Publication history of Wonder Woman
Encyclopedia
This article is about the history of the fictional DC Comics
' character Wonder Woman
.
Wonder Woman was introduced in All Star Comics
(issue #8; December 1941), the second bestselling comic in DC's line. Following this auspicious debut, she was featured in Sensation Comics
#1 (January 1942), and six months later appeared in her own book (Summer 1942). Wonder Woman took her place beside the extant superheroines or antiheroes Fantomah
, Black Widow, Invisible Scarlet O'Neil
, and Canada
's Nelvana of the Northern Lights
. Until his death in 1947, Dr. William Moulton Marston wrote all of the Wonder Woman stories. H. G. Peter
penciled the book in a simplistic yet easily identifiable style.
Armed with bulletproof bracelets, magic lasso
, and Amazonian
training, Wonder Woman was the archetype of Marston's perfect woman. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong, yet still possessed a soft side. Her powers were derived from "Amazon concentration", not as a gift from the gods which would later become part of her back story.
Wonder Woman's "lasso of truth" was forged from the Magic Girdle of Aphrodite
, which Queen Hippolyte
(Wonder Woman's mother) was granted by the Goddess. Hephaestus
had borrowed the Olympian belt, removed several links from it in order to forge the magic lasso, which was unbreakable as well as infinitely elastic, and compelled all encircled by it to obey the commands of the wielder, most notably to tell the truth.
In Wonder Woman's origin story, Steve Trevor
, an intelligence officer in the United States Army
, crashed his plane on Paradise Island, the Amazons' isolated homeland. Using a "Purple Ray
", Princess Diana nursed him back to health and fell in love with him. When the goddess Aphrodite declared that it was time for an Amazon to travel to "Man's World" and fight the evil of the Nazis
, a tournament was held to determine who would be the Amazon champion. Although forbidden by her mother Queen Hippolyte to participate in the tournament, Princess Diana did so nevertheless, her identity hidden by a mask.
After Diana won the tournament and revealed her true identity, Queen Hippolyte relented and allowed her daughter to become Wonder Woman. Diana returned Steve Trevor to the outside world and soon adopted the identity of nurse Lt. Diana Prince (by taking the place of her exact double by that name) in order to be close to Trevor as he recovered from his injuries. Afterward, he became Wonder Woman's crime-fighting partner and romantic interest.
In her guise as a nurse, Diana cares for Trevor and frequently overhears his intelligence discussions, allowing her to know where she is needed. Prince is eventually hired to work for Trevor in the War Department as his assistant. Trevor periodically suspects that Diana and Wonder Woman might be the same person, especially since he frequently catches Diana using her tiara or lasso.
Wonder Woman was ably assisted by the Holliday Girls, a sorority from a local women's college led by the sweets-addicted Etta Candy
. Etta stood out for several reasons: she had a distinctive figure, she occupied a central role in many storylines, and had an endearing propensity for exclaiming "woo-woo" (which echoed the "hoo-hoo" catchphrase associated with the popular vaudevillian comedian Hugh Herbert
). Etta took her place with Steve Trevor and Diana as the series' most enduring characters.
During 1942 to 1947, images of bound and gagged women frequently graced the covers of Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman. For example, in Wonder Woman #3, Wonder Woman herself ties up several women, dresses them in deer costumes and chases them through the forest. Later she rebinds them and displays them on a platter. In addition, Diana is rendered powerless if a male manages to chain her bracelets together. The comic's sexual subtext
has been noted, leading to debates over whether it provided an outlet for Dr. Marston's sexual fantasies or whether it was meant (perhaps unconsciously) to appeal to, and possibly influence, the developing sexuality of young readers.
The bondage and submission elements had a broader context for Marston, who had worked as a prison psychologist. The themes were intertwined with his theories about the rehabilitation of criminals, and from her inception, Wonder Woman wanted to reform the criminals she captured (a rehabilitation complex was created by the Amazons on Transformation Island, a small island near Paradise Island
). A core component in Marston's conception of Wonder Woman was "loving submission", in which kindness to others would result in willing submission derived from agape
based on Moulton's own personal philosophies. This concept has resulted in parodies of the character in which male criminals are so enamored with the heroine's beauty that they surrender solely to enjoy her company.
During this period Wonder Woman joined the Justice Society of America
(featured in All Star Comics) as its first female member. Reflecting the mores of this pre-feminist era, Wonder Woman served as the group's secretary, despite being one of the group's most powerful members.
Upon William Moulton Marston's death in 1947, Robert Kanigher
took up the writing duties on Wonder Woman. Diana was written as a less feminist character, and began to resemble other traditional American heroines. Peter produced the art on the title through issue #97, when the elderly artist was fired (he died soon afterward). During this time, Diana's abilities expanded. Her earrings provided her the air she needed to breathe in outer space, and she piloted an "invisible plane
", originally a propeller-driven P-40 Warhawk
or P-51 Mustang
, later upgraded to a jet aircraft. Her tiara was an unbreakable boomerang, and a two-way wrist radio similar to Dick Tracy
's was installed in one of her bracelets, allowing her to communicate with Paradise Island.
Dr. Fredric Wertham
's controversial and influential Seduction of the Innocent
(1954) argued that comic books contributed to juvenile delinquency, and alleged that there was a lesbian subtext to the relationship between Wonder Woman and the Holliday girls. Reacting to Wertham's critique and well-publicized Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency, several publishers organized the Comics Code Authority
as a form of preemptive self-censorship. Due to a confluence of forces (amongst them the Code and the loss of Marston as writer), Wonder Woman no longer spoke out as a strong feminist; she began to moon over Steve Trevor, and, as time wore into the Silver Age, also fell for Merman
and Birdman.
Prior to the start of the Silver Age of Comic Books
in 1956 three super heroes still had their own titles: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Superman was available in "great quantity, but little quality." Batman was doing better, but his comics were "lackluster" in comparison to his "atmospheric adventures" of the 1940s. Wonder Woman, having lost her original writer and artist, was no longer "idiosyncratic" or "interesting".
Wonder Woman experienced significant changes from the mid-1950s throughout the 1960s. Harry G. Peter
was replaced by Ross Andru
and Mike Esposito
in 1958 (starting with issue #98), and the character was revamped as were other characters in the Silver Age. In Diana's new origin story (issue #105), it is revealed that her powers are gifts from the gods. Receiving the blessing of each deity in her crib, Diana is destined to become as "beautiful as Aphrodite
, wise as Athena
, stronger than Hercules
, and swifter than Mercury
". Further changes included the removal of all World War II references from Wonder Woman's origin, the changing of Hippolyta's hair color to blonde, Wonder Woman's new ability to glide on air currents, and the introduction of the rule that Paradise Island would be destroyed if a man ever set foot on it.
Several years later, when DC Comics introduced the concept of the Multiverse
, the Silver Age Wonder Woman was situated as an inhabitant of Earth-One, while the Golden Age Wonder Woman was sited on Earth-Two. It was later revealed, in Wonder Woman #300, that the Earth-Two Wonder Woman had disclosed her secret identity of Diana Prince to the world, and had married her Earth's Steve Trevor
.
In the 1960s, regular scripter Robert Kanigher
adapted several gimmicks which had been used for Superman
. As with Superboy
, Wonder Woman's "untold" career as the teenage Wonder Girl
was chronicled. Then followed Wonder Tot, the infant Amazon princess (in her star-spangled jumper) who experienced improbable adventures with a genie
she rescued from an abandoned treasure chest. In a series of "Impossible Tales," Kanigher teamed all three ages of Wonder Woman; her mother, Hippolyta, joined the adventures as "Wonder Queen".
and editor/plotter/artist Mike Sekowsky
, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers to remain in "Man's World" rather than accompany her fellow Amazons to another dimension where they could "restore their magic" (part of her motivation was to assist Steve Trevor, who was facing criminal charges).
Now a mod boutique owner, the powerless Diana Prince acquired a Chinese mentor named I Ching
. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana learned martial arts
and weapons skills, and engaged in adventures that encompassed a variety of genres, from espionage to mythology. During this time she fought villains such as Catwoman
, Doctor Cyber
, the hippie gang Them!
, and the campy witch Morgana.
This new era of the comic book was influenced by the British television series The Avengers
, with Wonder Woman in the role of Emma Peel
. With Diana Prince running a boutique, fighting crime, and acting in concert with private detective allies Tim Trench
and Jonny Double
, the character resembled the golden age
Black Canary
. Soon after the launch of the "new" Wonder Woman, the editors severed all connections to her old life, most notably by killing Steve Trevor.
During the 25 bi-monthly issues of the "new" Wonder Woman, the writing team changed four times. Consequently, the stories display abrupt shifts in setting, theme, and tone. The revised series attracted writers not normally associated with comic books, most notably science fiction author Samuel R. Delany
, who wrote Wonder Woman #202–203 (October and December 1972).
The I Ching era had an influence on the 1974 Wonder Woman TV movie featuring Cathy Lee Crosby
, in which Wonder Woman was portrayed as a non-powered globe-trotting super-spy who wore an amalgam of Wonder Woman and Diana Prince costumes. The era continues to influence stories decades later, most notably Walter Simonson's run (Wonder Woman vol. 2, #189–194). The first two issues of Allan Heinberg's run (Wonder Woman vol. 3, #1–2) include direct references to I Ching, and feature Diana wearing an outfit similar to that which she wore during the I Ching era.
Wonder Woman's powers and traditional costume were restored in issue #204 (January–February 1973). Gloria Steinem
, who grew up reading Wonder Woman comics, was a key player in the restoration. Steinem, offended that the most famous female superheroine had been depowered, placed Wonder Woman (in costume) on the cover of the first issue of Ms.
(1972) – Warner Communications
, DC Comics' owner, was an investor – which also contained an appreciative essay about the character.
The costume used on the cover of Ms. was very much like the Silver Age version of the costume, but in one way it was unlike anything that the character had worn before. Steinem's version wore the red high-heeled boots that the character had worn off and on – most recently in issues #157 – #177 of her magazine. The eagle on her costume was also the newer, stylized version. However, the character's original incarnation had worn a skirt, and more recent versions had sported shorts; Steinem's version wore what was essentially the bottom half of a bathing suit. Steinem's new extra-short pants were adopted in issue #204 when the costume returned.
The return of the "original" Wonder Woman was executed by Robert Kanigher
, who returned as the title's writer-editor. For the first year he relied upon rewritten and redrawn stories from the Golden Age. Following that, a major two-year story arc (largely written by Martin Pasko
) consisted of the heroine's attempt to gain readmission in the Justice League of America
– Diana had quit the organization after renouncing her powers. To prove her worthiness to rejoin the JLA, Wonder Woman voluntarily underwent twelve trials (analogous to the labors of Hercules
), each of which was monitored in secret by a member of the JLA. After the end of this storyline, Steve Trevor was resurrected by Aphrodite. He adopted the identity of Steve Howard, and worked alongside Diana Prince (now knowing her true identity) at the United Nations.
Soon after Wonder Woman's readmittance to the JLA, DC Comics ushered in another format change. Following the popularity of the Wonder Woman TV series (initially set during World War II
), the comic book was also transposed to this era. The change was made possible by the multiverse
concept, which maintained that the 1970s Wonder Woman and the original 1940s version existed in two separate yet parallel worlds. A few months after the TV series changed its setting to the 1970s, the comic book returned to the contemporary timeline. Soon after, when the series was written by Jack C. Harris, Steve (Howard) Trevor was killed off yet again.
brought Steve Trevor
back to life again in issue #271 (September 1980). Following Diana's renunciation of her role as Wonder Woman, a version of Steve Trevor from an undisclosed portion of the Multiverse
accidentally made the transition to Earth-One. With Diana's memory erased by the Mists of Nepenthe, the new Steve again crash-landed and arrived at Paradise Island. After reclaiming the title of Wonder Woman, Diana returned to Military Intelligence, working with Trevor and re-joined by supporting characters Etta Candy
and General Darnell.
In the preview
in DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982), writer Roy Thomas
and penciler Gene Colan
provided Wonder Woman with a stylized "WW" emblem on her bodice, replacing the traditional eagle. The "WW" emblem, unlike the eagle, could be protected as a trademark and therefore had greater merchandising potential. Wonder Woman #288 (February 1982) premiered the new costume and an altered cover banner incorporating the "WW" emblem. Dann Thomas co-wrote Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983) and, as Roy Thomas noted in 1999 "became the first woman ever to receive scripting credit on the world's foremost super-heroine."
After the departure of Thomas in 1983, Dan Mishkin
took over the writing. However, sales of the title continued to decline. Shortly after Mishkin's departure in 1985 – including a three issue run by Mindy Newell
and a well-publicized but never-published revamp by Steve Gerber
– the series ended with issue #329 (February 1986). Written by Gerry Conway
, the final issue depicted Wonder Woman's marriage to Steve Trevor.
As a result of the alterations which followed the Crisis on Infinite Earths
cross-over of 1986, the Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor of Earth-Two, along with all of their exploits, were erased from history. However, the two were admitted into Olympus. At the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Anti-Monitor
appeared to have killed the Wonder Woman of Earth-One, but in reality, she had been hurled backwards through time, devolving into the clay from which she had been formed. Crisis on Infinite Earths erased all previously existing incarnations of Wonder Woman from continuity, setting the stage for a complete relaunch and reboot of the title.
Prior to the publication of the second series, a four-part miniseries was released (with Kurt Busiek
as writer and Trina Robbins
as artist) titled The Legend of Wonder Woman. The series paid homage to the character's Golden Age roots, although it appeared to be set on Earth-One.
Wonder Woman was rebooted in 1987. Writer Greg Potter
, who previously created the Jemm, Son of Saturn
series for DC, was hired to rework the character. He spent several months working with editor Janice Race
on new concepts, before being joined by writer/artist George Pérez
. Inspired by John Byrne and Frank Miller
's work on refashioning Superman and Batman, Pérez came in as the plotter and penciler of Wonder Woman. Potter dropped out of writing the series after issue #2, and Pérez became the sole plotter. Initially, Len Wein replaced Potter but Pérez took on the scripting as of issue #18. Mindy Newell would return to the title as scripter with issue #36 (November 1989). Pérez produced 62 issues of the rebooted title. His relaunch of the character was a critical and sales success.
Pérez and Potter wrote Wonder Woman as a feminist character, and Pérez's research into Greek mythology
provided Wonder Woman's world with depth and verisimilitude missing from her previous incarnation. The incorporation of Greek gods and sharply characterized villains added a richness to Wonder Woman's Amazon heritage and set her apart from other DC heroes.
Wonder Woman was now a princess and emissary from Paradise Island (called Themyscira) to Patriarch's world. She possessed stunning beauty and a loving heart, gifts from the goddess Aphrodite
. From Athena
, she received the gift of great wisdom; from Demeter
, the power and strength of the earth; from Hestia
, sisterhood with fire; and from Artemis
, unity with beasts and the instincts and prowess of a hunter. Finally, Diana received the gift of speed and the power of flight from the god Hermes
.
The American theme of Diana's costume was explained by Pérez in the Challenge of the Gods storyline in which Diana engaged in a series of trials arranged by Zeus
as punishment for refusing his advances. Diana met the spirit of Steve Trevor's mother, Diana Trevor, who was clad in armor identical to her own. Trevor revealed that during World War II she had crashed on Themyscira
while on duty as a US Army
pilot. She blundered into an Amazon battle against Cottus, a multi-armed demon, at the portal to the underworld. Trevor was drawn into the battle, although she was armed only with her side arm
. She wounded the beast before suffering a mortal blow, allowing the Amazons to reseal the portal.
Impressed by this unknown woman's self-sacrifice, the Amazons entombed her with honors and clothed her in armor displaying the American flag pattern on her uniform, which they assumed were her heraldic
colors. Consequently, Princess Diana's costume honors Diana Trevor and, by clothing her in its own heraldry, was intended to ease the heroine's acceptance in Man's world. Trevor's legacy was also the primary reason why Ares
arranged for Steve Trevor to bomb the island, as he could not resist the irony of the heroine's son unwittingly killing her admirers.
Wonder Woman did not keep her identity a secret, and initially did not consider herself a superheroine. Indeed, her character was wide-eyed and naive, innocent and without guile. Diana spoke only Themyscirian, a variation of ancient Greek
, and had to learn English
when she arrived in America
. Fortunately, Diana soon met Julia Kapatelis
, a scholar in Greek culture, and her daughter Vanessa Kapatelis who helped the Amazon princess adjust to the world of Men. However, for all her apparent naiveté, Diana was a trained warrior, and had no compunction against using deadly force when called for. For example, she felled the god Deimos
in battle and felt completely justified under the circumstances. Through Pérez's tenure on the book, Diana confronted war, injustice, inequality, death, and conflicts involving the Olympian Gods.
Wonder Woman's supporting characters were altered as well. In addition to the introduction of the Kapatelises, Steve Trevor
was changed into an Air Force
officer considerably older than Diana, thus sidestepping the traditional romance between the two. Instead, Trevor became involved with Etta Candy
, a mature military officer possessing a plump physique. The Greek war god Ares and the witch Circe
eventually became two of Diana's greatest enemies. Her rogue's list included the Cheetah
, a woman who could transform into a ferocious feline-humanoid creature; and the Silver Swan
, a once deformed radiation victim granted beauty, wings, and deafening sonic powers through genetic engineering.
Following Pérez, William Messner-Loebs
took over as writer and Mike Deodato
became the artist for the title. Messner-Loebs introduced Diana's Daxam
ite friend Julia in Wonder Woman vol. 2 #68 during the six issue space arc. Messner-Loebs's most memorable contribution to the title was the introduction of the red-headed Amazon Artemis
, who took over the mantle of Wonder Woman for a short time. He also included a subplot during his run in an attempt to further humanize Diana by having her work for a fictional fast food chain called Taco Whiz.
John Byrne's run included a period in which Diana's mother Hippolyta served as Wonder Woman, having traveled back to the 1940s, while Diana ascended to Mount Olympus as the Goddess of Truth. Byrne posited that Hippolyta had been the Golden Age Wonder Woman. In addition, Wonder Woman's Amazon ally Nubia
was re-introduced as Nu'Bia, scripted by a different author.
Writer Eric Luke
next joined the comic and depicted Diana as often questioning her mission in Man's World, and most primarily her reason for existing. His most memorable contributions to the title was having Diana separate herself from humanity by residing in a floating palace called the Wonder Dome, and for a godly battle between the Titan
Cronus
and the various religious pantheons of the world. Phil Jimenez
, the penciler who next worked on the title, produced a run which has been likened to Pérez's, particularly since his art bears a resemblance to Pérez's. Jimenez's run showed Wonder Woman as a diplomat, scientist, and activist who worked to help women across the globe become more self-sufficient. Jimenez also added many visual elements found in the Wonder Woman television show. One particaluar story arc is The Witch and the Warrior, in which Circe turns New York City's men in beasts, women against men, and lovers against lovers. The worst part of this is tragedy is that is occurs so soon after the Imperiex War
.
After Jimenez, Walt Simonson
wrote a six-issue homage to the I Ching era, in which Diana temporarily loses her powers and adopts an all-white costume (Wonder Woman vol. 2, #189–194). Greg Rucka
became writer at issue #195. His initial story arc centered upon Diana's authorship of a controversial book and included a political subtext. Rucka also introduced a new recurring villain, ruthless businesswoman Veronica Cale
, who uses media manipulation
to try to discredit Diana. Rucka modernized the Greek and Egyptian gods, updating the toga-wearing deities to provide them with briefcases, laptop computers, designer clothing, and modern hairstyles. Rucka dethroned Zeus and Hades, who were unable to move with the times as the other gods had, replacing them with Athena and Ares as new rulers of the gods and the underworld. Athena selected Diana to be her personal champion.
) ended with Diana breaking the longstanding do-not-kill code of DC superheroes. Superman
, his mind controlled by Maxwell Lord
, brutally beats Batman
and engages in a vicious fight with Wonder Woman, thinking she is his enemy Doomsday
.
In the midst of her battle with Superman, Diana realizes that even if she defeats him, he would still remain under Max Lord's absolute mental control. She creates a diversion lasting long enough for her to race back to Max Lord's location and demand that he tell her how to free Superman from his control. Bound by her lasso of truth, Max replies, "Kill me." Wonder Woman then snaps his neck (see The OMAC Project
for more about this storyline).
Upon his recovery, Batman rejects Diana's attempt to explain her actions; Superman is no better able to understand her motivations. At a crucial time, a profound rift opens up between the three central heroes of the DC universe. In the final pages of The OMAC Project, the Brother Eye satellite – the deranged Artificial intelligence
controlling the OMACs (Omni Mind And Community) – broadcasts the footage of Wonder Woman dispatching Maxwell Lord to media outlets all over the world, accompanied by the text "Murder."
At the start of Infinite Crisis
, Batman
and Superman
distrust Diana: the latter can only see her as a coldblooded murderer, the former sees in her an expression of the mentality that led several members of the League to the decision to mindwipe their villains (when Batman tried to stop the League from mindwiping Dr. Light
after the villain brutally raped Sue Dibny
, Batman's memory was also altered). To make matters worse, in Infinite Crisis #2 Brother Eye initiates the final protocol "Truth and Justice", which aims at the total elimination of the Amazons. A full-scale invasion of Themyscira is set into motion utilizing every remaining OMAC. Diana and her countrywomen, now isolated and alienated from the outside world, must fight for their lives.
In Infinite Crisis #3, the Amazons prepare to destroy the OMACs with a powerful new weapon, the Purple Death Ray, a corruption of the healing Purple Ray
. Realizing, however, that the battle is being broadcast to TV stations around the world, and edited to make the Amazons look like cold-blooded killers, Wonder Woman convinces the Amazons to shut the weapon down. She then assembles the Amazons on the beach of Themyscira to decide their next move.
Diana calls upon Athena, who transports Paradise Island and the Amazons to another dimension. Wonder Woman chooses not to join them, and is left to face the OMACs on her own. In Infinite Crisis #5, as Diana is breaking up a riot in Boston, she is interrupted by a woman she initially believes is Queen Hippolyta. However, the intruder identifies herself as the Earth-Two
Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, who has voluntarily left Mount Olympus
in order to provide Diana with vital information and guidance. She advises her Post-Crisis counterpart to be "the one thing you haven't been for a very long time... human," and, more importantly, strongly urges Diana to intervene in a fight taking place at that moment between the Modern Age Superman
and his counterpart, Kal-L
. Having left Mount Olympus, and with her gods' blessings gone, Diana Prince then faded away.
Wonder Woman manages to stop the Supermen from fighting, enabling them to work together in defeating the forces deployed by Alexander Luthor, Jr.
and Superboy-Prime (who are revealed as the true culprits behind the Crisis). In the Battle of Metropolis, Diana redeems herself by convincing an anguished Batman
not to shoot Alexander Luthor, Jr.
to death. At the story's conclusion, Diana, Bruce Wayne, and Clark Kent interact like the friends they were in the past, and Diana declares her intention to do some soul-searching before returning to her role as Wonder Woman.
Near the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis the history of Earth is modified. Wonder Woman's Silver Age past is restored, and it is revealed that she has also served as a founding member of the Justice League. This notion was evidenced in the merging of both the Earth-One Wonder Woman and the 1987 rebooted Wonder Woman by Alexander Luthor.
Wonder Woman vol. 2 was one of several titles canceled at the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis crossover, #226 (April 2006) being the final issue. The title included 228 published issues, including an issue #0 between #90 and #91, and issue #1000000 between #138 and #139.
In conjunction with DC
's "One Year Later
" crossover storyline, the third Wonder Woman comic series was launched with a new #1 issue (June 2006), written by Allan Heinberg
with art by Terry Dodson
. Her bustier features a new design, combining the traditional eagle with the 1980s "WW" design, similar to her emblem in the Kingdom Come
miniseries.
Donna Troy
has taken up the mantle of Wonder Woman; Diana has disappeared to parts unknown, though there are reports that she has been seen in the company of an eastern mystic named I Ching
. The World Court drops the charges against Diana for the killing of Maxwell Lord
.
When Diana returns she takes on the persona of Diana Prince, now a secret agent
and member of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. She is partnered with Nemesis
and the two report to Sarge Steel
. Her first assignment is to retrieve her sister Donna Troy, who has been kidnapped by several of her most persistent enemies; their powers have been augmented by Circe
. After this is accomplished, Diana takes back the title of Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman, Superman
, and Batman
re-form the Justice League of America
and collaborate on the team's roster.
Wonder Woman asks Kate Spencer, whom she knows to be Manhunter
, to represent her before a Federal grand jury
empaneled to determine if she should be tried for the murder of Maxwell Lord (though the World Court has exonerated her, the US government pursues its own charges). Upon concluding their deliberations, the grand jurors refuse to indict Diana.
During the story-arc penned by Jodi Picoult
(issues #6–10, and which ties into Amazons Attack!), Diana is captured and imprisoned by the Department of Metahuman Affairs, led by an imposter Sarge Steel
. She is tortured and interrogated to garner information that will allow the United States
government to build a Purple Death Ray
previously used during Infinite Crisis
.
For reasons of her own, Circe resurrects Diana's mother Hippolyta. When Hippolyta learns that her daughter is being detained by the US government, she goes on the warpath, leading an Amazon assault on Washington, D.C.
Freed by Nemesis, Diana tries to reason with her mother to end the war.
Gail Simone
took up writing duties on the title beginning with issue #14.
In Wonder Woman Annual #1 (2007), Circe gives Diana the "gift" of human transformation. When she becomes Diana Prince she transforms into a non-powered mortal. She is content, knowing that she can become Wonder Woman when she wishes and be a member of the human race as Diana Prince.
The relaunch was beset by scheduling problems, described by Grady Hendrix in his article, "Out for Justice", in the New York Sun. "By 2007 [Heinberg had] only delivered four issues ... Ms. Picoult's five issues hemorrhaged readers ... and Amazons Attack!, a miniseries commissioned to fill a hole in the book's publishing schedule caused by Mr. Heinberg's delays, was reviled by fans who decried it as an abomination."
Many attribute these flaws to the constraints that DC placed on the authors; Picoult's interpretation in particular has received acclaim from critics, who would have liked to have seen the novelist given more time to work. Says Min Jin Lee of the UK Times, "By furnishing a 21st-century emotional characterization for a 20th-century creation, Picoult reveals the novelist's dextrous hand." Indeed, others blame DC's inconsistent portrayals of the Wonder Woman universe, brought about by employing so many writers in such a short span of time, for the failures in the relaunch; "I feel sorry for Picoult, she was going in a good, clear direction but is soon side-tracked by DC Comic’s external needs."
Recently in the Final Crisis
storyline, Diana was attacked by Mary Marvel
who infected her with the Morticoccus virus. This seriously deformed Diana and brainwashed her into becoming one of Darkseid's
Female Furies
. She aided him in conquering Earth along with other female superheroes/villains like Catwoman
, Giganta
and Batwoman
.
During the Blackest Night event, Diana is lured to Arlington National Cemetery by Maxwell Lord, who was reanimated as a Black Lantern. When Wonder Woman arrived, he sprang a trap, using black rings to revive the bodies of fallen soldiers. Wonder Woman uses her Lasso to reduce Max and the soldiers to dust; However, as she leaves, the dust begins to regenerate. Later Nekron
, lord of the dead, and the one responsible for the creation of the Black Lantern Corps, reveals that he allowed for Diana's earlier resurrection, in order for him to have an "inside agent" among the living. Briefly reanimating Bruce Wayne as a Black Lantern
, Nekron creates an emotional tether in Diana, allowing him to place a black power ring on her and transforming her into a Black Lantern. Soon after, a duplicate of Carol Ferris
' violet power ring attaches itself to Diana, using her unrequited romantic love for Batman (Bruce Wayne) as well as the love she feels for the whole of Earth to destroy the black ring, at the same time turning her into a Star Sapphire
. Diana was also given spiritual aid from Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, in accepting the ring. Some time later, Max attacks Wonder Woman in Coast City. Wonder Woman encases Max's body in a violet crystal and then shatters it to pieces. She then encounters Mera who had transformed into a Red Lantern
during the fight, their two rings interfaced with each other, Wonder Woman constructed the violet light giving Mera some measure of control over her new-found
savagery. Wonder Woman join the power of white light to lose her Star Sapphire ring in the final battle.
Wonder Woman was also seen in Justice League of America, encouraging Donna Troy to help make a new Justice League.
Issue #600 featured several stories featuring work from guest creators such as Geoff Johns
, George Pérez, Phil Jimenez, and Amanda Conner
. The issue also featured guest appearances from other female superheroes such as Batwoman
, Power Girl
, Batgirl
, Stargirl and the Question
.
Writer J. Michael Straczynski
officially took over the title after Gail Simone in issue #601. The art team is Don Kramer and Michael Babinski.
Straczynski's run focuses on an alternate timeline created by the Gods where Paradise Island was destroyed leading to many Amazons being raised in the world outside of the island. It revolves around Wonder Woman's attempts to restore the normal timeline despite the fact that she does not remember it properly. Wonder Woman in this alternative timeline has been raised in New York City as an orphan and is coming into her powers. She is aware of the presence of Amazons, but does not remember her childhood on Paradise Island. Wonder Woman will also wear a new costume designed by DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee
. Writer Phil Hester
will continue the storyline.
The decision to redesign Wonder Woman received considerable coverage in mainstream news outlets, which in turn drew attention to the story.
The Wonder Woman in this timeline started off with a limited power set, but gained her lasso and the power of flight during the fourth installment of the story.
In addition, the new Wonder Woman costume is being used in the intercompany crossover series, JLA/The 99
. Despite wearing the new costume, the Wonder Woman in this series is stated to be an Amazon ambassador, indicating that she does not share the same backstory as her counterpart in Straczynski's storyline.
In Justice League: Generation Lost
storylines, Wonder Woman is shown helping the heroes search for the resurrected Maxwell Lord. Unfortunately, Max uses his psychic powers to the utmost to erase all memory of himself from the minds of the entire world, including Wonder Woman. For some reason, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice are the only ones who remember Max's existence. Fire tries talking to Wonder Woman of her killing Max, but she refuses to believe it and tells Fire that Checkmate has dismissed her for failing her psychological evaluation. Fire discovers that Max has mentally influenced everyone. Later, in the new timeline, Max (having used his powers to make the world forget his existence) is baffled to discover that all records of Wonder Woman have been erased. Former Justice League members Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice also retain memories of Wonder Woman but seemingly no one else remembers her prior existence. It is later revealed that thanks to the White Lantern
, Batman
remembers Wonder Woman as he helps the JLI save her from an attack by Max's OMACs. Batman learned that since Max cannot find information on Wonder Woman, he is using the JLI to track her down. The OMAC army then teleports Wonder Woman and the JLI to Los Angeles. Max sends the new OMAC known as OMAC Prime, a huge robot, he controls to attack the heroes. The JLI saves Wonder Woman from OMAC Prime after nearly being beaten to death.
Later, Wonder Woman is shown aiding the JLA during their mission into Hell, where she helps Supergirl defeat the demon.
. The series was relaunched in September with a #1 issue written by Brian Azzarello
and drawn by Cliff Chiang
. Wonder Woman now sports another new costume, once again designed by Jim Lee
. Azzarello describes the new Wonder Woman book as being darker than the past series, even going so far as to call it a "horror" book.
In this new continuity, Wonder Woman's origin is significantly changed and she is no longer a clay figure brought to life by the magic of the gods. Instead, she is the natural-born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus.
Wonder Woman will also be appearing as one of the lead characters in the new Justice League
title written by Geoff Johns
and drawn by Jim Lee.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' character Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
.
Early days
All Star Comics
All Star Comics is a 1940s comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. With the exception of the first two issues, All Star Comics primarily told stories about the adventures of the...
(issue #8; December 1941), the second bestselling comic in DC's line. Following this auspicious debut, she was featured in Sensation Comics
Sensation Comics
Sensation Comics is the title of a comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for 109 issues between 1942 and 1952. For most of its run, the lead feature was Wonder Woman. Other series that appeared were the Black Pirate, the Gay Ghost, Mr...
#1 (January 1942), and six months later appeared in her own book (Summer 1942). Wonder Woman took her place beside the extant superheroines or antiheroes Fantomah
Fantomah
Fantomah is a fictional character, best remembered as the first comic book superheroine. Created by Fletcher Hanks, the character first appeared in Jungle Comics #2 , published by Fiction House.-Publication history:...
, Black Widow, Invisible Scarlet O'Neil
Invisible Scarlet O'Neil
Invisible Scarlet O'Neil is an American comic strip written and drawn by Russell Stamm. Published by the Chicago Times, it ran from June 3, 1940 to 1956....
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's Nelvana of the Northern Lights
Nelvana of the Northern Lights
Nelvana of the Northern Lights is a Canadian comic book character and the first Canadian national superhero, debuting in Hillborough Studio's Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 . She is also one of the first female superheroes, debuting before Wonder Woman but after Fantomah, the Golden Age Black Widow,...
. Until his death in 1947, Dr. William Moulton Marston wrote all of the Wonder Woman stories. H. G. Peter
H. G. Peter
Harry George Peter was a newspaper illustrator and cartoonist known for his work on the Wonder Woman comic book.Born in California, Peter was a long-time resident in San Francisco....
penciled the book in a simplistic yet easily identifiable style.
Armed with bulletproof bracelets, magic lasso
Lasso of Truth
The Lasso of Truth is a fictional weapon wielded by DC Comics superheroine Wonder Woman, Princess Diana of Themyscira. It is usually referred to as the Magic Lasso or Golden Lasso and forces anyone it captures to obey and tell the truth....
, and Amazonian
Amazons (comics)
The Amazons of DC Comics are a fictional all-female society of superhumans, based on the Amazons of Greek mythology. There have been three major incarnations of these Amazons, one before the Crisis, and two after. What two of these groups have in common is that they are the race which produced...
training, Wonder Woman was the archetype of Marston's perfect woman. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong, yet still possessed a soft side. Her powers were derived from "Amazon concentration", not as a gift from the gods which would later become part of her back story.
Wonder Woman's "lasso of truth" was forged from the Magic Girdle of Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, which Queen Hippolyte
Hippolyta (comics)
Hippolyta, in comics, may refer to:*Hippolyta , a superhero queen in the DC Comics universe*Hippolyta , an Amazon warrior in the Marvel Comics universe*Hippolyta Trevor, a DC Comics character, also known as Fury...
(Wonder Woman's mother) was granted by the Goddess. Hephaestus
Hephaestus
Hephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes...
had borrowed the Olympian belt, removed several links from it in order to forge the magic lasso, which was unbreakable as well as infinitely elastic, and compelled all encircled by it to obey the commands of the wielder, most notably to tell the truth.
In Wonder Woman's origin story, Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
, an intelligence officer in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, crashed his plane on Paradise Island, the Amazons' isolated homeland. Using a "Purple Ray
Purple Ray
The Purple Ray is a fictional healing device featured in the Wonder Woman comics.-Pre-Crisis:Prior to the comic book storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, Diana invented the Purple Ray in order to heal Steve Trevor from injuries he sustained when his plane was shot down and he was left adrift in the...
", Princess Diana nursed him back to health and fell in love with him. When the goddess Aphrodite declared that it was time for an Amazon to travel to "Man's World" and fight the evil of the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, a tournament was held to determine who would be the Amazon champion. Although forbidden by her mother Queen Hippolyte to participate in the tournament, Princess Diana did so nevertheless, her identity hidden by a mask.
After Diana won the tournament and revealed her true identity, Queen Hippolyte relented and allowed her daughter to become Wonder Woman. Diana returned Steve Trevor to the outside world and soon adopted the identity of nurse Lt. Diana Prince (by taking the place of her exact double by that name) in order to be close to Trevor as he recovered from his injuries. Afterward, he became Wonder Woman's crime-fighting partner and romantic interest.
In her guise as a nurse, Diana cares for Trevor and frequently overhears his intelligence discussions, allowing her to know where she is needed. Prince is eventually hired to work for Trevor in the War Department as his assistant. Trevor periodically suspects that Diana and Wonder Woman might be the same person, especially since he frequently catches Diana using her tiara or lasso.
Wonder Woman was ably assisted by the Holliday Girls, a sorority from a local women's college led by the sweets-addicted Etta Candy
Etta Candy
Etta Candy is a fictional character from the DC Comics Wonder Woman series.-Golden Age:In her 1940s introduction, Etta Candy is a sickly malnurished woman Wonder Woman discovers at a local hospital. When next she is seen Etta is transformed into a spirited, rotund young woman who has a great love...
. Etta stood out for several reasons: she had a distinctive figure, she occupied a central role in many storylines, and had an endearing propensity for exclaiming "woo-woo" (which echoed the "hoo-hoo" catchphrase associated with the popular vaudevillian comedian Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert was a motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville, and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.-Career:...
). Etta took her place with Steve Trevor and Diana as the series' most enduring characters.
During 1942 to 1947, images of bound and gagged women frequently graced the covers of Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman. For example, in Wonder Woman #3, Wonder Woman herself ties up several women, dresses them in deer costumes and chases them through the forest. Later she rebinds them and displays them on a platter. In addition, Diana is rendered powerless if a male manages to chain her bracelets together. The comic's sexual subtext
Subtext
Subtext or undertone is content of a book, play, musical work, film, video game, or television series which is not announced explicitly by the characters but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work as the production unfolds. Subtext can also refer to the thoughts...
has been noted, leading to debates over whether it provided an outlet for Dr. Marston's sexual fantasies or whether it was meant (perhaps unconsciously) to appeal to, and possibly influence, the developing sexuality of young readers.
The bondage and submission elements had a broader context for Marston, who had worked as a prison psychologist. The themes were intertwined with his theories about the rehabilitation of criminals, and from her inception, Wonder Woman wanted to reform the criminals she captured (a rehabilitation complex was created by the Amazons on Transformation Island, a small island near Paradise Island
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
). A core component in Marston's conception of Wonder Woman was "loving submission", in which kindness to others would result in willing submission derived from agape
Agape
Agape is one of the Greek words translated into English as love, one which became particularly appropriated in Christian theology as the love of God or Christ for mankind. In the New Testament, it refers to the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term...
based on Moulton's own personal philosophies. This concept has resulted in parodies of the character in which male criminals are so enamored with the heroine's beauty that they surrender solely to enjoy her company.
During this period Wonder Woman joined the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
(featured in All Star Comics) as its first female member. Reflecting the mores of this pre-feminist era, Wonder Woman served as the group's secretary, despite being one of the group's most powerful members.
Upon William Moulton Marston's death in 1947, Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
took up the writing duties on Wonder Woman. Diana was written as a less feminist character, and began to resemble other traditional American heroines. Peter produced the art on the title through issue #97, when the elderly artist was fired (he died soon afterward). During this time, Diana's abilities expanded. Her earrings provided her the air she needed to breathe in outer space, and she piloted an "invisible plane
Invisible Plane
The Invisible Plane is the fictional DC Comics superheroine Wonder Woman's venerable, though now seldom-used, mode of transport. It first appeared in Sensation Comics #1 The Invisible Plane (sometimes referred to as the Invisible Jetplane, Invisible Jet, and Robot Plane) is the fictional DC Comics...
", originally a propeller-driven P-40 Warhawk
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
or P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
, later upgraded to a jet aircraft. Her tiara was an unbreakable boomerang, and a two-way wrist radio similar to Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
's was installed in one of her bracelets, allowing her to communicate with Paradise Island.
Dr. Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham was a Jewish German-American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of violent imagery in mass media and comic books on the development of children. His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent , which purported that comic books are...
's controversial and influential Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent is a book by German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was a minor bestseller that created alarm in parents and galvanized...
(1954) argued that comic books contributed to juvenile delinquency, and alleged that there was a lesbian subtext to the relationship between Wonder Woman and the Holliday girls. Reacting to Wertham's critique and well-publicized Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency, several publishers organized the Comics Code Authority
Comics Code Authority
The Comics Code Authority was a body created as part of the Comics Magazine Association of America, as a tool for the comics-publishing industry to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. Member publishers submitted comic books to the CCA, which screened them for adherence to...
as a form of preemptive self-censorship. Due to a confluence of forces (amongst them the Code and the loss of Marston as writer), Wonder Woman no longer spoke out as a strong feminist; she began to moon over Steve Trevor, and, as time wore into the Silver Age, also fell for Merman
Merman
Mermen are mythical male equivalents of mermaids – legendary creatures who have the form of a human from the waist up and are fish-like from the waist down.-Mythology:...
and Birdman.
Prior to the start of the Silver Age of Comic Books
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
in 1956 three super heroes still had their own titles: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Superman was available in "great quantity, but little quality." Batman was doing better, but his comics were "lackluster" in comparison to his "atmospheric adventures" of the 1940s. Wonder Woman, having lost her original writer and artist, was no longer "idiosyncratic" or "interesting".
Wonder Woman experienced significant changes from the mid-1950s throughout the 1960s. Harry G. Peter
H. G. Peter
Harry George Peter was a newspaper illustrator and cartoonist known for his work on the Wonder Woman comic book.Born in California, Peter was a long-time resident in San Francisco....
was replaced by Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
and Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito (comics)
Mike Esposito , who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s...
in 1958 (starting with issue #98), and the character was revamped as were other characters in the Silver Age. In Diana's new origin story (issue #105), it is revealed that her powers are gifts from the gods. Receiving the blessing of each deity in her crib, Diana is destined to become as "beautiful as Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, wise as Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, stronger than Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, and swifter than Mercury
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
". Further changes included the removal of all World War II references from Wonder Woman's origin, the changing of Hippolyta's hair color to blonde, Wonder Woman's new ability to glide on air currents, and the introduction of the rule that Paradise Island would be destroyed if a man ever set foot on it.
Several years later, when DC Comics introduced the concept of the Multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
, the Silver Age Wonder Woman was situated as an inhabitant of Earth-One, while the Golden Age Wonder Woman was sited on Earth-Two. It was later revealed, in Wonder Woman #300, that the Earth-Two Wonder Woman had disclosed her secret identity of Diana Prince to the world, and had married her Earth's Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
.
In the 1960s, regular scripter Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
adapted several gimmicks which had been used for Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. As with Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
, Wonder Woman's "untold" career as the teenage Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...
was chronicled. Then followed Wonder Tot, the infant Amazon princess (in her star-spangled jumper) who experienced improbable adventures with a genie
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
she rescued from an abandoned treasure chest. In a series of "Impossible Tales," Kanigher teamed all three ages of Wonder Woman; her mother, Hippolyta, joined the adventures as "Wonder Queen".
The Diana Prince era and the Bronze Age
In 1968, under the guidance of scripter Denny O'NeilDennis O'Neil
Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement....
and editor/plotter/artist Mike Sekowsky
Mike Sekowsky
Michael Sekowsky was a Jewish American comic book artist best known as the exclusive penciler for DC Comics' Justice League of America during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on Wonder Woman during the late 1960s and early 1970s.-Early life and career:Mike Sekowsky began...
, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers to remain in "Man's World" rather than accompany her fellow Amazons to another dimension where they could "restore their magic" (part of her motivation was to assist Steve Trevor, who was facing criminal charges).
I Ching (comics)
I Ching is a fictional, blind martial artist published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Wonder Woman vol. 1 #179 , and was created by Denny O'Neil and Mike Sekowsky.-Pre-Crisis:...
. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana learned martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and weapons skills, and engaged in adventures that encompassed a variety of genres, from espionage to mythology. During this time she fought villains such as Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
, Doctor Cyber
Doctor Cyber
Doctor Cyber is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. The character is a supervillain who fought Wonder Woman several times in stories taking place before the Crisis on Infinite Earths...
, the hippie gang Them!
THEM! (comics)
THEM! is a fictional gang of hippies who terrorized the streets of New York and battled Wonder Woman. The main members of the gang consisted of Top Hat, Moose Momma and Pinto. They first appeared in Wonder Woman THEM! is a fictional gang of hippies who terrorized the streets of New York and battled...
, and the campy witch Morgana.
This new era of the comic book was influenced by the British television series The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, with Wonder Woman in the role of Emma Peel
Emma Peel
Emma Peel was a fictional spy played by Diana Rigg in the British 1960s adventure television series The Avengers. She was born Emma Knight, the daughter of an industrialist, Sir John Knight.-Casting:...
. With Diana Prince running a boutique, fighting crime, and acting in concert with private detective allies Tim Trench
Tim Trench
Tim Trench is a fictional comic book detective in the DC Comics universe. He was first introduced in Wonder Woman v1 #179 and recently met his demise in 52 Week 18 -Fictional character biography:...
and Jonny Double
Jonny Double
Jonathan Sebastian "Jonny" Double is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman, he first appeared in Showcase #78 .-Publication history:...
, the character resembled the golden age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
. Soon after the launch of the "new" Wonder Woman, the editors severed all connections to her old life, most notably by killing Steve Trevor.
During the 25 bi-monthly issues of the "new" Wonder Woman, the writing team changed four times. Consequently, the stories display abrupt shifts in setting, theme, and tone. The revised series attracted writers not normally associated with comic books, most notably science fiction author Samuel R. Delany
Samuel R. Delany
Samuel Ray Delany, Jr., also known as "Chip" is an American author, professor and literary critic. His work includes a number of novels, many in the science fiction genre, as well as memoir, criticism, and essays on sexuality and society.His science fiction novels include Babel-17, The Einstein...
, who wrote Wonder Woman #202–203 (October and December 1972).
The I Ching era had an influence on the 1974 Wonder Woman TV movie featuring Cathy Lee Crosby
Cathy Lee Crosby
Cathy Lee Crosby is an American actress. She achieved TV and film success in the 1980s and was a co-host of the television series That's Incredible!. -Personal life:...
, in which Wonder Woman was portrayed as a non-powered globe-trotting super-spy who wore an amalgam of Wonder Woman and Diana Prince costumes. The era continues to influence stories decades later, most notably Walter Simonson's run (Wonder Woman vol. 2, #189–194). The first two issues of Allan Heinberg's run (Wonder Woman vol. 3, #1–2) include direct references to I Ching, and feature Diana wearing an outfit similar to that which she wore during the I Ching era.
Wonder Woman's powers and traditional costume were restored in issue #204 (January–February 1973). Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
, who grew up reading Wonder Woman comics, was a key player in the restoration. Steinem, offended that the most famous female superheroine had been depowered, placed Wonder Woman (in costume) on the cover of the first issue of Ms.
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
(1972) – Warner Communications
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, DC Comics' owner, was an investor – which also contained an appreciative essay about the character.
The costume used on the cover of Ms. was very much like the Silver Age version of the costume, but in one way it was unlike anything that the character had worn before. Steinem's version wore the red high-heeled boots that the character had worn off and on – most recently in issues #157 – #177 of her magazine. The eagle on her costume was also the newer, stylized version. However, the character's original incarnation had worn a skirt, and more recent versions had sported shorts; Steinem's version wore what was essentially the bottom half of a bathing suit. Steinem's new extra-short pants were adopted in issue #204 when the costume returned.
The return of the "original" Wonder Woman was executed by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
, who returned as the title's writer-editor. For the first year he relied upon rewritten and redrawn stories from the Golden Age. Following that, a major two-year story arc (largely written by Martin Pasko
Martin Pasko
Martin Pasko is a writer and editor in a diverse array of media, including comic books and television.Pasko has worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his work with DC Comics over three decades. He has written Superman in many media, including television animation, webisodes, and...
) consisted of the heroine's attempt to gain readmission in the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
– Diana had quit the organization after renouncing her powers. To prove her worthiness to rejoin the JLA, Wonder Woman voluntarily underwent twelve trials (analogous to the labors of Hercules
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
), each of which was monitored in secret by a member of the JLA. After the end of this storyline, Steve Trevor was resurrected by Aphrodite. He adopted the identity of Steve Howard, and worked alongside Diana Prince (now knowing her true identity) at the United Nations.
Soon after Wonder Woman's readmittance to the JLA, DC Comics ushered in another format change. Following the popularity of the Wonder Woman TV series (initially set during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
), the comic book was also transposed to this era. The change was made possible by the multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
concept, which maintained that the 1970s Wonder Woman and the original 1940s version existed in two separate yet parallel worlds. A few months after the TV series changed its setting to the 1970s, the comic book returned to the contemporary timeline. Soon after, when the series was written by Jack C. Harris, Steve (Howard) Trevor was killed off yet again.
1980s
Writer Gerry ConwayGerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
brought Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
back to life again in issue #271 (September 1980). Following Diana's renunciation of her role as Wonder Woman, a version of Steve Trevor from an undisclosed portion of the Multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
accidentally made the transition to Earth-One. With Diana's memory erased by the Mists of Nepenthe, the new Steve again crash-landed and arrived at Paradise Island. After reclaiming the title of Wonder Woman, Diana returned to Military Intelligence, working with Trevor and re-joined by supporting characters Etta Candy
Etta Candy
Etta Candy is a fictional character from the DC Comics Wonder Woman series.-Golden Age:In her 1940s introduction, Etta Candy is a sickly malnurished woman Wonder Woman discovers at a local hospital. When next she is seen Etta is transformed into a spirited, rotund young woman who has a great love...
and General Darnell.
In the preview
DC Comics insert previews
DC Comics insert previews were 16-page comic book stories inserted into issues of existing DC Comics series to promote new series usually debuting the next month. Running from 1980 to 1985, they consisted of a front cover, 14 pages of story, and a back cover that depicted the cover of the actual...
in DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982), writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and penciler Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
provided Wonder Woman with a stylized "WW" emblem on her bodice, replacing the traditional eagle. The "WW" emblem, unlike the eagle, could be protected as a trademark and therefore had greater merchandising potential. Wonder Woman #288 (February 1982) premiered the new costume and an altered cover banner incorporating the "WW" emblem. Dann Thomas co-wrote Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983) and, as Roy Thomas noted in 1999 "became the first woman ever to receive scripting credit on the world's foremost super-heroine."
After the departure of Thomas in 1983, Dan Mishkin
Dan Mishkin
Dan Mishkin is a comic book writer, and co-creator of the DC Comics characters Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld and Blue Devil. Both series used fantasy elements in ironic and often thought-provoking ways. DC gave these series a promotional push by featuring them in free, 16-page insert previews...
took over the writing. However, sales of the title continued to decline. Shortly after Mishkin's departure in 1985 – including a three issue run by Mindy Newell
Mindy Newell
Mindy Newell is an American comic book writer and editor.-Biography:A longtime fan of comics, particularly of Marvel's Spider-Man, Mindy Newell sent submissions to DC Comics in 1983 at a time when the company was actively looking for new talent...
and a well-publicized but never-published revamp by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
– the series ended with issue #329 (February 1986). Written by Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
, the final issue depicted Wonder Woman's marriage to Steve Trevor.
As a result of the alterations which followed the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
cross-over of 1986, the Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor of Earth-Two, along with all of their exploits, were erased from history. However, the two were admitted into Olympus. At the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Anti-Monitor
Anti-Monitor
The Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...
appeared to have killed the Wonder Woman of Earth-One, but in reality, she had been hurled backwards through time, devolving into the clay from which she had been formed. Crisis on Infinite Earths erased all previously existing incarnations of Wonder Woman from continuity, setting the stage for a complete relaunch and reboot of the title.
Prior to the publication of the second series, a four-part miniseries was released (with Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
as writer and Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins is an American comics artist and writer. She was an early and influential participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the few female artists in underground comix when she started. Both as a cartoonist and historian, Robbins has long been involved in creating outlets for...
as artist) titled The Legend of Wonder Woman. The series paid homage to the character's Golden Age roots, although it appeared to be set on Earth-One.
Post-Crisis
Greg Potter
Greg Potter is an American former comic book writer best known for co-creating the DC Comics series Jemm, Son of Saturn with artist Gene Colan.-Biography:...
, who previously created the Jemm, Son of Saturn
Jemm
Jemm is a fictional alien that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. The character exists in DC's main shared universe, known as the DC Universe...
series for DC, was hired to rework the character. He spent several months working with editor Janice Race
Janice Race
-Biography:A native of The Bronx, Race was employed by DC Comics in the 1980s and had worked as a textbook editor for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich before entering the comics industry. She served as an Associate Editor for Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway as well as an editor in her own right...
on new concepts, before being joined by writer/artist George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
. Inspired by John Byrne and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
's work on refashioning Superman and Batman, Pérez came in as the plotter and penciler of Wonder Woman. Potter dropped out of writing the series after issue #2, and Pérez became the sole plotter. Initially, Len Wein replaced Potter but Pérez took on the scripting as of issue #18. Mindy Newell would return to the title as scripter with issue #36 (November 1989). Pérez produced 62 issues of the rebooted title. His relaunch of the character was a critical and sales success.
Pérez and Potter wrote Wonder Woman as a feminist character, and Pérez's research into Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
provided Wonder Woman's world with depth and verisimilitude missing from her previous incarnation. The incorporation of Greek gods and sharply characterized villains added a richness to Wonder Woman's Amazon heritage and set her apart from other DC heroes.
Wonder Woman was now a princess and emissary from Paradise Island (called Themyscira) to Patriarch's world. She possessed stunning beauty and a loving heart, gifts from the goddess Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
. From Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, she received the gift of great wisdom; from Demeter
Demeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
, the power and strength of the earth; from Hestia
Hestia
In Greek mythology Hestia , first daughter of Cronus and Rhea , is the virgin goddess of the hearth, architecture, and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family. She received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. In the public domain, the hearth of the prytaneum...
, sisterhood with fire; and from Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, unity with beasts and the instincts and prowess of a hunter. Finally, Diana received the gift of speed and the power of flight from the god Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
.
The American theme of Diana's costume was explained by Pérez in the Challenge of the Gods storyline in which Diana engaged in a series of trials arranged by Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
as punishment for refusing his advances. Diana met the spirit of Steve Trevor's mother, Diana Trevor, who was clad in armor identical to her own. Trevor revealed that during World War II she had crashed on Themyscira
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
while on duty as a US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
pilot. She blundered into an Amazon battle against Cottus, a multi-armed demon, at the portal to the underworld. Trevor was drawn into the battle, although she was armed only with her side arm
Side arm
A side arm is a weapon, usually a pistol but can be a dagger, as used in pre-modern times, which is worn on the body in a holster to permit immediate access and use. A side arm is typically required equipment for military personnel and sometimes carried by law enforcement personnel...
. She wounded the beast before suffering a mortal blow, allowing the Amazons to reseal the portal.
Impressed by this unknown woman's self-sacrifice, the Amazons entombed her with honors and clothed her in armor displaying the American flag pattern on her uniform, which they assumed were her heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
colors. Consequently, Princess Diana's costume honors Diana Trevor and, by clothing her in its own heraldry, was intended to ease the heroine's acceptance in Man's world. Trevor's legacy was also the primary reason why Ares
Ares (DC Comics)
Ares is a fictional character, a supervillainous God appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological figure of the same name, he is the god of War and one of the major adversaries of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in Wonder Woman #1, volume 1, published in...
arranged for Steve Trevor to bomb the island, as he could not resist the irony of the heroine's son unwittingly killing her admirers.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and had to learn English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
when she arrived in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Fortunately, Diana soon met Julia Kapatelis
Julia Kapatelis
Julia Deneiros Kapatelis is a DC Comics fictional character created by writer/artist George Pérez for the Wonder Woman comic book series.-Childhood:...
, a scholar in Greek culture, and her daughter Vanessa Kapatelis who helped the Amazon princess adjust to the world of Men. However, for all her apparent naiveté, Diana was a trained warrior, and had no compunction against using deadly force when called for. For example, she felled the god Deimos
Deimos (comics)
Deimos is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He debuted in 1st Issue Special #8, , and was created by Mike Grell as a foil for Travis Morgan the Warlord...
in battle and felt completely justified under the circumstances. Through Pérez's tenure on the book, Diana confronted war, injustice, inequality, death, and conflicts involving the Olympian Gods.
Wonder Woman's supporting characters were altered as well. In addition to the introduction of the Kapatelises, Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
was changed into an Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
officer considerably older than Diana, thus sidestepping the traditional romance between the two. Instead, Trevor became involved with Etta Candy
Etta Candy
Etta Candy is a fictional character from the DC Comics Wonder Woman series.-Golden Age:In her 1940s introduction, Etta Candy is a sickly malnurished woman Wonder Woman discovers at a local hospital. When next she is seen Etta is transformed into a spirited, rotund young woman who has a great love...
, a mature military officer possessing a plump physique. The Greek war god Ares and the witch Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
eventually became two of Diana's greatest enemies. Her rogue's list included the Cheetah
Cheetah (comics)
The Cheetah is a fictional character, a super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Popularly regarded as the archenemy of Wonder Woman, the Cheetah first appeared in 1943 in Wonder Woman #6 , written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston...
, a woman who could transform into a ferocious feline-humanoid creature; and the Silver Swan
Silver Swan (comics)
The Silver Swan are three fictional characters in the Wonder Woman stories. The first Silver Swan first appeared in Wonder Woman vol. 1 #288. The second Silver Swan first appeared in Wonder Woman vol. 2 #15. The third Silver Swan first appeared in Wonder Woman vol...
, a once deformed radiation victim granted beauty, wings, and deafening sonic powers through genetic engineering.
William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs is an American comic book writer and artist from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs...
took over as writer and Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato , sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.-Biography:...
became the artist for the title. Messner-Loebs introduced Diana's Daxam
Daxam
Daxam is a planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.-History:Daxamites were originally Kryptonians who left their homeworld in order to explore the Universe. They are an intensely xenophobic race, and are fearful of alien...
ite friend Julia in Wonder Woman vol. 2 #68 during the six issue space arc. Messner-Loebs's most memorable contribution to the title was the introduction of the red-headed Amazon Artemis
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is...
, who took over the mantle of Wonder Woman for a short time. He also included a subplot during his run in an attempt to further humanize Diana by having her work for a fictional fast food chain called Taco Whiz.
John Byrne's run included a period in which Diana's mother Hippolyta served as Wonder Woman, having traveled back to the 1940s, while Diana ascended to Mount Olympus as the Goddess of Truth. Byrne posited that Hippolyta had been the Golden Age Wonder Woman. In addition, Wonder Woman's Amazon ally Nubia
Nu'Bia
Nubia is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. The original Nubia was created by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck, she debuted in Wonder Woman #204, . The modern character named Nu'Bia was created by Doselle Young and Brian Denham, she debuted in Wonder Woman Annual...
was re-introduced as Nu'Bia, scripted by a different author.
Writer Eric Luke
Eric Luke
-Film:Eric Luke began his career in film writing. Previous film work included: Explorers for Paramount Pictures, co-plotting the Gargoyles pilot five-parter for The Walt Disney Company, numerous screenplays for MGM and others, and also wrote and directed the latter two films in the Not Quite Human...
next joined the comic and depicted Diana as often questioning her mission in Man's World, and most primarily her reason for existing. His most memorable contributions to the title was having Diana separate herself from humanity by residing in a floating palace called the Wonder Dome, and for a godly battle between the Titan
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
Cronus
Cronus
In Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky...
and the various religious pantheons of the world. Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez is an American comic book writer, artist and penciller, known for his work as writer/artist on Wonder Woman from 2000 to 2003, as one of the five pencilers of the 2005-2006 miniseries Infinite Crisis, and his collaborations with writer Grant Morrison on New X-Men and The...
, the penciler who next worked on the title, produced a run which has been likened to Pérez's, particularly since his art bears a resemblance to Pérez's. Jimenez's run showed Wonder Woman as a diplomat, scientist, and activist who worked to help women across the globe become more self-sufficient. Jimenez also added many visual elements found in the Wonder Woman television show. One particaluar story arc is The Witch and the Warrior, in which Circe turns New York City's men in beasts, women against men, and lovers against lovers. The worst part of this is tragedy is that is occurs so soon after the Imperiex War
Imperiex
Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...
.
After Jimenez, Walt Simonson
Walt Simonson
Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
wrote a six-issue homage to the I Ching era, in which Diana temporarily loses her powers and adopts an all-white costume (Wonder Woman vol. 2, #189–194). Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
became writer at issue #195. His initial story arc centered upon Diana's authorship of a controversial book and included a political subtext. Rucka also introduced a new recurring villain, ruthless businesswoman Veronica Cale
Veronica Cale
Veronica Cale is a fictional comic book villain appearing in books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Wonder Woman. She was created by Greg Rucka in Wonder Woman v2, #196...
, who uses media manipulation
Media manipulation
Media manipulation is an aspect of public relations in which partisans create an image or argument that favours their particular interests. Such tactics may include the use of logical fallacies and propaganda techniques, and often involve the suppression of information or points of view by crowding...
to try to discredit Diana. Rucka modernized the Greek and Egyptian gods, updating the toga-wearing deities to provide them with briefcases, laptop computers, designer clothing, and modern hairstyles. Rucka dethroned Zeus and Hades, who were unable to move with the times as the other gods had, replacing them with Athena and Ares as new rulers of the gods and the underworld. Athena selected Diana to be her personal champion.
Infinite Crisis
The four part "Sacrifice" storyline (one of the lead-ins to Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
) ended with Diana breaking the longstanding do-not-kill code of DC superheroes. Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, his mind controlled by Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
, brutally beats Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and engages in a vicious fight with Wonder Woman, thinking she is his enemy Doomsday
Doomsday (comics)
Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
.
The OMAC Project
The OMAC Project is a six issue American comic book limited series written by Greg Rucka with art by Jesus Saiz and published by DC Comics in 2005.-Overview:...
for more about this storyline).
Upon his recovery, Batman rejects Diana's attempt to explain her actions; Superman is no better able to understand her motivations. At a crucial time, a profound rift opens up between the three central heroes of the DC universe. In the final pages of The OMAC Project, the Brother Eye satellite – the deranged Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
controlling the OMACs (Omni Mind And Community) – broadcasts the footage of Wonder Woman dispatching Maxwell Lord to media outlets all over the world, accompanied by the text "Murder."
At the start of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
distrust Diana: the latter can only see her as a coldblooded murderer, the former sees in her an expression of the mentality that led several members of the League to the decision to mindwipe their villains (when Batman tried to stop the League from mindwiping Dr. Light
Doctor Light (Arthur Light)
Doctor Arthur Light is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the third individual to have adopted the persona of Doctor Light, after a Golden Age foe of Doctor Mid-Nite and Arthur's associate Jacob Finlay...
after the villain brutally raped Sue Dibny
Sue Dibny
Susan "Sue" Dearbon Dibny is a fictional character from DC Comics associated with the Elongated Man. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Flash vol. 1 #119...
, Batman's memory was also altered). To make matters worse, in Infinite Crisis #2 Brother Eye initiates the final protocol "Truth and Justice", which aims at the total elimination of the Amazons. A full-scale invasion of Themyscira is set into motion utilizing every remaining OMAC. Diana and her countrywomen, now isolated and alienated from the outside world, must fight for their lives.
In Infinite Crisis #3, the Amazons prepare to destroy the OMACs with a powerful new weapon, the Purple Death Ray, a corruption of the healing Purple Ray
Purple Ray
The Purple Ray is a fictional healing device featured in the Wonder Woman comics.-Pre-Crisis:Prior to the comic book storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, Diana invented the Purple Ray in order to heal Steve Trevor from injuries he sustained when his plane was shot down and he was left adrift in the...
. Realizing, however, that the battle is being broadcast to TV stations around the world, and edited to make the Amazons look like cold-blooded killers, Wonder Woman convinces the Amazons to shut the weapon down. She then assembles the Amazons on the beach of Themyscira to decide their next move.
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, who has voluntarily left Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
in order to provide Diana with vital information and guidance. She advises her Post-Crisis counterpart to be "the one thing you haven't been for a very long time... human," and, more importantly, strongly urges Diana to intervene in a fight taking place at that moment between the Modern Age Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and his counterpart, Kal-L
Kal-L
The Superman of Earth-Two is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Justice League of America #73 . He is a version of the Kryptonian superhero Superman from an alternate reality called Earth-Two...
. Having left Mount Olympus, and with her gods' blessings gone, Diana Prince then faded away.
Wonder Woman manages to stop the Supermen from fighting, enabling them to work together in defeating the forces deployed by Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....
and Superboy-Prime (who are revealed as the true culprits behind the Crisis). In the Battle of Metropolis, Diana redeems herself by convincing an anguished Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
not to shoot Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....
to death. At the story's conclusion, Diana, Bruce Wayne, and Clark Kent interact like the friends they were in the past, and Diana declares her intention to do some soul-searching before returning to her role as Wonder Woman.
Near the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis the history of Earth is modified. Wonder Woman's Silver Age past is restored, and it is revealed that she has also served as a founding member of the Justice League. This notion was evidenced in the merging of both the Earth-One Wonder Woman and the 1987 rebooted Wonder Woman by Alexander Luthor.
Wonder Woman vol. 2 was one of several titles canceled at the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis crossover, #226 (April 2006) being the final issue. The title included 228 published issues, including an issue #0 between #90 and #91, and issue #1000000 between #138 and #139.
2006 relaunch
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
's "One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
" crossover storyline, the third Wonder Woman comic series was launched with a new #1 issue (June 2006), written by Allan Heinberg
Allan Heinberg
Allan Heinberg is an American film screenwriter, who wrote Young Avengers for Marvel Comics, and has been a writer and producer on The Naked Truth, Party of Five, Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, The O.C., and Grey's Anatomy.Heinberg's Young Avengers was a sales success for Marvel, though faced...
with art by Terry Dodson
Terry Dodson
Terrence "Terry" Dodson is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on titles such as Harley Quinn, Trouble, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Uncanny X-Men...
. Her bustier features a new design, combining the traditional eagle with the 1980s "WW" design, similar to her emblem in the Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (comic book)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
miniseries.
Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
has taken up the mantle of Wonder Woman; Diana has disappeared to parts unknown, though there are reports that she has been seen in the company of an eastern mystic named I Ching
I Ching (comics)
I Ching is a fictional, blind martial artist published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Wonder Woman vol. 1 #179 , and was created by Denny O'Neil and Mike Sekowsky.-Pre-Crisis:...
. The World Court drops the charges against Diana for the killing of Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
.
When Diana returns she takes on the persona of Diana Prince, now a secret agent
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and member of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. She is partnered with Nemesis
Nemesis (DC Comics)
Nemesis is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. Thomas Andrew Tresser first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #166, , and was created by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle. Soseh Myrkos first appeared in JSA Annual #1, , and was created by David S...
and the two report to Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel is a detective/spy character published by Charlton Comics during the 1960s. As he was published during the time of Charlton's Action Heroes line of superheroes, and had loose ties to some, he is sometimes included with that group...
. Her first assignment is to retrieve her sister Donna Troy, who has been kidnapped by several of her most persistent enemies; their powers have been augmented by Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
. After this is accomplished, Diana takes back the title of Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, and Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
re-form the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
and collaborate on the team's roster.
Wonder Woman asks Kate Spencer, whom she knows to be Manhunter
Manhunter (Kate Spencer)
Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in publications from DC Comics. Kate Spencer is the eighth DC Comics character depicted using the name Manhunter, and the first female to do so. The character first appears in Manhunter Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in...
, to represent her before a Federal grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
empaneled to determine if she should be tried for the murder of Maxwell Lord (though the World Court has exonerated her, the US government pursues its own charges). Upon concluding their deliberations, the grand jurors refuse to indict Diana.
During the story-arc penned by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American author. She was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. Picoult currently has some 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide.-Early life and education:...
(issues #6–10, and which ties into Amazons Attack!), Diana is captured and imprisoned by the Department of Metahuman Affairs, led by an imposter Sarge Steel
Everyman (DC Comics)
Everyman is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He debuted in 52 #21 , and was created by Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen and Joe Bennett...
. She is tortured and interrogated to garner information that will allow the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government to build a Purple Death Ray
Purple Ray
The Purple Ray is a fictional healing device featured in the Wonder Woman comics.-Pre-Crisis:Prior to the comic book storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, Diana invented the Purple Ray in order to heal Steve Trevor from injuries he sustained when his plane was shot down and he was left adrift in the...
previously used during Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
.
For reasons of her own, Circe resurrects Diana's mother Hippolyta. When Hippolyta learns that her daughter is being detained by the US government, she goes on the warpath, leading an Amazon assault on Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Freed by Nemesis, Diana tries to reason with her mother to end the war.
Gail Simone
Gail Simone
Gail Simone is an American writer of comic books. Best known for penning DC's Birds of Prey, her other notable works include Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, The All-New Atom, and Deadpool. In 2007, she took over Wonder Woman...
took up writing duties on the title beginning with issue #14.
In Wonder Woman Annual #1 (2007), Circe gives Diana the "gift" of human transformation. When she becomes Diana Prince she transforms into a non-powered mortal. She is content, knowing that she can become Wonder Woman when she wishes and be a member of the human race as Diana Prince.
The relaunch was beset by scheduling problems, described by Grady Hendrix in his article, "Out for Justice", in the New York Sun. "By 2007 [Heinberg had] only delivered four issues ... Ms. Picoult's five issues hemorrhaged readers ... and Amazons Attack!, a miniseries commissioned to fill a hole in the book's publishing schedule caused by Mr. Heinberg's delays, was reviled by fans who decried it as an abomination."
Many attribute these flaws to the constraints that DC placed on the authors; Picoult's interpretation in particular has received acclaim from critics, who would have liked to have seen the novelist given more time to work. Says Min Jin Lee of the UK Times, "By furnishing a 21st-century emotional characterization for a 20th-century creation, Picoult reveals the novelist's dextrous hand." Indeed, others blame DC's inconsistent portrayals of the Wonder Woman universe, brought about by employing so many writers in such a short span of time, for the failures in the relaunch; "I feel sorry for Picoult, she was going in a good, clear direction but is soon side-tracked by DC Comic’s external needs."
Recently in the Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
storyline, Diana was attacked by Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
who infected her with the Morticoccus virus. This seriously deformed Diana and brainwashed her into becoming one of Darkseid's
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
Female Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
. She aided him in conquering Earth along with other female superheroes/villains like Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
, Giganta
Giganta
Giganta is a fictional character, a red-haired super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. A longtime enemy of Wonder Woman and an occasional foil for The Atom, Giganta possesses the superhuman ability to increase her physical size and mass, effectively transforming into...
and Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...
.
During the Blackest Night event, Diana is lured to Arlington National Cemetery by Maxwell Lord, who was reanimated as a Black Lantern. When Wonder Woman arrived, he sprang a trap, using black rings to revive the bodies of fallen soldiers. Wonder Woman uses her Lasso to reduce Max and the soldiers to dust; However, as she leaves, the dust begins to regenerate. Later Nekron
Nekron
Nekron is a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics, specifically those related to Green Lantern. Created by Mike W. Barr, Len Wein and Joe Staton, the character, who exists as an embodiment of Death, first appeared in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #2...
, lord of the dead, and the one responsible for the creation of the Black Lantern Corps, reveals that he allowed for Diana's earlier resurrection, in order for him to have an "inside agent" among the living. Briefly reanimating Bruce Wayne as a Black Lantern
Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of revenants appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The group is composed of deceased fictional characters that seek to eliminate all life from the DC Universe.-Publication history:...
, Nekron creates an emotional tether in Diana, allowing him to place a black power ring on her and transforming her into a Black Lantern. Soon after, a duplicate of Carol Ferris
Carol Ferris
Caroline "Carol" Ferris is a character in the . She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and is a long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. Her original design was based on Elizabeth Taylor...
' violet power ring attaches itself to Diana, using her unrequited romantic love for Batman (Bruce Wayne) as well as the love she feels for the whole of Earth to destroy the black ring, at the same time turning her into a Star Sapphire
Star Sapphire (comics)
Star Sapphire is the name of several supervillains in DC Comics, all connected in origin. Within DC continuity, an immortal race of warrior women were depicted as having the ancient tradition of choosing physically identical mortals from across the cosmos to serve as the host body for their queen....
. Diana was also given spiritual aid from Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, in accepting the ring. Some time later, Max attacks Wonder Woman in Coast City. Wonder Woman encases Max's body in a violet crystal and then shatters it to pieces. She then encounters Mera who had transformed into a Red Lantern
Red Lantern Corps
The Red Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They debuted in Green Lantern vol. 4 #25 and were created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver...
during the fight, their two rings interfaced with each other, Wonder Woman constructed the violet light giving Mera some measure of control over her new-found
savagery. Wonder Woman join the power of white light to lose her Star Sapphire ring in the final battle.
Wonder Woman was also seen in Justice League of America, encouraging Donna Troy to help make a new Justice League.
Issue 600 and beyond
DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio asked fans for 600 postcards to restore the Wonder Woman comic book to the original numbering, starting at #600. The publisher's office had received 712 postcards by the October 31, 2009 deadline. As a result, the current numbering switched to #600 after Wonder Woman #44, in an anniversary issue.Issue #600 featured several stories featuring work from guest creators such as Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, George Pérez, Phil Jimenez, and Amanda Conner
Amanda Conner
Amanda Conner is an Irish-American comic book artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' Soulsearchers and Company and Harris Comics' Vampirella in the 1990s...
. The issue also featured guest appearances from other female superheroes such as Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...
, Power Girl
Power Girl
Power Girl is a DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 ....
, Batgirl
Cassandra Cain
Cassandra Cain is a fictional character in the , one of several who has served as Batgirl, an important character in the Batman comic book franchise. Cassandra's backstory presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her...
, Stargirl and the Question
Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. The character was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in 1992....
.
Writer J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
officially took over the title after Gail Simone in issue #601. The art team is Don Kramer and Michael Babinski.
Straczynski's run focuses on an alternate timeline created by the Gods where Paradise Island was destroyed leading to many Amazons being raised in the world outside of the island. It revolves around Wonder Woman's attempts to restore the normal timeline despite the fact that she does not remember it properly. Wonder Woman in this alternative timeline has been raised in New York City as an orphan and is coming into her powers. She is aware of the presence of Amazons, but does not remember her childhood on Paradise Island. Wonder Woman will also wear a new costume designed by DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
. Writer Phil Hester
Phil Hester (comics)
Phil Hester is an American comic book artist, penciller and writer.-Biography:This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa...
will continue the storyline.
The decision to redesign Wonder Woman received considerable coverage in mainstream news outlets, which in turn drew attention to the story.
The Wonder Woman in this timeline started off with a limited power set, but gained her lasso and the power of flight during the fourth installment of the story.
In addition, the new Wonder Woman costume is being used in the intercompany crossover series, JLA/The 99
JLA/The 99
JLA/The 99 is an American comic book limited series and intercompany crossover between DC Comics and Teshkeel Comics. The series chronicled a meeting between the superheroes of DC Comics' Justice League of America and Teshkeel Comics' The 99...
. Despite wearing the new costume, the Wonder Woman in this series is stated to be an Amazon ambassador, indicating that she does not share the same backstory as her counterpart in Straczynski's storyline.
In Justice League: Generation Lost
Justice League: Generation Lost
Justice League: Generation Lost was a year-long comic book limited series that premiered July 2010. It ran twice a month for 24 issues, alternating with Brightest Day written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi.-Publication history:...
storylines, Wonder Woman is shown helping the heroes search for the resurrected Maxwell Lord. Unfortunately, Max uses his psychic powers to the utmost to erase all memory of himself from the minds of the entire world, including Wonder Woman. For some reason, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice are the only ones who remember Max's existence. Fire tries talking to Wonder Woman of her killing Max, but she refuses to believe it and tells Fire that Checkmate has dismissed her for failing her psychological evaluation. Fire discovers that Max has mentally influenced everyone. Later, in the new timeline, Max (having used his powers to make the world forget his existence) is baffled to discover that all records of Wonder Woman have been erased. Former Justice League members Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice also retain memories of Wonder Woman but seemingly no one else remembers her prior existence. It is later revealed that thanks to the White Lantern
White Lantern Corps
The White Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics.-History:The first White Lantern Corps member was created when Sinestro of Korugar bonded with The Entity, the embodiment of life itself...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
remembers Wonder Woman as he helps the JLI save her from an attack by Max's OMACs. Batman learned that since Max cannot find information on Wonder Woman, he is using the JLI to track her down. The OMAC army then teleports Wonder Woman and the JLI to Los Angeles. Max sends the new OMAC known as OMAC Prime, a huge robot, he controls to attack the heroes. The JLI saves Wonder Woman from OMAC Prime after nearly being beaten to death.
Later, Wonder Woman is shown aiding the JLA during their mission into Hell, where she helps Supergirl defeat the demon.
2011 Relaunch
In August 2011, the third volume of Wonder Woman was cancelled along with every other DC title as part of a line-wide relaunch following FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
. The series was relaunched in September with a #1 issue written by Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
and drawn by Cliff Chiang
Cliff Chiang
Cliff Chiang is an American comic book artist. Formerly an assistant editor at DC Comics, he is now an illustrator, best known for his work on Human Target, Beware the Creeper and Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre. A recent project has been the Dr...
. Wonder Woman now sports another new costume, once again designed by Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
. Azzarello describes the new Wonder Woman book as being darker than the past series, even going so far as to call it a "horror" book.
In this new continuity, Wonder Woman's origin is significantly changed and she is no longer a clay figure brought to life by the magic of the gods. Instead, she is the natural-born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus.
Wonder Woman will also be appearing as one of the lead characters in the new Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
title written by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and drawn by Jim Lee.