Wonder Woman is one of the most powerful and iconic heroes of the DC universe. Much like her contemporaries, Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman is a leader within the hero community and is a point of inspiration and admiration for heroes and civilians alike. Wonder Woman has been a consistent and important part of DC Comics for over eighty years. She has headlined an incredibly popular TV show and film series and has had an ongoing book nearly since her debut. While Wonder Woman’s impact on comics is undeniable, there are still plenty of fans who don’t know where to start when it comes to reading her comics.
Wonder Woman has changed a lot over the years. Her earliest stories saw her as a champion of truth and the oppressed. She was then reworked into an emissary of peace for the world of man. Later, she became the Goddess of War after the death of Ares. While it is difficult for a character who has existed for eighty years to remain consistent, few have changed as much as Diana. Despite this, Wonder Woman has remained one of the most iconic superheroes. Her design, backstory, powers, and personality combine into one of the most beloved DC characters ever. There is lots to love about her comic history, so much so that it can be difficult to know where to start.
William Moulton Marston’s Originals Are Iconic
Issues | Creators |
|---|---|
Wonder Woman (1942) #1-176 | William Moulton Marston, Harry G. Peter, Sheldon Mayer, Joye Hummel, Robert Kanigher |
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In the 1940s, William Moulton Marston had the incredible idea to make a superhero who fights evil with their heart instead of their fists. His wife, Elizabeth Marston, suggested he make the character a woman; thus, Wonder Woman was born. Many of the character’s early iconography and ideology are wrapped up in Marston’s own psychological theories of the era. A staunch feminist, Marston created Diana as the woman he thought most capable of leading society.
This version of Wonder Woman found the American pilot Steve Trevor washed ashore on Paradise Island. The goddess Aphrodite called for an Amazonian champion to escort Trevor home. The Amazons held a tournament to determine which Diana entered and won. Armed with the Amazon’s greatest treasures in a magic lasso and bracers, Diana became Wonder Woman and traveled to “Man’s World” to fight in the Second World War. Diana disguised herself as a nurse in the U.S. Army and joined the fight.
Marston’s early Wonder Woman stories don’t have the same bombastic storytelling and mythological consequences as more modern comics, but they’re tons of fun. Marston was ahead of his time in many ways, especially in his attitudes toward women and relationships, which is reflected in these early stories. He also introduced a core aspect of Diana and the Amazon’s ideology. He ensured that the Amazons valued love and peace above all else, a tenet that has followed the character well into the modern day.
Marston is credited with writing the first twenty-nine issues, but he was helped by Joye Hummel in the twilight of his life. The legendary Robert Kaniger continued the early run, staying on the book until Issue #176. These early stories are foundational to what modern creators and audiences associate with Wonder Woman’s mythos and deserve a read for any devoted fan.
George Pérez’s Relaunch Solidified Diana’s Iconography
Issues | Creators |
|---|---|
Wonder Woman (1987) #1-62 | George Pérez, Greg Potter, Len Wein, Bruce D. Patterson, Janice Race, Karen Berger |
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While Wonder Woman has existed since the 1940s, most of the iconography associated with the character these days comes from George Pérez’s relaunch of the character in 1987. The ’80s were a time of big changes for DC Comics. Their two biggest heroes, Batman and Superman, had recently received updated origins. This inspired Pérez to update Diana’s origin story and general mythology. This version of Wonder Woman has formed the basis of the character in the nearly forty years since its debut.
Pérez had worked as a penciller for DC and Marvel for many years before he started working on Wonder Woman. He made his name on team books like The Avengers, Fantastic Four, and The New Teen Titans, where he frequently collaborated on story development with the credited writers. Wonder Woman was the first book where he was a consistent writer and penciled, and he stayed on the comic for five years. Pérez continued working in the industry for a long time and crafted many incredible stories, but Wonder Woman remains one of his most iconic.
These stories more closely tie Wonder Woman to Greek Mythology, bringing the Greek Gods into Diana’s story as actual characters. Pérez also explored Diana’s birth and place among the Amazons as a child created from clay and blessed by the gods. This is also the era where Diana’s role as an ambassador for Themyscara was properly explored, and she was given her mission to bring peace to the world of man. This run also includes the iconic War of the Gods crossover and is a great place to start for anyone looking to better understand Wonder Woman’s lore.
Gail Simone’s Run Has Incredible Characterization
Issues | Creators |
|---|---|
Wonder Woman (2006) #14-44 | Gail Simone, Terry Dodson, Nicola Scott, Travis Moore, Doug Hazlewood, Brad Anderson, Travis Lanham |
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The 2006 Wonder Woman series was rather unique. The series picks up a year after Infinite Crisis, an interesting time in the DC universe. Wonder Woman had recently fallen from grace, having killed Maxwell Lord to save the planet from destruction. Now a wanted woman, Diana decided to create a civilian identity, Diana Prince, and work as a secret agent at the Department of Metahuman Affairs. While Allan Heinberg was the initial writer, Gail Simone took over on issue #14.
Gail Simone is one of the best comic writers out there. She’s been working in the industry for over twenty years and, in that time, has consistently delivered fun and exciting stories. While Simone is most famous for her iconic run on Birds of Prey, she’s also headlined Batgirl, The Secret Six, and, of course, Wonder Woman. Despite only writing thirty issues for the Amazing Amazon, she is still the longest-running female writer on any Wonder Woman title.
Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman has some of the best characterizations for the Warrior of Peace. Simone’s Wonder Woman is not only powerful and dedicated but also kind-hearted and friendly. Despite her training as a warrior and her willingness to fight for her beliefs, Simone’s Wonder Woman is a true champion of peace. This is demonstrated pretty amazingly when she befriends a clan of gorilla warriors, who become Diana’s friends and allies for the rest of the series.
Rebirth Modernizes the Story
Issues | Creators |
|---|---|
Wonder Woman (2016) #1-83 | Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp, Nicola Scott, James Robinson, Steve Orlando, G. Willow Wilson |
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DC’s Rebirth initiative was a bit of a strange era for the company. After the mixed success of The New 52, DC made the decision to reinject some of the long-standing character lore that had been removed just a few years previously. However, most books (including Wonder Woman) continued that character’s New 52 story, leading to an odd blend of canons. Luckily, most of the creative teams rose above to deliver incredible stories.
Rebirth Wonder Woman had a few incredible writers attached. Greg Rucka kicked things off with the first twenty-five issues. Rucka had previously worked on Wonder Woman comics for a number of years and brought that experience to bear in his initial run. His issues focused on two distinct stories, one taking place in the present and one in the past. This allowed Rucka to expand on Wonder Woman’s role in the modern DC universe and create an origin story separate from the controversial ideas presented in The New 52.
This Wonder Woman series is really effective at updating the character’s classic mythology into a modern context. When the DC universe gets reset, as tends to happen every few years, the timeline just gets updated. Instead of debuting in the 1940s, ’80s, or whenever, the heroes’ origins were reworked to happen only a few years previously. As such, Wonder Woman’s story was adapted into a modern setting, updating her longtime friends like Etta Candy and Barbara Minerva.
Team-Ups Where Wonder Woman Shines
Issues | Creators |
|---|---|
JLA (1996) #1-125 | Grant Morrison, Howard Porter, Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Doug Mahnke, John Dell, Paul Neary |
Trinity (2016) #1-22 | Francis Manapul, Rob Williams, James Robinson |
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While Wonder Woman certainly holds her own as a solo hero, she has also had some interesting stints as part of various DC teams. It makes sense that Diana would shine in a group book. As one of the most powerful heroes in the DC universe, she is a valuable asset to any cohort she joins. Plus, her experience on the battlefield and emotional maturity make her a natural-born leader, no matter who she is working with. Diana often serves as the moral compass of her teams, a fitting role for the Goddess of Truth.
Wonder Woman has been in nearly every iteration of the existing Justice League. Before even Batman and Superman joined, she was one of the five original founding members in the 1960s. Since then, she has often served as the team’s heavy-hitter and defacto leader, bringing her huge heart and combat prowess. 1996’s JLA series relaunched the Justice League with DC’s biggest heroes, Wonder Woman included. Diana definitely gets a lot of time to shine in this series. Her friendly rapport with her fellow heroes and her determination to do right often cast her as the emotional heart of the series.
Two of Wonder Woman’s closest bonds are with Batman and Superman. DC’s three biggest heroes are often touted as the best of friends, true companions who always have each other’s backs. This is well demonstrated in the Rebirth series Trinity, which focuses mainly on the interpersonal relationships between the three. This is one of the rare series that focuses on emotional resonance over action sequences, which leads to some deeply introspective moments. The three heroes are explored, not only individually but in contrast to each other, which really fleshes out their characters.
Check Out An Elseworld or Two!
Issues | Creators |
|---|---|
JLA: Created Equal #1-2 | Fabian Nicieza, Kevin Maguire |
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth #1-4 | Daniel Warren Johnson |
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Comic books are famous for their alternate reality stories. For years, DC and Marvel have featured stories set across the multiverse that explore stories that would be too disruptive for the main universe. This often involves pushing the characters to their absolute limits and exploring how they would react to extreme shifts in their world. Wonder Woman has shown up in plenty of DC’s Elseworld stories but rarely gets a focus. Luckily, some do explore the Amazing Amazon in these alternate realities.
JLA: Created Equal is a rarely discussed Elseworld story from the early 2000s. It starts off as a typical DC story of the era, with the Justice League responding to a weird cosmic storm. However, this storm brought with it an incredibly infectious disease that has killed every man on the planet besides Superman and Lex Luthor. With most of the world devastated, Wonder Woman and the Amazons are placed in charge of leading the world. As such, Diana is a central character and receives a lot of focus in the story. She leads the new Justice League and the entire world into a brand-new era of peace.
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth is an intense DC Black Label story by writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson. With Black Label’s typical dark themes and Johnson’s incredible art, this is a story that adult fans do not want to miss. The story follows Diana as she awakens on a ruined Earth after centuries in cryo-sleep. Diana needs to piece together what exactly destroyed the world and find a way to help the remnants of humanity and metahumans survive in a world that seems designed to kill them. The result is a radical and contemplative romp through the end of the world with one of the greatest heroes ever.
Wonder Woman
One of the most beloved and iconic DC Super Heroes of all time, Wonder Woman has stood for nearly eighty years as a symbol of truth, justice and equality to people everywhere.
- Writer
- Greg Rucka, William Moulton Marston, Joye Hummel, Robert Kanigher, Dennis O’Neil
- Penciler
- Harry G. Peter, Ross Andru, Mike Sekowsky, Don Heck, Ric Estrada, Curt Swan, Irv Novick, John Rosenberger, José Delbo, Gene Colan,
- Inker
- Mike Esposito, Dick Giordano, Vince Colletta, Joe Giella, Bruce Patterson, Romeo Tanghal, P. Craig Russell, Ray Snyder, Bob McLeod, Rachel Dodson, Matt Ryan, Wayne Faucher, Scott Hanna
- Colorist
- Laura Martin, Romulo Fajardo Jr.
- Letterer
- Jodi Wynne
- Publisher
- DC Comics
- Publisher(s)
- DC
- Main Characters
- Wonder Woman , Hercules
- Artists
- Liam Sharp, Nicola Scott
Summary
Themyscira, the island paradise she left behind to defend Earth from the war god Ares, has vanished, and the magical power of her Lasso of Truth has disappeared along with it. In a sprawling saga that bridges her first year as a hero with the present day, the Amazon Princess must team up with her greatest enemy—the brutal beast-woman Cheetah—to find her vanished homeland and seek the truth about her origins.
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