Wonder Twins Appreciation Thread 2021

[CellarDweller]

A thread set up to discuss all versions of Zan & Jayna, and their appearances.


First appearance/origin:

1977 - Zan & Jayna first appeared in the DC book The Super Friends. Born on the planet Exxor, they inherited shape-shifting abilities that were at one time very common, but was a recessive trait, and as a result, became rare. When their family was killed by a plague, the twins were adopted by a inter-galactic traveling carnival owner, who adopted them and put them in his freak show as an attraction. In their mid to late teens they ran from the carnival (then on another planet) and fled back to Exxor. They happened upon the hideout of Superman's enemy, Grax, making plans to destroy Earth. They then went to Earth and found the JLA, and warned them of the impending threat, and then became the students of The Super Friends.


Second appearance/origin:

1996 - Zan and Jayna appeared in the (then) current DC continuity in Extreme Justice. In this period, Zan & Jayna were part of a group of twins, who ruled the planet Exxor. Aliens arrived on Exxor, promising the ruling twins technology that would help them rule, however, the price would be to trade them other Exxorians to be used as slaves. Zan & Jayna opposed this, but the ruling twins were for it, and Zan & Jayna were arrested as traitors. Escaping prison, the Wonder Twins took the most powerful alien tech, and fled to Earth, where they were chased by the other twins, and found by Extreme Justice, who helped free Zan & Jayna, who chose to remain on Earth.


Third appearance/origin:

2003 - Zan & Jayna appeared in the series Young Justice. They assisted the team (along with dozens of other teen heroes) in an attack on Zandia to seek justice for the murder of Empress' father. While their origin was not given, another character says he met them through the League, which I assume is a reference to their time on Extreme Justice.


2019 - Fourth appearance/origin: Zan & Jayna are given their own maxi-series, called Wonder Twins. In this series, they are from the planet Exxor, and it appears that all Exxorians have the shape shifting powers. The twins describe their planet as a Utopia, where crime is unheard of now, but there was a period of xenophobia prior to achieving this Utopian status. During the xenophobic period, numerous Exxorians were cast into the Phantom Zone during a movement called "the purges". Zan & Jayna had never met their grandfather, and thought he was a victim of the purges. They discovered that he was a judge, and was personally responsible for sending over 5,000 Exxorians to the Phantom Zone. The twins' father, wanting to spare his children the experience of being judged due to their family's past, sent the twins to Earth with Superman, where he arranged for them to become apprentices of the Justice League.

Since that series, the Wonder Twins have appeared in Young Justice, Superman, Batgirl, Action Comics, and Superman: Heroes.


Zan & Jayna are shape shifters, but they must come into physical contact to change their forms. Zan can become any water-based form, and Jayna any animal form.

[CellarDweller]

I hadn't really intended to start this thread again, as I haven't seen any plans for the twins at the present time.

However, I just found this online, and couldn't think of a place to put it, so I started a 2021 version of this thread.



2021 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten


this is a list that was compiled by YALSA, which stands for Young Adult Library Services Association.

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha. Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins. 2020. $12.99. ISBN: 9780062685094. Ha discusses the challenges of moving to America from her childhood home in South Korea, providing an honest and thoughtful perspective on being an outsider, finding your community, and how it feels to return to a home you've left behind.

Blue Flag by Kaito. An unexpected love quadrangle forms when Taichi agrees to help Futaba pursue her crush, Toma, while friend Mami looks on. But Toma has feelings for someone else, and as friendships and romantic relationships develop, nothing is as clear cut as it seems.

Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence by Joel Christian Gill. Oni Press. 2020. $19.99. ISBN: 9781549303357. Joel Christian Gill narrates what it was like for him to grow up in a single-parent household in the 1980s, from childhood to young adulthood—Black, broke, and surrounded by uncertainty.

Go With the Flow by Karen Schneemann, art by Lily Williams. First Second / Macmillan. 2020. $21.99. ISBN: 9781250305725. Fed up with the empty tampon and pad dispensers at Hazelton High School, sophomores Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha decide to start a "menstruation revolution." Through blog posts, letter-writing campaigns, and online fundraisers, the girls work together to make change.

Guantánamo Voices: True Accounts from the World’s Most Infamous Prison by Sarah Mirk, art by Gerardo Alba, Kasia Babis, Alex Beguez, Tracy Chahwan, Nomi Kane, et al. Abrams ComicsArts / Abrams Books. 2020. $24.99. ISBN: 9781419746901. Narratives about the infamous Guantánamo prison are illuminated in this anthology by multimedia journalist Sarah Mirk and a team of talented artists.

The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado, art by DaNi. Hill House Comics / DC Comics. 2020. $22.99. ISBN: 9781779504524. El and Vee black out and lose time in a movie theater. While trying to figure out what happened, the girls uncover horrifying secrets about their community that span generations.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. Random House Graphic / Penguin Random House. 2020. $16.99. ISBN: 9780593125298. Tiến is a first-generation Vietnamese American who struggles with coming out of the closet to his parents. Will Tiến find a way to connect in the fairytales he shares with his mother?

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh. First Second / Macmillan. 2020. $12.99. ISBN: 9781250171115. Snap knows witches aren’t real, but when her dog goes missing, she checks at the local witch’s house just in case. From there, an unlikely friendship begins, and Snap discovers that witches may be real after all.

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru. DC Comics. 2020. $16.99. ISBN: 9781779504210. In 1946, Lan-Shin (Roberta) Lee and her family move from Chinatown to central Metropolis and attempt to fit in with their neighbors. But when the Klan begins harassing the Lees, Roberta must team up with new friends to help Superman take down the Klan in this smart, action-packed adventure.

Wonder Twins by Mark Russell, art by Stephen Byrne.

Vol. 1: Activate! Wonder Comics / DC Comics. 2019. $16.99. ISBN: 9781401294649. Vol. 2: The Rise and Fall of the Wonder Twins. Wonder Comics / DC Comics. 2020. $16.99. ISBN: 9781779501790.

In this humorous and satirical reboot, alien twins Zan and Jayna have to balance their lives as high schoolers in Metropolis while trying to figure out if their actions as heroes are actually helping to solve any of the world’s real issues.


http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2021-great-...-teens-top-ten

[CellarDweller]

By Taimur Dar -01/27/2021

I make it no secret how much I adore the current DC Super Hero Girls revamp since it premiered back in March 2019. While developer/producer Lauren Faust‘s signature style is clearly on display, DCSHG is a wonderful showcase for the talents of the countless artists involved. Without a doubt, one particular crew member who has captured my attention with her amazing work has got to be character designer Kat Hudson.

A few months ago, Hudson shared on her social media a Wonder Twins animated project she pitched to Warner Bros. that was ultimately rejected.

Hudson clearly did her research not only into Wonder Twins history but the entirety of the DC Universe. Let’s be honest, aside from their appearances in the classic Super Friends cartoon, the Wonder Twins origin story isn’t exactly well-known. Dentwil whose first and only appearance was in Super Friends #14 is included in Hudson’s pitch as well as Grax, who had his own run in with the Wonder Twins in Super Friends #7. Admittedly, the pickings are pretty slim for the duo’s rogue gallery, but these are some obscure characters for even the most hardcore DC Comics aficionados.

https://www.comicsbeat.com/kat-hudso...imation-pitch/

[Phoenixx9]

I was WONDERing why they named them the "Wonder" Twins, when they have nothing to do with Wonder Woman or the Wonder Family? Or do they?

[Frontier]

I was WONDERing why they named them the "Wonder" Twins, when they have nothing to do with Wonder Woman or the Wonder Family? Or do they?

It's a catchy name .

[CellarDweller]

I was WONDERing why they named them the "Wonder" Twins, when they have nothing to do with Wonder Woman or the Wonder Family? Or do they?

It's a catchy name .

Like Frontier said, catchy name. There is no connection between Zan & Jayna and Wonder Woman. If they had named them the "Super Twins", there would be no connection to the Superman family.

[Restingvoice]

I was WONDERing why they named them the "Wonder" Twins, when they have nothing to do with Wonder Woman or the Wonder Family? Or do they?

No one had enough sidekick to be a family back then. Just Supergirl, Batgirl and Robin.

[Agent Z]

If they were to be in a team, what would you put them in? With Young Justice or with the Runaways from the Young Justice show?