"WITH GREAT POWER THERE MUST ALSO COME -- GREAT RESPONSIBILITY!"

Stan Lee, "Spider-Man!" Amazing Fantasy No. 15 (Sept. 1962)

Monday, July 31, 2017

Thoughts on Wonder Woman: Earth One

Grant Morrison's Wonder Woman: Earth One (2016) offers an interesting new take on the origin of the popular character. The Earth One series is sort of modern version of the Elseworlds imprint and presents contemporary reinterpretations of DCs various heroes.

Wonder Woman: Earth One is a new origin for Wonder Woman best received by mature readers. It pays much homage to past representations of the character of Princess Diana if Themyscria and her legend while also largely updating the figure for today by focusing on the need for the Amazons to concern themselves with Man's World once more. However, there are some issues to be aware of.

First up, purists might take offense that Steve Trevor is now an African American soldier sent specifically in search of Paradise Island by the U. S. military. In Morrison's defense, he is still a good character, and the changes are not much of big deal in an era of race-free casting. Plus, Morrison makes his background a central part of his willingness to help Diana.

Second, and most disturbing, the book relishes in images of violence and (especially) bondage. Morrison seems to include these aspects to link back to Marston's original concepts for the character, but they are very unsettling and push the book into more adult territory.

Finally,  the book also rewrites the myth of Diana's creation, a now frequent occurrence, and (spoiler warning) makes her a mythological test tube baby formed from combining one of Hippolyta's egg with sperm taken from Hercules, the Amazon's oppressor millennia ago.

Further information on the book at http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/wonder-woman-earth-one-2016/wonder-woman-earth-one-vol-1.


Art of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

An informative read with much insight into the creative process:

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: The Art of the Movie Slipcase (Hardcover)

Writer: Jacob Johnson

Extended credits and info
Imprint: Marvel Universe
ISBN: 978-1-302-90270-4
Format: Hardcover
Price: $50.00
FOC Date: Mar 13, 2017 Published: May 03, 2017
Rating: All Ages

The Guardians are back! After saving the universe, Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot find themselves with expunged records and a new mandate: Guard what needs guarding. Now, go inside the Marvel studios in this new collectible volume! Discover exclusive concept art, production stills, and commentary from cast and crew — including returning director James Gunn and Marvel’s extraordinary Visual Development team. Complete your ART OF THE MOVIE collection with this latest installment as the Guardians soar to new heights!

http://marvel.com/comics/collection/60045/marvels_guardians_of_the_galaxy_vol_2_the_art_of_the_movie_slipcase_hardcover

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Blog Update 7/1/17

Effective 1 July 2017, Comics Medium Links and More is now fully under the domain of the The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture and The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain as a means of furthering our work on The Medieval Comics Project (http://medieval-comics-project.blogspot.com/) and The Arthur of the Comics Project (http://arthur-of-the-comics-project.blogspot.com/).

Michael A. Torregrossa
Founder