The Ballad of Donna Troy.
It occurred to me in preparing to write this week’s column that it may be misleading to call Donna Troy “Wonder Girl,” as she hasn’t been properly Wonder Girl in quite some time – at least a generation; however, Donna Troy was the original Wonder Girl and the one and only in many people’s eyes.
Before Rebirth, before Flashpoint, and way before Twerking, we had the mother of all continuity band-aids: Crisis on Infinite Earths, the first-ever cross-company, epic storyline. The event would promise to “fix” continuity glitches, retcon silly storylines, eliminate arbitrary family members and side kicks, and reset the status quo.
One of the sad casualties of this was Donna Troy, or at least her origin, that is. As great as George Perez’s revamp of Wonder Woman was, it left little room for the possibility that Diana and Donna could be sisters.
After a series of explanations, revamps, deaths, resurrections, and other malarkey, Donna exists in the Rebirth Universe.
It’s not crystal clear what her origin is yet or her connection to Wonder Woman, if any. I highly doubt Donna’s formation from clay only to massacre the male Amazon population over in the 52 Wonder Woman holds any water (if we’re lucky).
During his polarizing run on Wonder Woman, John Byrne introduced his equally polarizing version of Wonder Girl in Cassie Sandsmark. While the character was quite irritating, she didn’t stand a chance. Donna Troy is a much-beloved character and few can hold a candle to her. Cassie would eventually find her place under the tutelage of Geoff Johns during his stellar Titans run.
Rebirth is upon us, and Donna’s role is still unclear, but at least she’s here! Her costume is fantastic, and she’s with the Titans where she belongs. I do sorely miss her unique relationship with Starfire, but I’ll take what I can get.
So, we have yet to see a Wonder Girl, and maybe that’s a good thing. With the Wonder Woman feature film on the horizon , perhaps it’s best to focus on Diana before any sidekicks hit the stage. I’m sure there’s a lot riding on the outcome of the film.
DC has to be aware of how special Donna Troy is to the fan community. She’s everyone’s sister, best friend, or boyhood (or girlhood) crush. She’s the heart and soul of the DCU. She’s the Jean Grey of the Teen Titans! (Trust me!)
Donna Troy fans are almost as (if not more) passionate than Wonder Woman fans. Whatever her ties to Wonder Woman turn out to be, she’ll always be my Wonder Girl!
That’s all for this week, guys. Make sure to check out the I Am Wonderfan Facebook page.
