Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The dream couple everyone's waited for finally comes together

DC Comics first teased it some 20-25 or so years ago. There have been a seemingly infinite number of fan fiction stories written projecting them as eventually getting married. To a jaded fan like me, this really isn't a big deal after all.

Let me bottom line it for you. Beginning with the new issue of Justice League, in stores tomorrow, writer Geoff Johns & artist Jim Lee have put Superman & Wonder Woman together as a romantic couple. This would explain why, when DC relaunched its universe in the "New 52" initiative a year ago, Superman was no longer married to investigative reporter Lois Lane, ending a 15 year coupling. By the same token, the Amazing Amazon's long-standing relationship with military lifer Steve Trevor was treated as past tense when the "New 52" began.

DC, however, is playing this up as major news, getting ink in the papers and online within the last 24 hours. Two of the company's icons, both of whom had some major tweaking done to them in the "New 52", now the very definition of "power couple". Oh, sure, as fans of the animated Justice League Unlimited are aware, WB tried pairing Wonder Woman with The Batman for a brief time, but that was doomed to fail. It would've been something if DC picked up on it and tried to transfer it to their monthly books, and, yes, there've been fan-fics about Batman & Wonder Woman, too. You have to understand that the classic pairings could eventually be put together anew down the line, but the only way that happens is if the union of a Kryptonian orphan and a Amazon Princess-turned-goddess ends up failing.

Oh, wait, you're saying. Wonder Woman, a goddess? Yeah, that's what was done a year ago. Someone decided that instead of being molded out of magic clay, Wonder Woman was now the daughter of Zeus, which would make her Hercules' half-sister or something. I stopped reading Justice League a few months ago, and I wasn't reading Wonder Woman, so I found out about her altered lineage via a piece in today's New York Daily News. My brain hurts just thinking about it.

I am not sure about how older fans, especially those in my age bracket, are reacting, but as I said at the start, to me, this is not a big deal. I get that DC wants to try something that, to most readers, is relatively new. However, I just don't see this working out in the long term.

Let's say DC pulls the trigger and marries off the two icons. Then, some genius comes along with a radical idea to again reboot the DC Universe, and we're back at square one, and this will have all been for naught. In hindsight, DC was better off leaving well enough alone, and maybe, just maybe, they'll learn that lesson the hard way.

6 comments:

Samuel Wilson said...

They actually did tease the Batman-Wonder Woman thing in the comics for a short while. I remember the blow-off came in a story where they shared a machine-induced fantasy of what their future together would be like. But it was always a ridiculous idea.

A friend who has kept on reading the Justice League book says that he's seen no teasing or build-up for this and the report of it in Entertainment Weekly caught him totally by surprise. But I get the impression that's often how big decisions get made at DC.

hobbyfan said...

I remember there was a hardcore graphic novel a few years ago that did suggest a Batman-WW pairing, but I didn't realize they did try it in the monthlies.

The "big decisions" are more motivated, IMPO, by playing media chicken with Marvel. They make a move, DC responds, yadda, yadda, yadda. Like I said, not really a biggie.

magicdog said...

I remember back in the early 90s they had an "Elseworlds" story in which Supes and Wondy became a couple (but it happened "after the end" and most everyone else was dead) so I'm not comepletely suprised they decided to pull this in the New 52.

In my heart of hearts however, Clark & Lois will always be made for each other, as Steve was for Diana.

Making Diana the daughter of Zeus IS a big suprise. I guess this means she's the half sister of Cassie Sandsmark now. They really should have left that one alone.

hobbyfan said...

I meant to say "hardcover" earlier, and goofed. My bad.

Magicdog, I feel the same as you do, and I think most older fans do as well. You know what they say. If it ain't broken........

Samuel Wilson said...

magicdog's thinking of Kingdom Come, and besides that Frank Miller imagined the couple having a daughter in The Dark Knight Strikes Back. And ya know, you can probably find a "hardcore" Bats/WW coupling out there if you look hard enough!

hobbyfan said...

I get your drift, Sammy, and I figured that would get your attention. Some of us try not to fall into the gutter, though, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Anyone wanna take bets on this not working?