As the female icon in comics, Wonder Woman deserves celebrating pretty much all the time. This year, however, she’s reached a huge milestone. DC is celebrating Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary!
Wonder Woman made her first appearance in comics in 1941 in All-Star Comics #8 as DC tested her appeal at a time when there weren’t many female heroes at all. Since then, Wonder Woman has become hugely popular, and over her 75-year history has appeared everywhere from comics, to animation, to live-action television, and finally, to live-action film, played beautifully by Gal Gadot in Batman v Superman.
DC kicks-off their year-long celebration of Wonder Woman with the awesome new logo you see at the top of this post, and this logo will first be seen in print when Wonder Woman #1, written by Greg Rucka, comes out on New Comic Book Day next week! They’re then going to be rolling out all sorts of special products and hosting some very special events throughout the rest of the year, culminating in the theatrical release of Wonder Woman in 2017.
In a statement from DC Entertainment, Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. says, “Wonder Woman is a legend around the world and one of the most valuable franchises at our studio, and we’re thrilled to celebrate this anniversary. Millions of fans already know her from comic books, television, and her big screen debut in Batman v Superman, but the upcoming year building to her first solo film will be the most dynamic and exciting in the character’s history.”
I’m excited for the upcoming year. I’ve gotta say that despite having been a comics reader in my childhood, and then come back to comics full-throttle in 2004, I’m woefully under-read when it comes to Wonder Woman. I’ve seen the character in some animated stuff, read team books where she’s made an appearance, and just got caught up on Renae de Liz’s awesome limited series, The Legend of Wonder Woman, but I’m thrilled to have a year of celebration to give me a reason to delve into the character and check out everything I’ve missed! If you’re looking for a crash course in Wonder Woman history, check out our “75 Years of Wonder Woman” video.
Check out this list of all the fun plans DC Entertainment will be rolling out to celebrate our favorite Amazon:
- At long last, June 2, 2017, will see the long-held hopes of millions of fans fulfilled as the first “Wonder Woman” movie is released in cinemas worldwide, starring Gal Gadot in the title role, Chris Pine as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as the Amazonian General Antiope and Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, directed by Patty Jenkins.
- A “Wonder Woman 75” panel at San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2016 will celebrate the history and future of the Super Hero, along with displays at DC’s booth of Lynda Carter’s original costume from the 1970s television series and numerous additional costumes, including the one worn by star Gal Gadot in the upcoming film.
- A commemorative box set of Wonder Woman’s greatest stories to be released by DC in July, as well as a hardcover special edition celebrating her 75th anniversary to be released in October and available through the holidays.
- A life-size Wonder Woman invisible jet will be on display at San Diego Comic-Con and the rare plane will illuminate at night for fan photos, along with one-of-a-kind Wonder Woman-inspired graffiti-art pieces. WBCP and Mattel will offer an exclusive anniversary DC Multiverse™ Wonder Woman Action Figure and Invisible Jet combo set (available exclusively on Mattycollector.com beginning June 17) designed especially for the 75th celebration.
- A wide range of new Warner Bros. Consumer Products licensed merchandise, including The Barbie™ Collection Amazon Princess Wonder Woman™ Barbie® Doll (available exclusively on Mattycollector.com beginning June 17), fashion and accessories from partners such as Valentino, Under Armour and Converse, luggage and backpacks from Pottery Barn, and a line of Wonder Woman-inspired beauty products available exclusively at Walgreens.
- New toys and webisodes from the recently launched DC Super Hero Girls line prominently featuring Wonder Woman, as well as an original animated movie, “DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year,” coming to Digital HD on August 9 and DVD on August 23.
- Included on the home entertainment release of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” coming to Digital HD on June 28th and Blu-ray Combo Pack on July 19th, is a 22-minute featurette called “The Warrior, The Myth, The Wonder” which explores Wonder Woman’s history, origin, evolution and powerful impact on popular culture.
- Curated Spotify playlists from top female talent in music, film, TV, sports, and more. WaterTower Music and DC’s weekly playlists showcase the music that inspires these ladies to be Wonder Women in their daily lives. Listen to the first curated list from musician Brandy Clark here and follow the WW75 playlist to receive weekly updates.
- Wonder Woman returns as a major player in the upcoming video game “Injustice 2,” the highly anticipated sequel in development by NetherRealm Studios to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2017.
Which of these are you most excited about? Personally, having had very little experience with the character in other mediums, Gal Gadot’s interpretation of the character got me super-jazzed. I want that movie so hard. And much the way Rey in The Force Awakens inspired me to go back and appreciate all things Star Wars, so too is this live-action female film character inspiring me to go back to the source and look at Wonder Woman “the icon” through fresh eyes.
This is the importance of gender representation, folks.
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