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Wonder Woman

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This article is about the superhero. For other uses, see Wonder Woman (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox comics character and title

Wonder Woman is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston as a "distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men." [1]. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941). The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986.[2] Arguably the most popular and iconic female superhero in comics, Wonder Woman is also considered a feminist icon.

Wonder Woman is a warrior princess of the Amazons (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and was created by William Moulton Marston. She is known in her homeland as Diana of Themyscira. Gifted with a wide range of superhuman powers and skill, Wonder Woman is considered to be the most powerful female DC Comics superhero and at par with Superman. Her arsenal of weapons is also well-known, such as the Lasso of Truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in some stories, an invisible airplane.

Created during World War II, the character was initially depicted fighting the Axis military forces, as well as an assortment of supervillains. Since then, Wonder Woman has earned a formidable cast of enemies bent on eliminating the Amazon such as classic villains like Cheetah, Ares and Circe and newer ones like Genocide, The Circle and Hera. Wonder Woman has also regularly appeared in comic books featuring the superhero teams Justice Society (from 1941) and Justice League (from 1960). [1]

In addition to the comics, the character has appeared in other media; most notably, the 1975–1979 Wonder Woman TV series starring Lynda Carter, as well as animated series such as the Super Friends and Justice League. Although a number of attempts have been made to adapt the character to live-action film, none has yet emerged from development hell. An animated film was released in 2009, with Keri Russell voicing the title role. In 2011, Adrianne Palicki starred in the TV series pilot of Wonder Woman that did not get picked up due to "scheduling issues". In September 2012, it was revealed that CW, the creator of popular Superman show Smallville, was developing a potential Wonder Woman origin TV series called Amazon.[3]

History

Wonder Woman's first cover, Sensation Comics #1 (January 1942)
Main article: History of Wonder Woman

Creation

In an October 25, 1940 interview published in Family Circle titled "Don't Laugh at the Comics", William Moulton Marston described what he saw as the great educational potential of comic books.[4] This article caught the attention of comics publisher Max Gaines, who hired Marston as an educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications, two of the companies that would merge to form DC Comics. At that time, Marston decided to develop a new superhero. Family Circle published a follow-up article two years later from issue of the Boston University alumni magazine, it was Marston's wife Elizabeth's idea to create a female superheroine:

William Moulton Marston, a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph (forerunner to the magic lasso), struck upon an idea for a new kind of superhero, one who would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love. "Fine," said Elizabeth. "But make her a woman."[5]

Marston introduced the idea to Gaines, co-founder of All-American Publications. Given the go-ahead, Marston developed Wonder Woman with Elizabeth, whom Marston believed to be a model of that era's unconventional, liberated woman.[5] Marston was also inspired by Olive Byrne, who lived with the couple in a polygamous/polyamorous relationship.[6] Both women served as exemplars for the character and greatly influenced the character's creation.[5] Wonder Woman debuted in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941), scripted by Marston and with art by Harry G. Peter.

Marston was the creator of a systolic-blood-pressure-measuring apparatus, which was crucial to the development of the polygraph (lie detector). Marston's experience with polygraphs convinced him that women were more honest and reliable than men and could work more efficiently.[7]

"Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world," Marston wrote.[2] Although Gloria Steinem placed Wonder Woman on the first standalone cover of Ms. in 1972, Marston, writing in an earlier time, designed Wonder Woman to represent a particular form of female empowerment.

In a 1943 issue of The American Scholar, Marston wrote:

Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.

During this period, Wonder Woman joined the Justice Society of America as the female member,[8] albeit as the group's secretary, since the custom was that characters who had their own comic books would hold only honorary membership.

Evolution of the character

File:Wonder Woman (new costume)-.jpg
Wonder Woman's new costume, in Wonder Woman #607 (Feb. 2011). Art by Don Kramer.

Initially, Wonder Woman was an Amazon champion who wins the right to return Steve Trevor — a United States intelligence officer whose plane had crashed on the Amazons' isolated island homeland — to "Man's World" and to fight crime and the evil of the Nazis.

During the Silver Age, Wonder Woman's origin was revamped,[9] along with other characters'. The new origin story increased the character's Hellenic and mythological roots: receiving the blessing of each deity in her crib, Diana is destined to become "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, as strong as Hercules, and as swift as Hermes."[10]

At the end of the 1960s, under the guidance of Mike Sekowsky, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers in order to remain in Man's World rather than accompany her fellow Amazons to another dimension. Becoming 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.

Due in part to popular demand -- including Gloria Steinem choosing to feature the original super-powered version of Wonder Woman on the cover of the first issue of her Ms. Magazine -- in the early 1970s the character returned to her superhero roots in Justice League of America and to the World War II era in her own title.

Following the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths series, George Pérez, Len Wein, and Greg Potter relaunched the character, writing Wonder Woman as an emissary and ambassador from Themyscira to Patriarch's World, charged with the mission of bringing peace to the outside world.

In August 2010 (issue #600), DC Comics replaced the character's iconic stars-and-stripes singlet with a blue jacket (later discarded), red and gold top and dark pants, retaining only her tiara and lasso.[11]

In 2011, DC Comics relaunched its entire line of publications to attract a new generation of readers. In this new continuity, Wonder Woman wears a costume similar to her original costume. Also, her origin is significantly changed and she is no longer a clay figure brought to life by the magic of the gods. Instead, she is a demigoddess, the natural-born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus. In August 2012 (Justice League #12), she and Superman have begun a romantic relationship, which, according to Geoff Johns Chief Creative Officer at DC Comics, will be the new status quo.[12]

Secret Identity

Wonder Woman's secret identity is that of Diana Prince. Through the popularity of her Wonder Woman alter ego, the personality, concept, and name of Diana Prince have become ingrained in popular culture, becoming synonymous with secret identities and innocuous fronts for ulterior motives and activities.

First written in the earliest Wonder Woman comics, Diana Prince's role was multifaceted. Unlike the Superman alter-ego of Clark Kent, who was originally little more than a front for Superman's activities, and who adopted a passive "mild-mannered" persona to conceal his underlying strength, Prince's identity functioned both to position Wonder Woman so that she could learn of situations requiring her intervention and to allow the character to embody feminist and other ideals espoused by Charles Moulton. For example, Diana Prince was originally a nurse and then an officer in military intelligence, starting in the typical woman's role of secretary but gradually earning more autonomy, including the authority to interrogate espionage suspects, eventually becoming an intelligence officer in her own right and, over the years, rising from Lieutenant to Major.[13] Although Diana Prince was frequently told not to accompany Trevor at pivotal moments of adventures because it was no place for a woman, Diana was actually the most competent person to tackle a crisis, whether by exercising her knowledge or her power as Wonder Woman, riding in with an all-girl cavalry of Etta Candy and the Beeta Lambda sorority. In fact, for a period of time in the 1960s, Wonder Woman lost her powers and functioned exclusively as a non-powered Diana Prince who nonetheless experienced high adventure as a Modesty Blaise-type character.[14]

After Wonder Woman was broadcast worldwide killing a villain named Maxwell Lord, as he was controlling Superman and said the only way to stop him was to kill him, so his neck was snapped[15], the Amazon went into a year's exile.[16] This exile ended the viability of her initially intended mission of being an ambassador and teacher of Amazon principles. Once she returned to public life, Diana realized that her life as a full-time celebrity superhero and ambassador had kept her removed from humanity. Because of this she again donned the persona of Diana Prince and became an agent at the Department of Metahuman Affairs, where she was ordered to help capture Wonder Woman. During a later battle with Circe, the witch placed a spell on Diana leaving Wonder Woman powerless when in the role of Diana Prince.[17]

In the current New 52 universe, Diana does not have a secret identity as stated in an interview by series writer Brian Azzarello.[18]

Personality

While many writers have depicted Diana in different personalities, what has remained constant is her ability to feel and give love without discrimination. This trait had been the basis of her induction into the Star Sapphires.[19]

Powers and abilities

Pre-Crisis

The Golden Age Wonder Woman was able to will a tremendous amount of mental energy into her limbs because of her Amazonian training, endowing her with superhuman strength and speed.[citation needed] According to her first appearance, she is stronger and more agile than a hundred of the best human athletes.[citation needed] In Sensation Comics #6 (June 1942), she is able to tear a steel door off its hinges. In one of her earliest appearances, she is shown running easily at 60 mph, and later jumps from a building and lands on the balls of her feet.[20] She can even type at a rate of over 160 words a minute during a test given to her.[citation needed] It was implied, and ultimately confirmed, that any woman who underwent Amazon training would gain superhuman strength and speed.[21] The TV series took up this notion,[22] and in the first episode of Super Friends, Diana states to Aquaman, "...the only thing that can surpass super-strength is the power of the brain."[citation needed]

Her powers would be removed in accordance with "Aphrodite's Law" if she allowed herself to be bound or chained by a male. However the effects of this varied.[23]

In the television series, her magic belt allowed her to retain her powers when she was not on Paradise Island; removing it weakened her.[22] Also, she had no powers when she was her alter ego Diana Prince; there was no given explanation for this.

In the comic books, with the inclusion of Wonder Girl and "Wonder Tot" in Diana's back-story, writers provided new explanations of her powers; the character became capable of feats which her sister Amazons could not equal. Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #105 reveals that Diana was formed from clay by the Queen of the Amazons and was imbued with the attributes of the Greek and Roman gods by Athena — "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, as swift as Hermes, and as strong as Hercules."[10] Wonder Woman's Amazon training also gave her limited telepathy, profound scientific knowledge,[10] and the ability to speak every language known to man and beyond. She was even fluent in caveman[10][24] and Martian.[24]

Although Wonder Woman's mythos was returned to its original interpretation between 1966 and 1967, new abilities were added: super breath, the ability to blow jet streams or transform water into snow, which apparently came from Hercules; ventriloquism; imperviousness to extremes of heat and cold; the ability to ride the air currents as if flying, even sensing air updrafts with her fingers; telepathy, including the ability to project images; microscopic vision; the ability to vibrate into another dimension; the ability to bestow wisdom to other beings; the ability to throw her tiara with such skill it could stop bullets; and others.[25]

Depending on the writer, Diana's invulnerability and power varied greatly according to the needs of the story. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Robert Kanigher, for example, portrayed Wonder Woman as being so strong that she, after standing atop her hovering plane and lassoing it with her magic lasso, was able to effortlessly lift Themyscira out of the way of an approaching tsunami using just one hand. As prominently featured in all existing Wonder Woman Showcase (Volumes 1 to 4) her strength and even speed seem to be limitless. She could lift and throw buildings and houses. Lasso and swirl huge items like Ferris' wheels and Icebergs. She was able to make a coin into a bridge with her strength, or drill through a mountain within seconds, as well as hurl spaceships with enough accuracy she could bowl over a whole fleet. Her fingernails could cut through a steel door.[26] She was even able to flip straight over while nearly paralyzed, and split a tree falling on her with her Amazonian boots.[27] Kanigher showed Wonder Woman as a preteen able to lift whales, push a ship away from a whirlpool, and also as a toddler able to blow so hard on her birthday cake that she sent it into orbit.[28]

In the Silver and Bronze ages of comics, Wonder Woman was able to further increase her strength. She was unable to remove her bracelets without going insane. In times of great need, however, she would do just that, in order to temporarily augment her power tenfold. Since she would become a threat to friend and foe alike, she would use Amazonian berserker rage only as a weapon of last resort.[29]

Before Crisis on Infinite Earths there were two Wonder Women: the first one lived on Earth-Two; the second, on Earth-One. The first canonical appearance of the Earth-One Wonder Woman is Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #80 (February 1956). Their first published meeting is Justice League of America (vol. 1) #100 (August 1972); however, their earliest meeting within the DC continuity is Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #228 (February 1977), which takes place in 1943, prior to the events of the Justice League of America story.

Post-Crisis

File:Wonder Woman stabs Darkseid.jpg
Wonder Woman stabs Darkseid in the eye. Panel from Justice League Issue 6 (2011- ). Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.

Wonder Woman's body is a mystical creation made from the clay surrounding Themyscira. Through divine means, her disembodied soul was nurtured in and retrieved from the Cavern of Souls.[30] Once the soul was placed into the body, it immediately came to life and was blessed with metahuman abilities by six Olympian deities. However, in The New 52 relaunch in 2011, it was revealed that Diana is indeed the natural born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus, and the earlier origin story was a lie.[31]

Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, blessed Diana with strength drawn from the Earth spirit Gaea, making her one of the physically strongest heroes in the DC Universe and the strongest female heroine of all in the DC Universe.[32] She has been observed assisting in preventing large chunks of the Moon from crashing onto the Earth,[33] supporting the weight of bridges,[34] or hefting entire railroad trains.[34] and hold her own against beings such as Superman and Captain Marvel. Furthermore, unlike most of her contemporaries in Man's World, Diana is willing to use deadly force, which gives her more options to deal with opponents as circumstances dictate.

While not invulnerable, she is capable of withstanding great concussive force,[32] shrugging off high-powered rifle fire with some pain but little injury, [35] being knocked through a building, and even surviving a warp-core explosion.[citation needed] She is durable enough to survive the rigors of space until she runs out of breath. While her superhuman strength affords her great resistance to blunt-force trauma, her skin can be cut by weapons if they are sharp enough. Her muscles do not produce lactic acids, giving her great stamina. This allowed her to once battle a clone of Doomsday.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, blessed Diana with great beauty and a loving heart.

Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, granted Diana great wisdom, intelligence, and military prowess. Athena's gift has enabled Diana to master over a dozen languages (including those of alien origin), multiple complex crafts, sciences and philosophies, as well as leadership, military strategy, and armed and unarmed combat. She can mimic voices, although it is more difficult for her to mimic a man's voice. More recently, Athena bound her own eyesight to Diana's, granting her increased empathy.[36]

Artemis, goddess of the hunt, animals, and the Moon, graced Diana with the Eyes of the Hunter and Unity with Beasts. The Eyes of the Hunter ability gives Diana a full range of enhanced senses, including telescopic vision and super hearing. Unity with Beasts grants her the ability of empathy particularly that to communicate with all forms of animal life and to calm even the most ferocious of beasts.[34]

Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, granted Diana "sisterhood with fire, that it might open men's hearts to her." This power has been shown to control the "Fires of Truth," which Diana wields through her lasso, making anyone bound by it unable to lie. This ability also grants her resistance to both normal and supernatural fire.[citation needed]

Hermes, the messenger god of speed, granted Diana superhuman speed and the ability to fly. She is one of the fastest beings (obviously inferior to the Flash Family and an equal to Superman). By concentrating, Diana can mystically defy the laws of gravity and propel herself through the air to achieve flight. She is capable of flying at speeds approaching half the speed of light.[32] She is swift enough to deflect bullets, lasers, and other projectiles with her virtually impenetrable bracelets. In recent Justice League stories, she even kept up with the Flash and the two also used their superspeed to save a city in The Brave and The Bold. After the 2011 relaunch of the character, Wonder Woman does not naturally possess the power of flight. She gains it once she is hit by a feather thrown by Hermes.[37]

Diana possesses the ability to relieve her body of physical injury and toxins by becoming one with the Earth's soil and then reforming her body whole again.[38] During John Byrne's run, it was stated that this is a ritual so sacred that it is used only in the most dire of circumstances.[39]

She is able to astrally project herself into various lands of myth.[40] Her physical body reacts to whatever happens to her on the mythical astral plane, leaving her body cut, bruised, or sometimes strengthened once her mind and body are reunited. She can apparently leave the planet through meditation, and did this once to rescue Artemis while she was in hell.

File:Wonder Woman Zeus Powers.jpg
Wonder Woman uses Zeus' powers. Panel from Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #12. Art by Cliff Chiang

After the 2011 relaunch, Diana has gained new powers. As the natural born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus, she inherited some of her father's powers, which is suppressed by wearing her bracers. She uses these powers in battle against Artemis (the Goddess; not the Amazon) and quickly defeats her. While using her godly strength, her costume and accoutrements lit up as her eyes glowed like her father's.[41]

Skills

All versions of Diana depict her as a masterful athlete, acrobat, fighter and strategist, trained and experienced in many ancient and modern forms of armed and unarmed combat, including exclusively Amazonian martial arts. Batman even noted that she is the greatest melee fighter of all. In some versions, her mother trained her, as Wonder Girl, for a future career as Wonder Woman. From the beginning, she is portrayed as highly skilled in using her Amazon bracelets to stop bullets and in wielding her golden lasso.[42] She is a superior warrior who has beaten Batman, Big Barda, and Black Canary in sparring matches. The modern version of the character is known to use lethal force when she deems it necessary.[43]

Weapons

Diana has an arsenal of powerful god-forged weapons at her disposal, but her signature weapons are her indestructible bracelets and the Lasso of Truth.

File:Wonder Woman deflecting Bullets.jpg
Wonder Woman blocking bullets using her bracelets. Art by Alex Ross

Her bulletproof bracelets were formed from the remnants of Athena's legendary shield, the Aegis, to be awarded to her champion. The shield was made from the indestructible hide of the great she-goat, Amalthea, who suckled Zeus as an infant. These forearm guards have thus far proven indestructible and able to absorb the impact of incoming attacks, allowing Wonder Woman to deflect automatic weapon fire and energy blasts.[44] Diana can also slam the bracelets together to create a wave of concussive force capable of making Superman's ears bleed.[43] Recently, she gained the ability to channel Zeus's lightning through her bracelets as well. Zeus explained to her that this power had been contained within the bracelets since their creation, because they were once part of the Aegis, and that he had only recently unlocked it for her use.[45] After the 2011 relaunch of the character, it was revealed that Diana was the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta[46] and that she wears the bracelets to keep the powers she has inherited from Zeus in check.[47]

The Lasso of Truth, or Lariat of Hestia, was forged by Hephaestus from the golden girdle of Gaea.[34] It is virtually indestructible;[34] the only times it has been broken were when truth itself was challenged, such as when she confronted Rama Khan of Jarhanpur,[48] and by Bizarro in Matt Wagner's non-canonical Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity.[49] In Sensation Comics #6 (June 1942), Hippolyta claims that not even Hercules can break it. The Lasso burns with a magical aura called the Fires of Hestia, forcing anyone within the Lasso's confines to be truthful. It also at one time had the power to force anyone caught to obey any command given them, even overriding other kinds of mind control; this was effective enough to defeat strong-willed beings like Captain Marvel.[50] Diana wields the lasso with great precision and accuracy and can use it as a whip or noose.

As early as the 1950s,[28] Wonder Woman's Golden Tiara has also doubled as a dagger, and throwing weapon, returning to her like a boomerang. [34] Its sharpness and mystical nature proved enough to cut even Superman. It is also possible for Diana to contact Amazons back on Themyscira using the telepathic power of the red star shaped, star ruby, in the centre of her tiara.[43]

File:Wonder Woman Star Sapphire Flight.jpg
Star Sapphire Wonder Woman.

Diana once possessed the Sandals of Hermes, or talaria, which granted the wearer great speed and flight, and the ability to travel beyond the mystical veil that protected the island of Themiscyra from Man's World. They were passed on first to Artemis and later to Wonder Girl. Diana also once possessed the Gauntlets of Atlas, which magnify the physical strength and stamina of the wearer; they too were passed on.

The Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age portrayals of Wonder Woman showed her using an Invisible Airplane that could be controlled by mental command. It was variously described as being either a creation of Amazon technology or the legendary winged horse Pegasus transformed into an aircraft, in any case it is the first recorded use of cloaking device technology. Its appearance varied as well; originally it had a propeller, while later it was drawn as a jet aircraft resembling a stealth aircraft. The post-Crisis or Modern Age Wonder Woman has continued to use the Invisible Plane, in the form of a small lightweight disc of alien (Lansinar) technology that, when triggered by her thoughts, transforms into a transparent version of whatever object or vehicle is appropriate for her needs. This disc was revealed to be a sentient life-form. Following the "One Year Later" continuity jump, Diana was given a new invisible plane, created by Wayne Industries, because her original invisible plane was stuck on Themyscira.

Diana occasionally uses additional weaponry in formal battle, such as ceremonial golden armour with golden wings, pteruges, chest-plate, and golden helmet in the shape of an eagle's head. She also possesses a sword forged by Hephaestus that is sharp enough to cut the electrons off an atom.[34]

As a recent temporary inductee into the Star Sapphires, Wonder Woman gained access to the violet power ring of love. This ring allowed her to alter her costume at will, create solid-light energy constructs, and reveal a person's true love to them. She was able to combine the energy with her lasso to enhance its ability.

Costume

File:Wonder Woman New 52 Jim Lee.jpg
Wonder Woman's Current New 52 costume. Panel from Justice League #3 (2011). Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.

Wonder Woman's costume has been immensely popular and has varied from time to time, although almost all of her costume reincarnations have retained the W emblem, the tiara, the bracelets and her signature stars. At the time of her debut, Wonder Woman sported a red top with a golden eagle emblem, a white belt, a star-spangled blue skirt and red and golden go-go boots. This costume was entirely based on the American flag, as Wonder Woman at that time was purely an American icon.[51] Later in 1942, Wonder Woman's costume received a slight change- the skirt was converted entirely into skin-tight shorts and she wore sandals. [52] While earlier most of her back was exposed, during the imposition of the Comics Code in the mid-1950s, Wonder Woman's costume was rectified to make her back substantially covered to comply with the Authority's rule of minimum exposure. During Mike Sekowsky's run in the late 1960s, Diana surrendered her powers and started using her own skill to fight crime. She then wore a series of jumpsuits as her attire, most popular out of these was a white one. After Sekowsky's run ended in the early 1970s, Diana's roots were reverted back to her old mythological ones and she wore a more modernized version of her original costume, a predecessor to her iconic "bathing suit" costume. Later on in the 1976, her white belt was turned into a yellow one.

After Crisis On Infinite Earths, George Perez rebooted the character in 1987. She now wore a costume similar to her 1970s one, but now with a larger golden belt. This costume continued until William Messner-Loebs' run had Diana pass on the role of Wonder Woman to Artemis. Now no longer Wonder Woman, Diana sported a new black biker-girl costume designed by artist Mike Deodato Jr.. After John Byrne took over writing and art duties, he redesigned the Wonder Woman costume (Diana was back as Wonder Woman at the end of Loebs' run) and made the emblem join the belt.

Her costume did not receive any prominent change until after Infinite Crisis. Her W shaped eagle emblem was turned into a chest-plate and her belt was also shaped into a W. This costume continued until issue #600. J. Michael Straczynski's run of Wonder Woman's altered timeline changed her costume drastically. Her costume was redesigned by Jim Lee and included a redesigned emblem, a golden and red top, black pants and a later discontinued blue-black jacket.[53]

Another costume change came after DC Comics relaunched its entire line of publications dubbed The New 52. Her original swim-suit costume was restored, although the colours had changed from red and blue to red and black. Her chest-plate, belt and tiara had also changed from gold to silver. She also wears many accessories such as arm and neck jewellery. This is Diana's current costume.

Reception

She was named the 20th greatest comic book character by Empire magazine.[54] She was ranked sixth in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[55] In May 2011, Wonder Woman placed fifth on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.[56]

In other media

Main articles: Wonder Woman in other media and Cultural impact of Wonder Woman

Collected editions

Title Material collected ISBN
Wonder Woman Chronicles, Vol. 1 All Star Comics #8, Sensation Comics #1–9, Wonder Woman #1 978-1401226442
Wonder Woman Chronicles, Vol. 2 Sensation Comics #10–14, Wonder Woman #2-3, Comics Cavalcade #1 978-1401232405
Wonder Woman Archive Edition, Vol. 1 All Star Comics #8, Sensation Comics #1–12, Wonder Woman #1 978-1563894022
Wonder Woman Archive Edition, Vol. 2 Sensation Comics #13–17, Wonder Woman #2–4 978-1563895944
Wonder Woman Archive Edition, Vol. 3 Sensation Comics #18–24, Wonder Woman #5–7 978-1563898143
Wonder Woman Archive Edition, Vol. 4 Sensation Comics #25–32, Wonder Woman #8–9 978-1401201456
Wonder Woman Archive Edition, Vol. 5 Sensation Comics #33–40, Wonder Woman #10–12 978-1401212704
Wonder Woman Archive Edition, Vol. 6 Sensation Comics #41–48, Wonder Woman #13–15 978-1401227340
Showcase Presents Wonder Woman, Vol. 1 Wonder Woman #98–117 978-1401213732
Showcase Presents Wonder Woman, Vol. 2 Wonder Woman #118–137 978-1401219482
Showcase Presents Wonder Woman, Vol. 3 Wonder Woman #138–156 978-1401225247
Showcase Presents Wonder Woman, Vol. 4 Wonder Woman #157–177 1-4012-3289-2
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman, Vol. 1 Wonder Woman #178–184 978-1401216603
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman, Vol. 2 Wonder Woman #185–189, Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #93, The Brave and the Bold #87 978-1401218256
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman, Vol. 3 Wonder Woman #190–198, World's Finest #204 978-1401219475
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman, Vol. 4 Wonder Woman #199–204, The Brave and the Bold #105 978-1401221508
Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors Wonder Woman #212–222 978-1401234942
Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Gods and Mortals Wonder Woman vol. 2, #1–7 978-1401201975
Wonder Woman, Vol. 2: Challenge of the Gods Wonder Woman vol. 2, #7–14 978-1401203245
Wonder Woman, Vol. 3: Beauty and the Beasts Wonder Woman vol. 2, #15–19, Action Comics #600 978-1401204846
Wonder Woman, Vol. 4: Destiny Calling Wonder Woman vol. 2, #20–24, Annual #1 978-1401209438
Wonder Woman: The Contest Wonder Woman vol. 2, #0, #90–93 978-1563891946
Wonder Woman: The Challenge of Artemis Wonder Woman vol. 2, #94–100 978-1563892646
Wonder Woman: Second Genesis Wonder Woman vol. 2, #101–105 978-1435218093
Wonder Woman: Lifelines Wonder Woman vol. 2, #106–112 978-1563894039
Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost Wonder Woman vol. 2, #164–170, Secret Files #2 978-1563897924
Wonder Woman: Paradise Found Wonder Woman vol. 2, #171–177, Secret Files #3 978-1563899560
Wonder Woman: Down to Earth Wonder Woman vol. 2, #195–200 978-1401202262
Wonder Woman: Bitter Rivals Wonder Woman vol. 2, #201–205 978-1401204624
Wonder Woman: Eyes of Gorgon Wonder Woman vol. 2, #206–213 978-1401207977
Wonder Woman: Land of the Dead Wonder Woman vol. 2, #214–217, The Flash #219 978-1401209384
Wonder Woman: Mission's End Wonder Woman vol. 2, #218–226 978-1401210939
Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman vol. 3, #1–4, Annual #1 978-1401212346
Wonder Woman: Love and Murder Wonder Woman vol. 3, #6–10 978-1401217082
Wonder Woman: Amazons Attack! Wonder Woman vol. 3, #11-13 9781401215439
Wonder Woman: The Circle Wonder Woman vol. 3, #14–19 978-1401219321
Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth Wonder Woman vol. 3, #20–25 978-1401221362
Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian Wonder Woman vol. 3, #26–33 978-1401225131
Wonder Woman: Warkiller Wonder Woman vol. 3, #34–39 978-1401227791
Wonder Woman: Contagion Wonder Woman vol. 3, #40–44 978-1401229207
Wonder Woman: Odyssey, Vol. 1 Wonder Woman vol. 3, #600-606 978-1401230777
Wonder Woman: Odyssey, Vol. 2 Wonder Woman vol. 3, #607-614 978-1401234317
Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood Wonder Woman vol. 4, #1-6 978-1401235638 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: checksum
Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts Wonder Woman vol. 4, #7-12 N/A
Miscellaneous
Wonder Woman 80-Page Giant No. 1 (2002) Wonder Woman vol. 1, #28; #105; #108; #144 (80-Page Giant retro style Annual) SC: 1-56389-818-7

Merchandise

On January 28, 2011, Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced that DC Comics' iconic heroine Wonder Woman will team up with MAC Cosmetics to create a Wonder Woman makeup collection that will be available in MAC stores in the spring of 2011. The collection includes blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, lip gloss, lipstick, mascara, mineral powder and nail polish.[57]

Toys

Wonder Woman has been released in numerous forms by Mattel including Barbie Dolls, a LEGO Minifigure, Polly Pockets, and DC Universe Classics action figures in Traditional Costume and Blackest Night Star Sapphire Costume.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Crawford, Philip Charles (March 1, 2007). "The Legacy of Wonder Woman". School Library Journal.
  2. ^ a b Hendrix, Grady (December 11, 2007). "Out for Justice". The New York Sun.
  3. ^ Adalian, Josef (9/6/12). "The CW Is Developing a Wonder Woman Origins Series". Retrieved 16 September 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Byrne, Olive (August 14, 1942). "Our Women Are Our Future". The Wonder Woman Pages. Note: Olive Byrne, a former student, conducted the interview under the pseudonym "Olive Richard".
  5. ^ a b c Lamb, Marguerite (Fall 2001). "Who Was Wonder Woman?". Bostonia. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. ^ Daniels, Les (April 6, 2004). Wonder Woman: The Complete History. Chronicle Books. pp. 28–30. ISBN 978-0-8118-4233-4.
  7. ^ Bunn, Geoffrey C. (1997). "The lie detector, Wonder Woman, and liberty: The life and work of William Moulton Marston". History of the Human Sciences. 10 (1). London: Routledge: 91–119.
  8. ^ All Star Comics #12 (August/September 1942)
  9. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #98 (May 1958)
  10. ^ a b c d Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #105 (April 1959)
  11. ^ "Wonder Woman's Makeover Photos – Mixed Reviews". National Ledger. June 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Unknown parameter |She later marries Batman url= ignored (help)
  12. ^ "Superman and Wonder Woman kiss with powerful consequences". USA Today.com. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Sensation Comics Issue #1 (1941)
  14. ^ Wonder Woman Issue #178- #198
  15. ^ Wonder Woman Volume 2 Issue # 219
  16. ^ Infinite Crisis Issue #7
  17. ^ Who Is Wonder Woman? Part 5". DC Comics. 2007.
  18. ^ Azzarello, Brian. "No, she (Wonder Woman) doesn't (have a secret identity". IGN. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  19. ^ Blackest Night Issue 6 (2010)
  20. ^ Sensation Comics #46 (October 1945)
  21. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #28 (March-April 1948)
  22. ^ a b "Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman". Wonder Woman. Season 1. Episode 2. April 28, 1976. Because of this pure environment we are able to develop our minds and physical skills... {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Panel featuring Aphrodite's Law". SuperDickery.com. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  24. ^ a b Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #115 (July 1960)
  25. ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (September 1976). The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 2: Wonder Woman. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-02-080080-4.
  26. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #108 (August 1959)
  27. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #111 (January 1960)
  28. ^ a b Kanigher, Robert (August 22, 2007). Showcase Presents: Wonder Woman, Vol. 1. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-4012-1373-2.
  29. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #166 (November 1966), Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #229 (March 1977)
  30. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #1 (February 1987)
  31. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #3 (Nov. 2011)
  32. ^ a b c Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2008). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  33. ^ Jimenez, Phil; Grayson, Devin (November 1, 1999). JLA / Titans: The Technis Imperative. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-56389-563-0.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g Beatty, Scott (November 2003). Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Princess. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7894-9616-4.
  35. ^ Jimenez, Phil et al The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia Published by Random House Digital, Inc. 2010, p. 271, 116, 244 & 165.
  36. ^ Johns, Geoff (February 2006). Wonder Woman: Land of the Dead. ISBN 978-1-4177-5102-0.
  37. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #12 (Sept. 2012)
  38. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #30 (May 1989)
  39. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #120 (April 1997)
  40. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #56, #75, #77, #97 (July 1991 – May 1995); Wonder Woman Special #1 (May 1992); Artemis: Requiem #1 (June 1996)
  41. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #12 (Sept. 2012)
  42. ^ Ambush Bug: Year None #4 (December 2008)
  43. ^ a b c Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #219 (September 2005)
  44. ^ Wallace, Dan (2008). "Wonder Woman's Magical Weapons". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  45. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 3) #39 (February 2010)
  46. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #3 (Nov. 2011)
  47. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #12 (Sept. 2012)
  48. ^ JLA #62 (March 2002)
  49. ^ Wagner, Matt (July 1, 2005). Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-4012-0187-6.
  50. ^ War of the Gods #1 (September 1991)
  51. ^ Sensation Comics Issue 1
  52. ^ Wonder Woman Volume 1 Issue #1
  53. ^ Cronin, Brian. "Wonder Woman Throughout The Years". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  54. ^ "The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters - Wonder Woman". Empire.
  55. ^ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 14. ISBN 1-4402-2988-0.
  56. ^ "Wonder Woman - #5 Top Comic Book Heroes". IGN. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  57. ^ Warner Bros. To Launch Wonder Woman Makeup - License
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