Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman film finally opened in US theaters, and to no one’s surprise, made a splash at the box office immediately.
Forbes is reporting that the Gal Gadot-lead picture brought in just under $39 Million on Friday. After cracking $11 Million on Thursday night shows, the DC Extended Universe is on its way to be the box office king…or queen.
Although a generally lower friday than Man of Steel, Suicide Squad, and Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman will carry over well as it’s a hit among fans and critics.
Have you seen Wonder Woman yet? If not, do you plan to see it? Sound off in the comments section below.
“Wonder Woman hits movietheaters around the world this summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.”
Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as the title character, Chris Pine, Robin Wright as Antiope, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner, and Lucy Davis.
Womder Woman celebrated her 75th anniversary this year. The world celebrated her with a stamp. They added her and then removed her from a UN ambassadorship. Wonder Woman speaks to generations of women both young and old, but why?
Wonder Woman embeds herself in the cultural consciousness precisely because she is embedded in literary and societal history. She won women’s hearts because she upends these literary and historical representations by being every bit a woman and every bit a heroine.
Warrior women have been found throughout history. Warrior women like Wonder Woman have been found from ancient history all the way through to our modern day. However, in 1643, an English proclamation banned women from military enlistment. This established a new type of female militarized representation, one in which warrior women had to hide as men to be allowed to engage in warfare. During the Enlighment, science anatomically distanced the female body from the male body and led to deepening the entrenchment of the patriarchal aspects of society. Previously, people had assumed that the physical differences between men and women were simply location of genitals, not the purpose of the genitals. These scientific shifts created social shifts. Those social shifts created the hierarchical representations of men having power over women seen in both society and the media.
All of this means that warrior women were forced to hide their feminine selves because of a variety of social, scientific, and legal stuff that happened in the 1600’s through the 1900’s. The militarization of women during World War II, however, gave women options that had been denied them in recent history. Volunteering for the various women’s corps gave women a sense of agency during the war effort, yet their jobs were confined to non-battle positions.
What does all of this history have to do with Wonder Woman?
Nothing. Everything.
Wonder Woman went into battle as a woman. She did not hide that she was female. She did not cover herself to disguise her femininity. She was all woman. She was all warrior. In the 298 years since English law banned women from the military, she stood as one of the first, most clearly obvious female battle ready warriors.
298 years is a long time y’all.
Only 21 years earlier, women had finally been allowed to vote. Women acting indepedently in society was new. Women being shown to act independently in popular culture felt relatively unknown. Women being represented as something other than an accesssory to men was so rare as to feel nonexistent. Keep in mind that in 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives would win 7 Academy Awards.
This movie spent two hours and fifty-two minutes following the lives of men coming home from WWII and treating the women in their lives pretty terribly. They had a right to be damaged. 5 years after the introduction of Wonder Woman, this movie presented women as ancillary characters accepting the emotional abuse of men and acting as though their wartime experiences were less difficult instead of entirely different. The seven Acadamy Awards socially reinforced the power of this message by creating a hegemonic approval of the men’s emotionally abusive actions.
Society felt this was fine.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman existed in comics. This incredibly strong, smart warrior llived in a counterculture, unrespected popular culture format.
And girls found her. They persisted.
Girls found Wonder Woman despite the ongoing assault against comics. Girls found Wonder Woman despite ongoing assaults from well-respected psychologists saying comics would corrupt them. Girls found Wonder Woman despit parents and government trying to stop them.
Girls found Wonder Woman. And yet, they persisted.
Girls finding Wonder Woman could be considered a proto-feminist act. To a certain extent, they had to fight for their right to read her. They had to be forward thinking. In fact, they had to be the girls that just didn’t care about social norms because, hell, it was the 1950’s and comics were for boys.
Yet girls found Wonder Woman. And yet, they (still) persisted.
After the 1960’s and the feminist revolution, society began to accept this mammoth representation of feminism. We got Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. She represented strength, love, ahonesty, and intelligence. From November 1975 to September 1979, women had their heroine on their screens. They could see her. She was tangible. She was everything they wanted.
Creating the Wonder Woman television show positioned Wonder Woman within the mainstream culture. This moved her from an underground counterculture position to a mainstream hegemonically accepted position.
Wonder Woman persisted. And yet, women persisted.
Yes, Wonder Woman is the representation of female power. However, to truly understand her as an icon, we have to place her within her cultural context. Wonder Woman persists not because she is badass (she is), not because she is a shining example of female strength (she is), but because she persisted.
Despite being a lone female character in a male dominated world, she persisted. Despite being presented in a demonized format, she persisted. Despite being located in a popular culture realm dominated by males, she persisted.
She gives us a warrior legacy because she created the new ideals of how women could be.
Wonder Woman gives women a warrior legacy because she persisted.
With a new month upon us and ‘Wonder Woman‘ about to make history at the box office, June is set to be the hottest month of the Summer Movie Season. Here are ten other choices that should definitely be on your radar as well.
1The House (June 30th)
Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler star as a couple of clueless parents who are trying to raise money for their daughter’s tuition by starting an underground casino. This looks funny but I am concerned with it going up against the new Despicable Me movie.
AfterShock Comics have taken the mantle of Vertigo in producing high-quality comics for maturer audiences from the crude satire of Jimmy’s Bastards to grim re-imagining of Arthurian legend in Unholy Grail. With The Normals, writer: Alan Glass and artist:Dennis Calero, bring us the publisher’s take on the psychological thriller as seen through a contemporary sci-fi lens. At its heart, The Normals is a book about our perception of reality, how it shapes us and how we copes with that reality being undermined by external factors. Does the series have what it takes to get live up to its high concept premise or will it become eclipsed by its own potential.
AfterShock Comics pitches The Normals as a man whose life as he knew it never happened and who now must struggle to determine what his reality truly is. Indeed, without going into spoilers that quest for one’s identity and sense of meaning is central to the story, but the book leaves us with a sense that the revelation that incites these events might have been better borne out over a few issues. From a pacing perspective, taking into account potential revelations in future issues, the mystery behind the series has been revealed too soon for it to have any true impact. The suspense itself is thrilling in the moment, but the book never allows its central question or mystery to linger in our minds. Instant gratification may satiate our desire to know, but at the expense of the story itself. Which is a shame because outside of the clunky expository sections, the characters feel quite substantial and human in their interactions. Their dialogue is natural and flows in a way that many other comics struggle with. Glass has expertly built a family of characters that we care about, but the importance they place on solving the book’s core mystery never translates to the audience. We care for them, if not their plight.
From an art perspective, The Normals impresses smooth visuals that lull the reader into a false sense of security. In refraining from engaging in hyper-stylized visual or overly complicated techniques, Calero channels the mundanity of suburbia into every panel. From the artwork alone its clear that there is some unsettling about this brand of middle-class life even before The Normal’s more fantastical elements. A neighbour’s kind wave or plastic smile has hidden meaning and Calero manages to convey that unspoken artificiality to those interactions. As the series’ more sci-fi element begin to emerge, it will be interesting to see if the art evolves to match the family’s new understanding of reality as their seemingly normal life unravels around them. A tonal and stylistic shift of that nature could resonate well with the book’s thematic goals if executed properly.
The Normals is the kind of story that The Twilight Zone used to invoke an inherent unease about the reality around you and leaves you questioning many of the assumptions we make about the world. A tale in which the world as you know it seems to have changed utterly and yet you are the only one to notice. Suspenseful thrillers of the kind inevitably instill intrigue in their readers, but it is often that the build-up is more satisfying than the revelation itself. Fortunately, The Normals doesn’t fall wholly into that trap. It manages to successfully recall the sinister undertones of the best psychological horror stories, even if it does not radically bring anything new to the table.
This weekend, Wizard World Philadelphia honored comic book legend Rob Liefeld. He became the first inductee to the Wizard World: Hall Of Legends.
Liefeld took the stage Friday afternoon and spoke of his humble beginnings as a young comic fan trading for issues of Fantastic Four at a local liquor store. The controversial creator has come a long way and is responsible for a number of crucial comic creations.
Liefeld became a household name in the 90s. After a dominant stint on The New Mutants, he launched the popular X-Force series. The first issue of the series sold five million copies and is still one of the highest selling comic books to this day.
Rob left Marvel behind in 1992 to form Image Comics with other major comic book talent. Some of his most celebrated creations include Cable, Shatterstar, Youngblood, and of course Deadpool.
After receiving his award, Liefeld was joined on stage by a collection of various Deadpool cosplayers. A warm reception from the crowd met the enthusiastic inductee as he shared more stories of fatherhood, comic books, and what it’s like to have one of your creations on your own wallet.
Rob Liefeld may not have been the most popular person in the industry, but you can’t deny the major role he played in what comics looked like in the 90s.
Stay tuned for more Wizard World Philadelphia coverage as our own Brandon J. Griffin is there all weekend!
Batwoman has an unlikely origin story. Katherine Kane, an adept stunt motorcyclist and trapeze-artist employed by the circus, idolizes Batman and longs to put her acrobatic and riding skills to use as a vigilante crime-fighter. But, and this is the same reason that I didn’t go into vigilante crime-fighting, she just can’t afford the lifestyle. Luckily, an inheritance from a nameless benefactor comes Kathy’s way, and she resolves to use her wealth to become Batwoman, augmenting Batman’s crusade against crime with a feminine presence.
Batwoman’s First Appearance – Citizen Kane
Batwoman’s first appearance sees her stopping a couple of thugs from stealing fare receipts (for some reason) from an airport. She subdues the crooks before Batman and Robin even make the scene, a true testament to her abilities. Unfortunately, her crime-fighting methods left this the contemporary reader groaning. Using a large powder puff (groan) like a smoke bomb, she subdues both thieves and secures them with her steel handcuffs that are disguised as charm bracelets (groan again).
As Batwoman disappears on her motorbike, Batman (like a true patriarch) reminds her of a Gotham City municipal law that states that nobody can wear a Batman costume except Batman himself. As Batwoman disappears in a cloud of exhaust, she reminds Batman that the law refers only to men, and not women.
The following night, Batwoman succeeds in saving Batman’s life during an attempted diamond robbery at a movie premiere. Using her compact-mirror (GROAN!), she dazzles a gunman who has Batman dead to rights. The split-second distraction offers Batman a chance to take the thief down. Batwoman then saves Batman and Robin’s lives a second time by using her perfume flask (are you kidding me?!) as a smoke bomb, overpowering the remaining jewel thieves who are in the act of trying to run the dynamic duo down with a car.
Batwoman’s First Appearance – Kane Manor
Quite intuitively considering Katherine Kane doesn’t necessarily know about the Batcave, she uses her newfound wealth to buy a mansion with a system of mining tunnels beneath it. Kane then uses these mines as her own personal Batcave, a life-size portrait of her in full costume adorning the entrance.
But, upstairs in the mansion a party is in full swing. Kathy, throwing a party for Gotham’s elite crowd has invited, among others, playboy Bruce Wayne. The two share a moment together on the dance floor, possibly the inspiration for a similar scene in Batman Returns involving Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, during which they both feel an urge to tell the other of their secret identities. But, the moment is interrupted by the bat signal, and both socialites hastily excuse themselves from the party.
Batwoman’s First Appearance – Minty Mayhem
Even though Batwoman again succeeds in saving Batman’s life and then captures three criminals attempting to rob the Gotham City mint, Batman paternally decides that Batwoman is too green for the game. The next night, after determining Batwoman’s identity and crashing her Batcave, Batman threatens to reveal Batwoman as Katherine Kane if she continues her crusade, noting that like himself criminals may also determine her identity.
Batwoman agrees, and then in a slightly confusing wrap-up, she reveals that her giant portrait is actually a body scanner that records the vital statistics of anyone who enters her cave. With this information, she claims, she could determine who Batman and Robin truly are. But, because she has so much respect for the dynamic duo, she tells them she won’t. Batman and Robin thank Kane for her cooperation and leave her alone in her cave, but on their way home Batman tells Robin that he knew about the scanner all along and overexposed Kane’s film, making it worthless, before they confronted her.
As a final commemoration of her short crime-fighting career, Kane gives Batman her life-size portrait. A rather bashful Batman describes it as “an–er–interesting trophy.”
Batwoman’s First Appearance – Final Thoughts
This tale is the work of long-time Batman writer Edmond Hamilton and long-time Batman penciler Sheldon Moldoff. I’ve already mentioned the groan-worthy chauvinism of Batwoman’s utility purse (yes, purse) that this creative team has to answer for. But, aside from the overly “feminine” nature of her bag of tricks and Batman’s macho response to Kane horning in on his racket, Hamilton and Moldoff portray a very resourceful and clever character who comes off in this issue as better at crime-fighting than the dynamic duo themselves.
Finally, much like Hamilton’s story from 1952 in which Superman and Batman learn each other’s identity, there isn’t much of a villain in this one. And, though the lack of a villain gives readers an opportunity to get to know Batwoman, it makes for a kind of boring plot.
Dark Days: The Forge! It’s one of the most anticipated events coming in comics this year, being brought to you by such superstars as SCOTT SNYDER, JAMES TYNION IV, JIM LEE, ANDY KUBERTand JOHN ROMITA JR.! And now we have an advance preview! Check it out below and then comment and discuss!
DARK DAYS: THE FORGE #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV • Art by JIM LEE, ANDY KUBERT, JOHN ROMITA JR. and others
Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS • Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT • Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for details. Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
DARKNESS COMES TO THE DC UNIVERSE WITH THE MYSTERY OF THE FORGE! Aquaman, The Flash and more of DC’s pantheon of heroes suspect Batman of hiding a dark secret that could threaten the very existence of the multiverse! It’s an epic that will span generations—but how does it connect to the origins of one of DC’s most legendary heroes?
The great comics event of summer 2017 is about to begin courtesy of superstar writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV and illustrated by a master class of comics artists: Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr.! You do not want to miss this one!
ONE-SHOT • On sale JUNE 14 • 40 pg, FC, card-stock covers, $4.99 US • RATED T
Based in Guelph, Ontario, Royal City Brewing has been open since 2014. And, with a couple of years under their belt, this young brewery has already secured a couple of Ontario Brewing Awards. With a number of brews on offer, it can be difficult to pick which one to try. But, having never tried a Smoked Honey ale before, I picked one up in the interest of science.
Royal City Brewing Company: Smoked Honey Ale – First Sip
Smoked Honey pours a dark cola-brown with a bit of head that dissipates and leaves very little foam behind. I smell burnt caramel as I take my first sip and taste a licorice bitter-sweetness. This brew is surprisingly thin with very little carbonation, providing a watery mouthfeel with just a bit of fizz. Smoked Honey’s honey flavour is more noticeable to me than its smoked flavour, which is very subtle.
Royal City Brewing Company: Smoked Honey Ale – Last Sip
Almost chewy with sediment at the bottom of my glass, this is a full-bodied beer. The bottle that advertises this brew’s natural cloudiness tells no lies. The bottle also suggests enjoying this brew with hard or smoked cheeses, barbecue, and soft fruit. But, because of its semi-sweet flavour and heaviness, I suggest enjoying this brew with a mild-tasting soft cheese. That said, in terms of the barbecue, this beer’s sweetness also helps it also pair well with steaks or and roasted vegetables.
In 500-mL bottles at 5.5% ABV, this is a beer that’s best highlighted as part of a beer-drinking menu rather than being the main beer-drinking fare. Although you’ll certainly impress your friends if you serve this at your next barbecue, you’ll probably also get a few odd looks. You’ll want to pour this beer into a glass since its aroma is one thing that makes this beer unique.
After the recent return of fan-favorite character Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in the Arrow season 5 finale, actor Manu Bennett has taken to Twitter to put out there the idea of a solo TV show for the anti-hero.
Bennett even got the support of the character’s creator, Marv Wolfman.
Much appreciated, Manu. I love Deathstroke and I was overjoyed to see your return and would love to see you do more.
Deathstroke was the main antagonist of season 2 and has had a rollercoaster relationship with Oliver Queen/Green Arrow; going from enemy to mentor to friend to enemy to…’it’s complicated”.
Personally, I always loved Bennett as Wilson, and think he was probably my favorite ‘Big Bad‘. Even if he doesn’t get his own show, I would love to see Deathstroke return to the Arrowversein a much more regular role. A solo show for him could work if perhaps he became a ‘black ops’ member of Team Arrow, globe-trotting and handling the kind of dirty wet works the regular members could not. Or he could even join the Legends of Tomorrow!
What do you guys think? Comment and discuss below!
Sam Underwood joins season three of ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ and the actor called the Monkey Fighting Robots hotline to talk about why he joined the show and what viewers can expect in a ‘no one’s safe’ season.
‘Fear the Walking Dead’ has displayed more religious overtones than the original series and Underwood’s character Jake, appear to be playing Abel to Troy’s Cain.
‘Oh sure, I mean there’s so many parallels as Cain and Abel, there are qualities ‘Of Mice and Men,’ there’s also I know that the idea of leadership is coming in as well. The idea of a struggle for power was definitely, there was a Godfather referenced that Dave Erikson and I kind of chatted about in terms of setting up a sense of tension between the brothers, as the idea of leadership plays down the line. There’s definitely these, a lot of really interesting character parallels and I think Cain and Abel is definitely, definitely one of them. Cain and Abel is definitely more of a danger and I suppose Godfather is as well. There’s a danger to that and I think that Troy definitely poses a sense of danger that Jake is definitely not a part of from an ethical standpoint. Whatever attention that’s going to continue to build, (…) we will have to wait and see,” said Underwood.
Listen to the complete Sam Underwood interview below:
About Season Three: Heading into its third season, “Fear” has solidified itself as the #2 drama in ad-supported cable among adults 25-54. The series is executive produced by showrunner Dave Erickson, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert and stars Kim Dickens as Madison, Cliff Curtis as Travis, Frank Dillane as Nick, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia, Mercedes Mason as Ofelia, Colman Domingo as Strand and Danay Garcia as Luciana. Joining the cast as series regulars for season three are Dayton Callie (“Sons of Anarchy,” “Deadwood”), Daniel Sharman (“The Originals,” “Teen Wolf”) and Sam Underwood (“The Following”), who will play the Otto family, founders of a survivalist organization who prepared for the fall of democracy, but didn’t anticipate the rise of the dead, as well as Lisandra Tena (“Chicago P.D.”) as Lola Guerrero.
As “Fear the Walking Dead” returns for Season 3, our families will be brought together in the vibrant and violent ecotone of the U.S.-Mexico border. International lines done away with following the world’s end, our characters must attempt to rebuild not only society, but family as well. Madison has reconnected with Travis, but Alicia has been fractured by her murder of Andres. Mere miles from his mother, Nick’s first action as a leader saw Luciana ambushed by an American militia group – the couple escaped death but Nick no longer feels immortal. Recovering both emotionally and physically, Strand has his sights set on harnessing the new world’s currency, and Ofelia’s captivity will test her ability to survive and see if she can muster the savagery of her father.
‘Fear the Walking Dead’ returns June 4 with a two-hour premiere on AMC.
DARK DAYS: THE FORGE #1