Man of Wonders: Wonder Man Appreciation 2021

[UncannyLZ]

Attachment 108680

Wonder Man by Letoart.

These commissions were mine! Really want to see more current art of Simon out there. I see this costume isn’t super popular here but it’s my favorite of his

[SJNeal]

These commissions were mine! Really want to see more current art of Simon out there. I see this costume isn’t super popular here but it’s my favorite of his

I like the current costume, with the exception of the leg bands. They just look weird to me.

As long as his costume is predominantly black & red I'm ok with it.

[kcekada]

Wonder Man never seemed as impressive when he started dressing in red and black. I guess it was due to the writing, but he was really a big gun when he dressed in green and red.

[SJNeal]

Wonder Man never seemed as impressive when he started dressing in red and black. I guess it was due to the writing, but he was really a big gun when he dressed in green and red.

I had to think about it for a minute, but I guess I see what you mean. I'd chalk that up to the writers and the time.

He was kind of a generic strong-man in most of his early (red & green) appearances, and most of his characterization wasn't really fleshed out until later (safari jacket era and onward). So if you want to correlate prowess with costume colors, that's what I come up with.

[Phoenixx9]

Wonder Man never seemed as impressive when he started dressing in red and black. I guess it was due to the writing, but he was really a big gun when he dressed in green and red.

I had to think about it for a minute, but I guess I see what you mean. I'd chalk that up to the writers and the time.

He was kind of a generic strong-man in most of his early (red & green) appearances, and most of his characterization wasn't really fleshed out until later (safari jacket era and onward). So if you want to correlate prowess with costume colors, that's what I come up with.

I agree, kcekada.

I also agree with SJNeal that it was probably the time, meaning to me, that 90's and later writers did not think Simon to be anything special and just another "muscle guy".

[SJNeal]

I agree, kcekada.

I also agree with SJNeal that it was probably the time, meaning to me, that 90's and later writers did not think Simon to be anything special and just another "muscle guy".

That's kind of the opposite of what I was getting at.

In his early appearances, imho, he wasn't anything special - just a muscle man that smashed stuff and said "I'm almost as strong as Thor!" These were his green costumed days that kcekada was referring to. I feel like once he added red to his costume (the safari jacket) is when we saw him befriend Beast, long for Wanda, ponder his mortality, etc. 80's and 90's writers continued this trend. That's why I think he was written better, later.

Again this is all circumstantial. I honestly don't believe any one writer came along and said "I'm going to make Simon weaker and less interesting now that he has red in his costume".

[Phoenixx9]

That's kind of the opposite of what I was getting at.

In his early appearances, imho, he wasn't anything special - just a muscle man that smashed stuff and said "I'm almost as strong as Thor!" These were his green costumed days that kcekada was referring to. I feel like once he added red to his costume (the safari jacket) is when we saw him befriend Beast, long for Wanda, ponder his mortality, etc. 80's and 90's writers continued this trend. That's why I think he was written better, later.

Again this is all circumstantial. I honestly don't believe any one writer came along and said "I'm going to make Simon weaker and less interesting now that he has red in his costume".

Hmmmn. Well, sorry for misunderstanding your take.

I think Simon was much more interesting in the 70's-80's when in his green costumes. He was mega-strong, durable, fast, agile. The Avengers liked him and he wanted to do his best to help them and be one of them. He stuggled with self-worth. The writers and artists of this time understood that Simon was just under Thor in strength and a mega powerhouse.

BUT, after getting his red skivvies and red/black outfits, Simon slowly lost this mega-power level. His uniqueness began to dwindle. He became just one of the other strong guys out there. I think it was one or more writers who either did not like Simon or thought the prior depiction of him was just hype. Their subsequent depiction was much less than what was previously shown to the readers. Simon was no longer "the Man of Wonders" but just another strong guy who was not in the top tier. Sad.

[Nomads1]

I Don't think the 90's treated Simon so badly. He was always the West Coast Avengers biggest gun, going as far as overshadowing Iron Man and even going up against Thor (which he lost, and that was mostly attributed to Mjolnir, which gave him an edge). It was also during those days that Simon started a trend of regularly trashing Mr. "I'm the best there is at what I do." I do think his death in the fisrt issue of Force Works, so soon after recieving a leap of development (immortality, new powers, new costume, new take on life) at the end of his own mag., was a real bucket of cold water on Simon's status as a major player in the MU.

Peace

[Dermie]

I Don't think the 90's treated Simon so badly. He was always the West Coast Avengers biggest gun, going as far as overshadowing Iron Man and even going up against Thor (which he lost, and that was mostly attributed to Mjolnir, which gave him an edge). It was also during those days that Simon started a trend of regularly trashing Mr. "I'm the best there is at what I do." I do think his death in the fisrt issue of Force Works, so soon after recieving a leap of development (immortality, new powers, new costume, new take on life) at the end of his own mag., was a real bucket of cold water on Simon's status as a major player in the MU.

I agree--the 80s and 90s treated Wonder Man well, imo, and was probably his most prominent time (both as a member of the Avengers and within the Marvel Universe in general since that's when he got his solo book).

I think the devaluation of Simon that Phoenixx9 describes in his post came later than that--after Kurt Busiek left the AVENGERS title in around 2002 or 2003. After that Simon's portrayal started to fluctuate quite a bit; he didn't appear nearly as often, and Marvel started introducing a bunch of other strong man characters into the Avengers who were on-par with Simon (or even more powerful).

[SJNeal]

Hmmmn. Well, sorry for misunderstanding your take.

I think Simon was much more interesting in the 70's-80's when in his green costumes. He was mega-strong, durable, fast, agile. The Avengers liked him and he wanted to do his best to help them and be one of them. He stuggled with self-worth. The writers and artists of this time understood that Simon was just under Thor in strength and a mega powerhouse.

BUT, after getting his red skivvies and red/black outfits, Simon slowly lost this mega-power level. His uniqueness began to dwindle. He became just one of the other strong guys out there. I think it was one or more writers who either did not like Simon or thought the prior depiction of him was just hype. Their subsequent depiction was much less than what was previously shown to the readers. Simon was no longer "the Man of Wonders" but just another strong guy who was not in the top tier. Sad.

No apologies necessary.

Have you read the "Hidden Depth" arc from Simon's solo book? If not, I highly recommend it! By the end, he's at his all time peak.

[Mike]

From The Thing #5.
One of my favorite Wonder Man scenes.
Thing 5.jpg

[Phoenixx9]

No apologies necessary.

Have you read the "Hidden Depth" arc from Simon's solo book? If not, I highly recommend it! By the end, he's at his all time peak.

Thanks! I will have to check it out.

[Phoenixx9]

From The Thing #5.
One of my favorite Wonder Man scenes.
Thing 5.jpg

Yes, this one I read! I remember Simon moving really fast and basically lifting with one hand the exerciser Ben used with both hands and smashed it all up.

[K7P5V]

From The Thing #5.
One of my favorite Wonder Man scenes.
Thing 5.jpg

Excellent selection, Mike.
As for my choice, one of my favorites comes from Avengers #153 (1976).
Without thinking, Simon swats away his fan club with one swing:

[Phoenixx9]

Excellent selection, Mike.
As for my choice, one of my favorites comes from Avengers #153 (1976).
Without thinking, Simon swats away his fan club with one swing:

One of my favorite issues!