Wonder Woman Meets the Bionic Woman, published by DC Comics and Dynamite Entertainment, was one of the comics I was most looking forward to this past year – not to mention my entire life! When I was young, I worshiped Lynda Carter and Lindsay Wagner as Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman, respectively. I had both dolls based on the characters and created many a team-up adventures on my own. Granted, the plots of those adventures would probably be a little too “out there” for a mainstream comic book. Luckily, we have the pros on this one.
I was very excited when author Andy Mangels announced the dream-come-true mini-series. I’ve known Andy for a long time and was very happy for him to come up with such a great project. It seemed like it took FOREVER to come out, and now it’s over in the blink of an eye. The good news is that a trade paperback of the entire series, including all of the alternate covers and a re-colored first issue, is now available. Now, you can re-read the sure-to-be-classic Wonder Woman Meets the Bionic Woman story in one handy package.
I love that we live in a day and age that something like this would even be possible. The only thing better I could think of would have been if the TV series had a crossover such as this back in the day. Ah well, I’ll take what I can get. And in this case, it’s well worth it.
This is the first major Wonder Woman story for veteran writer Andy Mangels and one of the first projects period for series artist and relative newcomer Judit Tandora. It is clearly a labor of love for the writer and long-time fan and aficionado of both Diana and Jaime Summers. Andy pulls out all of the stops with a plethora of hidden gems and Easter eggs that would satiate the most rabid fanboys and fangirls. From fembots to Drusila to the Bionic Woman’s dog, Max, it feels like no stone was left unturned.
This would be a great project even if it weren’t such a quality package. The novelty of pairing up the two female ’70s icons is juicy enough on its own. Fortunately, it is a quality package.
The series wound up being a hit, ranking in the top 100 and being the second bestselling title for Dynamite this year. If the trade paperback does well enough, we may be treated to a sequel to the exciting series. I can imagine there would be plenty of ideas to reunite the two powerhouses. So, make sure you run out and get your copy today… and perhaps extras for all of your Wonder Woman friends.
From the press release:
Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman, the most beloved female icons of 1970s television, come together for globe-trotting action against their worst enemies! Diana Prince and Jaime Sommers team up to fight a rogue cabal bent on wreaking havoc and stealing deadly weapons. Can CASTRA be stopped before their real targets are revealed and lives are lost? And what three familiar villains threaten the unbeatable combination of bracelets and bionics? Bestselling author Andy Mangels (Star Trek, Star Wars) and artist Judit Tondora (Grimm Fairy Tales) join forces for a celebration of the original Girl Power!
Characters reappearing from the Wonder Woman TV series include: Steve Trevor, Joe Atkinson, Rover the robot dog, IRAC the computer, Eve Welch, Queen Mother (note: never called “Hippolyta” in the series), Drusilla/Wonder Girl, Amadonna/Tina, Fausta Grables, Caroyln Hamilton/Nubia, Doctor Asclepia, Gloria/Dr. Cyber, Dr. Solano, Captain Radl, Hoffman the toymaker, and others.
The trade has a beautiful cover by Alex Ross, is masterfully written by Andy Mangels, and with promising art from Judit Tandora. I love all of the alternate covers by some of the greatest artists of our time. The ones by Phil Jimenez and Bill Sienkiewicz being my favorites.
The Wonder Woman Meets the Bionic Woman trade paperback is out now.
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