Getting a superhero education in Oregon

The University of Oregon may have lost its controversial first game of the 2009 season on the blue monster to Boise State, but they will be concentrating on a different type of monster soon -- the superhero culture -- as the school plays host to "Understanding Superheroes," a two-day conference on Oct. 23-24 that will discuss the world of superheroes.

The conference will be held alongside the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s fall exhibition "Faster than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of a Superhero" and is free to attend, but you have to register in advance.

Guests will include keynote speakers Danny Fingeroth, Charles Hatfield and Henry Jenkins, while comics creators Kurt Busiek ("Astro City"), Greg Rucka ("Gotham Central," "Whiteout," "Queen & Country"); and Gail Simone ("Deadpool," "Birds of Prey," "Welcome to Tranquility"  and "Wonder Woman") chime in with an interesting panel about writing the contemporary superhero.

With other panels like Being and Super-Beings: Existentialism, Temporality, and Eschatology and Secret Identity Politics: Religion, Ethnicity and Superheroes, this seems like it'll be a pretty cerebral event focusing on the psyche behind why we like comics and other pop-culture phenoms like video games.  For those who make their own comics or may want to be part of the process, it might be a great road trip up to Oregon.  And the Ducks play Washington in Seattle that weekend, so the campus should be in a good mood.

-- Jevon Phillips

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I'm a big fan of lists, so is Jevon Phillips, a star contributor here at Hero Complex. Here's his take on a recent tally of the women of sci-fi....or is that sigh-fi? -- G.B.

As usual, there's a lot to dispute about anyone having a top so-and-so list, but Totalscifionline.com's 25 women who shook up sci-fi isn't too startling. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Trek" are the only franchises with multiple entries on the list (and rightfully so). Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley of "Alien" fame was named First Lady of Sci-Fi.

Of course, there were parameters, which the site laid out like so:

We've limited ourselves to TV and film - SF and fantasy literature probably warrants a further list all of its own - and in those instances where multiple actresses have portrayed a character, we’ve written who we believe gave the most definitive performance in brackets. No doubt there are many characters you feel we’ve left off.

Yeah, yeah -- and the site does include a more in-depth examination of each choice. There will be debate over ones who didn't make it. I really like River Tam on "Firefly" -- but it was short-lived -- and the women of "Cleopatra 2525" and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity in "The Matrix" and ... well, let's stop there.  And there may be some on the list who deserve to be higher. Wonder Woman and Xena, 22 and 23? Hey, I like Leeloo and Claire bear, but not over those two icons.

Again, it can be debated (Lois Lane! "Bionic Woman!") until we're all breathless, but give the site credit for taking on the task. Here's their final list. Let the comments flow.

The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi:

1) Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, "Alien" series)

2) Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")

3) Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff, "Battlestar Galactica")

4) Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson, "The X-Files")

5) Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, "Terminator," "T2")

6) Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher, "Star Wars" series)

7) Rose Tyler (Billie Piper, "Doctor Who")

8) Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping, "Stargate SG-1")

9) Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols, "Star Trek")

10) Leeloo (Milla Jovovich, "The Fifth Element")

11) Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes")

12) Storm (Halle Berry, "X-Men")

13) Pris (Daryl Hannah, "Blade Runner")

14) Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer, "Batman Returns")

15) Barbarella (Jane Fonda, "Barbarella")

16) Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen, "The Sarah-Jane Adventures" / "Doctor Who")

17) Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox, "Transformers")

18) Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian, "Babylon 5")

19) Number Six (Tricia Helfer, "Battlestar Galactica")

20) Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, "Star Trek: Voyager")

21) Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")

22) Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter, "Wonder Woman")

23) Xena (Lucy Lawless, Xena: "Warrior Princess")

24) Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner, "Alias")

25) Marina (Stingray)

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo credits: "Aliens" - 20th Century Fox. "Star Wars" - Lucasfilm Ltd. "X-Men" - 20th Century Fox.  "Xena Warrior Princess" - Reuters.

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'Wonder Woman's' Keri Russell is 'a tourist' with a tiara

One of Keri Russell’s most vivid childhood memories is folding laundry while watching Lynda Carter twirl as Wonder Woman on television. And then there was her star-spangled Halloween costume when she was 4, a homemade outfit that for one night made her feel like a real Amazon princess.

"So you can imagine, the idea of playing Wonder Woman now, well, that’s pretty special," said Russell, who gives voice to the most famous female superhero of them all in "Wonder Woman," a PG-13 animated movie that hits stores Tuesday as a straight-to-video release on DVD and BluRay.

For Russell, there is "a certain feeling of responsibility" in playing a character that has been quite literally wrapped in the flag since her first appearance on newsstands in December 1941, the same month Pearl Harbor was bombed.

"She was the strong female among all these male heroes and for little girls she was an important symbol, so I do take it seriously,” said Russell, who won a Golden Globe for her starring work on the television show "Felicity" and has appeared in films such as "Mission: Impossible III" and "The Upside of Anger."

Still, Russell chuckled when asked about the physics of Wonder Woman's red, white and blue outfit (“It’s a bikini, and she’s jumping around and fighting? I’m glad it was a cartoon.") and the somewhat startling experience of treading into the comic-book sector ("The fans are very, very passionate and obsessed in a way, and it’s, um, interesting. I’m a tourist.")

Lights shining on Wonder Woman

There's a long and vivid history of comics and the music world colliding in strange ways. Remember when Marvel published KISS comics? Or when R. Crumb drew the cover for the "Cheap Thrills" album by Big Brother and the Holding Company? How about that sleek John Byrne artwork on Joe Satriani's "Surfing with the Alien" cover? Those popped into my mind when Warner Bros Records sent me a copy of an EP by the Canadian singer who calls herself Lights as well as her bio, which told a fanciful version of her life in comic-book form.

The 21-year-old Lights drew the comic and the album cover herself and is a passionate comics fan, as proven by the tattoo on her back that is modeled on the cover of a Wonder Woman issue. In the EP booklet she drew a white-winged space girl with a tapered laser pistol that Flash Gordon would admire. The caption: "Our struggles is not against flesh and blood but against the forces and powers of a dark world." Well, clearly, this is a singer who needed a visit to the Hero Complex blog, so I was happy when she agreed to write up a post on her 10 favorite Wonder Woman battles, which you can find below. You can check out her music at her My Space page, her official website or in the music video for twinkling "February Air" at the bottom of this post. Thanks again to Lights and happy holidays everyone.

-- Geoff Boucher

10) Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah
Cheetah, once a beautiful and rich but desperate woman who was turned into a cheetah-woman as a result of a curse from a lusty situation with an African god, is insanely jealous of Wonder Woman. One prominent battle between the two occurred while Wonder Woman was incarcerated (by choice of course! She turned herself in for the murder of Max Lord. Obviously goddesses don't need to stay incarcerated if they don't want). Cheetah stalked Wonder Woman in her cell, waiting for everyone to clear out before jumping her in the dark. The battle was vicious and filled with claws, but cheetah left with her tail between her legs as usual.

9) Wonder Woman vs. Zoom
Wonder Woman's battle with Zoom (an insane reverse version of the Flash) who can travel in and out of time to achieve incredible speed, took them from Boston to the Great Wall of China, all the way to Wonder Woman's home of Paradise Island in a matter of seconds. Zoom can fight at the speed of light, thus putting up a good fight for Wonder Woman. Though, he pushed his luck when he punched one of Wonder Woman's Amazon sisters over 200 times in one second! In the end Zoom escaped, so there was no clear winner in this battle, but it was a good one to see go down! P.S.: Wonder Woman was blind for this whole battle!

8) Wonder Woman vs. Darkseid
Darkseid is a looming threat all throughout the DC Universe, and with his god-like powers he is certainly a force to be reckoned with. With ambitions to obtain control over the universe, Darkseid summoned his minions from planet Apokolips to invade Themyscira in hopes of finding the location of the Olympian gods to steal their power. The Amazons, alongside Wonder Woman, were hurled into an intense battle against him and his vast army of semi-demon warriors. He ceased wreaking his havoc only once he discovered he would not find what he was looking for there, and withdrew his troops leaving Paradise Island with more than half of its population dead. This was a battle that Wonder Woman and the Amazons actually lost. It brings anger to my heart against Darkseid, passionate anger! And that is why I have included it in my list of sweet battles.

7) Wonder Woman vs. the White Magician
The White Magician is an insane super-sorcerer who utilizes high powered spells and can morph into his extremely powerful demonic form with huge horns and giant claws. In one gruesome battle, neither Circe (disguised in a mortal form, typically an immortal sorceress) nor Artemis (a fellow Amazon of Wonder Woman) could take down the White Magician in his demonic form. After many body slams and gnashing of claws, Wonder Woman prevailed -- though badly hurt -- despite his immense power!

6) Wonder Woman vs. Hades
Hades is the lord of the underworld who has power over all the dead and dark spirits. He dresses very classy with a top hat and cane. Most of his battles involve much less one-on-one action and more mind manipulation and scaring through the use of his spirits. When Wonder Woman was commissioned by Athena to fetch Hermes from the dead, she entered into Hades (Hades' realm, the underworld) blinded and lost and tormented by spirits and fears for 117 days, but in reality it was only mere minutes! This particular drawn-out battle ended in the healthful restoration of Hermes and the death of Hades by the axe of his nephew, Ares (not necessarily on Wonder Woman's side, but was promised he could gain power over the underworld if he killed Hades). Wonder Woman won with the help of others in this battle. Teamwork!

Hugh Hefner and his lady friends on their favorite super heroes

You might recall last week we asked various Playboy Playmates which super powers they would love to have. Strangely some of the women wanted to have the power to read men's minds (as if one would need magical skills for that).

While we were at the mansion, we used our valuable time to probe even deeper, for you, the Hero Complex reader. We asked several  several folks including Hugh Hefner, his (now former-) girlfriends Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkerson, as well as the current Playmate of the Year (Jayde Nicole), and the former Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood who their favorite superhero was. Sorry Greatest American Hero, most of the responses were the traditional DC types you'd expect.

-- Tony Pierce

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First look: Wonder Woman animated movie

EXCLUSIVE

In late February, Wonder Woman will get her own feature-length animated film -- her biggest solo spotlight since the cancellation of the Lynda Carter television series in 1979 -- and today we're bringing you the very first glimpse of it.

Keri Russell, the Golden Globe-winning star of "Felicity" and Edward Norton's co-star in the upcoming film "Leaves of Grass," gives voice to the Amazon princess in the straight-to-DVD release that will tell the origin tale of the most iconic female character in comic book history.

Russell leads a cast that includes Nathan Fillion ("Desperate Housewives") as Col. Steve Trevor; Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2") as Ares, the god of war; Virginia Madsen ("Sideways") as Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons; David McCallum ("NCIS") as Zeus, king of the gods; Rosario Dawson ("Sin City") as Artemis, daughter of Zeus; and Oliver Platt ("The West Wing") as Hades, the god of the underworld.

Beyonce wants to lasso the role of Wonder Woman

EXCLUSIVE

Beyoncé is ready for an Amazon-sized challenge -- the pop superstar wants to be the first actress to wear Wonder Woman's famed red, white and blue bathing suit on the silver screen.

"I want to do a superhero movie and what would be better than Wonder Woman? It would be great. And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It's time for that, right?"

Beyoncé says that she has met with representatives of DC Comics and Warner Bros. to express her interest in a major role in one of the many comic-book adaptations now in the pipeline following the massive success of "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man" and the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" franchises. Beyoncé's acting to career to date has included a comedic role in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and two notable music world roles, the first as a quasi-Diana Ross character in "Dreamgirls" and as the defiant and heroin-addicted Etta James in the upcoming "Cadillac Records."

"After doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking  to myself, 'OK, I need to be a superhero,'" Beyoncé told me this week when I met her for an interview in a suite atop the Rivington Hotel in New York. "Although, when you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there's also an action element that I would enjoy."

Sarah Palin has Wonder Woman spinning mad

I have to say upfront that it's difficult for me to be objective in any way when it comes to Lynda Carter. Let's just say for a certain little boy growing up in South Florida, watching Wonder Woman spin around on TV and tie Nazis up with her lasso was a deeply moving childhood experience. Let's stop right here for a moment and reflect on the glory of Amazon princess....

Wow. OK, let me focus. Yes. Anyway, I bring this up because Carter (whom you might have caught in a fun supporting role as the school principal in "Sky High") just got up in the grill of Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and the Republican candidate for vice president. The woman who used to wear the industrial-grade red, white and blue bikini with such (ahem) pride sounds like she's about to drop an invisible plane on the polarizing politician.

Here's the exchange between Victor Fiorillo and Carter in an otherwise innocuous Q&A about her music career that appeared in Philadelphia Magazine:

Okay, last question. I'm sure you've seen all the comparisons in the media and among Republicans of Sarah Palin to Wonder Woman. How do you feel about that?

Don’t get me started. She’s the anti-Wonder Woman. She’s judgmental and dictatorial, telling people how they’ve got to live their lives. And a superior religious self-righteousness ... that’s just not what Wonder Woman is about. Hillary Clinton is a lot more like Wonder Woman than Mrs. Palin. She did it all, didn’t she?

No one has the right to dictate, particularly in this country, to force your own personal views upon the populace — religious views. I think that is suppressive, oppressive, and anti-American. We are the loyal opposition. That’s the whole point of this country: freedom of speech, personal rights, personal freedom. Nor would Wonder Woman be the person to tell people how to live their lives. Worry about your own life! Worry about your own family! Don't be telling me what I want to do with mine.

I like John McCain. But this woman — it's anathema to me what she stands for. I think America should be very afraid. Very afraid. Separation of church and state is the one thing the creators of the Constitution did agree on — that it wasn’t to be a religious government. People should feel free to speak their minds about religion but not dictate it or put it into law.

What I don’t understand, honestly, is how anyone can even begin to say they know the mind of God. Who do they think they are? I think that’s ridiculous. I know what God is in my life. Now I am sure that she’s not all just that. But it’s enough to me. It’s enough for me to have a visceral reaction. And it makes me mad.

Wow! This could start a whole new feature on the political shows. Old superhero actors and their political views. What does Adam West think of Barack Obama? Does Lou Ferrigno support the green movement? (It seems like he should.) Does anybody know the number for Nicholas Hammond or William Katt?

-- Geoff Boucher