If you told me ten years ago that my favorite book from DC would be a Wonder Twins mini, I'd have probably wondered what you were smoking...
But it's fun. Best of all, it manages to be fun, without being mean about it, and still slowly drawing in more serious storylines about fitting in and accepting yourself (without very special messages or getting preachy about it).
Spot on. The writing on this series has been great, and I have to say, if anyone had told me that a maxi-series for the Wonder Twins would be both a hit and well regarded, I would've been giving that person a case of side-eye. LOL I'm really happy that the twins are around in current DCU stories.
Cover and preview for Wonder Twins #10 are out now.
Zan and Jayna and their friend Polly Math plan the heist of a lifetime-from going undercover to stealing Lex Luthor's personal rocket, all in the name of saving Polly's father, Filo Math, from eternal imprisonment in the Phantom Zone. But even if they manage to pull it off, are the Wonder Twins prepared to face the terrors of deep space? Meanwhile, Filo's old sentient computer program reawakens and connects to the internet for the first time...what havoc will it wreak when it's unleashed on the modern world?
Wonder Twins #9 was released yesterday, and gave us the usual fun, great story, great artwork, and some current events in the story line.
Some of the key things we see in this issue, without spoilers.
More of Jayna's relationship with Poly Math.
Refugees that need to be rescued.
A mission that is carried out by Superman, Batman and the Wonder Twins.
Superman giving another thoughtful speech to Jayna at the Hall of Justice.
More of the backstory on Poly's dad, Filo Math.
The big story is the revelation of why Zan & Jayna are on Earth. If you haven't read the book and want to know, see the spoiler below. This was only touched on in issue #1 (see the image below), and it's finally cleared up why they left Exxor.
spoilers:end of spoilers
Jayna opens up to Poly Math about her family history.
Jayna tells Poly that Exxor is a utopia now, but that's only recently. Before they were born, Exxor went through a time of xenophia, where scores of Exxorians were banished to the Phantom Zone. Exxor passed through that time period before the twins were born, and after they were born, people didn't talk about that time (called "The Purges") so Zan & Jayna knew very little of them. When they grew older, they began to ask about their grandfather, who they never knew. Zan & Jayna's father finally gave in, and took them to the "Exxor Museum of Truth and Reconciliation". At that point Jayna began to suspect that their grandfather had been purged.
They came face-to-face with the truth when they stopped in front of a large picture of their grandfather, named Raylon. Raylon the Judge had personally sent 5,000 Exxorians to the Phantom Zone.
Zan & Jayna were embarrassed and ashamed, and their father, to protect them, sent them to Earth with Superman.
February 2020 solicitations are out for DC, and it includes Wonder Twins #12, which is the end of the maxi-series.
I laughed when I saw the picture of the eagle carrying a bucket of water!
Wonder Twins #10 was released yesterday and we got to see Zan and Jayna using their powers to do some things against the law, to help rescue Poly Math's father (Filo Math) from the Phantom Zone.
They used their powers to steal Cell Phone Syliva's cell, which is actually a Kryptonian Disruptor. Later, they trick Lex Luthor out of his ship, and steal it to get to the Phantom Zone and rescue Filo Math.
To quote Jayna in the issue: "We're harboring a prison escapee, and we're on a mission to rescue a known associate of Lex Luthor. Like it or not, we're all fugitives now."
Will be interesting to see if this has any affect on their standing as interns at the Hall of Justice.
There is also the issue of a rogue computer program that was created by Filo Math, now taking over all computers. Given that he may be the only one who can stop the program, it may be to the twins' benefit that they rescued him, and may face no repercussions after all this.
Only two more issues for this maxi-series, and then we'll see if Zan and Jayna get used anywhere else.
They had an appearance in Action comics #1015, and will be appearing in an upcoming issue of Young Justice.
The first six issues of the series have been released in a trade paper back, called Wonder Twins Activate.
Did anyone get the TPB posted above?
I did, and it has an afterword by Bendis, explaining why he wanted to do a Wonder Twins book. Turns out, he's a Wonder Twins fan, and has a daughter who saw his Zan & Jayna Funko Pops and declared them "cool".
hopefully the characters will appear again soon. And hopefully they will be allowed to be relatively lighthearted characters and not shoved into some darker, rueful context.