My Rating
“Wonder Woman’s Story”
Men, the bane of women’s existence. Ever since the mighty Zeus allowed his son Ares to introduce war, women have become less than animals to the male sex. For generations, females were traded and subjugated until the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, could stand to see their turmoil no more.
In secret, the goddess began molding a new form of woman – that with superior strength, speed, and intelligence. Then, upon the summer solstice, Aphrodite released her Amazons upon the Earth, and with them, their queen Hippolyte, she gifted a magic griddle of godly strength. As long as the queen adorned the girdle, all of her subjects gained superior strength in battle against man.
With a force of unstoppable women, the Amazonians built their empire in the form of the city of Amazonia. It would be there that Aphrodite would teach Hippolyte the secret art of molding human form. And from this, the child Diana was sculpted. Princess of the Amazon women.
Which Amazon warrior will defy the official edict and smuggled an injured army pilot into the forbidden city on Paradise Island? Will Princess Diana find a cure for Captain Steve Trevor before his wounds finish him off? Who will win the sporting tournament that determines which Amazon will accompany Steve Trevor back to the United States of America?
“Wonder Woman Goes To The Circus!”
Someone is killing elephants at the King’s Colossal Circus, and it’s up to Major Steve Trevor and Diana Princes, aka Wonder Woman, to stop the murderers. But who has the motive to perform such a dastardly deed? Is it some disgruntled carney worker? Maybe the local crime boss? Or are the deaths caused by some supernatural forces?
It will take the combined training of Wonder Woman’s Amazon ancestors to crack the case of the Burmese Elephant Demise. How many more pachyderms must die before the killer is exposed? Let the investigation begin!
“Wonder Women Of History”
In this segment, Alice Marble recounts the heroic life story of Florence Nightingale. From her early childhood through to her death, this woman was a gleaming light in a time of horrific medical practices. Florence was a catalyst for many improvements within the British Military Hospital system. Be it peacetime or wartime, humanity has so much to be thankful for, as Florence Nightingale was a true life Wonder Woman.
“Horses Versus Nazi Sea-Power!”
Someone is leaking American ship movements to Nazi U-boats! With all the U.S. Army Officers accounted for, how is the information getting out? As Major Steve Trevor visits the local penitentiary to interrogate the notorious Nazi Spymaster, Baroness Paula von Gunther, Wonder Woman frantically searches for her missing lasso. Who would dare steal the gift from the goddess Aphrodite? Wonder Woman won’t stop until she has turned the prison inside out to get back her prized possession!
“A Message From Phil”
Phillip and Phillys Downs had always been peculiar, even as children. When their parents died before the war, the twins were taken from an orphanage by Uncle Williams, who nurtured them as if he was their biological father. Both learned science and engineering, but their greatest gifts were not that of learning. No, each showed a strong aptitude for the supernatural. Being twins, Phillip and Phillys had a strong telepathic connection.
Twenty years later, the Downs twins had become successful inventors for the U.S. Military. Now their lives have been entrenched in a world of government secrecy and international espionage. The only thing that will keep them safe is their power of psychic communication.
“Sweet Adeline – Songs Without Music”
The hotel guests are a leavin’ and the water is turnin’ ta sludge. If the boys can’t figure out what’s ailin’ the wellness the poorhouse for sure. May Mr. Snort can straighten things out?!
“The Greatest Feat Of Daring In Human History!”
Etta Candy and her friend Diana Prince fly to Texas for a small family reunion. Mint, Etta’s brother, had just been released from the Army Hospital after suffering from a tragic motorcycle accident. Truthfully, he fell asleep behind the wheels, so to speak, and his laziness got the better of him.
While on the family cattle ranch, Etta and Diana fall slap-dab in the middle of a Japanese plot to invade the country of Mexico. Cue Wonder Woman! Over the next two days, Aphrodite’s hero will have to weed out a spy network and get Etta to stop eating candy. Which will be the greater task? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Wonder Woman exploded onto the newsstands in 1941, and quickly gained popularity with both children and adults. The creation of writer/psychologist William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peters, Wonder Woman would go on to receive her own solo series shortly after — in June 1942. Set in a world at war, the original series began with an Amazon warrior, Princess Diana, leaving the shelter of her ancestral island to help humanity fight the evils of the Axis armies. This is where Wonder Woman #1 begins.
I truly am grateful to DC Comics for reprinting this golden age classic, so a new generation can enjoy it. Like many others, I only know the character from the 1970s television series starring Linda Carter as Wonder Woman. Along with a few random comic books that I have acquired from the Silver and Bronze Age, this is the only information I have on the Amazonian princess. Wonder Woman has apparently seen some background story changes over the years, luckily for us, we now have this reprint issue to understand Marston and Peter’s original vision for the character and her supporting cast.
Each story in this 48-page anthology was very entertaining. My favorite, of course, being the first, as we find Queen Hippolyte taking on the male-dominated world controlled by war and oppression. Hercules was such a dickhead in this adaptation of the Greek Mythology that it was downright comical. I loved every panel of this timeless tale of man versus woman.
For those readers born post 1980, prepare yourself for a bit of culture shock. American society was very different back in the 1940s. The world was at war with Germany and Japan. The United States was divided by racial and social issues, and people were still recovering from the Great Depression. So you will find some amount of racism in the early issues of Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, this was standard fare in most forms of entertainment of the time. If you can find your way around this, the book is very entertaining otherwise.
For me, this book gets a solid four out of five stars. There is enough material in issue #1 to keep one entertained for a few hours at the least. For younger children, maybe even longer. If you can find a copy of the reprint, it is worth the price. Wonder Woman is still around as to this day. That should speak volumes for what William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peters had created.
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