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wemoved

Yes, it’s true! ChampionOfThemyscira.wordpress.com has officially migrated to a new site!

Come visit us at Lasso-of-Truth.com
(or Lasso-of-Truth.net which just leads to the .com)!

All of the same information, with a lot of new and coming-soon content!

Wonder Woman is IGN’s Best Comic Series of 2013!

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This has to be, in my opinion, one of the coolest bits of Wonder Woman news. For the first time (in my memory, anyway), Wonder Woman was named by IGN as the Best Comics Series of 2013! IGN had this to say:

It refused to do things so many other mainstream comics do. It didn’t crossover with other books. It never changed course to take part in an event. Wonder Woman’s characterization wasn’t altered to fit the more boisterous version in Justice League. Simply put, writer Brian Azzarello and artists Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson, Tony Akins, and Goran Sudzuka were allowed to stick to their guns, and it paid off magnificently. … Heart, humor, and hard knocks aplenty, all under the banner of one of those females they always say can’t sell comic books. There just aren’t any other comics on the stands as entertaining, consistent, and epic as Wonder Woman, and that’s why it’s the clear winner for the best series of 2013.

Wonder Woman was also nominated for quite a few other things:

  • Best Comic Moment of the Year (for the events of issue 23, pictured above) – Lost to DC’s Green Lantern
  • Best Single Comic Issue (again for issue 23) – Lost to Vertigo’s Trillium #01
  • Best Comic Story Arc (for War) – Lost to Ragnarok Now from Marvel’s Uncanny Avengers
  • Best Comic Art Team (Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson) – Lost to Fiona Staples of Image’s Saga

It’s incredibly awesome for the book to have been nominated. I’m really excited that Wonder Woman is being finally being recognized for the outstanding quality of her stories.

Here’s to 2014 and beyond! May Diana’s star continue to rise!

It’s official! The CW stops development on Wonder Woman TV series.

Once again proving that people in Hollywood don’t understand Wonder Woman, the CW has officially announced that they are no longer developing a Amazon, the proposed Wonder Woman television series (according to The Hollywood Reporter).

“It all depends on the script. We were very careful with Arrow, and we’re being very careful with Flash,” [Mark] Pedowitz [CW’s president] said of the Stephen Amell series and Grant Gustin Flash pilot in the works at the network. “These are iconic characters, so we’re going to be very careful with Wonder Woman. You only get one shot before you get bit.”

No matter how often it is explained to me, I will never fully comprehend why it is so hard for people to get Wonder Woman right. Ah well. Better no TV series than an awful TV series.

I can’t say I’m surprised, though. Adding Wonder Woman to the cinematic universe made it that much more likely she would not be involved in any television shows.

DC Nation – Wonder Woman Shorts (Full Versions)

I almost forgot about these! DC posted the full versions of the three Wonder Woman shorts on their official YouTube channel! Parts two and three are below the cut.

Part One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHZKIVS3h2g

Continue reading →

Diamond Comics Top 1000 Best Selling Comics of 2013

Diamond Comics has released their official list of the Top 1000 Best Selling Comics of 2013. Wonder Woman actually made the list quite a few times! (You can find the full list on BleedingCool)

The first number is the Rank by how many individual copies were sold. The second number is the Rank by how much money it took in.

( 70 ) ( 78 ) – Superman/Wonder Woman #01
(274)(239) – Superman/Wonder Woman #02
(370)(319) – Superman/Wonder Woman #03
(425)(607) – Wonder Woman v4 #19
(599)(781) – Wonder Woman v4 #16
(610)(797) – Wonder Woman v4 #17
(634)(812) – Wonder Woman v4 #18
(679)(646) – Wonder Woman v4 #20
(712)(873) – Wonder Woman v4 #21
(743)(896) – Wonder Woman v4 #22
(761)(914) – Wonder Woman v4 #23
(782)(943) – Wonder Woman v4 #24
(799)(973) – Wonder Woman v4 #25
(837)(999) – Wonder Woman v4 #26
(845)(688) – Wonder Woman v4 #23.1 – The Cheetah

This means that every Wonder Woman titled book released in 2013, except for #23.2 – The First Born (Villain’s Month), made it into the top 1000 best selling comics of 2013. Great job! Though, I would really like to see those numbers higher every year.

Diamond also released the list of the Top 1000 Best Selling Graphic Novels/Trade Collections of 2013.

( 59 )(122) – Wonder Woman v4 TPB Volume 01 – Blood
(179)(169) – Wonder Woman v4 HC Volume 02 – Guts
(237)(452) – Wonder Woman v4 TPB Volume 02 – Guts
(326)(269) – Wonder Woman v4 HC Volume 03 – Iron
(857)(1176) – Wonder Woman v1 TPB The Odyssey, Volume 02

Every trade collection of Wonder Woman released during 2013 made it to the Top 1000. Pretty good.

I really hope that these numbers increase every year. I hope that Diana being in the Man of Steel sequel helps these numbers. I’d love to see a Wonder Woman issue get into the Top 25 one year!

April’s Batman and… issue to be Batman and Wonder Woman

Ahead of the official April solicitations, CBR has released information about Mad Magazine variant covers for many DC April issues. The variants themselves are not shown yet (probably still being worked on). Wonder Woman #30 and Superman/Wonder Woman #07 are both getting Mad Magazine variants. But what else?

Batman and Robin issue #30 will be titled Batman and Wonder Woman! It will also get a Mad Magazine variant. But I’m really excited that in April, we get THREE books with Wonder Woman’s name on the cover!

As soon as the full April solicitations are released, we’ll have more information. Hopefully, they’ll show up next week.

Wonder Woman in Man of Steel 2’s Outfit

A couple of days ago, Elmayimbe of the Latino Review posted this on Twitter:

“Gal Gadot’s WONDER WOMAN outfit will consist of ARMOR. Not the Lynda Carter itty bitty outfit. I hear it looks dope.”

I hesitated to post this because I have no idea how credible this person is. But today, the New York Times did an interview with Michael Wilkinson, clothing designer for the movie American Hustle. His interview included a really interesting quote:

“I have been given the opportunity to tackle a wide range of genres with my work: big superheroes, gritty contemporary, epic period, science fiction. It keeps me stimulated and challenged as an artist. At the moment, I’m designing the costumes for ‘Batman vs. Superman.’ It’s an honor to be creating new looks for such iconic characters as Wonder Woman. The interesting thing is that my approach is always the same, no matter the genre or the period. I’m using the same tools — silhouette, fabric, color, drape – to help tell the story and illuminate the inner life of the characters.”

Nothing specific, other than the fact that he’s creating a new look for Diana. But that much is to be expected. I hope it blows everyone away. As soon as we catch a glimpse of it, I’m sure everyone will know!

EDIT: NewYorkTimes has posted the interview with Michael Wilkinson.

DC Steampunk Variants for February 2014

CBR has just released an exclusive first look at DC’s Steampunk variants for February 2014. Two of them feature Wonder Woman! Take a look!

Justice League #28 - Steampunk Variant - Art by Dan Panosian

Justice League #28 – Steampunk Variant – Cover by Dan Panosian

Superman/Wonder Woman #04 - Steampunk Variant - Cover by Dan Panosian

Superman/Wonder Woman #04 – Steampunk Variant – Cover by Dan Panosian

What do you think? I honestly think that both of the Wonder Woman images are a little…meh. They rely too heavily on saloon girl-style clichés. The Superman/Wonder Woman variant is a little better. I wonder if DC will release a Wonder Woman variant. I like that the bodice/corset Diana is wearing in Justice League looks a lot like the Amazonia corset.

EDIT: Hitflix has released more covers, including one for Wonder Woman #28.

Wonder Woman v4 #28 - Steampunk Variant - Cover by J.G. Jones and Trish Mulvihill

Wonder Woman v4 #28 – Steampunk Variant – Cover by J.G. Jones and Trish Mulvihill

Hey! Look at that! More direct saloon girl clichés! Wonderful!

Gal Gadot cast as Wonder Woman in Man of Steel 2: Superman vs Batman

Variety, Deadline, and many other websites have released official information that in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, Wonder Woman will definitely make an appearance. And, she will be played by Gal Gadot. She hasn’t had a huge number of roles, her largest being in Fast Five and Fast and Furious 6. She also played a small part in the hilarious Tina Fey/Steve Carrell movie Date Night.

While many see her as an odd choice for the role, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach. I like that she is relatively unknown, so I don’t have an bias towards her going into the movie. My biggest worry about this casting is her height. While she’s certainly not short, at 5ft 9in, she is considerably shorter than Henry Cavill at 6ft 1in and Ben Affleck at 6ft 4in. The right boots will certainly help, and creative cinematography. But I always prefer Diana to be around the same height as Clark and Bruce. She’s an Amazon. She shouldn’t be considerably shorter than these men.

Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot

Still, interesting choice. And hopefully she’ll do a fantastic job.

It’s a shame that Zack Snyder is the one directing Wonder Woman’s first big-screen appearance. He’s not a particularly talented character director (he is normally great with visuals, though), and he’s never been particular good with female characters. Here’s hoping he realizes just how important Diana is.

Wonder Woman Solicitations – December 2013

Potential Spoilers!

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Wonder Woman #26
(Volume 04 – Issue #640 overall)

Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Goran Sudzuka
Cover by Cliff Chiang

“Wonder Woman’s brother and sister are being held hostage by none other than Cassandra, the sadistic sibling she hasn’t even met yet! And speaking of hostages, we’re taking bets on how long chains can hold the First Born!”

I really like the simplicity of this cover. Cassandra returns; does Diana finally meet this sibling? And I still don’t get Cassandra’s intense desire to help the First Born.

smww03

Superman/Wonder Woman #03

Written by Charles Soule
Art and cover by Tony S. Daniel and Batt

“Zod unleashed! Can Superman and Wonder Woman stop this madman before he gains full power under the Earth’s yellow sun? Guest-starring the JLA, and featuring a shocking conclusion that could mean the end of Superman and Wonder Woman together!”

I’m all for a second series starring Wonder Woman. I’m still not totally sold on Diana and Clark’s relationship, but maybe this book can change my mind (I hope so). But this seems to be another Superman-centric issue. Are they rotating between Superman-centric issue, then Wonder Woman-centric issue (November’s seemed to be Wonder Woman-centric). Or, is the bulk of the book going to be Superman, and “Oh yeah, Wonder Woman’s here.” I guess we’ll find out when the series begins in October.

Alternate Universes

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Justice League 3000 #01
(Resolicited)

Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis
Art and cover by Howard Porter

“The new series starring the heroes of today—tomorrow is resolicited, now with legendary artist Howard Porter (JLA) on board! But what are these heroes doing in the year 3000? And who (or what) brought them there? Get ready for a dose of wonder from the writing team of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis!”

Originally solicited for October 2013, the book seems to have lost artist Kevin Maguire and gained Howard Porter and a new cover. We still don’t know much about this book. Are these our Justice League members? Clones? Future people who just took up the titles? Perhaps we’ll find out in December.

Other Stuff

The Forever Evil event seems to feature Wonder Woman almost never. No mention of her in Forever Evil #4 or Justice League #26 (which features the Crime Syndicate on the cover). I did notice this:

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Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #03

“Steve Trevor and his small band of surviving A.R.G.U.S. agents track down the deadly Cheetah, who has Wonder Woman’s lasso in her possession. That lasso could be the only hope of freeing the Justice League!”

I don’t have plans on picking up the entire run of FE:Argus, but I may pick up this issue. It seems to center on the search for Diana’s lasso, which I would certainly be interested in.

That’s pretty much it for Diana in December. I am looking forward to the end of Forever Evil, honestly. December is only the half-way point.