SDCC '11: The Search for 'Wonder Woman'

The one thing I don’t see me doing a lot of at Comic Con next week is shopping. When it comes to graphic novels and older single issues, I tend to be something of a bargain shopper. If I have a feeling that I can buy something elsewhere for a better deal, I’m not likely to fork money for books.

However—I am on the lookout for one prized item: The somewhat unseen Wonder Woman pilot that NBC opted not to convert into a full-fledged 2011/2012 television series. From the moment it was announced there was mainly panic and negativity probably because it was being adapted by David E. Kelley—whose library of successes have had nothing to do with derring-do.

Then came the picture. Oh the picture. I will forever feel terrible for poor Adrianne Palicki who was torn apart on just about every message board. People and their dumb anonymous comments. And it just went on and on and on. Finally after the pilot was screened for test audiences, NBC realized they didn’t have a program that they thought they could work with. In the past few years NBC has brought some costly programming to the airwaves that just couldn’t find an audience (Bionic Woman and The Event).

I’m fascinated to see what Kelley was able came up with. He had a solid cast on his hands with Palicki, Elizabeth Hurley (Bedazzled), Tracie Thoms (Death Proof), and Justin Breuning (Knight Rider). Cary Elwes was also in the cast. I have a feeling that the DVD might be somewhat difficult to find because its demise was so recent and I can only imagine that its availability is still fairly scarce. I’m going to look for shadowy, iffy areas of the Con floor—anywhere I see makeshift shelving, tires and broken record players is where I will be rummaging for the Wonder Woman pilot.

I’d love to record future Special Edition podcasts featuring discussions of Wonder Woman, the 1997 Justice League of America pilot, or the unreleased Roger Corman-produced Fantastic Four film. I may have to finally pick up the latter two as consolations, though they have been making the rounds at Cons for years.

I figure I could just go up to any kiosk where dvd’s are being sold and say I’m a big time figurehead kind of person from Warner Bros. and I’m going to have to confiscate their supply of pirated Wonder Woman DVD’s. To make it more official I’ll wear a Bugs Bunny tee and I’ll tell the shopkeep to place the goods in my Superman tote. I live for shenanigans and hijinks.

Lastly, I hope the DVD cover is totally cheeseball with typos, a bad photoshopping of Palicki in front of Godzilla or the hospital explosion from The Dark Knight, and a synopsis filled with misinformation: "After being flown to our planet from her home planet of Krypton, young Princess Dianne is here to protect Gotham from the bad guys and crime. As Wonder Woman! Bad guys and crime better watch out as Wonder Woman fights them... and looks good doing it because she has GIRL POWER!"

I can dream can't I?