It wouldn’t be a weekday without a famous comic book superhero getting a new origin story, and this time, it’s the princess of the Amazons herself, Wonder Woman. That isn’t to say that Diana’s origin is set to be rewritten or re-imagined by DC Comics, but the publisher has announced that a new digital series is in the works to highlight the earliest days of the superheroine’s creation.
The announcement comes as Wonder Woman is set to take a bigger stage than any before in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Assuming that a surge of new fans may be curious to learn about her origins on the inked page – and that comic aficionados will like to get on the same page when dishing out answers – having a digital comic series focused on just that has become a top priority for DC.
Over the years, Wonder Woman has undergone too many drastic changes to count, with her powers most recently re-written in DC’s mythology as the result of her divine heritage. No longer was she fashioned out of clay by her mother Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, but the daughter of Zeus (the clay was just a cover story). In January 2016, “The Legend of Wonder Woman” will shine a brighter light on exactly what DC considers the important moments of the character’s fictional origin.
Read below for the official statement from DC Comics:
For our Digital fans, January also brings a new Digital First series featuring the Amazon warrior princess herself, WONDER WOMAN! THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN is a nine-issue digital series written and illustrated by Renae De Liz, with inker/colorist Ray Dillon. In the beginning there was only chaos. But Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, sees a better future – and eventually her daughter is destined to bring that new world to life. But before her ultimate destiny is revealed, Diana of Themyscira must learn the important lessons of an Amazonian childhood!
Even without a big screen Justice League team-up and solo film on the horizon, a comic series focused solely on Wonder Woman’s origin is a welcome announcement. While even casual comic fans can name John Byrne’s “Man of Steel” and Mark Waid’s “Superman: Birthright” origin re-writes, or Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One,” far fewer definitive chronicles of Diana’s beginnings exist. What better time to release a condensed, streamlined origin story?
But before fans start lining up to call foul on DC adopting Zack Snyder’s origin story into the comics, or assuming that the story contained within “The Legend of Wonder Woman” will be the canonical origin in the DC Extended Universe, there’s no official link as of yet. The fact that the comic series is a Digital First suggests it is simply in line with the previous “Wonder Woman” digital series, “Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman.”
As far as the films are concerned, it would seem that Wonder Woman’s actual origin story is set to be explored in her solo film, not Dawn of Justice. Those involved in the film have suggested that Diana’s origin in the DCEU will follow DC’s New 52 version, with rumors of her being far older than her Justice League allies. If there is a connection between DC’s upcoming origin story and the one set to be revealed on the big screen, we would expect to hear about it before long.
What do you think of the new origin comic series? Do you hope to see the new or classic origin maintained, with a bit more time spent on Diana’s childhood and mother? Or should DC take the opportunity to give movie fans a taste of what to expect from Gal Gadot and Zack Snyder’s version of the superheroine? Sound off in the comments.
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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016; Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 23, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; Green Lantern Corps on June 19, 2020. Untitled Batman and Superman solo films will be coming at dates TBD.
