Comics

Grant Morrison Explores Wonder Woman’s Ancient Roots for a Modern Audience

Superstar comics writer Grant Morrison tackles the biggest female superhero in the world in the upcoming Wonder Woman: Earth One. Like all the Earth One stories, Wonder Woman: Earth One is set on an alternate Earth in another dimension, Morrison was given a blank slate to answer the question, “What kind of society would women create if isolated from men for thousands of years?”

Supported by art from Swamp Thing artist Yanick Panquette, Wonder Woman: Earth One hits comic book shops on April 6th, 2016.

From the official press release:

From the masterful minds of Grant Morrison (FINAL CRISIS, THE MULTIVERSITY) and Yanick Paquette (SWAMP THING, BATMAN, INC.) comes the most provocative origin of Wonder Woman you’ve ever seen — a wholly unique retelling that still honors her origins.

For millennia, the Amazons of Paradise Island have created a thriving society away from the blight of man. One resident, however, is not satisfied with this secluded life — Diana, Princess of the Amazons, knows there is more in this world and wants to explore, only to be frustrated by her protective mother, Hippolyta. Diana finds her escape when Air Force pilot Steve Trevor, the first man she has ever seen, crashes onto their shores. With his life hanging in the balance, Diana ventures into the long forbidden world of men. The Amazons chase after her and bring her back to Paradise Island in chains to face trial for breaking their oldest law…staying separated from the world that wronged them.

Thought provoking yet reverent, thoroughly modern but still timeless, the power and courage of Paradise Island’s greatest champion — Wonder Woman — is introduced in this new addition to DC’s New York Times best selling Earth One original graphic novel series.

Wonder Woman: Year One
Wonder Woman: Year One

What if comic-book heroes looked like average Americans?

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Most modern comics were  developed to cater primarily to the tastes of teenage boys. Nowhere is that more apearant than if how female heroes and villains are oversexualized in the pages of even the most innocuous superhero fair.

That near constant oversexualization is also one of the main reasons that comics have historically had a difficult time attracting women. Nothing says “not for you” to women faster than a woman with breasts larger than her head and a waist smaller than her thigh.

To be fair, there are many women who enjoy the sexy, exaggerated aesthetic that is prevalent in comics. The number of women that buy those comics, cosplay as those heroes, and even get tattoos of their favorites is undeniable. And male heroes are also unrealistic — it’s just that male heroes designs are generally unrealistic in a way that caters to a male power fantasy — not in a way that is designed to be sexually attractive to women.

But if unrealistic body images from swimsuit and lingerie models can be damaging to girls’ psyches, how much more damaging might images of literally impossible bodies be?

The people at Bulimia.com deicided to show us what superheros would look like if given more realistic and average bodies.

Today, 33.7% of men and 36.5% of women in the U.S. are considered obese, and more than two-thirds are overweight. Weight gain has put millions of people at risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other preventable conditions. Meanwhile, comic books depict vastly different figures: men with massive biceps and shoulders and women with toned abs and tiny waists.

So what would they look like if they reflected more typical body shapes and sizes? We’ve Photoshopped several major comic book characters – not to touch them up, but to make the average hero look more like the average American.

We think the images Bulimia.com produced are good fodder for thought. Should superhero bodies be idealized? And if so, is that ideal sexual attractiveness and availability? Power and strength? Or something else?

As comics move into the mainstream and reach out to women, those are questions that need to be answered.

Phoenix
Phoenix
Psylocke
Psylocke
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Black Widow
Black Widow
Power Girl
Power Girl
Rogue
Rogue
Storm
Storm
Black Cat
Black Cat
Catwoman
Catwoman

Batgirl DLC Trailer Released

The long wait is over. For the first time in the series history, you can play as Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl. Batgirl is the star of “Batgirl: The Matter of Family,” the first DLC for Batman: Arkham Knight.

The Joker has kidnapped Barbara’s father, Commissioner Gordon, and is threatening to kill him if he sees even a hint of Batman. So it’s up to Batgirl, with an assist from Robin, to take down the Joker’s goons and save her father. The DLC is available for $6.99 on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

The PC version of this game remains a hot mess and no release date for the DLC has been announced, yet.

Warner Bros. releases animated trailer for Vixen

As part of Warner Bros. massive television panel at San Diego Comic Con, the CW premiered the trailer for Vixen, a digital only cartoon coming this fall featuring DC Comics first African-American female superhero to headline her own title.

Megalyn Echikunwoke will voice the titular Vixen, owner of the “Tantu Totem,” a mystic artifact that gives the wearer the ability to copy the powers and abilities of any nearby animals.

Vixen will be released online via CW Seed, and will feature appearances by Flash star Gustin Grant and Arrow‘s Steven Arnell reprising their television roles. Echikunwoke will return the favor, guest starring as Vixen on CW’s live action superhero shows next season.

Vixen will premiere Aug. 25 online on CW Seed.

Editor’s Note: Story was corrected to reflect that Vixen was the first female African-American superhero to get her own comic at DC. Bumblebee was the actual first female African-American superhero at the company. 

“Comic Book Men” Needs Women

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Over the weekend, we received an email from Diana, a casting assistant and producer for the television show Comic Book Men. The show is a mix between Pawn Stars and a bunch of guys just sitting around talking about comics and geek culture. Emphasis on guys. The show is testosterone heavy, but they are looking to change that according to Diana. From her email:

I hope you don’t mind me contacting you. My name is Diana and I’m working to help cast season five of AMC’s runaway hit Comic Book Men, produced by Kevin Smith. I was reaching out in the hopes you could blast, post or otherwise help us spread the word!

We’re just beginning our casting process and would love to find people who would like to buy or sell any of their fun, valuable or unique items from comic books or pop culture!

As a female producer, it’s extremely important to me that enough badass fangirls get the screen time they deserve.

You must be at least 18 years old to be on the show. You can download a copy of the casting flyer here. If you have any questions or want to talk to Diana directly, let me know and I will pass along contact information.