, or she’s going to get hurt because they’ll die and she won’t. And I think she accepted [that] as fact. At her core, her calling is to be here and to help mankind to do good. And that’s exactly what she’s doing. But she’s still missing the one who was the love of her life. She never got to really explore the relationship.”

Invisible Jet?

Fans of Wonder Woman comics know the hero flies an Invisible Jet, and they really want to see it on screen. Jenkins wouldn’t say yes or no in response to whether the transparent vehicle appears in Wonder Woman 1984.

“I think that the Invisible Jet is one of those things that is so funny because every single thing that any of these superheroes have is so silly in theory. Then when we talk about it, we talk about it as if nothing is going to be done to update it. So the only thing I’ll say is I’ll do it when I can do it in a way that’s super cool. It’s got to be something different than her flying through the sky in an Invisible Jet, which is fine on page. Not great in modern [film],” Jenkins shared.

Sweet ’80s Fashion

Warner Bros.

Puffy sleeves, punk, wild prints—all of those trends ran their course the 1980s. An early still for Wonder Woman 1984 showcases the memorable fashion in all its glory. The looks connect to the story. Costume designer Lindy Hemming told us they couldn’t use any t-shirts with logos or copyrighted prints, so they made their own patterns. Swatches stapled to boards in the costume department were like an ’80s fashion Bingo card. Hemming got to step outside of casual wear as well in order to design attire for a ball that takes place at the Smithsonian Museum. She said nearly every item of clothing features metallic threads and plenty of nylon.

While Barbara begins the story as someone who’s not terribly fashionable, she starts to evolve as she turns into Cheetah. Look out for animal prints and punk influences. Diana, however, keeps her own elegance. “People might think she was going to wear massive, puffy sleeves, but she’s not. They wouldn’t suit her. It’s much better to be taking details from the ’80s than having her in an outfit,” Hemming said.

And Diana will have another iconic dress a la the blue sword-concealing number in Wonder Woman.

You Get What You Wish For

Max Lord is in the business of helping everyone get what they want. How he does so isn’t clear, but what is clear is that his methods are effective. Whatever he’s selling appeals to most of humanity, including Barbara. Everyone’s dreams start coming true. People are getting what they want. But what happens if everyone gets what they think they deserve?

Meet Cheetah

Warner Bros.

Barbara Minerva, also known as Cheetah, has roots in the pages of comics. Kristen Wiig plays the brilliant, somewhat awkward scientist. She works at the Museum of Natural History as a gemologist.

“There are so many different versions of Cheetah and I like them all,” Jenkins said, referencing the history of Cheetah in the comic books. “[I approached it in] the same way I approached the first movie where I was like, ‘What’s the core of Wonder Woman that we’re all fans of and how do I honor that?’ That’s what I feel like I cared about with Cheetah. So instead of saying I’m going to take Liam’s [Sharp] version of it or any one person’s version of it, I really looked at all of the different incarnations of Cheetah and said, ‘What’s the core of Cheetah?'”

Jenkins did mention her favorite versions of Cheetah are when Barbara starts out as friends with Diana. She thinks Kristen Wiig is perfect in the role, and that she includes some lightheartedness and delivers the character’s emotional journey. Gadot gushed about working with Wiig, too, saying the actor plays a villain you love. Barbara’s transformation begins when she buys into Max Lord’s Black Gold International scheme. Jenkins mentioned there “is definitely magical stuff” going on in the film, so it’s not unreasonable to consider that supernatural forces are at work.

Diana and Barbara’s Relationship

As mentioned, Diana and Barbara are friends. They have a kinship. “I think they’re both lonely, and Diana sees Barbara’s insecurity and it touches her,” Gadot mused. “And also Diana sees things that she misses in her life, in Barbara—her humor, her light, these type of things. And Barbara sees other things in Diana that she doesn’t have necessarily. They can be amazing best friends. But then life happens and I can’t tell you what, but she [Barbara] turns 180 degrees and she’s incredible.”

Max Lord’s Deal

Max Lord, the president of Black Gold International, symbolizes corporations, Wall Street, and politics. He’s the embodiment of a successful businessperson in the 1980s. If you see similarities between Max and 1980s Trump, you’re not incorrect. Jenkins said they weren’t trying to make it a point or trying to make it political, but they definitely looked at Trump, as they did at any successful business mavericks in that area. Though, Hemming points out Lord has quite a lot of money but not so much taste in clothing or tailoring. Hmm.

“He doesn’t have the polish,” Pedro Pascal said. “I was looking at Gordon Gecko, you know? And I understood that wasn’t—he’s [Max] not slick like that. He’d love to be. He wishes he was.”

He’s trying to be. Self-obsessed and entrepreneurial, Lord airs infomercials selling the American dream. He’s persuasive, enough to capture a wide audience. Charles Roven painted a sly portrait of Lord, remarking, “Black Gold is synonymous with oil, so he’s a guy who, in particular, is trying to get people who normally think they can’t afford to invest in something that could give them riches, because they don’t have enough money—he’ll take any amount of money.”

In Which Pedro Pascal Is a Nerd

Even TV and movie stars have their moments of geeking out. Pascal experienced that when he saw in Gal Gadot in her Wonder Woman costume for the first time. He said, “It is a pretty nerdy feeling that you get. Even just meeting her for the first time. And the feeling that you have—you don’t ever really get used to it. She comes in and she greets you with this really warm smile and is like ‘Let’s get a burger on Saturday. I want a f**king burger. Let’s get one.’ And she’s in a Wonder Woman outfit. And you’re just like ‘This is cool. This is really cool.'”

What About Diana and Steve?

Warner Bros.

“It’s fantastic and it’s great and it’s very romantic,” Gadot said about Diana and Steve’s reunion. She continued, “Steve was her first love and the first man she ever fell in love with. And she was very young when she met him. He opened her eyes and discovered the world for her. In a way, literally with romance and with the world itself. Now their relationship is much more mature and there’s been so many longings. It’s true that you know what you had only after you lose it.”

And their enemy isn’t as apparent this time either. Instead of confronting an army or a god of war influencing humanity, Steve and Diana face unchecked greed and desire.

And Steve Is Back How, Exactly?

Everyone we spoke with on set remained tight-lipped about how Steve Trevor returns from the dead. But connecting the dots, we can surmise it’s to do with Max Lord. Regardless of the whens and whys, Jenkins wanted to bring Steve back to make the story cohesive. She loved Diana and Steve together, as well as Gadot and Pine, but it was more about bringing him back because of the narrative.

And Pine expressed his pleasure at returning as Steve. He said, “I love Patty and I love Gal and that I’m working on this film. I think it’s romantic and old-fashioned in the best way, and simple in the best way, and doesn’t reinvent the wheel in the best way. It’s just a great, good old fashioned storytelling.”

The Sequel Was Meant to Be

Jenkins had another story in mind for Diana—one that didn’t fit into the story of the first film. She knew she wanted to continue and so did the film’s stars. “It’s funny, we shot Wonder Woman, and we were already fantasizing [about] the next one. The three of us work really well together and truly love each other,” Gadot said of herself, Jenkins, and Pine. “And even on this one, we’re already talking about our next journey together because we really, we have great chemistry.”

More Wonder Woman

Warner Bros.

It’s fortunate they all want to keep the band together, because Jenkins has a third Wonder Woman film in mind. The director jokes she was going to retire after this movie, but she can’t. Jenkins explained, “I think where the second movie came from was me as a fan of her and as a fan of superhero films, craving what I haven’t gotten, which is, I wanted to see Wonder Woman out in the f**king world, not finding herself. Like, f**king Wonder Woman! And so there’s one more thing I’m craving, which is true to her theme, which is true to everything that she stands for, that I’m like, ‘Ooh, there’s one more chapter of Wonder Woman that we don’t quite get.’ It doesn’t quite make sense for this movie. It didn’t for the last either.”

Wonder Woman 1984‘s current release date is October 2, 2020.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available for pre-order now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The post 14 Things We Learned on the Set of WONDER WOMAN 1984 appeared first on Nerdist.

With the DC FanDome event coming up, many fans are wondering if there will be a secret announcement for a new Justice League project of some sort. A continuation of Zack Snyder’s Justice League? An animated revival? Well, here’s one Justice League project that it won’t be, but we desperately wish had been. A DC fan and YouTuber named AListProductions has created a trailer for the Justice League movie that never was, “hitting theaters in the summer of 1993!”

This fantasy JLA movie has the Joker (Jack Nicholson) teaming up with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), and Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and TV’s Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) and Flash (John Wesley Shipp) team up to stop their deadly plans. You can check out the full trailer down below:

There are a bunch of great touches in this trailer. The start of it blends John Williams’ iconic Superman: The Movie theme with Danny Elfman’s theme from Batman. Which, in our humble opinion, are still the two best superhero movie themes of all time. Also, the old Warner Brothers logo inclusion is a wonderful little detail. Even if that logo was already out of use by 1993, nevertheless the vibe feels right.

AListProductions

Sadly, back in the day, none of the studios would have thought to make a superhero team up movie like this. But thanks to this fan made trailer, we can’t help but wonder what could have been. If only there had been some forward thinking thinking Warner Brothers exec. One who had pulled out all the stops, and called Christopher Reeve and Lynda Carter out of capes and tights retirement. A brilliant person who’d team them up with Batman. It might have given Jurassic Park a run for its money in 1993. Or, at the very least, made more money than Last Action Hero did!

Featured Image: AListProductions

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