Tag: DC

WW84: The Junior Novel by Calliope Glass (2020)

I know that some of you will accuse me of having junior humour, and you’re not exactly wrong!  But this was the ONLY adaptation of the WW84 film, and curiosity got me.  I don’t know how long the linked review will stay on the internet, but it goes into detail about what is “wrong” with the adaptation. Basically, the story leaves out a lot.

I will disagree on one point. Steve Trevor’s ‘resurrection’ always felt really foolish and verging on the edge of “mind rape,” so this adaptation glossing over it actually makes the story seem better!

As a 149-page retelling this has no addition detail from the film and very frustratingly stops before the film (and story) climax!  Maybe they had a hard stop at 150 pages but that doesn’t explain why there are 5 blank pages at the end, then!

No one needs to look this one up unless you are a hardcore WW collector, in which case you already have it.

Wonder Woman by Nancy Holder (2017)

While travelling visiting family this past Spring, I found this book in a used book store.  It’s a sad fact that movie-tie-in novelizations aren’t being done any more, except for those aimed at younger kids.  I hadn’t realized this one had come out, and Nancy Holder is a veteran of many adaptations. I really enjoyed her work in the Buffyverse.

As I expected, this is a solid telling of the story. What I usually love about novelizations is that they are done from a final script which often has more details than make it into the film.  Sadly, I didn’t learn anything “new” from this one.  I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed reading the book after not having seen the movie in many years. It was a nice diversion on a dreary Fall day.

When I stop to look over what I have collected over the years that’s comics-related, I have a surprising amount of Wonder Woman books. I am going to add this one into the collection.

Peacemaker Season 2 (2025, HBO Max)

I have not been a huge fan of the character of Peacemaker in the comics.  Like Harley Quinn, I really didn’t see the fuss until there were some changes and growth in the character.  I didn’t like Peacemaker in the movie Suicide Squad and I only watched about an episode and a half of season one of the show.

With James Gunn now the lord and master of DC TV & movies, I figured I would give S2 a look as I was reading that events would tie into future storytelling.  I’m glad I did.  I think John Cena has done a really good acting job with the character, and like Harleen Quinzel, Christopher Smith is actually pretty interesting.  The supporting characters each have something compelling or interesting about them as well.

There are a couple of elements from DC storytelling that get set up in S2, so I am glad I watched.  While I’ve read most everything of the big storylines from DC in the last 40 years, most times when watching a show it just gives me a ‘ping’ that something is coming from comics source material. Thank goodness for the internet to help refresh my memory!

One warning about this series is that the language, situations, and visuals (nudity, sex, violence) can be extreme and it’s definitely not a show for most kids younger than late teens.

The internet already tells me James Gunn has said there are no plans for a season three but that the characters and setups matter to other projects. It’s going to be quite the ride to see what Gunn picks from to make his DC Universe.