Is Wonder Woman Really Cancelled?

[Guy_McNichts]

I know Kurt Busiek has said the deal no longer applies.

[Gaelforce]

I know Kurt Busiek has said the deal no longer applies.

Might have been where I heard it, but he is incorrect.

[Ascended]

Might have been where I heard it, but he is incorrect.

No kidding, I thought that deal ended years ago.

Huh. The more you know!

[AmiMizuno]

Marston's family would most likely known if the deal is active or not. But I do have to wonder if there was ever a point they could sue DC to get Diana back.

[Ascended]

Ha, they should go ask the Siegel family how well that's worked out for them.

[AmiMizuno]

True. It didn't. I wonder what it is good for Diana to go back to her family?

[Ascended]

You mean the Marstons?

I dunno. I have no idea who they are or what they do. But unless they're a family with a ton of resources and reach what could they really do with ownership of Wonder Woman except sell her? And probably back to DC, at that!

DC may not capitalize on Diana the way they could and they have most assuredly mishandled her, but at least they have the infrastructure to do something with her.

[Kurt Busiek]

Might have been where I heard it, but he is incorrect.

I don't think so.

But in any case, the deal did not require monthly publication; it required DC to put out four publications a year that were either titled WONDER WOMAN or had WONDER WOMAN as the main logo in an umbrella feature like SENSATION COMICS. I.e., WW appearing in JLA or BRAVE & BOLD didn't count.

That's why Trina Robbins and I were recruited to do THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN, to make sure DC had the time to develop and launch the Pérez WONDER WOMAN without the deal running out.

So even if DC has a hiatus in the publication of the ongoing WONDER WOMAN series, it could run for months without threatening that particular deal (if it still existed), and if any issues of WW GIANT, WW: DEAD EARTH, WW: COME BACK TO ME, WW: TEMPEST TOSSED, WW: STEVE TREVOR, WW: WAR OF GODS OMNIBUS, WW AND THE PANDORA PLOT or various other WW TPBs, hardcovers and such came out, they'd count against such a deal too.

Thus, even if the deal still existed, DC would be in no danger of breaching it. And the people who told me it no longer existed were absolutely in a position to know.

But I highly doubt DC will go a year without four WW-bannered publications, not with the character's current profile. So no one will get proved right or wrong.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Ha, they should go ask the Siegel family how well that's worked out for them.

It didn't work out as well as they'd wanted, but the 1997 copyright termination notice got them a much better deal than they'd had before.

[Astroman]

Thanks for your perspective Mr. Busiek.

If it's just about the logo/title then this also (if it is still in effect) doesn't preclude them from retiring Diana as Wonder Woman and inserting a 5G replacement, either temporarily or permanently then (if the rumors of 5G and how this goes back to Didio's "Fifth World" plans are anywhere near accurate).

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11...world-2008-5g/
https://www.newsarama.com/1721-dan-d...-and-more.html

[Kurt Busiek]

Thanks for your perspective Mr. Busiek.

If it's just about the logo/title then this also (if it is still in effect) doesn't preclude them from retiring Diana as Wonder Woman and inserting a 5G replacement, either temporarily or permanently then (if the rumors of 5G and how this goes back to Didio's "Fifth World" plans are anywhere near accurate).

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11...world-2008-5g/
https://www.newsarama.com/1721-dan-d...-and-more.html

I don't know anything about the 5G plans (and didn't click the link), but they've replaced Diana as WW in the past, even when the deal was active.

They even spent a few years with a depowered, non-costumed Diana, which was still technically her, but not the character as set up by Marston & Peter, for sure.

DC always had a lot of leeway.

kdb