*Please note that this article is an opinion-editorial.
Welcome back, Wonder Fans, to another exciting edition of Wonder Woman Wednesday! If you thought I was going to run out of things to say about “Wondy,” you’ve got another think coming. I could talk about Wonder Woman’s eyelashes for hours. Hmm. Maybe next week.
Imagine, if you will, a world where Wonder Woman fans who are also fans of Storm from The X-Men are treated to a mash-up of the Princess of Themiscira with everyone’s favorite weather-manipulating mutant mistress. No need to imagine, friends. It actually happened!
That’s right, kids! The big two (and rival comic godfathers), Marvel and DC, have played in the same sandbox more than once. In 1996, Amalgam, the comic book event to end all comic book events, was thrust upon us. The erstwhile rivals put on their big boy pants and cooked up 12 one-shots of amalgamations or “mash-ups” from their respective line of iconic characters. “Spider-boy,” “Iron Lantern,” “Dark Claw”- it doesn’t get much better than that.
But, wait . . . It does!!! Storm plus Wonder Woman equals Amazon. Shazam! I’ve died and gone to heaven. Sure, Amalgam sounds tantamount to a disease curable with penicillin, but the outcome was nothing short of brilliant! But, wait . . . there’s more. Amazon is written and drawn by comics legend John Byrne? Oh my stars and garters! Though it seems to chap his @$$, Byrne will always be remembered for his legendary run alongside co-legendary scribe Chris Claremont. He seemed to talk more of the other members of the team, but it always seemed pretty evident he had a fondness for Storm or else he couldn’t possibly draw her so lovely. Unequivocally, I cannot think of a single artist that draws Ororo better than Byrne. And, I also loved his run on Wonder Woman no matter what the haters say. Ohhh! Hey, now – that grip of “Donna Troy’s” from Byrne’s “Who is Donna Troy” storyline can all have a slumber party thanks to “Convergence”. Why not?
Oh, did I mention legendary comic inker Terry Austin, who rode side-saddle on artistic duties during Byrne’s epic X-capades, and Byrne were reuniting for this project? Yeah. There’s that.
Amazon tells the tale of a young Ororo, orphaned when Poseidon capsized her parents’ ship and then rescued and raised by Amazons to later become their princess and champion after discovering her mutant ability to control the weather. All this leading to a climactic confrontation with Poseidon! “It’s not nice to mess with Mother Nature,” after all. Epic. Genius.
I suggest you march your butt down to the bargain bin at your local comic shop (mine being Golden Apple in Los Angeles), your PayPal account, or over to eBay or Amazon (Pun intended.) and snatch yourself up a copy of the earth-shattering Amazon – A DC/Marvel joint. Although this is also available in trade paperback, sadly, I doubt we will see it digitally as relations don’t seem so hot between Marvel and DC these days.
That reminds me. It seems like there’s also a divide amongst comic book fans. Either you’re a “Marvel Zombie” or a “DC . . . ” Um, whatever they call DC fans. Were these hybrids torture for them? Did the Amalgam Universe make them want to gag? Was mixing Superman with Captain America enough to elicit heresy? Do two great tastes NOT go great together? Ah well, that’s a story for another day and certainly not mine to tell. See you back here next week for another whimsical edition of Wonder Woman Wednesday.
