The New DCU: Sept. 21, 2011, A Simulblog

Another week, another bunch of new #1s in the new DCU.

We here at Fat-Train, Optimistic Chad at Political Jesus, Justin Tiemeyer at Cavemen Go, and even Arthur the Lesser at Arthur the Lesser are here to let you know what we think about the change and the new books that are a result of that change.

My post about the end of flashpoint and Justice League #1 can be found here with links to the other blogs on the same subject...

My post about the first full week of new number 1s can be found here with links to the other blogs on the same subject...

And my post about the second full week of new number 1s can be found here with links to the other blogs on the same subject...

And now, week 3...

REMEMBER, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!

Justin's post on week 3 can be found here...

Chad's post on week 3 can be found here...

and Arthur's semiconnected take on the Simulblog week 3 can be found here.... (although he might totally write more, check back soon)

Let the Simulblog continue....

Last week was very disappointing, but while I didn't completely love everything that came out this week, there was certainly a lot more to like this week as opposed to last.

First, however, (so we can end strongly) lets start with the books that I probably won't be taking another look at.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

Now, the fact that I'm leaving this book behind isn't because I hated it, I was actually a little intrigued by it.  The problem was, I have never really read much of or followed the Legion, and there was so much happening in this book and so many characters thrown at me all at once who I knew absolutely nothing about, I just couldn't keep up.

I'm sure that for someone who is a long time reader of the Legion books, this won't be much of a problem, but if the goal was to allow others an easy jumping on point, I think that the writer failed here.

Very similarly to my feelings on Legion of the Lost last week, I have no idea what the main point is, what the heroes are supposed to be accomplishing, what kind of threat they are facing, or any of those basics.  Sometimes it is okay to be unsure of those things, but usually you are unsure because the protagonists are also completely unsure about those things.  In this case, they were completely caught up on all of that, but I, as a new reader, had no freaking idea.

Having to play catch-up on so many characters and story-lines isn't what I signed up for, so I'm leaving this one behind.

CATWOMAN #1

So, a lot of people are probably going to talk about the sex scene at the end of the book.

Sure, it was a little shocking that they went there, but to be honest, it didn't bother me all that much.

There is something about Selena that has always gotten to Bruce, and the fact that she uses her sexuality in such a way to get what she wants would make it pretty hard for Bruce to resist, let's be honest.

After all, it isn't like Batman is the picture of perfect morals or anything.  I mean, sure, he doesn't kill his enemies, but does that mean he isn't going to engage in premarital sex?  I don't see why it should, and after all, we know that he already has.

Damian (the current Robin) is his son by Talia Al Ghul (also not quite a hero, apparently Bruce has a weakness for the bad girls).

So, that honestly didn't really bother me.

And it definitely isn't the reason that I won't be buying Catwoman #2.

No, the reason that I'm probably done with Catwoman is that I just don't care to read about her escapades on a monthly basis.  If she shows up in a Batman book I'm reading, that's great.

The question of what Batman thinks of his dalliances with a cat burglar, a perpetrator of crime in his precious Gotham City, that is something that I wouldn't mind reading more about, but what Catwoman thinks about it?

Honestly.  I don't really care.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1

Personally, I'm a fan of Jason Todd.  Despite the ridiculous way that he came back to life in the original universe (and perhaps in this one too, although I hope not) I find his story compelling, but not as the lead character amongst other troubled characters.

If Red Hood were to make an appearance in Batman, sign me up, but on his own (or on his own plus 2 other anti-heroes, in this case Starfire and Roy Harper/Arsenal, formally Red Arrow, formally Speedy) it doesn't really interest me that much.

Plus, I'm not a fan of the indiscriminate killing they do in order to free Roy from prison, especially considering that both Red Hood and Arsenal were brought up by heroes who refuse to kill (Batman and Green Arrow).

As for Starfire, while the book tries to make her a liberated female with a liberated view on sex and sexuality, the fact that nearly every scene that she is in includes a male objectifying her or viewing her in a strictly sexual sense lessens that claim some (a lot).

I have no problem with women being sexual and even flaunting that sexuality, but Starfire is written in such a way where that sexuality is more of a male-fantasy sexuality than it is a liberating reality, and that is disappointing.

Overall, this was probably the worst of the issues released this week to me.

CAPTAIN ATOM #1

Many of the books I am moving on from suffer from the same problem, there isn't enough in the first issue to make me care about the character or what happens to them.

Whereas Animal Man certainly changed that opinion through the amazing writing in the book and Mister Terrific had good characterization and interesting mystery plus an incomplete and engaging backstory, many of the other books that didn't have any pull on me before didn't do anything in the first issue to change my feelings towards the characters.  This is again the case here.

While the issue is interesting, and I'm mildly curious how Captain Atom has a) gained his new ability and b) how he will ultimately reconstitute himself, I figure I can just look it up if I really feel the need to know.  And if I don't, it probably won't bother me that much, because there really just wasn't enough in the issue to make me care overly much.

 DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1: DEADMAN

While the idea of DC Presents is something I fully support, and a lot of the characters that are actually part of the new 52 would probably work better in this sort of rotating format rather than actually having to carry their own book, I think I will wait until the next character gets a shot at carrying DC Presents.

Look, the concept is a pretty cool one, a character who is dead/a ghost but is called into bodies that need his help, which he provides to make up for the selfish past he had when he was alive and the hope of a brighter future for himself.

But never having read or kept up with Deadman in the past, I would kind of like to know what exactly is meant by giving his help.

In this issue we get a rundown of many of the people he has inhabited as well as the difficulties they were facing, but got no clue as to how exactly Deadman (aka Boston Brand) was helping them.

What exactly does he do?

It appears that he is able to take over the bodies that he inhabits (a la Sam Bennett in Quantum Leap), but what is he supposed to do once he takes over these bodies?  Who is to say that the people he inhibits won't go right back to being who they were prior to the "intervention"?

I would have liked to see some of these questions addressed, but instead we get a mystery about the person (thing?) (goddess?) that set Brand on this quest to help others, and it just wasn't enough to keep me from wondering about the questions I just raised or to keep me reading.

I do, however, look forward to seeing who the DCU will present next.




Moving on to the books that at the very least warrant a longer look.

WONDER WOMAN #1

I am a pretty big fan of the character, but I have never been an extremely big fan of her comic book.  I love her in relation to (and in action with) the other heroes of the DC, specifically as a member of the Justice League.  But on her own, I prefer her in the televised realm as opposed to the comic book one.

I was really hoping that having a new jumping on point might change that, and it still might, but I didn't fall immediately in love as I have with some of the other new books in the DCU.

I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't either.

I think it was how rushed the story felt.  I was a little put off by that.

There was a lot I really liked about the book as well.  The alien-like design of the gods was pretty cool.

I'm down almost anytime that centaurs are around.

As for the overall storyline, Diana has to protect the unborn child of Zeus, I'm not sure what I think.  It is a bit of a cliched storyline, but if handled correctly it could turn out okay.

All in all, I liked the book for the most part, but not as much as I hoped I would (and honestly expected to).

Either way, I'm definitely willing to give it time to fully hook me.

BIRDS OF PREY #1

Black Canary is a great character, and this book just kind of works for me.

As opposed to some of the other team up books (such as the Legion books and Demon Knights particularly) Birds of Prey doesn't force every character into the book in a large rush.

In fact, we get very little about the characters that will make up this team and what exactly their purpose is.

But that's for the most part okay.

We get enough about the two members currently in play as Birds of Prey, and considering most people will already have some idea about Canary it is more about Starling that we might want to be filled in, and we don't really get anything about her at all, which is one reason I want to know more.

There is enough information to keep you feeling like you're aware of what you need to be, but enough you're unsure about to want to know more.

One thing I think we've learned this month is that that isn't the easiest tightrope to walk (any inadvertent circus puns are unintentional... at least until we get to Knightwing), but Birds of Prey does it pretty well.

While it isn't a clear homerun for me, the book is good and I'm definitely ready and willing to keep up with it a little longer.




Speaking of books that are clear homeruns, this week had its fair share of those....

SUPERGIRL #1

An origin story of sorts, a definite beginning to the characters story on earth at any rate, Supergirl just feels right.

There is action and there is mystery.  The character, despite being almost immediately thrust into a fight she doesn't anticipate or really even want, is incredibly well drawn out through the use of inner monologue. 

The art is among the best this week, in my opinion, and the writing is terrific as well.

Another thing I loved about this book is the subtle connections to the rest of the DCU.  When Supergirl is overwhelmed by her developing Super Hearing, the dialogue that she hears is clearly from other books, including the first line that Starling has in Birds of Prey and what I'm sure will be a line of dialogue in Aquaman next week.

It does however bring up the question about timing in these books, by which I mean I wish that where each of these books are taking place on the timeline was a little more clear.

However, that is probably a thought best served for its own post, perhaps after this month of number 1s is behind us.

Considering the sexist portrayal of women that has been apparent in some of these books, I really enjoyed the portrayal of Supergirl here, especially considering how often she has been shown as nothing more than a petulant overpowered teenager.  While she will be quite powerful (since she is Kryptonian), she also clearly has a brain, and the focus of the issue on her striving to figure out where she is and how she got there even in the midst of the fight highlighted that nicely.

I look forward to seeing what happens next and why she has suddenly appeared.

I also liked the Zod reference!

BLUE BEETLE #1

Like Supergirl, this is an origin story as well.  It sets up the past of the Scarab which gives the Blue Beetle his powers (although Ted Kord usually didn't use it), hints at some future trouble for Blue Beetle and the Green Lanterns, and introduces the main character and his friends/family/possible enemy as well as showing us how the new Blue Beetle becomes the Blue Beetle, and as such it worked really well for me.

I love that Jaime becomes connected to the Scarab by trying to save the life of his friend.  An act of heroism leading to the power that he will soon have is a good way to start, especially considering the past that the Scarab has.

In past continuity of the Scarab and the Blue Beetles, the Scarab was malfunctioning allowing there to be more individuality in the wearer; the fact that the Green Lantern got a hit on the Scarab before it careened down towards earth probably means that is still the case.  What wasn't clear was who has had the Scarab in the past and what happened to them.  The people after the Scarab make clear that it has been used by others and that the fates were not kind to those users.  That could certainly describe what fate had in store for Dan Garrett and Ted Kord.  I certainly hope that the past Blue Beetles (particularly Ted Kord) somehow play into the story of Jaime as he comes to terms with his new found abilities.

Overall, extremely well written introduction resulting in a book that I am pretty excited about.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

Nothing much new here, but then there doesn't really need to be.

We get something killing Green Lanters (and in a quite brutal and attention grabbing way) and we get an introduction to the two main Lanterns that will lead this team, (the annoying, yet in a love to hate 'im type way) Guy Gardner and (my personal favorite Lantern, sorry Chad) John Stewart.  In other words, we get everything we need.  It works quite well.

Considering that this title was one of the best selling prior to the relaunch, there isn't a big change or any huge surprises, and yet the book does a great job if you are happening to just now join the Green Lantern bandwagon (and if you are, welcome, there is room, we'll scoot).

I loved the way that we were introduced to the main characters, Guy gets annoyed with all the attention that comes from being a GL (while still inviting all the attention), and John refuses to budge on his morals and also makes it quite clear that John Stewart and Green Lantern 2814.3 are indistinguishable from one another.

You don't fix what isn't broken, and Green Lantern Corps looks to be just as good as it ever was here in the relaunch.

 BATMAN #1 and KNIGHTWING #1

I'm putting these two together because I feel it will be easiest to talk about them all in one take.

First, I'm glad that there is finally a title centered around Batman that is worthy of his name (as I wasn't really impressed with either Detective Comics or Batman and Robin).  This book was fantastic.

As was Knightwing #1, fresh off of his run as the Dark Knight.

Both work with a similar storyline, there is something killing that is very connected to Dick Grayson (aka Knightwing, formally Batman, formally Robin).

In Knightwing, a mercenary/hitman is out for Grayson's blood, telling Knightwing that Grayson "is the fiercest killer in all of Gotham... and he doesn't even know it!"

Meanwhile, in Batman, a horribly gruesome murder interrupts a fundraiser for Gotham's future thrown by Bruce Wayne.  At the murder scene is a message found by Batman (actually acting like a master detective, unlike in Detective Comics) that foretells the death of Bruce Wayne, and the murderer?

According to DNA results, none other than Dick Grayson.

These two storylines are clearly connected, and the storyline is automatically one of my favorite of the new run of DC comics.

I loved the way Knightwing's past was handled through current story telling, and I loved the fact that Batman got to face off against a bunch of Batman's rogue gallery at the beginning of his book while also doing a masterful job in describing the complexities of Gotham to the readers.  (Plus having it seem like he was working with Joker only to find out that it was actually Dick in disguise was pretty priceless).



Overall, I'd have to say that four of the books released this week (Batman, Knightwing, Green Lantern Corps, and Blue Beetle) are already among my favorites of the whole relaunch, and there were others this week that were more than just enjoyable.  In other words, a much better week than last week.

Until Next Time, one week left of number 1s.  See you here then?

The New DCU: Aug 31, 2011, A Simulblog

So DC went and rebooted their universe.  You've probably heard about it (been hearing about it) as it has been pretty widely discussed.

We here at Fat-Train, along with our friends Justin Tiemeyer of Cavemen Go and Optimistic Chad of Political Jesus, are going to walk you through the first month of the new DCU.  There will be spoilers, there will be snark, and there might even be a few surprises.

Justin's article can be read here

Chad's article can be read here


First off, let me briefly talk about Flashpoint, the series that set up the reboot.

When I first heard about the decision to erase decades of continuity and reboot the DC Universe, I, like I suspect many of you, was upset.

Then I began reading Flashpoint, and the story was fun and intriguing, and I found myself buying in almost despite myself.

After finishing Flashpoint, I was more at ease with the decision, especially upon learning that many of the intricate story-lines set up and played out over the last couple of years in Batman and the Green Lantern books would remain relevant in the new continuum.

However, the way that Flashpoint ended kind of (okay, okay, really) disappointed me.

For one thing, it felt extremely rushed.

And while I can appreciate that Flash's decision to save his mother could butterfly effect through those closest to him (namely the Justice League) and change things dramatically, I still don't buy that Aquaman and Wonder Woman would get so wrapped up in their own enmity that they would destroy the world in the process.  Oh, boo-hoo, the political marriage between Wonder Woman and Aqua-Man didn't work out and Wonder Woman killed Aqua-Man's wife in (she claims) self defense (although he doesn't buy it).  Still doesn't seem like enough to destroy the world they both have sacrificed so much to protect.

Still, Flashpoint (despite its weaknesses) made me somewhat warm to the idea of the reboot, and yesterday I read Justice League #1.

Overall, I'm intrigued and looking forward to the future of at least this book.

Set five years in the past, JL1 looks to set up the Justice League from the beginning.  In the first book we get a hint at a future threat that will likely end up requiring the team up (Darkseid), we got a new world order that could certainly provide some interesting stories (Superheroes are not yet thought of as heroes, but treated by the Air Force as a shoot first, ask questions later type threat), and we get to see the first interactions of three of the big names in DC, Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman (although to be fair, Supes's part in the process is brief).

We start with Batman in action, while also trying to avoid an angry Air Force, against some shape-shifting alien being.  The fact that an alien being is in Gotham brings in the guardian of this sector, Green Lantern (aka Hal Jordan).  Neither of them know too much about the other.

Green Lantern gets to show of some of his imagination and ability while Batman is the Batman, leading Hal to try and workout exactly what Batman's super powers are.

cracked me up

After destroying the alien threat they decide to go question the other alien they know about, that dangerous alien being in Metropolis.

Hal Jordan decides that as the alien expert on the planet he should deal with the alien super being alone, but Superman doesn't have too much trouble taking care of Jordan (who goes in a little too sure of himself and completely unaware of what he is about to be facing off against, I'll be interested to see how Chad feels about the amount of cockiness that Green Lantern is showing here early on).

That sets up our cliffhanger, and if you're rebooting, let's be honest, you have to get to this sooner rather than later...

Superman vs Batman.

Overall, it was a great start to introducing the team, and I certainly want to keep reading.

But I do have a few qualms.

The photo that leads off my blog entry is one of the most common photos I've seen regarding the new Justice League, and the lack of diversity it provides is a little disturbing.  When rebooting, take advantage of the opportunity to add some diversity to your heroes.

The full version of the cover is a little better, since it includes Cyborg (Victor Stone) in the lower right hand corner.

The variant cover, on the other hand,

is almost embarrassingly lacking in diversity.  And why does Wonder Woman have to look so seductive while all the men get to look all angry and brooding?

It is really disappointing.

While Batman Incorporated isn't going to be a book in the new 52, Batwing is.  Batwing is an African Batman for Africa.  Surely some will point to this when the diversity issue is raised.

That's all fine and good, but the continent of Africa is quite large, and the population is incredibly numerous.  Despite those facts, there is only one Batman for the entire continent of Africa while the city of Gotham has Batman, Batgirl, Robin, the Birds of Prey, and probably some help from Nightwing as well?  Seems some more diversity could really have occurred here.

And there has got to be some other non-white superheroes that can be in the original Justice League beyond just Cyborg.

I really feel an important opportunity was missed here.

As much as I abhor the Ultimate Universe in Marvel, I am pretty impressed that their new Spider-Man is half Mexican and half black.

I'm not saying DC should have replaced Super-Man with a black man, but they could have at least let him have a few multi-cultural teammates.

Ultimately, I'm in on the reboots, but I may swear off DC forever if they end up rebooting the reboot and go back to the status quo as if nothing ever happened.

If you're going to do something like this... STICK WITH IT.  Then I'll be more likely to stick by you.

Until Next Time, I look forward to seeing what you think, join Justin, Chad, and I for the discussion, and we'll do it again next week when more of the new 52 arrive in stores.

Thoughts on the Death of Wonder Woman

The TV show, anyway.

NBC passed on the pilot, and given that every other network passed on the show pre-pilot, the hopes of a Wonder Woman television show airing in the fall are now over.

My feelings are conflicted.  For one thing, I really thought that Adrianne Palicki would do an outstanding job as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and am sad that her time as the Amazon warrior is already over.

On the other hand, David E. Kelley's take actually sounded pretty terrible, and I never thought that he was a good fit for the person to guide the stories of this character.  (Too bad we never got that Joss Whedon Wonder Woman movie, because he actually would be the perfect person to tell her story, but he's kind of tied up with Marvel right now, in case you hadn't heard.)

I also am sad that there won't be a DC comic character gracing our small screen next season.  Smallville, a retelling of the beginnings of Superman, just aired its series finale and Human Target (also based on a DC comic) has been canceled by FOX.

We are in a time when it seems we needed Wonder Woman, but I'm not sure that I blame NBC for their decision.

After all, most of the reports coming out of the show were negative, and if David E. Kelley was spinning Wonder Woman as one of his typical confused and quirky females (see Ally McBeal), I'm not sure that we would have been getting a worthy version of Wonder Woman anyway.

Maybe after this failure the project will land in the care of someone else and we can get the Wonder Woman television show that we do deserve.  Or somebody can just give us The Question.

Until Next Time, if someone else does give a new Wonder Woman show a shot, I hope they give Adrianne another shot at the character.  I stand by the belief that she would have been terrific.

DC TV

As I am sure the recent posts on the upcoming Wonder Woman television show (with only the exception of the casting of Wonder Woman herself) have made clear, my hopes aren't too high for the upcoming television show.  As I've stated, I don't feel that David E. Kelley has a handle on what makes Wonder Woman such a great heroine.  In fact, I feel like he is just going to make her another of his quirky, awkward, and unsure women.  If that is how it is written, even the great acting of Adrianne Palicki won't help this show.

Add in the fact that this is the final season for Smallville, and we could be facing the very real possibility of a television season without a DC Super Hero very soon (assuming that Wonder Woman will get quickly cancelled).

This simply cannot be allowed to happen.

Recently, a friend of this blog wrote a post about what should replace Smallville as the new DC television show (before Wonder Woman was official).

He came up with five possibilities (one of which is Wonder Woman).

Inspired by that excellent post, I thought I would look at what DC property should become a new live action television program.

My first thought was obviously "Gotham," the tale of a young, pre-Batman Bruce Wayne, training and preparing himself for the life that he would one day lead, much like Smallville was originally.

But, I know that Warner Brothers will never allow this show to actually happen (as a proposed series was actually in the works around the turn of the millennium, but it was shelved due to the importance of the film franchise).  At least not until after the Nolan trilogy is well over.

My next thought was huge in scope, and therefore extremely unlike, regardless of how awesome it would be, "The Green Lantern Corps."

The show would be a universe wide take on the adventures of various Green Lanterns.

Probably impossible for the budget of any weekly live-action television show.

Too bad, because it would be epic.

I suppose we'll have to settle for an awesome animated series to tackle that concept.  (And for the record, I would be all about watching such an animated series).

So, what DC property would make the best weekly television show?

I think the best bet would be a slightly obscure character who has a rich and varied past and an intriguing look to go along with big story-line potential.

My choice would be The Question.

He actually had a great run on the animated series of Justice League Unlimited

as a conspiracy theorizing detective, and it is in that vein that I would like to see the television series follow.

The character of the Question was the alter-ego of investigative reporter Vic Sage (which was a stage name, his real name being Charles Victor Szasz).

He applied the disguise in order to stop the sale of a dangerous product.  He had to do so under the mask because of his well-known public persona.

After stopping the sale, he kept the alter-ego of the Question sure that it would come in handy in the future.

Personally, I think that The Question is tailor made for a modern television series, and under the right production team it could be a huge hit.

I know I would tune in.

Until Next Time, perhaps all of the troubling news out of the Wonder Woman television show will get straightened out before it airs, and all of our worries will have been for nothing, but if it doesn't, I'll get to work on the pilot for The Question and await a network studio's call.

More Wonder Woman News

Wow, I really want this show to be good, and I thought that the casting of Adrianne Palicki was a wonderful start to making this show everything it could and should be, but all of the other news that has come out has been rather disappointing.

The announcement today from ew.com of the Wonder Woman costume has been no exception.

It honestly looks like a costume, by which I mean like a Halloween costume, not an actual Superhero(ine) costume.

I will let you judge for yourself.

Until Next Time, I really want this show to be good.  Adrianne Palicki is so amazing, and she deserves a show that is worthy of her talent as much as we deserve an awesome Wonder Woman show.

Why I'm Worried About Wonder Woman

A few posts ago, I talked about the casting of Adrianne Palicki as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in the new television version of Wonder Woman, produced by David E. Kelley (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Boston Public, Boston Legal).  As ecstatic as I am about the choice of the new Wonder Woman (seriously, she is a great actress, and she consistently blew me away in Friday Night Lights, even with her terrible storyline in season 2), the overall series has me a little concerned.

I am actually a David E. Kelley fan, although his previous work doesn't necessarily lead me to having confidence in how he will handle a superhero show.  His previous shows always had a great mix of drama and quirky characters and dialogue, and I suppose I could see that working with Wonder Woman.

The leaking of the casting sheet has me a little worried, however.

*Possible Minor Spoilers*

WONDER WOMAN
Pilot
SAG
DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Television/
NBC
Draft: 12/16/10

Exec. Producers: David E. Kelley, Bill D’Elia
Producers: TBD
Director: TBD
Casting Director: David Rapaport
Casting Associate: Lyndsey Baldasare
NY Casting Directors: Beth Bowling & Kim Miscia
NY Casting Assistant: Michael Rios
Start Date: March 15, 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY
NO SCRIPT AVAILABLE
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to disability, race, age, colour, national origin, ethnic origin or any other basis prohibited by law unless otherwise specifically indicated.

[WONDER WOMAN / DIANA THEMYSCIRA / DIANA PRINCE] Female, late 20s to 30s. A kick-ass Superhero / Powerful C.E.O. / A vulnerable woman. Long flowing black hair, blue eyes. Amazon-like, muscular, an Olympian. The charismatic stage presence of a rock star. A crime fighter. Also, a real woman who yearns to live a normal life. She is accessible and appealing to all people, men and women alike…SERIES LEAD. ASP.

[MYNDI MAYER] Female, open ethnicity, 30s. Publicist, Press Secretary and Wonder Woman’s confidant and nurturing best friend. Worldy and edgy. Sexy and persuasive, her appearance is part of her strength. She is beautiful and put together - dressed expensively in the latest fashions, plus she’s got a bit of bite, clever wit and sass. She’s the prodder of Diana’s social life…SERIES REGULAR. ASP.

[ETTA] Female, open ethnicity, 30s. Diana Themyscira’s always cheerful personal assistant. A bit charactery , but real, pretty and effervescent. She is blindly devoted to Diana. She’s her unrelenting cheerleader, with unwavering, unabated support. On the vulnerable side, she sees the humble and sympathetic sides in everyone, including Diana…SERIES REGULAR. ASP.

[CEO HENRY DEMETER] Male, open ethnicity, 40s. Acting CEO of Themyscira Industries. Grounded, intelligent and deeply devoted to Diana. He runs the day to day operations of the company and acts like an Uncle to Diana although he could be a possible love interest down the line…SERIES REGULAR. ASP.

[STEVE TREVOR] Male, open ethnicity, 30s. A leading man Diana can’t look past. Good looking but a real man. An Army vet, he now works in the Justice dept…SERIES REGULAR, ASP.

[ED INDELICATO] Male, late 30s to early 40s. Stoic and tough, he is a liaison to the police department. Devoted and loyal to Diana, he’s blue collar, a no nonsense kind of guy. A chiseled man who subscribes to the old fashion rules of relationships - men don’t talk much. His job comes first and he wouldn’t make room for the possibility that there is potential romantic relationship with Diana…SERIES REGULAR, 10/13.

It is the description of Diana that has me a little worried.  I'm not sure I like the idea that she is being described as "a vulnerable woman."  She is, after all, an Amazon princess, raised on the island of Themyscira by Amazons, and about as tough as it is possible for anyone to be.  I don't know that the word "vulnerable" really applies to Wonder Woman.  Also, the description of her as being "a real woman who yearns to live a normal life" strikes me as kind of odd.  I always understood the character as being very proud of who she is and where she is from, and here only to provide the help and guidance that her training and background allow.  Wanting to be normal has never been something that I equated with Wonder Woman.

I really hope that the television show doesn't lessen the strength, independence, and assertiveness of the character just to make her more accessible.

A strong female character like Wonder Woman is just what television needs, in my opinion, and I really hope that Kelley doesn't water her down just to fit some social idea of feminism.

I will, however, be giving this show a chance, and I am hoping for the best.

Until Next Time, television could really use a good superhero show again, and I will probably return soon with a post or two on that very idea.

The New Wonder Woman

Perhaps you've heard about David E. Kelley's upcoming series for NBC based on everyone's favorite Amazonian superhero, Wonder Woman.

If not, it has already had a bit of an interesting ride.  Kelley got the rights and wrote a pilot, which was shopped to all of the networks, and it was turned down by all of the networks.

But then NBC went through some wholesale changes at the top of the network, and so Kelley gave NBC another look.

This time, NBC picked it up.

Since then, the show has been looking for the right actress to play the Amazon princess, last played on television by Lynda Carter...

And as of yesterday, it appears that they have found her.

Adrianne Palicki, who was so utterly fantastic on what might just be the best network television show of all time Friday Night Lights, has been named as the new Wonder Woman.

Personally, I can't wait to see her as Diana Prince.

Here are a few images of the actress.  What do you think of the casting?

Until Next Time, Hey! This is my 200th Post! Cool.  Here's to 200 (and many, many, many) More!