The Wonder Twins are returning to DC Comics, hoping to be the second Super Friends alumni after Aquaman to prove they're more than a cartoon punchline - when their powers activate, of course.
The Wonder Twins' reboot and return to the DC continuity was announced during New York Comic Con as just two of the younger DC heroes being relaunched as part of Wonder Comics, a new imprint overseen by Brian Michael Bendis and targeting teenage comic readers. But from the talent being assigned to bring back Zan and Jayna, there's a good chance it won't just be younger readers picking up their copies of Wonder Twins #1.
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After using The Flintstones to deliver some incredible satire, then earning an Eisner Award nomination for his re-imagining of Snagglepuss, writer Mark Russell will be tackling yet another Hanna-Barbara property in Wonder Twins, with artist Stephen Byrne (Green Arrow, Justice League of America) on art. The first cover art for Wonder Twins has been released, setting the tone for the new version of the Super Friends siblings - and confirming that their pet monkey Gleek will ALSO be returning, if that wasn't obvious already. Take a look:
On the off chance that readers have missed out on the Wonder Twins appearances in Super Friends, Teen Titans Go!, or the numerous spoofs and memes referring to Zan and Jayna's unique form of superpowers, the new comic is a must-read. Aliens from a far off world and telepathically linked, the two must make to use their powers, shouting the "form" or "shape" they will take. For Zan, anything made up of water, in any state. For Jayna, any living creature, be it alien, real, or even mythological.
The twins have appeared intermittently in the last twenty years of DC continuity, with not much more than their names, alien physiology, and insignia remaining consistent, or even clarified. The Byrne artwork shows them in front of what look to be school lockers, so it's safe to assume they'll end up assimilated with the rest of the Young Justice heroes before long. Whether these relaunched twins have past experience with the heroes, or will bemeeting them for the first time under the Wonder Comics banner... well, that's up to Bendis. As Dan DiDio explained during a NYCC , the Wonder Comics imprint is a direct result of Bendis' interest in the characters:
“People have been asking for them over and over again... But we don’t want to bring them back and have nothing to do with them. It wasn’t until Brian came back and said he wanted to do Young Justice that we decided it was time to bring them back."
What lies ahead for the future of the Wonder Twins, Young Justice, and the rest of the Wonder Comics books has yet to be detailed, but we'll keep fans updated as more official details are released by DC. For now, will the Wonder Twins have a spot on your pull list?
Wonder Twins is expected to launch in early 2019.
