5 Forms of Wonder Woman Prep Material

This Friday(or Thursday night) is a big event in geek culture.  The oldest, and most famous, female superhero will be hitting the big screen in her own theatrical film.  This is something many have waited a while to see.  The comic book and superhero genre has long since been thought of as "boy's stuff", but there have been plenty of female super heroines to grace the pages of Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, and all the other publishing companies.  

Wonder Woman first appeared in All-Star Comics #8 in 1941, and was created by psychologist William Moulton Mason and illustrated by Harry G. Peter.  Throughout the years she's had a sorted history, and some would say an icon for feminism.  During the 1940's she was portrayed as strong to get women to keep the factory jobs alive while their men fought in World War II.  In the 1950's they wrote her weaker(and in need of man) to show women they "belonged" back at home now that men were back from the war.  And in the 1970's, Diana was de-powered completely and was more of a kung-fu expert instead of a superhero demi-god.  

Now the Amazon princess is about get her own solo film, and many are holding their breath, hoping that it's success will lead to a slew of female-led superhero films.  Early reviews are favorable for the film, saying it's the best film yet in Warner Bros. DC Cinematic Universe that started with 2013's Man of Steel, followed by last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.  I've never been a big fan of Wonder Woman. But, I know what she represents, and I'm just as anxious as everyone to see the film. My hope is that it will not only be a step for female superheroes in film, but also change the path of the DCEU that will begin an uphill climb.  Listed below I have five pieces of entertainment starring Diana Prince that get me excited to see Wonder Woman in a few days.  Check them out, and get to know the Princess of Themyscira a little better before seeing her first solo film.

5)  Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice(The Ultimate Cut)

When word came out that Gal Gadot was going to be playing the most famous super heroine in fiction there were some(like me) who did not agree with this decision.  The model-turned-actress had not proven she had the acting chops to pull of this iconic character.  She was too skinny for an Amazon and her part in the Fast & Furious franchise showed no potential for her to carry this heavy role.  

Batman v. Superman gives us our first glimpse of Gadot in the part, and while no one is doubting she looks great in the costume during the final action scene, she wasn't in the film long enough to get a good sense of how she will do on her own.  To this day, I am still worried about what I will get from Gadot when I sit down in the theater.  But from the trailers it looks like director Patty Jenkins did what all good directors do; she built a great supporting cast around the fresh star and had their performances make her look good.  At least, I hope that's what happend.

Side Note: if you do watch this film, please what The Ultimate Cut.  It's 30 minutes longer, but WAAAY better than the theatrical cut.  Whoever at Warner Bros thought taking those 30 minutes out of the film I hope was fired, because they didn't know that having a good product will help a film make $1 billion rather that getting more showings in a day by cutting the film and making it crap.

4)  Justice League (2001-2004)

This was probably my first real good exposure to Wonder Woman.  Bruce Timm's series spun-out of his Batman and Superman animated series and expanded to what we now see as the first TV or film DC connected universe.  This cartoon had four seasons, starting with the premiere that saw Diana leave Themyscira to help fight off an alien invasion by teaming up with Superman, Batman, Flash, and others.  

Voiced by Susan Eisnberg, Wonder Woman had some good stories in some great episodes.  The series even teased a long flirtation between her and Batman that is very interesting to watch progress.  Eisenberg went on to voice Wonder Woman for several other animated projects like Batman/Superman: Apocalypse and Justice League: Doom, but this one is still my favorite.  You can find all the episodes on Netflix. 

3) Wonder Woman (1975-1979)

I was too young to know about the TV series that was Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter, but it's the most infamous version of the character to date.  Even I can't say the words "Wonder Woman" out loud without singing them.  Carter portrayed Diana as a strong and capable woman in a series some would consider cheesy by today's standards.  But the serious approach Carter took to the character is one of the reasons girls where spinning in their bedrooms hoping a rainbow flash would turn them into the Amazon warrior.

In 2011, NBC was looking to get another Wonder Woman TV series off the ground starring Friday Night Lights alumi Adrianne Palicki.  The series was not picked up and the pilot was never aired.  If the show did go to series we might never have gotten this big screen adaptation.  You can find the 1975 series on Amazon Digital and the 2011 pilot on "the black internet", but I have yet to see it.

2) Wonder Woman (2009)

These days I'm much more impressed with how Warner Bros is treating the DC characters in animated form that they are on the silver screen.  The people behind the animated films seem to handle the mythology of the superheroes better, and get what makes each character so beloved.  I just hope Patty Jenkins and the rest of the yahoo's at WB see this film as a great outline on how to do a Wonder Woman film correctly.

This adaptation has Keri Russell(The Americans, Felicity) voicing Diana, and is joined by other great casting choices such as Nathan Fillion, Rosario Dawson, Alfred Molina, and Oliver Platt.  It leans into the core of what Wonder Woman is all about by just updating the classic origin story and giving us characters to care about in the process.  Honestly, if Jenkins just remade this film in live-action form I have no doubt Wonder Woman will be a most enjoyable experience.  They just re-released the film on DVD and Blu-Ray.

1) Wonder Woman (2012-2016)

Like I said, I've never been an actual fan of Wonder Woman.  And while I credit the 'New 52' for ruining some of my favorite DC characters like Superman and Flash, I have to also give them props for making me completely enthralled with Wonder Woman for the first time in my life.  

Written by Brian Azzarello, the first seven volumes of this run are fantastic.  Diana finds out her true origins(which I won't spoil), and goes on a journey protecting a daughter of Zeus from his wife Hera's wrath.  I love greek mythology, and once again, the minds behind this Wonder Woman embrace her world, and give Diana a very personal character quest as she battles all the gods of Greece from Ares to Hades.  Sadly, I haven't latched onto the 'Rebirth' Wonder Woman as much, but I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone looking to learn more about Princess Diana of Themyscira.  

5 Things I Want To See in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'

Yes, I know.  It's been a LOOOOOOOOONG time since I have written an actual blog on Blogger.  I hopped on the podcast bandwagon and have been riding that engine ever since.  But I felt like a topic such as this one deserved my special touch.  So, I guess that means that from time to time you still may see me write an actual blog.  But don't hold your breath on it.

I am only a few hours away from watching a film most fanboys have wait years, if not their whole lives, to see.  Anyone who knows me, or heard me talk about Man of Steel, knows I had some major issues with it.  Though none of them had to do with their pick of Henry Cavill as Superman.  It's Zach Snyder's style I thought ruined the film, and ever since I heard he was not only continuing with Batman v Superman, but Justice League as well, I've been afraid of the entire DC Cinematic Universe expansion.  I loved the casting of Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons as Batman and Alfred.  I hated the casting of Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot as Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman.  I want to like this movie.  I'm trying my best to walk into it with hope and an open mind.  But even today, as I see bad headlines online, I am preparing for the worst.

While not a fan of the previous film it was not without merit.  Like I said, I liked Henry Cavill as Clark Kent, I liked Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne as Lois Lane and Perry White.  And I loved the visual effects.  Seeing Superman and Zod fight, while very unnecessary, was cool to watch.  So in order to correct this ship that Man of Steel has launched I've thought of 5 things I'd like to see in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to get me on board with the DCCU moving forward.

1)  Superman must feel bad about killing Zod

I get that Superman kills every once and a while.  I've read enough comics to know he avoids it at all costs, but sometimes, it happens.  My main gripe with him snapping Zod's neck in MoS was tat it was the first Superman film of the reboot.  The audience didn't even get one film to establish his rule on not killing.  In Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy the first two entire films established that Batman went out of his way not to kill because it separates him from his enemies.  Is Snyder and writer David Goyer saying Superman has no quarrel with it?

I want Clark to draw the line in this film.  I want him to have thought about his actions and realized that Zod is the last life he'll ever take.  Jor-El sent Kal-El to Earth to "give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards".  Right now, Clark is down in the mud with the rest of us.  That isn't Superman.  Like Captain America, he is supposed to show us that the right thing to do is usually the hardest choice.

2)  Keep Doomsday's screen time minimal

When I saw that Lex was going to turn Zod's corpse into the villain known as Doomsday I was horrified.  And not by Doomsday's appearance.  It was that they took this iconic, powerful, villain and put him in the 2nd film of this cinematic universe.  Marvel has been teasing Thanos for 6 films!  In the comics, Doomsday took out the entire Justice League before killing Superman.  Now, it appears that a rookie Superman and Wonder Woman, along with Batman, can handle this force of nature.  Um.....no.  

However, if Doomsday shows up at the end of this film, and the Trinity realizes they can't take down this beast alone, so then they form the Justice League to help them.  I'd be on board with that.  If you're going to waste a good villain like Zod in the first Superman film, and then double tap that bad decision by turning him into Doomsday, at least make it worth our while. 

    

3)  Show me Darkseid

We've all seen the parademons and the Omega symbol in the Batman v Superman trailer.  So we can all guess that Darkseid will be the big bad guy in the Justice League film.  In the mid-credit scene for The Avengers we got our first glimpse of Thanos and had non-comic readers saying, "Isn't that Red Skull?"  I want a tease like that.  I've seen parademons; show me the big guy.  Show me the ultimate galactic villain that Warner Bros and DC thought it would be ok to have in the 5th film of their cinematic universe(Marvel is at 13 and still not fought Thanos).  I just wanna know what he looks like.  I figure the Justice League film will loosely be based on Geoff Johns New 52 storyline; Origin.  Or if you want to check out the animated film, Justice League: War to get an idea what the live-action film may be like, it's also based in Origin. 

4)  Lois supporting Clark

In several storylines we see that Lois is Superman's anchor to humanity.  I will also give some credit to Ma and Pa Kent.  Clark is a being who is so powerful he can take over the world; possibly the galaxy.  But his human emotions, like love, are what keep him humble.  Without them, he'd really think he was a god.  Governments and vigilantes are coming after Clark for the destruction of Metropolis.  He will feel ashamed.  He will feel like his mission is not worth it.  Lois has to be there to support him.  To know that world needs someone like him to give them hope.  And Lois needs to be there for him so that he doesn't have to be "Superman" all the time.  I love that Lois knows who Clark is right from that start.  So let's not waste it.

5)  Don't screw up Wonder Woman!!!!!

Ben Affleck has proven himself in recent years to be not only an accomplished actor, but a great film maker as well.  I have no worries that he will make a good Batman.  But giving the most iconic female superhero character in history to a model who is trying to start an acting career?  What were they thinking!!!!!  

Granted, I have been trying to hold off judgement on Gal Gadot until I see the film, but I have been VERY scared of this casting choice since the beginning.  The only thing I've seen Gadot in is the Fast & Furious films and I was not impressed at all.  Rumor has it WW isn't in the film enough to make or break it, but with her own solo film coming out next year I feel like the entire female superhero film sub-genre is on Gal Gadot's shoulders.  And those shoulders look like they can barely lift a lasso.

WB's DC Characters Look To Out-Plan Marvel

In the race of comic book films Marvel is so far ahead of DC they've pretty much lapped them; twice.  However, this week's announcement by Warner Bros could improve their chances to catch up.  WB/DC took the wind out of the sails of the Avengers sequel when they appeared at the San Diego Comic Con with a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice teaser, a picture of what Wonder Woman will look like, and their three main stars making a brief appearance.  Now they've upstaged Marvel again. Just days after Variety reported Robert Downey Jr appearing in the third Captain America film, Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara came out to announce some upcoming projects such as several LEGO films, three Harry Potter spin-off films, and a ten-film slate for their DC Comic characters.  

After Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros will come out with two films a year, starting with a stand-alone Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot along with one of two Justice League films.  Also on the schedule is a Green Lantern reboot film, a stand-alone Cyborg film, and an Aquaman film starring the long-rumored Jason Momoa.  But even before we get Wonder Woman we'll get Suicide Squad, based on the comic about a bunch of super villains who are forced to do good.

This is a very ambitious line-up WB has planned, but it also says to Marvel Studios, and the rest of the world, "we're all in."  I wasn't the biggest fan of Man of Steel, but the things I liked about it, such as Henry Cavill and Amy Adams performances, will carry on throughout the other DC films.  

The film announcement that shocked me the least was the Green Lantern reboot.  After the poorly received Ryan Reynolds film failed to jump start the DC film universe I still believed it had potential to be a part of this grand plan.  But it looks like Warner Bros is just wiping the chalkboard clean and starting from scratch. Chances are by the time we see the GL film we'll already have an impression as to whether we like this character or not.  Odds are as well that it'll be Hal Jordan taking center stage just like the previous film.  But with several other human Green Lantern's to choose from I wouldn't be surprised if they go with John Stewart or even Guy Gardner.

The two films that shocked me the most were the announcements of a Cyborg and Flash film.  Given that Flash is arguably the fourth most popular DC character I'm not shocked he's getting his own film; just shocked that they've already cast Ezra Miller as the Scarlet Speedster.  I like The Perks of Being A Wallflower star, and I could see him being a good Bart Allen or young Wally West. But as Barry Allen, I'm not so sure.  Plus Barry Allen's story is already being told in a new series on The CW that is off to a good start in my opinion. 

 Meanwhile the stand-alone Cyborg film confused me.  Cyborg is great character, but he's always been a supporting character and never had his own ongoing comic.  I'd much rather see him in a Teen Titans film, where the character really got his start. As far as the solo Aquaman movie starring Jason Momoa? We all saw that coming after months of speculation.

The most ambitious move by WB/DC will be the Wonder Woman film.  She's thee iconic super heroine in the world, and after much talk about Marvel being the first to release a female-led film Warner Bros announces one first.  This of course is all resting on Gal Gadot's ability to pull of this classic comic book character.  I think I speak for everyone when I say, we are praying Gadot has more talent than she showed us in the Fast & Furious franchise.  

It's a bold move for Warner Bros to announce all these films before we've even seen The Dark Knight Returns...I mean...Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  This all lyes on that film being good.  And just because I haven't agreed how Zach Snyder and Warner Bros have treated the DC characters so far doesn't mean I'm not rooting for them.  I'm in their fan section with a big foam finger attached to me.  

I honestly could write about this subject until I fall asleep on my keyboard.  I didn't even get into the Shazam film starring Dwayne Johnson, or the absence of Green Arrow.  With Marvel and DC about to unleash a buffet of films into the world I think I speak for comic book fanboys everywhere when I quote Seth Cohen, "We're not outcast anymore. We're trailblazers."

DC's Potential Cinematic Disaster

A few weeks ago a rumor was leaked online as to the release dates of Warner Bros/DC Comics cinematic universe.  This is just speculation for now, though this was suppose be announced at next month's San Diego Comic Con.  In any event, this rumor has sent geeks everywhere in an uproar.  Every fan boy has their opinion about this news, and this fan boy is no different.

Marvel Studios has been kicking DC's ass in the movie making competition with each film getting better and better.  Meanwhile, DC has only mustered up Man of Steel after Green Lantern wasn't good enough to kick-start to their DC cinematic universe.  If this announcement is real then Warner Bros wants to pump out seven films in almost three years.  Marvel Studios has been putting out two films a year, adding to the Spider-Man and X-Men films Fox and Sony are putting out sporadically.  This whole schedule seems like Warner Bros is trying to overcompensate for them running behind in the race.  But not only is this rushed, but also, bad ideas!  Here's why:

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (May 2016)

Anyone who knows me knows I have serious issues with Man of Steel.  However, I do believe it does have some redeeming qualities that could carry over well to a sequel.  But of course we will never know, at least not for a while, because this is not the MoS sequel we thought we were getting.

When Ben Affleck was added as Batman we thought he would just make a decent cameo, but felt the focus was still going to be on the Last Son of Krypton.  Then Gal Gabot was cast as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman; allegedly.  This whole film started to sound like just a set-up for a Justice League movie.  Then the title came out.  Dawn of Justice confirms it is just a set-up for a Justice League movie and that it's officially not a MoS sequel.

This disturbs me.  Warner Bros couldn't go two films without their cash-cowing Dark Knight, and to me that says that they have no faith in any other DC property; no even Superman.  But the problem isn't the characters, it's who's behind the properties.  But I'll get to that.

Shazam (July 2016)

Out of all the rumored upcoming DC movies this is the one I have the most faith in.  Shazam is better known as Captain Marvel.  Little Billy Batson gains the powers of a god by saying "shazam" and becoming a superhero who rivals even Superman.  I think this film will work because it's a little boy who becomes a superhero.  What kid won't want to see this film?  However, Shazam can not be another sad and destructive Man of Steel.  For this film to work it has to be more Hook and less Passion of the Christ.  This is a story of a kid and it needs to target kids for it to work.  Any Disney executive knows if you make a kid movie then you get twice the ticket money because the parent has to take the kids to see the movie!

The ol' Zach Snyder style won't get it done on this one.  But with Warner's faith in the Goyer/Snyder duo I'm a little worried.  However, I'll hold off judgement until I see who they'll get to direct.  I'd just better not see Quentin Tarantino's name on the short list.

The Sandman (Christmas 2016)

The only thing known about this film so far is that Joseph-Gordon Levitt is set to star.  I'm not too familiar with this DC/Veritgo property except that I know it's the farthest thing from a Justice League tie-in.  It has to do with dreams, reality, and a lot of other trippy things that will be a nice break from the superheroes Warner Bros will be ramming down our throats for the next few years.

Justice League (May 2017)

It took Marvel Studios five films and four years to get to The Avengers.  Warner Bros is looking to get to Justice League with two films in four years.  This is a HUGE mistake!  No disrespect to Black Widow and Hawkeye but the Justice League has much better characters than just Batman and Superman.  You can't introduced Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman in a team film.  They all have complex and deep origin stories that deserve their own film first.  Granted, Hal Jordan has had his own film, but we all know Ryan Reynolds has about as much to do with Justice League as Eric Bana has to do with The Avengers.  Without knowing their origins this film will fall apart; especially since we know the film will just be about Batman and Superman. Well, just about Batman anyway.

Wonder Woman (July 2017)

I love Gal Gadot.  I loved her when she starred in....ummm.  Then she was great when she won an award for....ummmm.  Well, she had more than ten lines in....ummm.  The point I'm trying to make is that Gadot hasn't proven herself as an actress in ANYTHING.  The only thing I've seen her in is the Fast and Furious films and even then I was unimpressed.  Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic female characters in fiction history.  Her portrayal on screen has to be iconic.

Gal Gadot has not shown me, and many others, that she is worthy of carrying the Wonder Woman mantle.  We have yet to see her play Diana in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.  Given Warner Bros rumored schedule a Wonder Woman movie will be already in the production when audiences first see Gadot appear in Dawn of Justice.  If she is bad then the Wonder Woman movie could be put on ice and not see the light of day for many, many years.  Plus I feel that it could possibly ruin the entire DC cinematic universe.

Now don't get me wrong.  I really want Gadot to be good.  I am rooting for her to be good.  But I have yet to see anything that would show me she'll be good.  I hate to say this, but the future of movies based on DC Comics(except Batman) may hang in the balance with Gadot and Wonder Woman.

 Flash and Green Lantern team-up (Christmas 2017)

As much as I've griped about the other possible film this one has me the most worried.  Now, these two characters do go together.  They even had their own comic book; The Brave and the Bold. Hal Jordan and Barry Allen are good friends, so it would make sense that they'd have their own buddy-cop movie.  But we don't know that we're getting Hal Jordan and Barry Allen.  Warner Bros is trying to wipe away any stink of Green Lantern, which may include not having Hal Jordan as GL, but maybe the popular John Stewart instead.  Meanwhile, Barry Allen is already going to be the Flash in an upcoming television show on The CW.  Do you think they're really going to have one Barry on TV and one on the big screen?  They might as well go with Wally West as the Flash.

If course in changing who will be the new GL and Scarlet Speedster you've changed the relationship.  John and Wally have nothing to do with each other except that they're both Justice League members. No matter what characters they choose these two heroes are way to important to not get their own film; regardless of who is in the costume.   

Man of Steel 2 (May 2018)

So after all the other films, and five years after the original MoS came out, they're finally going to get to a sequel?  I can't decide if I'm disappointed or kind of OK with that.  Man of Steel was a let-down for me so I'm in no rush to see a sequel.  However I'm also of the mind set that Superman should have gotten his due sequel before Justice League.  Iron Man, the character who started the Marvel cinematic universe, got two films in before The Avengers.  Why can't Superman?  I actually like Henry Cavill and am interested in seeing more of his performance as Clark Kent.

With Zach Snyder directing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice AND Justice League I wonder if he'll come back to do the Man of Steel sequel?  I hope not. Snyder's vision was main part of what was wrong with Man of Steel in my opinion and after several recent comments writer David Goyer made about a certain Martian I'm not sure I want him writing for the Man of Tomorrow either; or any DC property.  As a long-time Superman reader I was worried from Snyder right out of the gate, and i feel like I was right.  Superman is about hope, and Man of Steel had none.  And as of right now I don't see any for this DC cinematic universe.
But don't get the wrong idea.  They'll still get my $10 with every film and a little voice inside me saying, "please be good, please be good, please be good."  I'm just surprised that a Batman film isn't in this slate.  But I'm sure we'll find out next month in San Diego when Warner Bros confirms or denies this potential cinematic disaster.