InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'd rather sell a kidney."

batcookies (batcookies) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-09-13 21:24:00

Entry tags:

char: black canary/dinah lance, char: blue beetle/jaime reyes, char: flash/kid flash/wally west, char: giganta/dr. doris zeul, char: hercules/dc, char: paco, char: wonder girl/troia/donna troy, char: wonder woman/diana of themyscira, creator: john byrne, creator: phil jimenez, series: world of wondy

Wonder Woman Villains - Giganta (It's a big one!)
Been a while since I did one of these. Here's the old ones:

Egg Fu/Dr. Chang Tzu
Angle Man
Dr. Poison

We start back in the Golden Age (I rescued two images of this from the old site, but none from the more complete telling of her origin)

Basically there's an ape running amock at the zoo, and Wonder Woman steps in.

And thus was born Giganta. She was a little on the tall side but far from the giant we know now, and she was created by Prof. Zool.

She re-appeared once in the Golden Age.

In the Silver Age we got a slightly different origin. This time around, Dr. Psycho was involved a little bit and had Prof. Zool turn Giganta into a person at gunpoint.

Photobucket

She re-appeared once in the Silver Age.

So, wrap your head around this one: prior to Superfriends, Giganta had appeared in only four comics. In fact, I think she had only 4 in total, pre-Crisis.

And now for Superfriends...

Well, it was very different from the character in the comics, for a start.

And it's where we first saw her ability to grow into a giant. I'll let wiki explain.

"it was revealed that Giganta was a normal woman who was horseriding when she witnessed Apache Chief using magic dust. The latter used it to grow larger so he could fight off a grizzly bear. Giganta stole the dust and used it on herself, gaining the ability to transform into a powerful, 50 foot tall giantess.

This origin becomes important later.

(As for her other well-known animated appearance... Justice League made her the sidekick of Gorilla Grodd, a Flash villain. Can't say I'm thrilled with that.)

Post-Crisis, Wonder Woman got really sick in Byrne's run (understandable), and ended up in a hospital.

Oh, and there was a silly DC Event going on, where everyone was having the will to live sucked right out of them (yup, a pretty typical comic book event).

Skip ahead a bit...

Zeul and her assistant apparently get away, and Diana ends up with other worries for a while.

Then...

Saved by a cop friend of Diana's (and that's all you need to know). So far everything makes sense, right? You're clear on her goals? Well hold on to your hats...

Zeul/Giganta vanishes for a while, then reappears in Phil Jimenez's run looking... really damn different, helping a bunch of female villains go on a rampage for no particularly good reason.

Oh, well, at least there's a little box saying things will all be explained, right? Yeeeeeah...

Diana (and Trevor Barnes) and up falling into another dimension, where they run into Giganta and some other villains. Giganta's basically the muscle.

The villains are calling themselves "Villainy, Inc" which is apparently the name of a Golden Age collection of Wonder Woman villains.
It's a name they supposedly chose for themselves, despite the fact that none of the villains seems like the sort to come up with a name like that.
Plus it's a really lame name.
For once I kinda agree with Trevor Barnes...

You know, when even the characters in the story are saying "that sounds stupid", your subconcious might be trying to tell you something.

Anyway, remember this?

Well here's what we were waiting for!

Yes, it's only one page long.
Yes, it's very very rushed and forced.
Yes, it did try to shoehorn in a reference to the Superfriends' origin of Giganta (told you it'd be important).
No, it really doesn't explain why Giganta, a brilliant scientist just looking for a way to survive a deadly illness, has decided to go around being an evil thug working for other villains. We never DO get an explanation, out of any writer. Jimenez dropped the ball, motivation-wise, and nobody ever picked it up.

The bad guys lose, of course.

And remember: that was the first time that a concious Diana has met Giganta.

After that, Giganta appeared as a mercenary villain in a (bad) Loeb-penned Superman/Batman story, where we learned that if you put together all of Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman's villains, it won't even slow down Batman and Superman.

Photobucket

Then we got this, by Johns/Rucka. Keep in mind, this is the second time Giganta ever met WW.

A JLA appearance...

Some Villains United stuff...

Then, OYL, she showed up in Wonder Woman again. It wasn't very flattering, IMHO, but then again Heinberg was writing it.

Man, that happens to her a LOT.

Later she gets taken out by Hercules, with relative ease.

And she fights Blue Beetle, as a mercenary working for Intergang, trying to kill one of their rivals.

skip ahead

And that's basically the state of Giganta when Gail Simone got her hands on the big girl... which is a subject for another time

(Post a new comment)

	foxhack 2009-09-14 02:42 am UTC (link)
	Aww, you didn't post the date with The Atom! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	volksjager 2009-09-14 02:57 am UTC (link)
	I'll second that request ! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sailorlibra 2009-09-14 03:26 am UTC (link)
	And I'm thirding Giganta's every appearance with the Atom. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	tacobob 2009-09-14 04:35 am UTC (link)
	She was also played by A'leisha Brevard in the live action "Legends Of Superheroes". I think she was either dating or marrying the Atom. It was all very painful. But you do get to see Solomon Grundy beat up Ed McMahon. And see Sinestro in drag. And meet Hawkman's mum. ugh. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	scottyquick 2009-09-14 12:56 pm UTC (link)
	I fourth it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	crinosg 2009-09-14 02:49 am UTC (link)
	What's up with that random pic of Super Buff Lana Lang hidden in there? Also, they must have really been reaching for female villains for the Legion of doom to include Giganta. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	colonel_green 2009-09-14 02:58 am UTC (link)
	It was more reaching for Wondy villains, I think; the Cheetah had similarly only made a handful of appearances. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	batcookies 2009-09-14 03:05 am UTC (link)
	Cheetah had a very low number of appearances too. But remember they used Giganta as Apache Chief's foe, not Wonder Woman's. (Reply to this) (Parent)

fungo_squiggly
2009-09-14 02:57 am UTC (link)

Mock being able to look up Giganta's enormous dress if you like, I still like that look better than the giant tracksuit.

I mean, if your claim to fame is being really big and being called Giganta, you really need an appropriate costume to go with it. Cavewoman-esque attire is kind of traditional for a giant. Outlandish armor be good too, if you're going for more of a Galactus vibe.

But a giant tracksuit with a leopard-skin collar? Lame.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	q99 2009-09-14 06:16 am UTC (link)
	It does mean less 'look up her skirt' references. Maybe alter the design, but bodysuit = yes, (Reply to this) (Parent)

	darkknightjrk 2009-09-14 01:29 pm UTC (link)
	Perhaps keep the lepord-print motif, but change the skirt into shorts? Keep it close to the cavewoman look while avoiding the skirt puns that can get boring after a while even to a bit of a perv like me. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bluefall 2009-09-14 02:19 pm UTC (link)
	I think the leopard-print is a serious problem when there're only four halfway known Wondy villains and one of the other three is Cheetah. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

unknownscribler
2009-09-15 03:28 pm UTC (link)

Of course, given that Zeul needs a bunch of expensive high tech stuff to make the transfer gizmo, I can see her trying to find a financial backer.

And who better than a certain getting past middle aged Barbara Minerva in a body wracked by constant pain? If Barbara can find herself a new body (or even better, grow herself a younger cloned body) that's virginial, then there's nothing stopping her remarrying the plant god for all the benefitsd and none of the drawbacks...

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bluefall 2009-09-15 06:07 pm UTC (link)
	That would be a pretty elegant step toward justifying her high-profile criminal tendencies, certainly. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	unknownscribler 2009-09-16 07:56 pm UTC (link)
	It's pretty much the only way I can think of to justify her new life of crime. The bit with the lasso-evoked confession of an inferiority complex/overweening egotism in Who is Wonder Woman is really just lame. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	halloweenjack 2009-09-14 07:37 pm UTC (link)
	Mock being able to look up Giganta's enormous dress if you like Someone, seanbaby I think, did a re-dialoguing of the Superfriends appearance where she definitely went commando when she was rampaging through the streets. Many were permanently mentally scarred on that day. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	unknownscribler 2009-09-15 03:18 pm UTC (link)
	Are you crazy? Her modern get up is the hotness! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	fungo_squiggly 2009-09-15 11:55 pm UTC (link)
	You are the one who is crazy, if you actually do believe that! Personally I choose to believe you're joking. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	blakeyrat 2009-09-14 03:06 am UTC (link)
	I hear-tell my first words were also "I hate thee, thou interfering she!" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	sistermagpie 2009-09-14 02:03 pm UTC (link)
	In English or gorilla language? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blakeyrat 2009-09-14 05:22 pm UTC (link)
	Venture Brothers had a bit of dialog like this: (Two henchmen are looking into a weapons closet, and surprised at the fact that all the "weapons" are toys.) Henchmen: "Are these they?" Henchmen 2: "Who talks like that!!" Monarch: "Are these they?" Made me laugh for hours. "Are these they?" Anyway. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	icon_uk 2009-09-14 08:34 pm UTC (link)
	I'm hearing that in Stewie Griffin's voice for some reason... :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	aaron_bourque 2009-09-14 03:23 am UTC (link)
	Am I the only one seeing the Villains United page twice? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	sailorlibra 2009-09-14 03:26 am UTC (link)
	Nah, I am, too. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	btravage.livejournal.com 2009-09-14 04:12 am UTC (link)
	What, no All New Atom appearances? (Reply to this)

	jaybee3 2009-09-14 04:20 am UTC (link)
	Didn't she fight Rita Farr/Elastigirl too at one point (I think it was out of continuity though - Alex Ross' Justice series)? She got owned there too. Giganta is a pretty horrible villain considering she's the size of a skyscraper and is supposed to be genius-level and yet she gets beaten pretty much every time. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	btravage.livejournal.com 2009-09-14 04:33 am UTC (link)
	That's why there's the retcon that she gets dumber as she gets taller. Of course, that raises the question of why doesn't she just stay small? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bluefall 2009-09-15 02:20 am UTC (link)
	Well, really, why Giganta does anything is kind of the fundamental problem with her character. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	also, this series on wondy's foes are quite awesome scottyquick 2009-09-14 12:58 pm UTC (link)
	"By Darkseid's bile, that's a large female! I could lose myself in her bosoms!" That's a Gail Simone comic right there. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: also, this series on wondy's foes are quite awesome icon_uk 2009-09-14 08:35 pm UTC (link)
	And you can be sure RagDoll will be thinking of somewhere ELSE on her he could lose himself... (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: also, this series on wondy's foes are quite awesome scottyquick 2009-09-14 08:42 pm UTC (link)
	Just to let you know, you are the first person on Scans Daily to ever squick me out completely without saying something totally douchey. So feel proud and/or bad. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: also, this series on wondy's foes are quite awesome icon_uk 2009-09-14 08:55 pm UTC (link)
	Anywhere else, bad, on S_D proud! Because it's all coming from YOUR reading of my comment and YOUR subconscious! :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	darkknightjrk 2009-09-14 01:28 pm UTC (link)
	I love Golden Age Steve's way of accepting the experiment--there's a chance that the damn dirty ape might die, so go ahead and put her in those whatever-the-hell-beams, Doc! (Reply to this)

	sistermagpie 2009-09-14 02:05 pm UTC (link)
	There's probably no reason to point out that humans did not evolve from modern gorillas. But I just did it anyway. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	interrobamf 2009-09-14 04:29 pm UTC (link)
	The original Giganta story is possibly the most crackiest comic book story ever. Trust me, a human "evolving" from a gorilla was the least of problems. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sailorlibra 2009-09-14 06:36 pm UTC (link)
	Okay, I'm confused. The JLA appearance was after OYL and thus after shiney new tracksuit. So why did the costume revert? Did McDuffie do that just so Dinah could make a joke about the costume? Because we already had the conversion about how reverting costumes just to make fun of them is bad with that one Huntress scene. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	batcookies 2009-09-14 08:09 pm UTC (link)
	In the other hand, I'd argue that ignoring "Who is Wonder Woman" should be extolled as a virtue. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bluefall 2009-09-14 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	On the gripping hand again, though, that scene doesn't do Dinah any favors either. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Your Icon empgonzo 2010-01-03 05:49 am UTC (link)
	Sorry to bother, but I need to know who your icon is supposed to be, because I think It's Barbara Gordon as drawn by Kevin Maguire and I wanted to be sure. if you could help I'd appreciate it (Reply to this) (Parent)

	colonel_green 2009-09-14 08:14 pm UTC (link)
	McDuffie's first arc fairly heavy on homages to "Challenge of the Superfriends"; Giganta's costume would presumably be a part of that. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ashez2ashes 2009-09-14 10:22 pm UTC (link)
	Ah, DCU Hercules, why are you so lame. (Reply to this)

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