Author Archives: Ali

Skipping to Conclusions: Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman

Posted on by
Reply

In geekdom, we see a lot of teasers. Sometimes it’s just an image or the name of a creator, other times it’s a trailer or a simple tag line. Whatever it is, it’s meant to get a reaction from you and start a discussion. Inspired by the anticipation and buzz caused by these teasers, we at Fantastic Fangirls present Skipping to Conclusions in which we speculate about the comics, movies, TV shows, or whatever we’re excited about but hasn’t come out yet.

With his New 52 run on Action Comics coming to an end, Grant Morrison is making the rounds with the comics press. And once again, Morrison is talking about his yet to be officially announced Wonder Woman project. He’s keeping the details very vague, but Morrison has been talking about Wonder Woman a lot. Well, maybe not a LOT. But enough that I can start skipping to conclusions about it!

Opinions on Morrison as a writer aside, he has written some defining comics for both Batman and Superman. DC giving Morrison the reigns on Wonder Woman means that maybe, just maybe, they’re taking Diana as seriously as Bruce and Clark. Yes, I know she’s part of The Trinity, but let’s be honest, the Amazon rarely gets the same red carpet treatment that Supes and Bats do. So seeing Morrison’s name attached to Wonder Woman means DC is treating this project as a priority. And that is a good thing.

Personally, I like Morrison’s work. He’s not necessarily one of those creators whose books I absolutely HAVE TO pick up, but All-Star Superman and Batman and Robin are some of my absolute favorite comics. So depending what the project is, I’ll at least check it out. The thing about Morrison is he GETS superheroes. He gets superhero comics. And he unabashedly, unironically loves them. And that’s what I Iike most about his writing; it’s what makes his stories compelling for me. I think Diana’s in good hands with Morrison.

Now. Here’s the controversial bit.

This is what Morrison told Entertainment Weekly on what he’s planning on for the Amazon Princess:

Wonder Woman came out of this alternative sexuality, and that’s why they were so popular. Once the editors realized, “There’s a lot of tying up in these stories, we should tell him to slow down on this” — as soon as they stopped all that stuff, Wonder Woman sales declined, unsurprisingly. When Marston died, the sales never quite recovered.

A lot of great writers and artists have worked on Wonder Woman. Brian Azzarello’s doing a great Greek Myth-flavored take right now. But something of what [Marston] brought to it was never there again. Especially when the TV series came along: Linda Carter did such a brilliant job of doing Wonder Woman for TV, but she was kind of Mary Tyler Moore, you know? She wasn’t a sexual creature, really. Wonder Woman’s had to represent women without really having much of a sex life. It’s ridiculous! Superman’s got Lois, and Batman’s got all these fetish girls he runs around with. Wonder Woman’s kind of suffered, because that aspect of her, a sense of her humanity, has been taken from her.

This sound bite has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. The first time I read it, my gut reaction was:

But when I stop and think about for a bit, I think maybe he’s on to something. Just hear me out.

Over the years, Diana has kind of  been placed on a pedestal. At this point she’s up so high that she’s not relatable, and sometimes, not particularly likable. People get caught up in how much of an icon she is that they forget she’s a real person (not real-real, but you know what I mean). She has feelings and she loves people. She loves humanity enough that she’s given up her life in Themyscira to build a home in our world. A woman like that is going to get into some romantic entanglements. She’s going to have sex. Probably, occasionally, it’ll be with the wrong person. Diana is capable of great love. And with that comes some sexytimes.

On top of that, Wonder Woman is the embodiment of the empowered woman. I think seeing her in control of her sexuality would be a good thing. Portraying her as a chaste demi-goddess only perpetuates the idea that sex is something to be ashamed of. And believe, that’s not doing anyone any favors.

But. Because there is a but. She cannot, CAN NOT, be objectified in this story. If DC or Morrison pulls a New 52 Catwoman, there’s going to be a BIG problem. I’d like to think we’ve gotten passed the need to say that in the comics community; that we’ve learned the difference between sexy and objectification. But it’s still a gray area for a lot of people, so I felt the need to put that out there.

On the bright side, here’s another bit of what Morrison said to EW:

Usually I don’t do masses of research, but for Wonder Woman, I’ve actually been working my way through the entire history of feminism. I want this to be f—ing serious, you know? I want this to be really, really good, to reflect not only what women think, but what men think of women. I’m trying to do something really different from what’s been done with the character before.

I like this! He’s at least trying to get into the head of a woman who’s a feminist. This is a good thing. And I trust him on it. I really do. I think he can write her a story she deserves. I think he’ll give us a fun, sexy Wonder Woman, full of moxie.

There are still a lot of variables. The artist will play a HUGE roll in this project. It needs to be someone who’s not going to draw Diana in break-back pose every panel, with overly pouty lips and heaving breasts. I’d love, love, LOVE to see Amanda Connor drawing this book. DC’s senior editorial needs to be on board with Morrison’s plan and not try to crowbar extra sexyness into the comic. Everyone, not just Morrison, should probably read a bit of feminist theory before starting this project.

As far as Wonder Woman projects go, I’m probably a bit more excited about Allan Heinberg’s Amazon pilot. But this could be really good. Really, really good.

All-New X-Men #5: WE HAVE FEELS

Posted on by
1

Ali and Caroline really like Jean Grey. Like, really really. So when they read the latest issue of Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen’s All-New X-Men they had, what’s called in internet parlance, ALL OF THE FEELS. And now the ladies will share their FEELS with you.

Let’s drive in with the big stuff!

ALI
Oh Jean! I just… I miss this lady so much. I mean look at all that awesome. She’s such a rich and fantastic character, and in a double page spread BOOM Immonen captures all of that. And all of my feels. ALL OF MY FEELS.

CAROLINE
First of all– just for the record and may we never speak of it again — I object on principle to the word “feels.” “Feelings” only has three more letters, it’s an actual English-language noun, and (unlike “feels”) it doesn’t sound like a medical condition you could get from drinking contaminated water.

However,, if anything was going to reduce me to a giggling squealing fangirl running around the Internet talking about my “feels,” I have to say — this Stuart Immonen page would be it. Every single one of those images speaks to a significant moment in Jean Grey’s history. Jean is an iconic character who has been referenced plenty of times over the last decade, but it usually boils down to a few big moments. Usually, she’s dying. Seeing a creative team display such affection for the character and awareness of her history is a great sign for the new era of X-Men.

ALI
When it comes to the X-Men, I have absolutely no problem talking like a LOLcat.

ALI
I just really loved this bit is all.

CAROLINE
This series of panels illustrates why Bendis and Immonen are one of my favorite writer/artist team-ups in comics. I like a lot of Bendis’s work, but pairing his words up with Immonen’s art creates some kind of quantum leap in my (oh, okay, I’ll say it, shut up) feels. I think it’s because Immonen is such a master of visual “acting” — through gesture or, like here, facial expression, that it complements Bendis’s character-focused work perfectly.

And there’s the whole Jean and Logan thing…

ALI
This is such a brilliant little moment. Six lines of dialog and Bendis freaking nails the whole Jean/Logan dynamic. These two! I can’t even.

But let’s all remember, folks. This is 16-year-old Jean. SIX. TEEN.

CAROLINE
OK, look, I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I think, “What a brilliant way to bring Jean into current continuity without making it all about whether she screws Wolverine. Make her too young to be his love interest!” And then my other mind is like, “Wait, how young is she? I mean maybe Bobby is sixteen but I always thought Jean and Scott were older, can’t Jean and Logan make out just a little???”

And there’s then the whole Scott and Logan thing…

ALI
Past Scott breaks my heart. This poor kid. Everybody hates him. And Logan wants to kill him. Which is pretty much the usual for Logan, Past Scott just doesn’t know that yet.

CAROLINE
Wait, Logan wants to kill him? Is that what, “When I think about all the times I was close to you” means? Because that would maybe not be my interpretation. Maybe we should just move on.

ALI
Yeah, in the very next panel (not pictured) Logan says he could just pop a claw in Past Scott’s head right now and fix everything. It’s kinda scary actually.

Meanwhile, this is what present Scott is up to…

ALI
Um… seriously, Scott? That’s what you’re calling your little movement? Seriously. Seriously. *facepalm*

CAROLINE
OK, I haven’t totally been top of all the X-Men stuff but didn’t Scott kill Xavier? Well, maybe Magneto insisted.

Professor K

ALI
Fuck. Yeah. Kitty Pryde.

CAROLINE
Dammit, I do not have “feels” but. . .okay, when I realized Kitty Pryde was going to be babysitting the time traveling teen X-Men, I literally did a seal clap. KITTY! Now all we need is Kitty’s BFF Rachel Summers-Grey, who is Scott and Jean’s kid from the future only, if I’m not mistaken, is now significantly older than Scott and Jean. And once that reunion gets going, obviously Scott’s future time-traveling clone kind Cable has to come and Cable is hanging out with Hope who is apparently not Jean but might be the same age as her. And don’t forget Wanda Maximoff, who is finally back with the Avengers again and who was Jean’s BFF when they were teenagers and, I’m sorry, there will be no time for the X-Men to fight supervillains for the next 478 issues because all the redhead BFF’s will need to be having heart-warming adventures.

OK, that’s probably not what’s going to happen. But I’m going to enjoy it for now.

ALI
If that “XX” comic Marvel’s been teasing isn’t about what you just described I’m going to be seriously sad.

How about you guys? Do you have X-Men feels?

My Little Pony Comics are Magic

Posted on by
2

Hey there, everypony! We’ve got some great news from Equestria: the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic comic book has been released! But we’ve got more than just a Party Canon planned for the happy event. A few of our most Fantastic Fanponies are going to talk about the comic and the Magic of Friendship. Put your hooves together for Ali Dash, Anika Pie, and Sigridjack.

ALI DASH
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic was 20% cooler than all the other comics I read this week. No really. I smiled the whole time I was reading it! And then I read it again because I just loved it so. Katie Cook and Andy Price did a fantastic job of capturing the fun and adventurous tone of the cartoon. But most importantly, they made sure the comic was full of heart. That’s really what makes My Little Pony Friendship is Magic such a wonderful property, whether you’re a seven-year-old girl, or a 30-year-old dude. I’m really, really excited for the next issue. It’s gonna be SO. AWESOME.

SIGRIDJACK
There’s, a, a Jean Grey pony and a Batman pony in the crowd scene. There’s a Blues Brothers reference. There’s a Fantastic Four reference. There’s meta-textual self-awareness. There’s a purely delightful sense of fun with the medium of comics — working with and around frames, dealing with text, use of color and motion.

I –

I am babbling, here, and I know it. I’m torn between trying to sell this comic to people who love comics but are side-eyeing My Little Pony, and trying to talk to people who already love the cartoon but are side-eyeing comics.

Both of you, just — take a deep breath and give this comic a shot. If you love comics, so does this comic. If you love My Little Pony and understand that Friendship is Magic, so does this comic. This is the most well-executed media tie-in comic I’ve ever seen.

ANIKA PIE
Sigridjack is right: this comic excels in the details. The title “The Return of Queen Chrysalis” appears on the first page, but I didn’t notice that my first read-thru. I noticed that Sweetie Belle’s box was labeled “Jungle Crooz” — a joke that has about three layers and that was page one. The comic knows its audience. But Ali Dash is also right: the fan service doesn’t overshadow the story or the fun.

Anyways, because I didn’t notice the title (because Pinkie Pies are not observant except when we want to be), I was surprised when Chrysalis was the plot. Or the pony behind the plot. Or the not-pony-but-pony-like-villain behind the plot. Point is I was surprised and also pleased to see her! I loved the second season finale and the characters it introduced but we barely got to know them on screen. I was expecting the comic to be a watered down version of the show that I would probably ignore, but instead it’s a companion book that I’m excited to support!

ALI DASH
Sigridjack, Doctor Whooves was in it TWICE! AND there’s a Katie Cook pony! TWICE! Also, I’m calling then the Blues Bronies because duh.

Anyway, back to Anika Pie’s thing about Queen Chrysalis and where this story’s going? Do you guys think we’ll get to see Shining Armor and Princess Cadence? OH! What about Princess Luna? Do you think the Cutie Mark Crusaders will FINALLY get their cutie marks?!! (Sheesh, I hope so ‘cause those fillies can be pretty annooooyiiiing sometimes). I want Rainbow Dash to do a Sonic RainBOOM!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, what would you like to see happen in the comics?

SIGRIDJACK
I want the comics to give us the depth the episodes don’t have time to dwell on. This issue? This story? PERFECT example. The comic can take the time to explore consequences, and how things affect other ponies, and what things mentioned in the show mean for Equestria.

ANIKA PIE
Okay, first, I love Shining Armor. He is a pony made for me. I want him to show up, sure (and Cadence), but what I’d love is a little mini-comic about filly Twilight and her BBBFF. Second, Princess Luna is never ever used enough and I would read or watch a whole separate series about her…but she is also somepony I worry about the various creators not doing her the way I want her to be done, so maybe the cameos are better. Third, I seriously doubt the Cutie Mark Crusaders will get their cutie marks in the sideline comic rather than the show. I loved that Chrysalis and the text of the comic pointed out how annoying that quest, and their obsession with it, can be. That’s another example of the layering of humor I was talking about, and the meta-textual self-awareness Sigridjack mentioned. I, personally, like the CMC — and their nemesis Diamond Tiara! Mean Girls Pony Style! — but the blank flank plots get tiresome, yes.

What I want to see MOST is Pinkie Sense. And any other Pinkie-is-Spidey references (ex: Pinkie is hanging upside down for no reason whatsoever).

ALI DASH
There seriously needs to be a team-up between Spider-Pinkie, the Mare Do Well, and Super Rainbow Dash. I would read the hooves off that comic!!

Should we gush about what an awesome job Katie Cook and Andy Price did with this book?

I totally love Cook’s web comic Gronk and she’s been pretty vocal about her love for My Little Pony Friendship is Magic on the interwebz. I know I was super excited when she was announced on the book. And she really did a fantastic job with these characters. She gets them inside and out and has each of their voices down perfectly. Plus she’s got a comics background, so the pacing and structure was really great for a comic. And man, that Andy Price knows how to draw a pony! He’s cartooning fits perfectly with the animation style of the show and his facial expressions are just priceless. There were a couple pages with like ALL OF THE PONIES and they look so fantastic and details. LURVE!

SIGRIDJACK
Cook and Price do something that has my utmost respect. At no point do they mock these ponies. There is love and affection and understanding, while at the same time recognition that this is … a comic book about ponies.

ANIKA PIE
The writing is spot on, especially the in-and-out-jokes as I have mentioned twice already. As far as art, I agree with Ali that the larger scenes with everypony were wonderfully detailed. My only issue is personal and has nothing to do with the artist or his style — because these ponies are already art it bugs me that they don’t look the same. I know that’s a weird thing to say about comics but it was my gut reaction: “this is an artist’s interpretation of Pinkie Pie, not actually Pinkie Pie” and that took me out of the story sometimes.

ALI DASH
OK! Lightning Round question: What’s your cutie mark? GO!

SIGRIDJACK
My Cutie Mark when I was twenty was a shield. Can your Cutie Mark change when you get older? PLEASE tell me it can! I would appreciate that!

If I received my Cutie Mark today, it would be a book. :)

ANIKA PIE
Pom-poms. I was never an actual cheerleader for an actual team or school (none of the schools I went to really had any) but it’s always been my role in a group. Plus I’m loud, hyper, easily underestimated, and I never give up (never surrender).

ALI DASH
I’mma go with a comic book. Or a curling stone. Or a cocktail. No, comics. Definitely comics.

Skipping to Conclussions: The Lady Expendables

Posted on by
4

by Ali

In geekdom, we see a lot of teasers. Sometimes it’s just an image or the name of a creator, other times it’s a trailer or a simple tag line. Whatever it is, it’s meant to get a reaction from you and start a discussion. Inspired by the anticipation and buzz caused by these teasers, we at Fantastic Fangirls present Skipping to Conclusions in which we speculate about the comics, movies, TV shows, or whatever we’re excited about but hasn’t come out yet.

A little over a month ago it was announced that an all-female version of the action franchise The Expendables was in the works. And there was much rejoicing!

Since then we’ve found out that Michelle Rodriguez doesn’t think she’s done enough action movies to star in the franchise (file under: WTF) and that both Gina Carano and Katee Sakoff have officially been added to the cast.

Also behind the project are, what sounds like, an enthusiastic producer and screen writer. This is sounding less like a pipedream and more like something that’s actually going to happen. Which means, I’m getting excited. And whenever I get excited, I like to speculate!!

SO! What we do know is that the production team behind the yet-to-be-named, all-woman action movie is not the same as the group that put out The Expendables movies.  So while I was hoping to see a flick in the same universe, that’s unlikely to happen. But I really love the older, rag-tag band of “heroes for hire” and I really, really hope they find a way to keep that part.

Fantasy casting is probably the most fun part of speculating. HuffPost Woman has a really great line up. The Expendables crew was 6 guys with a few cameos and bad guys. To keep things short I’ll list out my favorites for the rest of the team (since Sackoff and Carano are already in).

1. Sigourney Weaver 
Seriously, how do you do this movie without Sigourney Weaver?!

 

2. Linda Hamilton See above note.

 

3. Gina Torres Big. Damn. Hero.

 

4. Lucy Liu Elementary, my dear Watson.

How about you guys? What are your predictions for lady Expendables movie?

(Mis)Adventures at MorrisonCon

Posted on by
1

by Ali

This weekend I went to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada for MorrisonCon–a unique comic convention celebrating the work of comics rock star Grant Morrison. I was mostly there for fun, but I had the pleasure of doing a little bit of reporting for MTV Geek.

I’ve gone to at least a dozen comic conventions in spots all over the country. But MorrisonCon was a very different kind of con, and I was a little bit intimidating being there in a more professional capacity.

My personal goal for the show was to present myself like this:

I felt like this: 

But in actuality, I probably looked like this:

But that’s way more than enough about me. You’re here to learn about MorrisonCon.

SATURDAY

I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The show was always meant to be an intimate affair with easy access to the creators; but it was also an exclusive and closely curated show. It had a lot of potential to be pretentious. And I am so very, very happy to report that it was nothing at all like that (ok, maybe Morrison’s spoken-word performance was a bit on the self indulgent side). MorrisonCon was incredibly laid back and chill, which made it a lot of fun.

Saturday was my “panel day”. The panels were really awesome because the stage was set up like a talk show instead of traditional con panels. There were big cushy couches and people just kind of passed their microphones around. Basically, if Grant Morrison had late night talk show, this is what it would look like.

Speaking of G-Mo, late last week I found out that I would be interviewing Grant Morrison for MTV Geek about his long-awaited Multiversity project. This is pretty much what was running through the back of my head all day Saturday: AAAAAAAH!!! I’M INTERVIEWING GRANT FREAKING MORRISON!!! Several happy dances and a minor nervous freak out later, I think I handled myself pretty well in the interview. He’s, unsurprisingly, a super cool guy who just adores comics and superheroes.

Back to the panels! The conversations were loose and funny and interesting, and all over the place in the best way possible. The afternoon went from a lively and hilarious conversation about zombie movies with Robert Kirkman and Max Landis to a more quiet and heady conversation about science and religion in fiction with Jonathan Hickman and Jason Aaron. I mean, how awesome is that!

Grant Morrison on the couch with Chris Burnham and Frank Quitely
photo by Pat Loika

At one point, during the conversation about comics and movies, Max Landis totally fanboyed out about The Boys–he was having ALL OF THE OPINIONS. But it was kind of awesome and adorable to see someone on a panel get that worked up and passionate about something (btw, because I had to google him, Max Landis is the dude who did that hilarious Death and Return of Superman video. apparently he did that Chronicle kids-with-superpowers movie too.)

Anyway!

The only problem I had with the programming–and really the only problem I had with MorrisonCon on the whole–was it’s serious lack of women. All of the creators and special guests were men. Kirsten Baldock, one of the event organizers, moderated a couple panels but she was the only female presence on the stage. MorrisonCon could have been a fantastic opportunity for “panel parity”–i.e., having as many women on a panel as men. Like I said, I go to a lot of conventions so I know that this hardly ever comes close to happening. But for a show that was so different from everything else out there, it would have been really nice to see at least a couple female voices.

The day was incredibly awesome but a bit overwhelming. I must be getting a bit old and curmudgeonly because after grabbing dinner with a big group of friends, I pulled a Rory Gilmore and went to my room to read by myself for a bit (as opposed to mooning over Jess until Dean breaks up with me at the 24-hour dance marathon). But I made myself go down to the club for the afterparty since that was part of what this con was all about. There was dancing and expensive drinks and shenanigans, but after an hour I swapped out the raucous club for a quiet chat about comics with friends over bourbon.

@acomicbookgirl and me at a fancy party
photo by Pat Loika

SUNDAY

We got free breakfast Sunday!! No matter how old or curmudgeonly I get, I will always love free food.

Sunday was a pretty short day for me. My flight back home to New York was at 5pm so I passed on most of the panels. I spent the majority of the time lounging around the, er, Lounge area and checking out/plotting to steal all of the gorgeous art in the Salon. And I was able to sit down with Frank Quitely and a few other fans while he sketched the Flash for my friend Chris. You know, as you do. (squeeeeeeeeeee).

Easily the coolest part of Sunday was the Sketch Jam with Chris Burnham. If you’ve never seen one of these, they set up a projector so that everyone one can see what the artist is drawing as they’re doing it. I’ve seen them done at other cons before and they’re always really cool. Random sketch books (a.k.a. the amazing hard-cover programs for the con) were chosen from the audience and you got to ask for anything you wanted. My book was the last one to be chosen (again, squeeeee). But this being MorrisonCon and the morning after a late night for a lot of people, the sketch requests were a bit out there. For example, Wolverine doing coke off a hooker’s butt, new Batman villain Professor Pyg dancing (in a thong and heels), Judge Dredd on the toilet, Grant Morrison as Doctor Who, and Wonder Woman (fresh after killing someone, complete with blood and eyeball splatter). I very nearly asked for Princess Leia strangling Jabba the Hut because Burnham is stellar are drawing disgusting details, but I went with an old iFanboy running gag, Post-Coital Thor.

The post-con blues (or connui) hit as soon as I got into the taxi to the airport. MorrisonCon truly was an experience like no other. It was zany and fun and thought-provoking and just plain wonderful. I have no idea if they’re doing this next year, or even how they replicate this. But if they do, I am there in a heartbeat.

Meet the New Fangirls: Ali

Posted on by
1

by Ali

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved heroes and adventure. From Indiana Jones and Star Wars to Danger Mouse and She-Ra, she was mesmerized. There were rainy Sunday afternoons watching Superman: The Movie, tales of Wonder Woman from her mother and Hobbits from her father. But little girls grow up, and the childhood heroes are replaced by adolescent glossy posters of pop stars. Which inevitably leads to trying to be cool even though you have no idea what that actually means.

I was very much a late bloomer when it comes to comics and geek culture in general. It wasn’t until college when a certain boy wizard found his way into my heart that I got my first taste of fandom. And then the radioactive superhero bug bit me again and down the proverbial rabbit hole I went.

Things really started with Heroes. Yes, the TV series about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities that started out so strong and then went very far off the rails. But that first season will always be amazing to me. It was the first time in what felt like a long time that there were superheroes and villains battling it out on my television screen each week. And while I couldn’t get enough of the show, one of the things I loved most was the anticipation for the next episode. Each week I was on pins and needles waiting for what came next, speculating with friends, and adoring every minute of it.

From there, the jump into comics was very natural. And once I got here, so to speak, I really fell in love with the medium. I love the way a story unfolds throughout the panels. I love the way that layout controls pacing and mood and tension in such a way that it gives you a completely different experience than what you’d get from reading a book or watching a movie.

Comics were also the first thing I loved so much I actively sought out other fans. The comic community, on the whole, has just been so great and welcoming. There are few places in the world that I feel as “at home” as I do at a comic convention. Even when a con is insane and overwhelming, there’s just this genuine, fervent enthusiasm for this wonderful medium of storytelling, of heroic and not-so-heroic characters, of the awesome melding of art and words that is comics. I’ve made some of the best friends I have through comics, and I think my life is all the better having those silly funny pages in it.

Being a fangirl is part of who I am. It’s not all of me–I mean, I can go on and on about curling or marketing theory or my cat but I’m thinking that’s not why you’re here. I’m just very, very enthusiastic about the things I love. And really that’s what being a geek is all about: unabashedly loving what you love and wanting to share that with the whole universe. I think all of us at Fantastic Fangirls feel that way, and it’s why I’m so very excited and so very proud to be part of this team.

Go Team Fangirls!

Skipping to Conclusions: Comics on TV

Posted on by
2

In comics, and other geekdoms, we see a lot of teasers. Sometimes it’s just an image or the name of a creator, other times it’s a trailer or a simple tag line. Whatever it is, it’s meant to get a reaction from you and start a discussion. Inspired by the anticipation and buzz caused by these teasers, we at Fantastic Fangirls present Skipping to Conclusions in which we speculate about the comics, movies, TV shows, or whatever we’re excited about but hasn’t come out yet.

Hi everyone, Ali here! This week on an all-new Skipping to Conclusions, we’re talking about comic properties coming to the small screen.

S.H.I.E.L.D. 

At the end of August it was announced that Joss Whedon was developing a S.H.I.E.L.D. series for ABC. And there was much rejoicing! Whedon already has a hardcore following, but what makes me really excited about this is his solid television track record and the absolutely amazing job he did with Marvel’s The Avengers. I also like when he does shadowy extra-government agency stuff, like the Initiative on Buffy. It sounds like Whedon is well into the process for the show, having established the framework and pulled together the cast of characters. I think there’s enough momentum behind it that we’ll actually get to see it. And I am really psyched to see this show.

Amazon

In the category of stuff we probably won’t get to see: the CW’s Amazon. Last week, Vulture reported that the network was working on developing a series about Wonder Woman. Now, I’ve been burned by news like this before. NBC was working on developing a new Wonder Woman show by David E. Kelley. A pilot was ordered. It was problematic. And NBC as well as a couple other networks passed on it. But this time, there’s something that has me very, VERY excited: Allan-freaking-Heinberg.

Heinberg’s written and produced some of my favorite TV shows (Gilmore Girls and Grey’s Anatomy) as well as some really great comics, including the post-Infinite Crisis Wonder Woman relaunch. It’s possible there was squeeing and dancing when I read his name next to the project–I admit nothing! Vulture also reported that the show would follow a younger Diana, which I think could also be a really great spin. I’d be into a Smallville-esque Wonder Woman show (assuming they don’t prevent Diana from becoming Wonder Woman for 10 seasons).

How about you guys? What are your predictions for these shows?