Revisiting Woody, Wonder Woman and the Fantastic Four

I have not written much lately. I used to write daily but that was a long time ago. It is true that work, family and a home business have taken up a lot of my time. But, I have not felt as driven to write as I used to feel, too. This entry is my attempt to get back into writing and discussing comic books and classic cartoons.

I have not watched any old Woody Woodpecker or Andy Panda cartoons for a few years. I need to spend an evening introducing my daughter to the good old cartoons I grew up watching. That said, she has watched Pink Panther and loves him. I even bought her a collection of the earliest Pink Panther cartoons. (I forgot he actually talked in a few of them.) Soon, I will find time to show my girl who Woody Woodpecker is and why he is a classic character. I've said it before but I'll say it again, the best Woody cartoons were the earliest years when he was pestering Wally Walrus, had a larger body and crazy eyes.

Regarding animated/comic book characters, I am very excited to see the new Fantastic Four movie coming out this summer. There has been a lot of controversy over the movie and Marvel Comics fans are split on whether it will be a good or bad film. Of course, we will not really know until the movie comes out.

But, why are some comic book readers upset about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie? Some fans are upset that the tone of the movie is going to be more serious than past FF movies. Other fans are upset that an African-American actor is cast as the Human Torch. Meanwhile, others are upset that Doctor Doom's last name has been changed. None of these changes really upset me and I am a longtime Fantastic Four fan. I am a little concerned that the Thing may be naked in the movie (as it appears in previews). However, I will be happy as long as there is heroics, drama and the four act like family.

Another comic book/cartoon character I have been revisiting recently is Wonder Woman. A few months ago I purchased a DVD set of the first season of Wonder Woman from the 1970s. I remember seeing the show a few times as a child but never really watched it back in the late 1970s and early 1980s (when it was still in reruns). However, I am very impressed by the series. 

The first year of the television series was set in the 1940s and has Wonder Woman fighting Nazis alongside Steve Trevor. It even had her close friend Etta Candy and sister Wonder Girl in the show. The first year of the show is a perfect representation of the Golden Age Wonder Woman. I feel Lynda Carter was the perfect choice to play the role, too. She looks like I would expect Wonder Woman to look in real life.

Let's continue to remember classic characters of the past, such as Woody Woodpecker and Wonder Woman, while being open to new interpretations of our favorites, as in the case of the Fantastic Four.

I am an owner of Halloween Hill, an online store that sells haunted house props, as well as Halloween decorations. I am also a comic book collector and have been for more than 25 years!