Wonder woman

[PowerZord]

So.. I like Wonder woman and I bought the DVD's so I was wondering, which one you like the most? The comic books, The TV live-action series, or Her apperance at the Justice league series?

I'm not much of an DC comics expert, But I try

[Harley_Quinn]

Her apperance at the Justice league is my favorite because that is the one I have the most experiance with, however I would say most would choose her comics.

[Alba Aulbath]

I only know her cartoon appearances - which would be Superfriends and Justice League. And between the two, I'd definitely go with Justice League version.

However, a good friend of mine is a huge WW fan, and she says the comic book version of her is several times better - which I do not doubt. So, I can't say I have a huge opinion here, especially given I'm not a big fan of WW. However, if you asked me which versions I prefer of Batman or the Flash, that's a wee bit different...

[Anthonynotes]

I'd say the comic version is easily my favorite; the JL version feels really out-of-character to me. Did like WW's old TV show/her Superfriends appearances when I was a kid...

[DisneyBoy]

I'd definately recommend picking up anything written or illustrated by George Perez or Phil Jiminez if you want an idea of who the real Wonder Woman is. The show has done an....interesting job at times, but in all honesty I don't think there's a single character on JLU who hasn't suffered from being a small part of a large group. This series is about the sum of the parts...


...but yes, the comic book versions handled by the two men above make Diana's world a much more interesting place to be. You can respect that woman and have a strong idea of who she is and what she stands for. You can't say the same for the Wonder Woman on JL/JLU, but she has had a few (albeit brief) moments. I'm still waiting to have my socks knocked off.

[MahouShoujo13]

Well...let's see...

I haven't seen much of the old cartoons of WW, or the live action one, or the comics. I think I like the JL version of her, since it's the one with the version of her I've seen. I've seen older versions of WW (I think dating back to the 50's?)...and didn't like it.

[DerekPowers]

can't say the same for the Wonder Woman on JL/JLU, but she has had a few (albeit brief) moments. I'm still waiting to have my socks knocked off.
Well, since ive only read a hand full of WW comics, plus another handfull of cross over appearences, i'd have to go w/ the Animated WW.

I really do like her. They make her look cool, where as i've often thought of her as a corny character. When she deflects bullets, GOD, does it get any better (i'm being serious). I know lots of kids who just love that. You bring up JLU and when WW comes up, they all do the deflecting motions, even the boys!! its a cool power.

She's grown on me in the Animated universe. I think in Season 1 of JL, i really didnt care much for her character (remember all the complaints that season?). But she's really grown into a more developed character, and she's definately one of my favorites on the show.

DisneyBoy, i too am waiting for my socks to be knocked off. I think even though she's a great character on JLU, she's still missing something, and i think that something is the Lasso of Truth. thats what i'm waiting for!!! The Gods need to bestow that power to her lasso, you know? she feels incomplete, like that element could just add so much coolness to her character, mainly because on first glance it sounds corny, but the JLU team makes the cornyness of heros look GOOD, which makes it that much cooler, its like an audience participation thing. BRING IN THE LASSO OF TRUTH!!! I mean if Amazo doesnt mess up story telling stuff, i dont see how the lasso of truth would!!

Anyway, i'll close my rambles by saying i've only seen like 1 episode of the old 70's show, and i didnt like it, mainly because it seemed corny. WW just seemed out of place in that world. the old batman show was great, mainly because the show seemed to place all these characters in a fictional space, a fictional gotham city, even if it was bright and cheery. w/ WW it just seemed like the 70s w/ some gal in a corny costume.

peace.

[Sue]

I like Diana's portrayal in the comics better. She's got experience under her belt and comes across as a natural leader. This isn't to say I dislike her portrayal on JL/U; I think the rookie angle is interesting. The leadership potential is definately there, and while we've seen some of it in past episodes, it would be great to see more :cool:

[BigFatHairyDeal]

Anyway, i'll close my rambles by saying i've only seen like 1 episode of the old 70's show, and i didnt like it, mainly because it seemed corny. WW just seemed out of place in that world. the old batman show was great, mainly because the show seemed to place all these characters in a fictional space, a fictional gotham city, even if it was bright and cheery. w/ WW it just seemed like the 70s w/ some gal in a corny costume.

peace.
Hey guys,

I liked the first season of the Lynda Carter series better than the subsequent ones, simply because of the Golden Age feel. Obviously, that's not everyone's cup of tea, but I just wanted to point out to those not familiar with the Carter show that it had two vastly different time settings.

Some of the comics versions are better. I thought Perez's version was pretty tight, although the re-writing of Steve Trevor as an older man married to Etta was probably a step in the wrong direction. I'm unsure if the cartoon writers know for sure what direction they want to take with WW, so the portrayals often seem inconsistent and mostly uninspiring. Perhaps they tinkered too much with what abilities WW should have, as well.

[Anthonynotes]

I liked Perez and Jimenez's work on WW, as well. Though as noted by another poster, think ditching Trevor might've been a mistake (judging from the lack of romance/short-lived relationships since then...).

The first season of the 70's WW TV show took place during World War II; later seasons, as noted above, went for a then-modern setting (dunno why they decided to jump ahead three decades...).

>>Well...let's see...

I haven't seen much of the old cartoons of WW, or the live action one, or the comics. I think I like the JL version of her, since it's the one with the version of her I've seen. I've seen older versions of WW (I think dating back to the 50's?)...and didn't like it.<<

WW was first created in 1941 (her first appearance was in "All Star Comics" #8).

-B.

[Harley_Quinn]

Are there any specific WW titles you guys would recommend?

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

At this point, I'm still giving the nod to a few select comics incarnations of the Amazing Amazon, with Lynda Carter coming in a close second.

Probably one of my favorite Wonder Woman stories is JLA: A League of One (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/156389923X/qid=1113401848/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2003060-1000127), where Wonder Woman has to face down a dragon rampaging through Europe. Even though it's a JLA title, it puts the spotlight squarely on Wonder Woman, and manages to show both the peacemaker and the warrior aspects of her character. To my mind, any successful depiction of Wonder Woman has to cover both bases. It helps that it's got some terrific painted artwork, great characterization of all the Leaguers, a creative way to take down Superman, and a totally wicked cool moment when you find out why it had to be Wonder Woman doing this. I think it gets overlooked a lot, which is a real shame.

The George Perez post-Crisis reboot of Wonder Woman is a lot of fun, even if it tends to have the kind of purple, overwritten prose common in comics of the time. In this case, the high-falutin' speechifying tends to work, though, since most of the people involved are ancient gods and all. I reviewed the first volume (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=111495) (Wonder Woman: Gods & Mortals (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1401201970/qid=1113402123/sr=1-18/ref=sr_1_18/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books)) over on the CBC about a year ago (yeesh). The second one (Challenge of the Gods (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401203248/qid=1113402226/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2003060-1000127)) is a great continuation, and I'm looking forward to the future ones.

Unfortunately, I have to give the thumbs down on most of Phil Jimenez's run. While it was visually gorgeous, I felt that nearly every story in the Paradise Lost (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/156389792X/qid%3D1113402336/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-2003060-1000127) TPB exceeded his grasp and turned into a hopelessly muddled mess by the end. The one exception, and it's a big one, is his "Day in the Life" issue (Wonder Woman #170), which may well be one of my favorite single-issue Wonder Woman stories anywhere. I haven't read much of Paradise Found (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563899566/102-2003060-1000127?%5Fencoding=UTF8), but had much of the same experience of "messy arcs and a great closing single-issue story" as the first one.

Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899140/ref=pd_sim_b_2/102-2003060-1000127?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) is a slick piece of work that's fun and nicely ties Wonder Woman's ancient Greek origins with her current realities. His run on the regular title started off well (collected so far in Down to Earth (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401202268/qid=1113402713/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-2003060-1000127) and Bitter Rivals (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401204627/qid=1113402713/sr=2-5/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_5/102-2003060-1000127)), introducing some terrific supporting characters and some really interesting villains, kicking off with a killer first story, and setting some really intriguing plot threads in motion. However, I lost interest due to the glacial pace at which he was moving the main plot. I remember the thought, "It's been four stinkin' issues and Medousa isn't resurrected YET??!" flashing through my head right before I booted the title from my monthly subscription list. There's building suspense, and then there's just plain padding. Still, it's the best treatment Diana's gotten in the comics for a good long time and Rucka doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Plug for Filthy Lucre: Clicking on any of the title links above will take you to an Amazon.com page where you can order any of the titles, and give Toon Zone a referral kickback to help us keep the lights on around here.

-- Ed/Ace

[DisneyBoy]

I hadn't heard about JLA: A League of One, but will look into it. Thanks Ace :) You were quite right about both Perez and Jiminez's work, too. George gets it right from the start, but you might find yourself rolling your eyes a bit at some of the language, while Phil attempts to harken back to those types of stories by bringing back the original characters and putting Diana through the ringer, but it's often unfocused from issue to issue and a bit of a draining read. Still, I definately recommend those first two Perez trade paperbacks (and every other issue he wrote, ending his run with #62), and for all the shortcomings, Jiminez's Paradise Lost/Paradise Found trades are still an interesting romp. I picked them up once I was done collecting Perez's 62 issues, and was especially pleased by how Jiminez explained and explored most of the important changes which have happened in Diana's life since. It got me caught up pretty well.

I've yet to give Rucka's work a fair chance simply because the art is unappealing to me, which is kinda sad. I'll cave in eventually, but what can I say? Jiminez and Perez set the standard as far as illustrating Wonder Woman goes.

[Harley_Quinn]

Thanks for the good info Ace the Bathound! I'm gonna have to pick some of those titles up.

[Nemesis]

All of the bases have been covered in the excellent recommendations above. I would also like to add the gorgeous WW Spirit of Truth oversize comic by Paul Dini and Alex Ross. There are some visually stunning moments to be had inside and a very thoughtful and all encompassing aproach to the character. I would also recommend all the other oversize comics as well including Superman, Batman, Shazam, and JLA.