Welcome to your mid-week/new comic book day edition of Comics Relief! Today we start our collection of news with the creator of Young Justice enlisting the help of the fans to bring back the beloved comic book series. Read on for all the details!
Young Justice creator asks for fan help to bring back the comic
Writer Greg Weisman, co-creator of the Young Justice animated series, is asking the dedicated fanbase of the show to let the folks at DC Comics know they want a new volume of the Young Justice tie-in comic book title to accompany the recently announced third season of the show. On Weisman’s blog, he told fans the following:
“Brandon Vietti and I are hard at work on Season Three of the Young Justice television series. But (a) we just got started and (2) making animated episodes takes a long time. (Ten months minimum. Minimum.) So, if you want more new YJ stories sooner, the answer is pretty simple. Artist Christopher Jones and I are chomping at the bit to make more Young Justice stories in comic book form. Producing a comic book takes considerably less time than producing television episodes, so if we got a green light on a comic book series now, you could theoretically have new stories in a matter of months.”
Weisman also explained how fans could help make this happen, adding the answer is again simple “Buy the comics that already exist! The best way to show DC that you want more comics is to purchase these stories electronically on the DC App, on Comixology, or on iTunes.” If fans could make a new season of Young Justice happen against all odds, then almost certainly the comic could return as well. [Newsarama]
Wonder Woman removed from United Nations Ambassador status
Speaking of DC’s greatest heroes, a few months ago we reported on how Wonder Woman had been named an honorary ambassador for womenâs empowerment worldwide at a gala event at the United Nations in New York. A huge ceremony was held for the feminist icon that included both live-action Wonder Women Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot in attendance.
And now it appears that Wonder Womanâs ambassadorship is over, thanks to a wrong-headed petition to remove her, which garnered just a little bit shy of 45,000 signatures, and stated the following in part:
“Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent âwarriorâ woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the characterâs current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee high boots âthe epitome of a âpin-upâ girl. This is the character that the United Nations has decided to represent a globally important issue â that of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. It appears that this character will be promoted as the face of sustainable development goal 5 for the United Nations at large.”
In this Wonder Woman fan’s opinion, this is the epitome of so-called “slut shaming,” although as a character Wonder Woman almost has no sexual history in the comics (I can count her love interests over 75 years on one hand). The fact that she merely shows some skin — in reality, no more than an Olypmic female track athlete — has deemed her “too sexual,” and therefore her message of peace and equality should fall on deaf ears.
Calling her a “large breasted woman of impossible proportions” is also totally misleading. She’s not some ’90s Image Comics character, and is rarely ever drawn in an overly sexualized way. Her proportions are merely of a tall athletic woman, and have been filled in reality nicely by two real world women. And even her costume barely resembles the American flag anymore. It’s clear those against her don’t know anything about the character. If this make you angry, there is already a Change.org petition to bring Wonder Woman back as UN Ambassador, which you can sign here: [Comics Beat]
Wolverine gets herself a new costume in March
Although the character is not getting an all-new #1 issue relaunch as part of Marvel’s mutant ResurrXion, the Laura Kinney version of Wolverine will continue on, but with a bit of an update. Wolverine will receive a new bulletproof costume, which looks a whole lot like Logan’s old grey-and-black X-Force suit. Laura’s previous costume was the blue-and-yellow one based on Logan’s most well known outfit.
In an interview, writer Tom Taylor said “A lot of what weâve been doing in this series comes down to moving Laura to the next logical step. Sheâs growing on the page. This suit is part of that growth. It all comes down to the amount of times Laura is hurt, or taken out of action. Just because she has a healing factor, doesnât mean she enjoys pain, or bullets ripping through her internal organs. This suit is designed to be bulletproof and generally more protective.” The new direction begins in March with All-New Wolverine #19. Artist Leonard Kirk, who designed the new costume, also joins the series with #19. [Game Spot]
Dragon Ball gets alternate reality “What if?” style series
Attention Dragon Ball fans — Shueishaâs ShÅnen Jump Plus digital manga magazine has launched a âWhat Ifâ¦?â-style story centered around the character of Yamcha as the main heroic figure of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The new series is being written and illustrated by Dragon Garow Lee, and is called Dragon Ball Side Story: The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha.
This alternate reality story starts when a high school student and Dragon Ball fan finds himself in the body of Yamcha, who then uses his fan knowledge to make Yamcha a formidable hero in his own right. The first issue is now available for fans to read, but it is only available in the original Japanese as of right now. We will update fans as to when an English translation is on its way. [CBR]
Hanna-Barbera characters meet the DC heroes
For years, DC has published titles based on classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, as both companies are owned by Warner Brothers. But the Hanna-Barbera characters have never crossed over with the DC heroes…until now. DC has announced there will be four crossover annuals released in March 2017, including a Suicide Squad meets the Banana Splits story by Tony Bedard and artist Ben Caldwell. Another crossover will feature Green Lantern and Space Ghost, Jonny Quest and Adam Strange, and Booster Gold and the Flintstones (yes, really). For more info on these special one-shots, click on our full story here: [Nerdist]
Archie Comics announces four new one-shots
Archie Comics has announced the release of four new one-shots coming out in March 2017, all set in the rebooted universe that was introduced last year in Mark Waid and Fiona Staplesâ new version of Archie. The four new titles include: Jughead: The Hunger, by Frank Tieri and Michael Walsh, The Archies, by Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg, with art by Joe Eisma, Â Little Archie (which was teased last week) by Art Baltazar and Franco, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, by Katie Cook and Franco, with art by Andy Price.
According to Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater, âThese new launches give readers a wider lens with which to see the Archie characters and concepts. I think of it as a very ambitious and top-line pilot season that showcases the successful and acclaimed New Riverdale sensibility. If these books resonate, fans might just see them greenlit as regular series.â You can see cover art for the four new one-shots in our gallery below. [Entertainment Weekly]
Images: DC Comics / Marvel Comics / Shonen Jump / Archie Comics