[Main theme]
Hello everyone!
And welcome to the fiftieth episode of MajestiComic!
To show our appreciation for all of you who have been keeping up with us so far, we let
our fans decide which character we should profile in this very special episode.
Fittingly, you chose one of the most prestigious, most inspiring, most beloved characters of
all time: Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman has been around for over seventy five years now, and as you can see by all
of the praise the new Wonder Woman movie is getting in 2017, she's not going anywhere
anytime soon.
Wonder Woman first appeared in 1941 in All-Star Comics, issue number eight.
This comic book was a product of National Publications, which would later turn into
the DC Comics conglomerate we know today.
Unlike most comic book characters, the idea for Wonder Woman did not come from a writer
or an artist – it came from a psychologist named William Moulton Marston.
To most of us, that name probably doesn't sound familiar, but in fact, he is one of
the most influential psychologists in history.
In the early 1900s, Marston invented what was called a "systolic blood pressure deception
test," which would lead to the development of the lie detector test as we know it today.
Marsten worked as a consultant to National Publications, who were looking to make their
comic books more educational.
When he was given the opportunity to come up with his own character, he decided to create
one that defeated enemies with the power of love, not just by brute force alone, like
many of the other heroes at the time.
When he discussed his idea with his wife, she suggested that he make the character a
woman, and this is where our story begins.
Marsten, working with artist H.G. Peter, set out to create something that had never even
been considered before in the realm of comic books.
He wanted to make a female character that had all the beauty, allure, and femininity
of a woman, but who was just as strong and powerful as Superman.
Up until this point in history, anything feminine was seen as weak or delicate, and not something
one should strive to be if they could help it.
Wonder Woman changed all that though, because she was both beautiful and strong – meaning
that real women could be both of those things too.
Marsten, always the psychologist, flushed out the character even more by setting her
on a never-ending quest for truth.
Her famous Lasso of Truth, which renders anyone it ties up unable to tell a lie, was actually
based on the famous lie detector test that Marsten helped to invent.
He also fulfilled his role as educational consultant to National Publications by giving
Wonder Woman an origin story that was based on mythology.
Once all of these ideas were synthesized into one cohesive character, Wonder Woman was born.
When we first see her, though, she is Princess Diana of Themyscira.
She lives on Paradise Island, an island inhabited by a tribe of Amazons where there are no men
allowed.
This turns into a big problem for Diana, though, when a U.S. Army Intelligence pilot named
Steve Trevor arrives on the scene.
In the midst of trying to track down a Nazi spy, he crashes his plane on Paradise Island,
and Diana finds him.
He is gravely wounded, and Diana helps to nurse him back to health, slowly falling in
love with him in the process.
Unfortunately, though, Diana's mother, Queen Hippolyta, will not stand for this.
As I said before, men are not allowed on Paradise Island, and she insists that once Trevor has
recovered enough to travel, he must go back to the United States.
This is where the story takes on a familiarly patriotic tone, similar to other comic books
released during the World War II era.
The Amazonian tribe then finds out how Trevor came to be there in the first place, and what
he was trying to do when he crashed his plane, and they immediately see how important his
mission to defeat the Nazis really is.
Not only does the tribe then fully support him and his efforts, they decide to send one
of their warriors back with him to the States, to help him take down Communism.
To decide which one of the women from the tribe will accompany him back to America,
the Amazons hold a contest that will determine who among them is the strongest warrior.
Diana, of course, wants to enter, so that she can support the man she loves, but her
mother, the leader of the tribe, forbids it.
Diana is clever, though, and disguises herself with a mask to enter the contest.
She proves to be as talented, strong, and brave as she is smart, and she wins the contest.
Her mother has no choice but to let her be the Amazon's chosen warrior, and she gives
her her trademark patriotic American costume, and sends her back to the U.S. with Steve.
Before she leaves, though, her mother also gives her one last thing: the name Wonder
Woman.
So now we know how Wonder Woman got her name, her costume, and her one true love, but how
did she come to be?
What is her origin story?
Luckily for fans, the character was a huge hit with audiences, particularly females who
found her to be very empowering, in spite of her skimpy superhero outfit.
So, in 1942, Wonder Woman was given her own solo line of comics, and this is where we
get the first version of her origin story.
In Wonder Woman, issue #1, we find out that the Amazonian tribe to which Diana belonged
had been around since 1200 BC, when Greek goddesses drew forth the souls of several
women who had died at the hands of men.
They gave them their own body, but no one was actually "born" in this tribe.
They all just came to be when their souls were drawn forth and given new life.
In the 20th century, Diana was considered to be the first actual baby to be born in
the tribe for over three thousand years…even if she still wasn't technically "born."
Diana's birth consisted of her mother, Queen Hippolyta, molding a chunk of clay into the
shape of a baby girl.
Then, the soul of her own unborn baby, which had been inside her when she died at the hands
of a man, was transferred to the clay baby, and it came to life as Diana.
The creation process didn't end there, though.
To help her become a great woman and a great warrior, Diana received gifts from six powerful
Greek goddesses.
She received wisdom and courage from Athena, strength from Demeter, hunting skills and
the ability to communicate with animals from Artemis, the power of both flight and speed
from Hermes, quote "sisterhood with fire" from Hestia, and, last but not least, beauty
and a loving heart from Athena.
She also received the Lasso of Truth, which had been forged by the god Hephaestus, and
special sandals from Hermes, which let her travel long distances in a blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, though, even with all those incredible gifts, Diana still didn't really
start out as a quote-unquote "superheroine" in this version of the story.
When she got to America, she was naïve and completely lost, and had to be taught how
to speak English by a college professor named Dr. Julia Kapatelis.
In the fifties, more emphasis was placed on Wonder Woman actually being a strong, powerful
hero.
In the forties, she was seen as a feminist icon, and the only thing that seemed to be
important about her was the fact that she was a woman.
In this new, Golden Age version, though, writer Robert Kanigher changed the focus from her
femininity to her heroism.
She became, not just a female superhero, but superhero, period.
In this second incarnation, Diana helps Steve Trevor recover in a U.S. Army Hospital, and
they both go on many heroic missions together.
She takes on the alias Diana Prince, taking the name from another woman in the hospital.
She also gains more abilities, like the capacity to breathe in space using special earrings,
and she gets her all-important (and somewhat cheesy) invisible plane as well.
As time went on, Wonder Woman's identity as a strong, independent woman was diminished,
due to censorship of comics as a whole, and fears that Wonder Woman in particular had
quote "lesbian tendencies."
She was turned into a girly girl then, who did nothing but pine away for Steve Trevor
and other male superheroes, while lacking the fierce, warrior spirit she had originally.
In the 1960s, Diana even gives up her powers all together just to live among the humans
with Trevor.
This angered many feminists, and many of DC's longtime fans, and eventually Wonder Woman
became a wonder once again, getting her powers back and getting an all new, stronger origin
story.
She has had several more origin stories since then, but one thing always stays the same:
Wonder Woman is a strong, brave, fierce character that proves that gender doesn't matter when
it comes to heroism.
You are either a hero or you aren't, and Wonder Woman definitely is one.
What are your thoughts on Wonder Woman?
Do you find her inspiring, or do you find the feminist angle off-putting?
Let us know in the comments!
Thank you so much for sticking with us through fifty videos!
We'll be happy to bring you many more in the future.
In the meantime, you can check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, as well as at www.majesticomic.com.
Thanks for watching!
Until next time.
Bye!
[Credits theme]
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét