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  1. #1
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    Default Wonder Twins: Appreciation 2020

    A new thread for the Exxorian siblings, the Wonder Twins.

    Other threads can be found here:

    https://community.cbr.com/showthread...on-Thread-2019 (2019)

    https://community.cbr.com/showthread...ciation-Thread! (2018)

    https://community.cbr.com/showthread...ed-to-Superman


    This thread can be used to discuss any appearances of Zan & Jayna on TV or in comic books.
    Last edited by CellarDweller; 01-01-2020 at 06:47 PM.

  2. #2
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    Zan & Jayna made their debut as part of The All New Super Friends cartoon, created by Norman Maurer.

    The Wonder Twins made their DC Comics debut in issue #7 of The Super Friends comic book, and looked like this.




    Their origin then was as follows:

    According to the Super Friends comic book by E. Nelson Bridwell (writer) and Ramona Fradon (artist), Zan and Jayna are Exorian metas, genetic throwbacks to an ancient race of Exorian shapeshifters. Their parents died when they were still babies during a plague, and, because of their origin, no Exorians want to adopt them. They are adopted by the owner of a Space Circus who only wants to use them as sideshow freaks. However, the circus' clown (or "laugh-maker") is a kind man and raises them. He also gives them Gleek as a pet. Eventually, as teens, the pair escape the circus and hide on a planet where a space villain called Grax (an enemy of Superman) has established his headquarters. Spying on him, they learn that Grax is planning to destroy the Earth using hidden superbombs. The twins decide to travel to Earth and warn the Justice League, which is how they come to replace Wendy and Marvin (who were planning on retiring as heroes anyway) as their sidekicks. The heroes arrange for the kids to live with an old scientist named Professor Carter Nichols and they even take secret identities as Johan and Joanna Fleming. "Johan" and "Johanna" were supposedly transfer students from Esko, Sweden, disguised with blonde hair (Zan wore a wig, while Jayna uses her powers to transform into a human to change her hair color and ear shape), to allow them to attend Gotham City High School.

  3. #3
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    The Super Friends was published from November 1976 to August 1981. The comic book series was launched by E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Ric Estrada.

    After the comic was discontinued in 1981, Zan & Jayna had disappeared until 1996, when they reappeared in Extreme Justice, looking like this.




    The twins were introduced into post-Crisis DC continuity in the series Extreme Justice as escaped slaves of an alien overlord. Unable to speak English, they inadvertently attack some civilians and the Justice League. During their fight with the JLA, Zan becomes an ice golem, a water monster, and a demonic-looking whirlpool, while Jayna becomes a griffin, a werewolf, and a sea serpent. The pair are later emancipated by the Justice League and join Captain Atom's team in issue #16 (May 1996). That same year, they appeared in the crossover storyline Final Night and in the series Total Justice.

  4. #4
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    The Wonder Twins later appeared in some issues of Young Justice, and looked like this.




    In a 2002–2003 storyline by Peter David and Todd Nauck in Young Justice, they help avenge the murder of Empress' parents, wearing uniforms which resembled T-shirts and jeans.

    They didn't have a new origin, it was assumed it was the same as their origin from Extreme Justice, based on this panel from when they appeared in Young Justice, where their connection to the League is referenced.


  5. #5
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    After this appearance, and Young Justice was discontinued, Zan & Jayna once again disappeared.

    Brian Michael Bendis left Marvel Comics for DC Comics, and launched Wonder Comics. Wonder Comics would have a books for Young Justice, Dial "H" For Hero, new hero Naomi, and a 6 issue mini-series called Wonder Twins. The book is written by Mark Russell and drawn by Stephen Byrne.

    In this new book, Zan & Jayna would look like this.





    The mini-series was turned into a 12 issue maxi-series. In this series, Zan & Jayna left Exxor due to an issue on Exxor. Their father, who knows Superman, asked Superman to take them to Earth, to protect them. They have become interns at the Hall of Justice, and worked with both Superman and Batman in recent issues.

    Since the reasons could be considered spoilers, I'm hiding the explanation. If you want to read it, see below.


    spoilers:
    It is revealed (via a conversation between Jayna and Polly Math) 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.
    end of spoilers
    Last edited by CellarDweller; 01-01-2020 at 06:39 PM.

  6. #6
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    Zan & Jayna have appeared in Action Comics #1015.





    They are also seen on the cover of Superman: Heroes #1, and will be in a Wonder Comics crossover event with Young Justice and Naomi.


    Zan & Jayna made a live-action appearance on an episode of Smallville called "Idol" and also appeared in "Smallville: Titans", a 2013 story arc in the series Smallville season 11, Zan and Jayna are members of the team with Conner Kent/Superboy, Speedy, Blue Beetle and Miss Martian at Jay Garrick's school for the "gifted."


    The characters of Shifter and Downpour appeared in Justice League Unlimited. They were based on Zan & Jayna, and they were part of a team called The Ultimen, which also featured characters based on Black Vulcan (Juice), Wind Dragon (Samurai) and Long Shadow (Apache Chief).

    The Wonder Twins have also appeared in an episode of Teen Titans Go!, called You're Fired. In that epsiode, Beast Boy is fired, and the other Titans look for heroes with animal or shape shifting powers to replace Beast Boy. They also appear in the Teen Titans Go! To The Movies and the Lego Batman Movie.
    Last edited by CellarDweller; 01-01-2020 at 06:54 PM.

  7. #7
    Fantastic Member Hatut Zeraze's Avatar
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    I have a favorite Wonder Twins story that you haven't included here. In the Young Animal comic Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #s 1-6 (2016), there is a Tom Scioli Super-Powers backup story that has a pretty strange, but intriguing origin story for the Wonder Twins.


    https://66.media.tumblr.com/53284f26...wn5o1_1280.jpg

    https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/6554018.html

  8. #8
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    From Super Friends #7 (October, 1977). Art by Ramona Fradon.


  9. #9
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hatut Zeraze View Post
    I have a favorite Wonder Twins story that you haven't included here. In the Young Animal comic Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #s 1-6 (2016), there is a Tom Scioli Super-Powers backup story that has a pretty strange, but intriguing origin story for the Wonder Twins.


    https://66.media.tumblr.com/53284f26...wn5o1_1280.jpg

    https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/6554018.html

    Thanks for adding those! I don't have them, so I keep forgetting about them.

  10. #10
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Electricmastro View Post
    From Super Friends #7 (October, 1977). Art by Ramona Fradon.


    Yes, Zan & Jayna's first appearance in the comics. Landed on Earth and were found by Wendy & Marvin.

  11. #11
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    My favorite bit of weirdness was reading online that the original Zan and Jayna were one of 10 pairs of royal twins, each with different shapeshifting powers. Zan and Jayna had powers involving water and animals, but;

    Their powers are granted to them and their fellow "royals" by what they call the Ten Elements of the Universe. As Zan and Jayna control water and animals, respectively, others channel fire, love, vapors, plants, sound, metal, shadows and other elemental powers.
    Okay, Form of Metal, Shape of Fire sounds *awesome.* Even plants, sound, vapors and shadow could be cool. But how the heck does one turn into *love?*

    "Yeah, she said, 'form of... a love-in!' and disappeared, and then everyone stopped fighting and built a campfire and started singing Kumbaya..."

    That's some Morrison-esque-level surreal, there!

    It's a hoot that there are only ten of them, and they go on to list nine of them, and then get bored and give up... What's the tenth twin turn into? I'm thinking celestial phenomena. 'Cause that would be a riot. "Shape of... a star! Form of... a singularity!" (It's a small one. Person sized. Shouldn't be more than utterly planet-annhilating...)
    Last edited by Sutekh; 01-03-2020 at 05:12 AM.

  12. #12
    Astonishing Member CellarDweller's Avatar
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    The image above is an early sketch for what would become "The All New Super Friends Hour".

    At that time, the new Junior Super Friends (who still look like Wendy & Marvin) are a set of twins from another planet. Named "Dick" and "Jayne", they had very different powers and limitations. Dick was to have powers similar to Plastic Man, while Jayne was a shape-shifter, but not just into animals. She could change into trees, boulders, or whatever they wanted.

    At that time, the limitations suggested that their powers were affected by sunlight, or by their proximity to each other.

    Their pet monkey was named "Squeeks".

    After a while, the characters were changed and they became Zan and Jayna, with Gleek.






    This was talked about in an online article called "The Perplexing Popularity of The Wonder Twins", which also discusses the how the twins were based on Donny and Marie Osmond.
    Last edited by CellarDweller; 01-03-2020 at 07:19 PM.

  13. #13
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    Darn. Didn't realize about the closed threads thing. Now I gotta find all the Appreciation Threads I had subscribed to and re-subscribe to the 2020 thread.

  14. #14
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    Either way, happy to see the Twins are completely gone from contemporary DC comics now that their Mini-turned-Maxi series had ended.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by CellarDweller View Post

    The image above is an early sketch for what would become "The All New Super Friends Hour".

    At that time, the new Junior Super Friends (who still look like Wendy & Marvin) are a set of twins from another planet. Named "Dick" and "Jayne", they had very different powers and limitations. Dick was to have powers similar to Plastic Man, while Jayne was a shape-shifter, but not just into animals. She could change into trees, boulders, or whatever they wanted.

    At that time, the limitations suggested that their powers were affected by sunlight, or by their proximity to each other.

    Their pet monkey was named "Squeeks".

    After a while, the characters were changed and they became Zan and Jayna, with Gleek.


    This was talked about in an online article called "The Perplexing Popularity of The Wonder Twins", which also discusses the how the twins were based on Donny and Marie Osmond.
    I think I read "Dick" and "Jayne" had purple hair.

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