alo meesterk. EXCELLENT review, btw.

quote:
Originally posted by MisterK:
If the character's popularity today hangs on the TV show from the 1970's, well the TV show was made possible by the massive success of the original Wonder Woman comics.

never read the first few years of ww, and im certainly too poor to do so now but, you're right -- these heroes are around today because they were around (and at least surviving) years ago.

being around 60+ years is a great claim to fame, and even without any other redeaming qualities, helps bolster popularity.

but im not sure if thats why people know her as part of the iconic "big three" (?). i mean, plastic man was around for just as long (tho not as frequently published, of course) and even starred in his own cartoon series (a feat even wondie hasnt done... yet). and yet he would never be classified as a big three guy. hula hula, maybe. but not plas.

mebbe if taking the "one thing lead to another" approach, you can say that this lead to that and eventually to the lynda carter show (which, personally, i think made her more popular than anything else before or since), but... i dunno if the original incarnation, alone, could justify her as one of the top dawgs.


quote:
Originally posted by MisterK:
She was probably just about the first superhero to make an active effort to reform her villains, with some notable successes, Baroness Paula Von Gunther being a well known example. She always believed in her heart in the good inside all people, and she had the ability to bring it out.

intriguing! an actual "hero!" (btw, do you know if these are collected in a tpb of sorts? mebbe one o' the archive books?)


quote:
Originally posted by MisterK:
The TV show was, without a doubt, the most influential thing that happenned to Wonder Woman in the 1970's. In many ways the show was unforgetable, despite its flaws in scripting and direction, showing much of the excitement, moxie, and compassion of the original comics.

i still gotta go with "most influential thing of all time," as far as the tv show is concerned. character development, costume, plots, villains -- all of it be damned. when a hero gets on the big or small screen, they're made infinitely more popular. and tv shows, more than movies, have a way of permanently seeping into the mindset of the culture -- for better or for worse!

id say the same thing for the 1960s batman show, which, more or less, would define the character to the masses, probably up until the 1989 movie. and that batman only over-dominated the adam west version because of the tim burton movie's blockbuster attraction (and several follow ups).

it has nothing, really, to do with the comic character or book. no bearing on development of storylines. and could quite possibly create or destroy anything accomplished before or after it in comics, just because the movies/tv shows reach a larger audience (for 20+ years, america thought batman danced! and since the late 80s, people are confident he'll murder if need be!!)

but no matter how he is/was perverted... he's remembered because of (rather than inspite of) his screen appearances.

and, id say the same is true for the lynda carter wonder woman show. this, more than anything, stands the best chance of keeping diana in the "big 3" league.

but, like you said... this has little regard for her comic book and/or comic book audience.

quote:
Originally posted by MisterK:
But I don't think the character can be saved even by the best writer without another comprehensive revamp.

mmmmmebbe. im a big fan of character revamps and updates. even if unsuccesful, it at least appears to be an attempt to update the character for a new audience.

however, with characters like wondie, batman, and superman... you have to be extraordinarily careful (duh). because they've been through many years, many fans, and many generations, you have to find a way (regardless of how impossible it is) to have the character appeal to new fans and older fans, at the same time!

and VERY few can handle this chore, artistically or storywise. guys like pad and byrne attract a split fan base, unfair or not. rucka has done amazing things with batman. i feel the same way about loeb for superman (tho many disagree).

but, better'n all of'em, again, id have to say is paul dini. storywise, i cant think of anyone better to write an appealing character. bruce timm utilizes the same comic magic. they just have this ability to merge variations of the character to its best incarnation. the best costume, the best personality, the best power level, etc. its uncanny how well they handle their version of characters.

introducing a second wondie title, with these two on board, could only do the character good. critical acclaim, no doubt. character development, certainly. id wager it'd even bolster sales on the existing wonder woman book (and perhaps lend a few ideas and techniques).

i know i'd become a regular fan!

quote:
Just my opinion.

and yer more than welcome to it!

as is kassandra:

quote:
Originally posted by kassandra:
until dc actually stands behind diana firmly, and promotes her as "one of the big three" i don't think that the public or fans will take her as such. she's been written very well by both george perez and phil jimenez, but that tends not to appeal to those, one suspects, who were weaned on lynda carters portrayal of diana.

absolutely.

again, the tv show hit a few million people, weekly. the comic, maybe a few hundred thousand monthly, at best. thats just how the business goes.

and, while id never advocate removing the comic book version, in favor of an on-paper tv version... taking ideas and aspects of what the public knows best, and integrating them into the mainstream comic world couldnt hurt, as long as its properly balanced between both sets of audiences (sounds soooo easy! ).

and, tho it may be the unpopular theme (and certainly not the best of ways to go about promoting it)... funky does have a right to his opinion, as well. im sure there are quite a few fans out there that would like to read about a stronger (physically and otherwise) character for wonder woman.

but, again, i dont think it benefits anyone, fan or character, by going to an extreme, regardless of direction.

there are ways to beautifully combine all aspects of diana, to get the warrior, the peace-keeper, the princess, the amazon, the hero, the woman and the womyn, to merge together. what these ways are? ... y'got me! (and, apparently, decades of authors, as well!) its excruciatingly difficult to please everyone (or even most).

i dont think you could possibly fault a writer for doing their best. even if you're not a fan of jimenez, you cant deny that he obviously has a huge and loyal following. he must be doing something right for the character