Doug: Since we're in between our 2-part look at Alex Ross's and Paul Dini's Superman: Peace on Earth, I thought we'd pause for a bit and ponder a question. The inspiration for said question was an article in the recent treasury-sized issue of Back Issue! magazine. One of my favorite "big books" of the 1970's was the Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez-illustrated Superman vs. Wonder Woman. At the beginning of the article was a photo of television's Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, with co-star Lyle Waggoner. And here's what immediately leapt to mind:
DC has struggled (sometimes mightily) in getting any traction under Superman and/or Wonder Woman projects on the big or small screens since the late 1970's; Superman has obviously been involved in a few long-running series like Lois and Clark and Smallville, but do Bronze Agers think of Dean Cain and Tom Welling first when they think of Supes? And part of that may be due in no small part to the performances and general looks of actors Christopher Reeve as Superman and the aforementioned Carter. Any actors who venture into those iconic costumes are forever measured against what for many Bronze Age Babies remain the definitive performances of those two characters. So, finally, here's the question: Between Christopher Reeve and Lynda Carter, who will "own" their trademark role the longest?