IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT THE "NEW Wonder Woman"
PLEASE READ BEFORE FREAKING OUT!
LOTS OF COOL ART ATTACHED
News hit yesterday about a new Wonder Woman who would appear in DC's new Future State comic book, and fans online went crazy, quickly choosing sides, expressing outrage or excitement, and generally losing their minds over a publicity stunt. Here is a breakdown of what this all means, with some FACTS...
Personal Note: I spent an inordinate amount of time last night taking the High-resolution versions of the promo art and isolating the images and logos for some of the Immortal Wonder Woman and the new Wonder Woman, to showcase their looks better. I'm attaching them here, along with some material (alternate covers, designs) that was hidden away in deep corners of the internet and has not yet been PRed. If you repost, a note that the isolated images were produced by me would be nice.
[originally shared in Wonder Woman COLLECTORS CLUB
https://www.facebook.com/groups/284356604953247
]
1 - Is Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman going away?
ANSWER: No. Not even during this event. During this event she is known as "Immortal Wonder Woman," and has her own one-shot comic. She appears to be wearing a Green Lantern ring around her neck, Superman's cape, and a Batman belt, in addition to her current movie-inspired costume.
2 - Are they STOPPING Wonder Woman as we know her?
ANSWER: No. Well, technically, for two months, they will publish these books instead, and then go back to normal.
3 - Is the "new" Wonder Woman going to stay?
ANSWER: That is unknown. The character is part of a POSSIBLE future that we're seeing for two months. She may or may not appear again, in the future.
4 - Is Nubia part of this? Is the "new" Wonder Woman replacing Nubia?
ANSWER: Nubia is part of this potential future story, and will appear in her own short story. DC apparently DOES have plans to integrate Nubia into current Wonder Woman continuity somehow, but the plans have not yet been revealed.
5 - Is Donna Tory/Wonder Girl part of this? the "new" Wonder Woman replacing them?
ANSWER: Neither of them appears in the PR released so far, so they do not appear to be part of this two-month event.
6 - So why is this two-month event happening?
ANSWER: Because $$. When Dan Didio was heading DC Comics, he planned an event called 5G that showed five generations of heroes. In it, Wonder Woman was revealed to be the FIRST DC hero, and the one who inspired ALL heroes. She was part of the Justice Society, and she was part of the Justice League in all its incarnations. Eventually, in 5G, all of the aging DC heroes were going to have some kind of two-month event, during which NEW versions of those characters would be introduced. Some of the "legacy heroes" would then retire or go away, others would continue their own adventures. For Wonder Woman, the plan seemed to be that the ORIGINAL Wonder Woman would continue her own adventures, and a NEW Wonder Woman would have her own series as well.
When Dan Didio was *ahem* let go, newcomers killed his plans, but a massive amount of work had already been done. Then coronavirus shut down the comics industry and DC cancelled half of its line. So editorial punted, and used some of the materials in Wonder Woman #750 and special issues of Batman and Flash (#750 and Flash Forward TPB), and altered plans to introduce the 5G characters in FUTURE STATE, a two-month (and two-month only) excursion into ***AN*** ALTERNATE FUTURE.
7 - So FUTURE STATE and DEATH METAL and all of these others ultimately won't matter?
ANSWER: That remains to be seen. What DOES seem clear is that PARTS of the 5G plan are being put into place. DC is going to have some kind of continuity where ALL stories "happened." Wonder Woman was the first hero, was in the JSA, was in the JLA, etc. She once wore culottes and sometimes a skirt and shorts and panties and a thong and pants and a split-skirt. She once wore an eagle on her chest and a WW and a combination and the movie version. Other characters took on the Wonder Woman mantle over time including Hippolyta, Donna Troy, Orana, Artemis, and Circe. It ALL happened.
On top of that, Future State allows DC to introduce the NEW Wonder Woman character in a POSSIBLE future, in case they want to use her. And it allows them to reintroduce Nubia.
So, overall, it's a win for Wonder Woman fans of any version. Because they ALL happened.
But for the future, Diana of Themyscira WAS Wonder Woman, remains Wonder Woman, and will be Wonder Woman.
8 - What about the media versions like Cathy Lee Crosby, Lynda Carter, Gal Gadot and various animated versions?
ANSWER: Those while continue to exist in their own universes, and some aspects of them might be used as creators decide to use them. At this time, DC has no plans for further Lynda Carter/Wonder Woman '77 stories, but that may change.
ALL CLEAR? Two months! Still Diana!
And here is the info SO FAR about the books BOTH Wonder Woman will appear in during the two-month *possible future* event FUTURE TENSE - running January-February 2021 ONLY.
•• Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1-2
FUTURE STATE: IMMORTAL WONDER WOMAN #1
"Immortal Wonder Woman" written by MICHAEL W. CONRAD and BECKY CLOONAN, art by JEN BARTEL
"Nubia" written by L.L. McKINNEY, art by ALITHA MARTINEZ and MARK MORALES
cover by JEN BARTEL
card stock variant cover by PEACH MOMOKO
ON SALE 1/19/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $6.99 US
The Undoing are coming. Long past the Age of Heroes, few of Diana Prince's friends survive, and most of her sisters have passed as well. As an immortal goddess, this is her lot. But then, a threat appears that even the mighty Darkseid can't handle—and it's up to Wonder Woman to take on the battle! It's big action and high fantasy at the end of time, courtesy of Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Becky Cloonan (By Chance or Providence, Gotham Academy), and her Doom Patrol co-writer Michael W. Conrad, with the popular artist Jen Bartel (Blackbird) making her interior art debut for DC.
Then, peer into a closer future as the original champion of Themyscira strikes out on her own. Things have not been stable on Paradise Island for some time, and Nubia has found a new home in Man's World. Now, she is tasked with protecting it from the dangers of the world of myths and magic. The writer of DC's Nubia: Real One, L.L. McKinney, takes this powerful Amazon to a whole new level.
•• Future State: Wonder Woman #1 (features new Wonder Woman)
FUTURE STATE: WONDER WOMAN #1
written by JOËLLE JONES, art and cover by JOËLLE JONES
card stock variant cover by JENNY FRISON
card stock blank variant cover
ON SALE 1/5/21
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVERS $4.99 US
Deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest lies a hero of mythic legend...Wonder Woman! But in the absence of Diana, Yara Flor has risen out of obscurity to protect Man's World from the magic that lies within it. Along with her trusty steed, she journeys to the Underworld to rescue one of her Themysciran sisters from the grasp of Hades. Will she unleash the wrath of this god in the process? You won't want to miss this first appearance of a character who will change the history of Wonder Woman forever!
•• Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 (features new Wonder Woman)
FUTURE STATE: SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #1
written by DAN WATTERS, art by LEILA DEL DUCA
cover by LEE WEEKS
card stock variant cover by JEREMY ROBERTS
ON SALE 1/12/21
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK COVER $4.99 US
The sun has set on the heroes of the past, and a new age is dawning! As two arrogant gods challenge one another to a contest of strength, Superman and Wonder Woman are forced to take action to save their cities from the chaos. Together, Jonathan Kent and Yara Flor, man of science and woman of myth, have the potential to become something powerful, but that's only if they can learn to get along! Can the two fledgling heroes put their differences aside long enough to save the world they have sworn to protect?
•• Future State: Justice League #1-2 (features new Wonder Woman)
FUTURE STATE: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
"Justice League" written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, art by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
"Justice League Dark" written by RAM V, art by MARCIO TAKARA
cover by DAN MORA
card stock variant cover by KAEL NGU
ON SALE 1/12/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 of 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $6.99 US
Witness the start of a new era for the Justice League starring Jonathan Kent as Superman, Yara Flor as Wonder Woman, Jo Mullein as Green Lantern, Andy Curry as Aquawoman, a new Flash from the Multiverse, and [REDACTED] as Batman! Together, they protect the future, yet apart, their identities are secret even from one another—but why? When their greatest adversaries wind up murdered in an abandoned Hall of Justice, all clues point to...the Justice League! The new team's adventures begin here!
And in a new tale of the Justice League Dark, a witch hunt across the DC Universe begins as magic users are harvested and executed—and the team is on the run! Zatanna and Detective Chimp (now possessed by Etrigan) must round up new and old teammates, including John Constantine, Ragman, and Madame Xanadu. Their mission? To battle the power-mad Crow King, Merlin, before his plans for magical domination destroy the fabric of reality. But where is Dr. Fate? And what led the team to disband in the first place? Discover the truth here!
•• Future State: Suicide Squad #1-2 (features Immortal Wonder Woman)
FUTURE STATE: SUICIDE SQUAD #1
"Suicide Squad" written by ROBBIE THOMPSON, art by JAVI FERNANDEZ
"Black Adam" written JEREMY ADAMS, art by FERNANDO PASARIN
cover by JAVI FERNANDEZ
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW
ON SALE 1/26/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK COVER $6.99 US
The Suicide Squad enters the Future State era as Amanda Waller uses Task Force X to save the world and remake it in her image—but what happens when the team shows up to stop her?
And in the second story in this extra-sized issue, Black Adam, the immortal one-time champion of the wizard Shazam, rules the planet Kahndaq in the 853rd century. Can he save the future from a threat rooted in the past?
DC says, "Meanwhile in the Amazon rainforest, Yara Flor is chosen to be the new Wonder Woman. Years later, the new Superman and Wonder Woman join forces to save their cities in a new superhero team-up the likes of which the world has never seen."
On IGN, editor Jamie Rich said, "We will eventually discover that there are connections to the other tribes of the Amazons that we have established. Yara does have some connection to the Amazons, and part of what we'll discover in her origin is what activates her position, what makes her Wonder Woman at this time. She's from Brazil, but was an immigrant to America. There's also that element of her story. Even though we'll see her currently active as Wonder Woman, eventually we'll learn what her origin is - partially her figuring out what that means, where she's from, why this is her, how she relates to Diana, how she relates to the other Amazons."
"Joelle was looking at Yara as - she is new to this," continued Rich. "Her humanity is still very much intact and very much important. From a reader standpoint, what does that mean for me when I look at this character? Diana Prince is a goddess, so she's always a bit above us. This is a chance to sort of get back to some of the early roots of Wonder Woman where Diana was trying to be human and trying to learn how to be human. Now we're going the opposite way - how does a human learn how to be a goddess?"
"But even as Future State establishes Yara Flor and her relationships with her fellow young heroes, Future State will also spotlight the Amazonian warrior Nubia and even Diana Prince herself. Rich teased that we'll see the original Wonder Woman fighting at the very end of time, quite possibly the last surviving member of Earth's golden age of heroes."
Look for Dark Nights: Death Metal #6 to wrap up the current era of the DC Universe on January 6, 2021, with the various Future State titles shipping throughout January and February. March 2021 will see DC's normal publishing lineup return, continuing existing storylines from 2020 and introducing new arcs for the year.