An important announcement that came out during the recent New York Comic-Con was that a new series based on Wonder Woman will be “published” first through DC Digital, then in a paper edition. It’s called Wonder Woman ’77.
Here’s the information from the DC news release: “On the heels of the SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN launch will be WONDER WOMAN ’77, a new series based on the popular 1970s television show starring Lynda Carter. The series will be written by Marc Andreyko with several covers drawn by Nicola Scott. Additional artists for the project will be named in the coming weeks. WONDER WOMAN ’77 will debut digitally in December with six consecutive weekly chapters. These will be collected in two print issues to be released early in 2015. The series will then resume in the spring and appear periodically throughout the year.”
So, what’s up with Diana hitting the digital market so much?
LYNDA CARTER AND WONDER WOMAN
Of course, the Wonder Woman series that this book is set in was initially seen on ABC. The first year showed the heroine fighting evil from Nazi Germany, but during the second and third years, the show moved to CBS and what was then modern-day Los Angeles.
To this day, that program remains a favorite comic book-related program in the last several decades.
I remember living in a college dorm when the show was on the air. In the recreation room one Saturday night, a married friend was talking with a bunch of us while Wonder Woman was showing on the television nearby.
He happened to look at the screen when Ms. Carter began her trademark spin during which she transformed from Diana Prince into her Wonder Woman costume.
He muttered a low “Wow” while his tongue began to hang onto the ground. “You’re a married man!” we reminded him! “But I’m not dead,” he responded.
To this day, many of us who were growing up during that era continue to remember the show … and Lynda Carter … with a great deal of fondness.
I can already hear the words to the theme song from the show. “All the world is waiting for you … .”
DC COMICS EMBRACING ITS PAST WHILE MOVING FORWARD
Another thing to remember in this discussion is the tremendous success of Batman ’66, which has sold extremely well on DC Digital while also spawning a new round of action figures and the like.
Then, too, the original television episodes starring Adam West and Burt Ward will be out on discs before long, and I personally know several people who are very anxious to get those.
For DC and Warner Bros., this is a very smart move. To a lot of people, Batman from ABC is still the very first thing they think of when the hero gets mentioned. This is despite the films from Christopher Nolan and Gotham.
As I keep pointing out, it is called show business for a reason. If people look on Batman with a great deal of nostalgia, why not benefit from that?
Can Wonder Woman ’77 action figures be far behind? I doubt it!
If DC is smart, they’ll employ the still-fabulous Ms. Carter to promote the series and any related merchandise.
WONDER WOMAN ATTRACTS BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
Let me briefly share my opinion on these two characters for a moment.
Just like Batman, Wonder Woman appeals to both men and women. It’s often for different reasons, I believe.
I’ve met several women who like a broody, darker Batman. In their dreams, they feel they could help him loosen up a bit, to put it politely. Guys look at him as someone they’d like to be more like, sharply focused on getting things done, righting wrongs and such. Of course, these are only a couple of reasons Batman has as many fans as he does.
For Wonder Woman, it’s pretty much the opposite. Some guys find her appealing because she’d be someone they’d like to, ahem, show how to do things down a darker path. (Check out Nathan Fillon’s voicing of Colonel Trevor in the 2009 animated Wonder Woman, for example.) On the other hand, women see her as a role model, a strong woman who stands up for what they also believe in. Naturally, there are also many other things that people find appealing in the heroine as well.
The point is, both have a wide appeal to both genders.
MANY PEOPLE ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO WONDER WOMAN ’77
With digital-first doing very well for DC, I’m sure Wonder Woman ’77 will also be a big hit.
My recommendation to DC would be to follow the Batman ’66 model – stick to the “feel” of the original show. Scripter Jeff Parker and the artists he works with have really done a terrific job of drawing in fans of that ABC show.
With Wonder Woman ’77, you have a challenge, though. There are not one, but two settings – will you choose one, both or perhaps have “untold tales” of the heroine not restricted to either set-up? Hey, as long as she resembles Ms. Carter, I don’t have a problem with any of those ways of doing things!
Of course, now that Batman ’66 and Wonder Woman ’77 are in the pipeline, could we see Superman ’55 next? Granted, The Adventures of Superman aired on TV from 1952 to 1958, but it might help to follow the now-established pattern!
I look forward to Wonder Woman ’77 being a big success in both digital and print, and am also anxious to see the character debut in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice film! When she gets her very own feature film in 2017, it’ll be long overdue, in my opinion! Oh, and be sure to give Ms. Carter a good role in that movie, maybe Hippolyta, Diana’s mother? I’d pay to see that!
