Known as one of the three pillars of the DC universe, Wonder Woman (along with Superman and Batman) is one of the most classic characters ever to grace the page of a funny book. As we get closer and closer to Wonder Woman’s 60th Anniversary, I think we could all use a little bit of a refresher on who she is and what she has meant to the development of comics, sci-fi and culture. This week’s edition of Get To Know Your Superhero focuses on Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman was created by Willian Moulton Marston in 1941 for DC’s All Star Comics.

Wonder Woman’s origins are with a fictional society called the Amazon Women loosely based on Greek mythology.

The Amazon Women live on an isolated island without any men.

Wonder Woman’s powers include super speed, super strength and the ability to fly.

She also flies an invisible jet.

She carries with her the Lasso of Truth that when touched, forces one to speak only the truth.

She also wears a pair of indestructible bracelets she often uses to deflect enemy fire.

Wonder Woman came to our society after US pilot Steve Trevor crash landed on the Amazon’s island.

Princess Diana opposes her mother’s request and wins the right to return Trevor to the land of men.

Upon leaving the Amazon Women for the first time, Diana dawns the name Wonder Woman.

According to Athena, Wonder Woman is, “as beautiful as Aphrodite, as wise as Athena, swifter than Mercury and stronger than Hercules.”

When Wonder Woman first arrived in our world she had trouble adjusting to the male dominated society.

After meeting other super heroes and learning more about the compassion of individuals and not just the gender, she slowly began to accept men.

After a successful run of comics, Wonder Woman is now seen as a symbol of female empowerment.

She is also one of the original members of the Super Friends and Justice League.

Wonder Woman was voiced by Kerri Russel in a 2009 animated feature.

She has been featured in video games, television shows and producers have made numerous attempts to bring a live action Wonder Woman to the big screen.

From 1975-79, Lynda Carter played Wonder Woman for the TV series.

The ongoing saga to try and bring a live action Wonder Woman to the big screen will probably never end. Unlike Batman and Superman, the Wonder Woman franchise has had a ridiculous time finding the right people to create such a project. Big name directors like Joel Silver and Joss Whedon have tried to get the project off the ground, but to no avail. Even with names like Sandra Bullock and Catherine Zeta Jones expressing interest in a Wonder Woman project, studios have yet to take any substantial action. Wonder Woman as an icon might be too important to try and bring to the big screen, but with movie execs looking everywhere for the next big blockbuster moneymaker, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Wonder Woman feature film went into production within the next few years. Until then, enjoy these fast facts about Wonder Woman and I’ll be back next week.

When speaking of the Justice League there are usually the normal mainstays: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Flash. But if you’ve ever seen a few episodes of the TV series or picked an issue of the JLA, then you might have noticed another character that always seems to be around. This character of course is the Martian Manhunter. As the Justice League and all of its characters begin to pry their way into pop culture, don’t forget to mention J’onn J’onzz as one of the pillars to the superhero team. This week’s edition of Get To Know Your Superhero will focus on The Martian Manhunter.

Martian Manhunter first appeared in 1955 and was created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa.

In an issue of Detective Comics a scientist manages to teleport Martian Manhunter from Mars to Earth.

Upon his arrival, Martian Manhunter finds the scientist dead and all of the knowledge of his teleportation technology is gone.

Martian Manhunter is then forced to remain on Earth until alien technology can develop something to bring him back to Mars.

During his tenure on Earth, Martian Manhunter creates the identity of detective John Jones.

The name Jon Jones comes from his actual name back on Mars J’onn J’onzz.

Martian Manhunter possesses the following powers: Shape-shifting, Super Strength, Super Speed, Martian Vision and Flight

He is vulnerable to fire.

J’onzz eventually revealed to Earth that he was in fact the Martian Manhunter and joins the Justice League of America.

After many missions filling in for Superman and becoming a staple in the JLA community, DC writers decided J’onn J’onzz’s time was over.

In the Infinite Crisis story line, Martian Manhunter is killed in front of an audience by Libra sparking one of the largest DC story lines in history.

J’onn J’onzz is portrayed by Phil Morris in the TV series Smallville.

Who know what the state of a rumored Justice League movie is right now, but if someone out there decides to bring the JLA to the big screen, they better not leave out one of its most important members. J’onn J’onzz is usually the “straight” character in a lot of the JLA story lines in that he is quite emotionless and tends to look at everything from a logical perspective. Where other, more human characters like Superman and Batman can let their emotions get in the way of their missions, Martian Manhunter is a stone wall. So there you have, Martian Manhunter, see ya’ll next week.

Alright, so usually this spot is reserved for a super “hero,” or at the very least someone who possesses some good qualities, but this week is much different. In fact, this week’s post will focus on one of the most ultimate evils that has ever graced the inside of a funny book. This week’s Get To Know Your Superhero will focus on Doomsday. Sit back and enjoy the ride as some of you will be enlightened by facts about the “thing,” that killed Superman.

Doomsday was created by DC Comic writer and artist Dan Jurgens in 1992.

According to DC mythology, Doomsday was actually created on Superman’s home planet of Krypton long before the Kryptonian race existed.

During this era, Krypton was overrun by violent creatures and only the strongest would be able to survive.

The surface of Krypton served as a scientific breeding ground for Bertron who sent an infant being there to be slaughtered.

The remains of the slaughtered infant were then harvested on the planet in hopes that through generations of natural selection, this being would prove to be the strongest alive.

Although Bertron’s plan worked and Doomsday was eventually created, the memories of thousands of deaths were burned into the genes of this being creating an unstoppable angry force.

Originally characterized simply as “The Ultimate,” this being destroyed everything on the planet including Bertron.

Doomsday first left Krypton when he stowed away on a supply ship and went on a killing spree throughout the universe.

During his killing spree, Doomsday was confronted by a team of Green Lanterns all of whom he disposed of.

Eventually Doomsday landed on a planet and was stopped, but because of his ability to become reborn with the memories of death, he was able to return.

Knowing this, the inhabitants of a planet called Calaton sacrificed their own planet to encase Doomsday in shackles and a mask for all of eternity, then shot him back into space.

Eventually the ship containing Doomsday crash landed on Earth but the force of the crash drove Doomsday and the ship deep into the Earth’s surface.

When Doomsday awoke and broke free from his grave, he destroyed many members of the Justice League until Superman was called upon.

Doomsday also contains the ability to sense Kryptonians so he goes on a global hunt for Superman that concludes in a climactic battle in the middle of Metropolis.

In a last ditched effort to save humanity, Superman sacrificed himself and struck a final blow with his remaining energy that destroyed Doomsday.

The aftermath of Superman’s death revealed that 2 people that claimed they were the real Superman. One of these men was a cyborg who strapped Doomsday’s body to an asteroid and launched him back into space.

But Doomsday was not gone, in fact he wakes up on a familiar planet.

At this time the real Superman has returned and become obsessed with defeating Doomsday once and for all.

Superman travels to meet Doomsday for a final battle, only to discover that Doomsday grows stronger with defeat.

Eventually Superman realizes that Doomsday will never “die,” so he traps Doomsday at The End of Time.

Later, Brainiac devised a plan to combine his own genius with the strength of Doomsday so he went to The End of Time to combine with him.

Brainiac’s plan failed as he was unable to combine with Doomsday, but he did learn how to create similar monster to stop Superman.

Brainiac then traveled to Earth and tried to possess the infant child of Pete Ross and Lana Lang only to be stopped once again by Superman.

Superman trapped Brainiac’s Doomsday clone on the moon where he will never again fully exist in one universe.

The real Doomsday was eventually visited by some of Lex Luthor’s men in an attempt to control him to defeat another ultimate enemy, Imperiex.

Imperiex proved to be too much for even Doomsday as he was blasted until only a skeleton remained.

Doomsday was then brought back to full strength on Earth for the anniversary of his original battle with Superman only to be defeated once and for all by Superman who imprisoned him on another planet.

Doomsday is the closest thing to a perfect evil DC has ever gotten to with regards to enemies of Superman. He proved his strength by destroying Superman once, then his drive by constantly coming back to life and even his psychological power as Superman became obsessed with defeating him. He’s literally an unstoppable force created for the sheer purpose of death and destruction. Doomsday may not ever “die,” but DC has made numerous attempts to send him away only to bring him back when there is a good reason to do so. You can check out a watered down version of Doomsday’s battle with Superman with the DVD version of Superman/Doomsday, but I would suggest picking up a trade paper back version of the original story. It’s quite gruesome and shows a lot of Superman’ own vulnerability.

Known to many simply as “The Fastest Man Alive,” The Flash is one of comics’ most famous superheroes. His history dates all the way back to the creation of DC Comics and continues to grow with each new incarnation of the character. Although he’s mostly known for his speed and his quick wit, The Flash has a deep, rich history in comics and pop culture. Read on to find out more about The Flash in the latest version of Get To Know Your Superhero:

The Flash was created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert and first appeared in comics in 1940.

It should be noted that The Flash is simply a title dawned by a few people who embody the power of super speed.

The first Flash was a man named Jay Garrick and his original superhero name was The Scarlet Speedster.

Jay Garrick’s Flash gained his powers through inhaling water vapors and absorbing the power.

The very first Flash costume included a helmet with tiny wings attached.

In the 1940’s The Flash became a prominent member of the Justice Society of America.

DC Comics as a whole took a big hit after the war and needed to re-invent a lot of their heroes, thus in 1956, Barry Allen was created as the new Flash.

Barry Allen gained his powers when he was soaked in chemicals that had been struck by lightning.

The new Flash became a staple in comics and he soon joined the Justice League of America along with Superman, Batman and a host of other legendary characters.

The next incarnation of the Flash actually happened before Barry Allen began to phase out. Allen’s nephew Wally West became Kid Flash after a similar accident involving lighting infused chemicals.

Kid Flash and Flash worked together for a few years until Barry Allen was killed in the Crisis on Infinite Earths story line. Wally West then dawned the Flash costume.

The next incarnation of The Flash involves time travel. Bart Allen, the grandson of Barry Allen and his wife Iris was born with accelerated aging many years in the future.

With the help of a virtual reality machine, Bart traveled back in time and met with Wally West. This also slowed his accelerated aging.

Bart is the youngest rendition of the Flash and is currently in the works to make a major com back in the DC Universe.

The Flash once had a television series on CBS that lasted one season starring John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen.

The Barry Allen version of Flash is one of the members of the Justice League animated series.

The Flash has been featured in the television series Smalleville.

The Flash actually does more than simply run really fast, the molecules in his body are moving at such a fast rate that he is able to vibrate through some physical objects.

So those are some raw facts about The Flash. A few years ago there were rumours of a live action Justice League feature film, but they have since faded away. Probably a good idea considering movie franchises like Batman and Superman are quite different. So now, the next time you see that overweight guy walking around with the faded red T-shirt with the lightning bolt in the middle, you’ll be able to strike up an interesting conversation.

Comic book movies have invaded pop culture like crooked hats and fat laces. With the success of films like The Dark Knight and Iron Man from last year and Watchmen from 09, entertainment companies have jumped at the chance to adapt, recreate and profit from the popular storytelling medium. So a few years ago in a bold move to hang onto and profit from their own properties, comic book publishers like Marvel and DC decided to create their own production companies. Not only have they been able to maintain all of the legal rights to their stories, they’ve also been able to tell the stories they created from the beginning. This holds true, not only for live action films, but also animated features that go directly to DVD. This weekend I had a chance to check out the latest from DC, the origin feature story of Wonder Woman, and it did not disappoint.

The first direct-to-DVD animated feature from DC’s crew led by Bruce Timms was the wildly successful Superman: Doomsday where they retold the death and rise of Superman. Timms was one of the driving forces behind the original Batman animated series so putting him in charge seemed like a no-brainer. The second film was a bold retelling of the creation of the Justice League. Although not as polished as Superman, Timms and co had a much bigger universe to conquer. With the release of Wonder Woman, DC was able to go back to a central character and tell the myth they created back in the golden ages of comics.

Wonder Woman, like most of the DC animated features is not for the kids. Although fully animated (in retro 2-D fashion BTW) and with little to no blood and gore, the language, adult references and mature situations bridge the gap between unbelievable comic universes and television believability (is that a word?). The story follows the birth of Wonder Woman and her eventual departure from her homeland of the Amazon Warriors.

Timms and co have earned an A+ on casting, as they usually do. Although I was a bit confused as to why they would put Keri Russel (Felicity) in place to voice Wonder Woman, the result is amazing. Her timing is great and her tone is perfect especially during the scenes where WW is adjusting to the modern world. The casting of Nathan Fillion (Firefly and Dr. Horrible) was also perfect. His comedic timing and chauvinistic tone play perfectly in this flick.

Animation-wise there aren’t many surprises, if you remember the original Fox Batman Animated series, you’ll start to notice the similarities between the subtle background designs and intricate details in facial expressions and body movement during action sequences.

Wonder Woman is a great watch for an evening in. If you ever wondered who she is, where she got her powers or what she stands for, this flick will educate you much better than any blog entry.

Rock-N-Jocks brings you the latest in the Comic Super Hero world of New Era fitteds. First up is the Superman New Era fitted, this hat is all black with the embroidered “Superman “S” logo in red”. The back of the hat features an embroidered “DC Comics” logo also in red. Next is the Punisher New Era fitted that’s murdered out in all black with the embroidered skull “Punisher logo” on the front in white. The back of the hat also has the embroidered skull “Punisher logo” in white. Lastly is the comic strip Fantastic Four New Era fitted. This hat has different comic scenes of Fantastic Four all over the hat. On the front, back and sides, also on the top and bottom of the bill.The back of the hat also has the embroidered “Marvel Comics” logo in red, yellow and outlined in black. Go pick up all three of these at www.rocknjocks.com.