Wonder Woman (yes, really)

So, to properly trace the origins of this blog post this evening, Sheena Goodyear popped up on Twitter earlier today and linked to this which is about Mad men actress Christina Hedricks desire to play Wonder Woman in a movie.

Now, I'd post a photo of Hedricks here on the blog for discussion about whether or not she would be a good match, but I doubt Cathy would appreciate me sticking pictures of well-endowed redheads on the blog.

Now, as much as I might like to watch Hedricks tempt the laws of physics for a couple of hours in Wonder Woman's bustier, I don't think she'd be a good match for the role. And it's not the red hair either. She's just not...right.

(Bear with me, folks. This is a geeky comic book post. They leak out sometimes.)

I'm not a diehard Wonder Woman fan simply because she's been so badly written over the years. And the fact that DC Comics does not have an all ages Wonder Woman comic out every month is surely one of the most idiotic publishing decisions of the past couple of decades. But I do have a fondness for the character. I have a lovely sketch of her done by Colleen Coover hanging on my wall that I'm looking at right now.

Hendricks simply doesn't match how the character looks from my favourite two runs of the series. The first came from the 1980s and was written and drawn by George Perez. Perez is a legend in the industry; a very good writer and probably one of the 10 best modern comic book artists around. He did both writing and drawing duties on the first 24 issues when the series was relaunched in the mid-80s. And it was wonderful stuff. Diana was drawn and written as a young woman, probably around 19, first arriving in "Man's World" and learning about a new world. Oh, and she saves the world, beats up gods and that sort of thing.

She's smart, brave, curious and not drawn all tits and hips because Perez knows how to draw.

So that's how I've seen Wonder Woman in the movie. Young, probably around 20 or so. Hendricks is in her 30s, I believe.

My next favourite run of the series was about 20 years later (as I said, a lot of bad stuff over the years). This Diana is older. She writes books and encourages young women to start clubs dedicated to her ideals about peace. She's set up embassies to represent Themyscira to the rest of the world. She addresses the United Nations. She has a mission, and it's not about beating up super villains.

As much as I like that, and you could use that in future movies, the thing I liked the best in that run is that Rucka insisted that she be drawn like a Greek woman. So she's not caucasion with blue eyes. She has a darker complexion and is drawn in a more, I loathe the term ethnic, but drawn differently than before.

Wonder Woman should look exotic. Which is a problem given how very...homogenized Hollywood looks. So basically you need an exotic young woman with some curves (Wonder Woman isn't a stick) who can act. For years the perfect person for it was Morena Baccarin (Yes, I know she's Brazilian), but she's 30 now, which is hardly old, but not the right age for the character as I see her.

Oh yeah, and a good script that's open enough so that new viewers can get into things without a ton of back story, but is still respectful to the character. The first Iron Man movie is the gold standard for introducing a character without it feeling like an origin story.

So yeah, it's never going to happen. They can barely get the comic right most months, let alone a movie. But dare to dream.

Anyway, a comic book post for you all. At least it's not curling, though.

Btw, I recommend the following graphic novels if you can find them. Some might be out of print. Perez - Gods and Mortals, Challenge of the Gods, Beauty and the Beasts, Destiny Calling.
Rucka - Down to Earth, Bitter Rivals, Land of the Dead, Mission's End, The Hiketeia.

Last Five
1. Honky tonk woman - The Rolling Stones
2. Bryn - Vampire Weekend
3. Basement scene - Deerhunter
4. Unforgiven - Metallica
5. Mysterious ways - U2*