The year was 1986. DC Comics had just concluded their swan song of the Multiverse with the 12-issue maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. A number of changes would be on the way for many in DC's stable of characters, some radical, some minimal. Among those who'd undergo a great revamp would arguably be the chief superheroine of not just DC, but of comics, period: Wonder Woman. Spoiler alert, within the context of comic continuity, during the Crisis's conclusion, the Earth-One Wonder Woman (the Wonder Woman seen in comics from the Silver Age to the end of the Bronze Age of Comics) was turned back into the very clay she was created from; meanwhile, the Earth-Two Wonder Woman (the Wonder Woman of the Golden Age) and her husband (the Earth-Two Steve Trevor) 'retired' to Mount Olympus at the invitation of the Greek gods. (*Continuity snarls for both Lyta 'Fury' Trevor and Donna Troy ensued.*)
With Crisis's end and the 1987 revamp of Wonder Woman from Len Wein and George Pérez soon upon the readers, DC needed something to help bridge the gap between the old and the new (as well as to maintain their hold on the character's trademark--it's a lot of legal complication, let's just say). The idea that resulted came in the form of a four-issue miniseries written by fan-favorite writer Kurt Busiek and illustrated by comics historian, underground cartoonist, pioneering comics feminist, and avowed longtime fan of the character Trina Robbins. The miniseries in question would be titled The Legend of Wonder Woman. (No relation to the 2015 digital-first series of the same name by Renae de Liz and Ray Dillon.)
In the miniseries, it's a sad time for the (Earth-One) Amazons. Diana, their princess and Wonder Woman herself, has been reduced to the clay of her origin. The Crisis is altering their very world, and so the denizens of Paradise Island (with the help of the Greek gods) are packing up and heading for another dimension, to fade into history. In the midst of all this, a mourning Hippolyta stumbles upon a crystal ball, and uses it to view an old adventure of her daughter's--to take one last look at her before their current existence is overwritten. In this adventure, Diana finds herself up against Atomia, queen of the Atom Galaxy, while also dealing with Suzie, the bratty niece of her best friend Etta Candy. It's an adventure that takes the amazing amazon from Washington D.C. to the mysterious Land of Mirrors, from Paradise Island to the Atom Galaxy for a last showdown with Atomia.
The story served not only to bring closure to the Earth-One Wonder Woman and the Amazons, but also served as a tribute to the character's Golden Age adventures, the very same ones that Trina Robbins herself read as a child. Long out of print for over 30 years, the story was recently collected for the first time in the TPB titled Wonder Woman: Forgotten Legends. It is this story that serves as the inspiration for this particular fancast. Join me, won't you?
1. DVD cover art: an original piece by none other than the aforementioned Renae de Liz.
2. Directing this picture: Lauren Montgomery, who helmed the 2009 Wonder Woman animated movie.
3. Art and character designs: for this facet, I'd leave it to the great Jay Stephens, creator of the cult-favorite series The Secret Saturdays--his style may be the closest to bringing Robbins' own particular style to life in animation.
4. Story alterations--for my vision of an animated adaptation, I decided to switch out the framing device of the fallout of Crisis on the Amazon corner of the DC Universe. In its place, I have the following scenario:
On a late afternoon at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., a Professor Robbins specializing in classical studies is holding office hours with three of her students. Her course focuses on what's been gleaned and confirmed about classic mythology ever since Wonder Woman arrived on the scene. Robbins herself is an expert on this phenomena and an aquaintance of the heroine, making her very popular with her students. When one asks if there's anything not known of Wonder Woman's exploits, Prof. Robbins decides to regale them with a story that hasn't been in the public eye for well over five decades--one involving Wonder Woman's battle with Atomia, the queen of the Atom Galaxy, and a little girl who wound up turning the tide....
Once Robbins finishes her story and her students have all left for the day, she looks up to see an additional listener has been at the door the whole time--one whom she knows very well. Diana (incognito) has come to pay her old friend a visit and catch up, their conversation revealing that Prof. Robbins is the same little girl who helped Diana all those years ago.
5. The voice cast: this might as well be the most fun part of the whole thing, considering I've managed to gather nearly every actress who's voiced Wonder Woman over the decades, whether it be a main role or in a vocal cameo.
+Wonder Woman/Diana of Themyscria - Emily Deschanel (Bones herself)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0221043/?ref_=nv_sr_1
A great candidate to voice the amazing amazon, my casting of Deschanel is also a nod to her guest appearance alongside big screen WW Gal Gadot in the premiere episode of season 30 of The Simpsons, "Bart's Not Dead".
+Suzie Robbins - Dayci Brookshire (child)/Lynda Carter (adult)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2316571/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t49
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004812/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Brookshire voiced the kid version of Zatanna on Justice League Action, while Carter...Well, what's more to be said about the beloved small-screen live-action Wonder Woman that hasn't been already? Many here have fancast her as Hippolyta, but I aimed for something smaller but still meaningful with this casting. For the reworked version of Suzie, her adult self's profession is based on that of Julia Kapetelis, an ally of Wonder Woman introduced in the 1987 revamp. Her last name of course comes from Trina Robbins herself, since in the introduction to the miniseries' second issue, she mentioned that Suzie was based on her childhood self.
+Steve Trevor - Josh Keaton
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Josh-Keaton/
Look no further than Keaton's Hal Jordan from Green Lantern: The Animated Series for the inspiration behind casting him as Diana's longtime 'dude in distress'.
+Queen Hippolyta - Iona Morris
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Iona-Morris/
A name many would associate with 90's Marvel animation (and some anime), her having voiced Storm of the X-Men and Medusa of the Inhumans, the air of regality she gave off as the former qualifies her to voice the queen of the Amazons.
+Paula von Gunther - Rachael Lillis
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Rachael-Lillis/
A VA with a lengthy resume in anime dubs (two notable characters of hers being Misty and Jessie on Pokémon), giving Lillis a WW supporting character with a long and storied history would be an interesting addition to her filmography.
+Etta Candy - Aidy Bryant
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5262775/?ref_=nv_sr_1
An SNL cast member who would be perfect for the comic relief in Diana's circle of friends, whether voicing her or portraying her in a live-action setting.
+Solala and Leila - Constance Wu
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2090422/?ref_=nv_sr_1
The twin ruling princesses of the hidden Land of Mirrors. Solala proves to be a valuable ally to Diana in the fight against Atomia, while her sister Leila proves treacherous enough to betray them to Atomia in order to secure the throne for herself, a deal that backfires for her in the end.
Wu would be a great pick to portray the two polar-opposite sisters, enjoying the challenge of provding distinction between two identical siblings.
+Atomia - Kristen Chenowith
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155693/?ref_=nv_sr_1
A stage and screen veteran who's conquered on- and off-Broadway, she's played so many over-the-top characters that portraying Atomia would be a cinch for her.
+Atomia's warriors - Rachel Kimsey (Justice League Action), Grey DeLisle (JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time), Vanessa Marshall (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths), Courtenay Taylor (Justice League Heroes), Tara Platt (Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe), Laura Bailey (Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham), Kari Wahlgren (LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs Bizarro League), Rachael MacFarlane (DC Super Friends)
And now, ladies and gentlmen, give it up for a wonder woman of music whose loss of her voice due to Parkinson's is a Greek tragedy unto itself, the legendary LINDA RONDSTADT:
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