PRE-HISTORY:

In an October 25, 1940 interview conducted by his former student Olive Byrne (who used the pseudonym 'Olive Richard') and published in Family Circle, titled "Don't Laugh at the Comics", Marston described what he saw as the great educational potential of comic books. This article caught the attention of comics publisher Max Gaines, who hired Marston as an educational consultant for Detective Comics (now DC Comics).

Indeed, Marston saw that the DC line was filled with images of super men such as Green Lantern, Batman, and their flagship character Superman. Seeing all these male heroes, Marston was left wondering why there was not a female hero.

Thus inspired, Marston developed the character of Wonder Woman with his wife Elizabeth (Sadie) Holloway Marston who served as the partial model for this unconventional and liberated woman. The other inspiration was found in Olive Byrne, an equally unconventional individual, who lived with the couple in a polygamous/polyamorous relationship.

Marston then introduced the idea to Max Gaines (then head of DC Comics) who was intrigued by the concept and told Marston that he could create the female comic book hero—a Wonder Woman. Marston did that, using a pen name that combined his own middle name with the middle name of Gaines: Charles Moulton.

Marston was also the creator of the systolic blood-pressure test, which led to the creation of the polygraph (lie detector). From this work, Marston had been convinced that women were more honest and reliable than men, and could work faster and more accurately. During his lifetime, Marston championed the causes of women of the day.

In a 1943 issue of The American Scholar, Marston said:
"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."

THE BEGINNING OF THE LEGACY:

In December 1941, Wonder Woman made her debut in All Star Comics #8. Following this exposure in the second largest selling comic in DC's line, she was featured in Sensation Comics #1 (January 1942), and six months later in her own self-titled book (Summer 1942), making her the first super-heroine to have her own comic book. Until his passing in 1947, Dr. Marston wrote all of Wonder Woman's appearances. Artist H.G. Peter (previously best known for his Gibson Girl illustrations) drew the book, giving it a simplistic but identifiable "female" style that contrasted with other super-hero comic books of the day.

Armed with her bulletproof bracelets, magic lasso, and her Amazonian training, Wonder Woman was the archetype of the perfect woman from the mind of her creator, Dr. Marston. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong, but still possessed a soft side. At that time, her powers came from "Amazon concentration", not as a gift from the gods. Wonder Woman's "magic lasso" was supposedly forged from the Magic Girdle of Aphrodite, which Queen Hippolyta (Wonder Woman's mother) was bequeathed by the Goddess. To make the lasso, the god Hephaestus had borrowed the Olympian belt, removed links from it, and forged the magic lasso from it. It was unbreakable, infinitely stretchable, and could make all who are encircled obey the commands of the wielder, most notably to tell the truth.

In Wonder Woman's origin story, an intelligence officer in the United States Army named Steve Trevor crashed his plane on Paradise Island, the isolated homeland of the Amazons. He was nursed back to health with a "Purple Ray" by the Amazon princess Diana, who 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 was to be the Amazon champion. Although she was forbidden by her mother, Queen Hippolyte, to participate in the tournament, Princess Diana did so nevertheless by using a mask. After winning the tournament and revealing her true identity, Queen Hippolyte relented and allowed her daughter to become Wonder Woman. Diana brought Steve Trevor back to the outside world, and she soon adopted the secret identity of nurse Diana Prince (by taking the place of her exact double by that name) in order to be close to him as he recovered from his injuries. After he recovered, Steve Trevor became Wonder Woman's crimefighting partner and romantic interest.

Wonder Woman was also aided by the Holiday Girls (led by the Rubenesque, sweets-addicted Etta Candy), who were a sorority that would help Wonder Woman in a time of emergency, or vice versa. Based partly on comedian Hugh Herbert, Etta was the only member of the Holliday Girls who stood out, with her distinctive figure and propensity for saying "Woo-woo" all the time, and was - after Steve Trevor and Diana herself - the most lasting character in the series.

For Wonder Woman, bondage is not just a crime-fighting technique. Images of men putting women into bondage commonly appeared on the covers of Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman from 1942 to 1947. In Wonder Woman issue #3, it is Wonder Woman herself who takes the dominant side, tying other women up, and, in one memorable scene, dressing them up in deer outfits and chasing them through the forest, only to tie them up later and display them on a platter. This subtle, yet identifiable, sexual subtext to the book has been noted by comic book historians, who have debated whether it was an outlet for Dr. Marston's own sexual fantasies (recent biographies indicate that he was an avid practitioner of bondage); or whether it was meant (unconsciously or otherwise) to appeal to the developing sexuality of young readers.

During this same early period, Wonder Woman joined the Justice Society of America as its first female member. The Justice Society was the first super-team, featured in All Star Comics, and times being what they were, Wonder Woman, despite being one of the most powerful members, was the group's secretary.

From her inception, Wonder Woman was not out to just stop criminals, but to reform them. On a small island off Paradise Island was Transformation Island, a rehabilitation complex created by the Amazons to house and reform criminals. A large concept in his concept of Wonder Woman was one of "loving submission", in which one would be kind to others and be willing to surrender to them out of agape. This has often being parodied as male criminals being so enamored with her beauty that they surrender to enjoy her company however briefly in some fashion.

In 1947, William Moulton Marston died, leaving Wonder Woman to be written by Robert Kanigher. While H.G. Peter still illustrated the stories, Wonder Woman became less of a feminist and more of a traditional American heroine. Peter remained on the title through #97, when the elderly artist was fired. Peter died soon afterward.

In later stories, her abilities expanded. Her earrings gave her air to breathe in outer space, her "invisible plane" (originally a propeller driven fighter that looked like either a P-40 Warhawk or P-51 Mustang, but soon upgraded to a jet aircraft, given that era's level of aviation technology level of progress) was given an origin, her tiara was found to be an unbreakable boomerang, and a two-way wrist radio like Dick Tracy's was installed in one of her bracelets allowing her to communicate with Paradise Island.

In 1954, Dr. Frederic Wertham wrote his controversial book Seduction of the Innocent, which expounded on his anti-comic book views, and is seen by many comic book historians as the death of the Golden Age. Facing likely government censorship, the comic book industry established the Comics Code Authority. In the era of the Code, Wonder Woman no longer spoke out as a feminist, and was left to moon over Steve Trevor, and as time wore into the Silver Age, she also fell for Merman and Birdman.

Wonder Woman experienced many changes through the mid-1950s and throughout the 1960s. Wonder Woman's origin was revamped, with her powers instead being derived from a combination of the Greek and Roman deities.

In the 1960s, regular scripter Robert Kanigher adapted gimmicks which had worked for Superman under the editorship of Mort Weisinger. As with Superboy, Wonder Woman's "untold" career as the teenage Wonder Girl was chronicled. Then followed Wonder Tot, in which the infant Amazon princess in her star-spangled jumper went on improbable adventures with a genie she'd rescued from an abandoned treasure chest. The next step for Kanigher was to team all three ages of Wonder Woman in what were labeled "Impossible Tales," with her mother, Hippolyta joining in the adventures as "Wonder Queen."

Writer Bob Haney - apparently unaware that Wonder Girl was not a separate character - included her in his new team the Teen Titans, consisting of sidekicks Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and, joining shortly thereafter, Speedy. Some years later, an origin was provided in which Wonder Girl was revealed to be Donna Troy, an orphan that Wonder Woman saved and given super powers by the Amazons' healing Purple Ray.

By the late 1960s, Wonder Woman had more in common with Emma Peel than superheroes. At the end of the 1960s, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers to remain in "Man's World" (partly to assist Steve Trevor, who was facing criminal charges) rather than accompany her fellow Amazons into another dimension so they could "restore their magick."

Now a mod boutique owner, the powerless Diana Prince soon came under the wing of a Chinese mentor known as I Ching. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana was trained to use her body as a weapon, learning martial arts and weapons skills, and proceeded to undertake secret agent-style adventures.

The new format of the comic book was strongly influenced by the Emma Peel era of the then-popular British spy series The Avengers. It also bore some similarities to the later TV series Kung Fu, with Diana being an inexperienced student to I Ching's master. Diana Prince also resembled the golden age Black Canary, who ran a flower shop by day, fought crime by night, and had a detective boyfriend, while Diana Prince ran a boutique, fought crime, and had private detective allies in Tim Trench and Jonny Double. Soon after the "new" Wonder Woman began, the editors removed one-by-one her connections to the superhero world, most notably killing off Steve Trevor (though the character would later be revived). One exception was a one-on-one confrontation with Catwoman.

This period of the comic book has its supporters and its detractors. Some critics welcomed the change from campy super-heroics to more serious, "topical" storytelling in the wake of the Batman TV series. Others felt that the comic had abandoned its history. Storylines included secret agent-style plots, as well as some occult tales. One controversial cover showed Diana Prince brandishing a machine gun and firing at an airplane; contrary to the traditional depiction of Wonder Woman, the updated version of Diana Prince was not against killing in order to defend herself or others.

The revised series attracted some writers not normally associated with comic books, most notably science fiction author Samuel R. Delany, who wrote two issues.

This storyline lasted for two years, with Wonder Woman finally being restored to her powers and costume in the early '70s. Part of the credit for the revival of Wonder Woman as a superhero was due to a campaign in which feminist Gloria Steinem - who was offended to see the most famous female superhero depowered - had a hand. The 1972 first issue of Steinem's Ms. Magazine featured Wonder Woman in her 1940s costume on the cover, and contained an essay in appreciation of the character. Ironically, the change in format was originally an acknowledgement of the Women's liberation movement. The I Ching era, despite the controversy, would continue to resonate for some years to come, both in the comic book and in live action adaptations of Wonder Woman a few years later. The 1974 Cathy Lee Crosby telefilm, and the second and third seasons of Lynda Carter's popular series (see below), would borrow heavily from the characterization of Diana Prince in the early 1970s.

Following the return of the "original" Wonder Woman to the comic books, a major two-year story arc consisted of the heroine's attempt to be readmitted to the Justice League of America, the organization she quit after giving up her powers. To prove her worthiness to rejoin the JLA, Wonder Woman voluntarily underwent 12 "trials" (analogous to the 12 labors of Hercules), each of which was monitored in secret by a different member of the JLA.

Wonder Woman had barely won readmittance to the JLA when DC Comics ordered another format change. The popularity of the Wonder Woman TV series, which was initially set during World War II, resulted in DC setting the comic book in this era as well (this was made possible due to DC Comics' multiverse concept, which established that the 1970s Wonder Woman and the 1940s original version lived on two separate, yet parallel, worlds: The 1970s version on "Earth-One", and the 1940s version on "Earth-Two"). When the TV series later changed its setting to the 1970s, the comic book followed suit.

FROM COMICS TO TELEVISION:

The first attempt to translate Wonder Woman to the small screen was in 1967, when the success of the Batman television show led to a flurry of copycat series. Greenway Productions, the company behind the Batman show, produced a four-and-a-half-minute Wonder Woman test reel starring Ellie Wood Walker as Diana Prince, Linda Harrison as Diana's Wonder Woman alter ego and Maudie Prickett as her mother. As with Batman, the reel took a comic slant on the character. This pilot episode was never broadcast.

. Wonder Woman's first broadcast appearance is as a guest in a Brady Kids cartoon in 1972, entitled "It's All Greek To Me". (Wonder Girl, either Diana's younger sister or a teenaged version of Diana herself depending on which comics continuity is to be believed, had already appeared on television in a series of Teen Titans cartoon shorts, part of the Batman/Superman Hour cartoon show.) This was quickly followed by the heroine's inclusion in the long running Superfriends cartoon series.

Her second live-action outing was a TV movie made in 1974, starring Cathy Lee Crosby as a blonde non-superpowered Amazon. This version owed little to the Wonder Woman comic book character current at the time of screening, being closer indeed to the "I Ching period" abandoned by the comic book some years before.

Though not successful at the first attempt, network interest was such that within a year another pilot was in production. Scripting duties were given to Stanley Ralph Ross, who'd worked on the original pilot reel, but this time he was instructed to be more faithful to the comic book. "The New, Original Wonder Woman" made in 1975, starred Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggonner. This version was successful that a planned TV series would follow that featured 'campy' overtones. The 1975 pilot film was re-edited with subtle "high comedy" and retitled "Wonder Woman" for the new TV series which ran from (1976-1979), and starred Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, and is probably the best known version of the character

The first attempt to translate Wonder Woman to the small screen was in 1967, when the success of the Batman television show led to a flurry of copycat series. Greenway Productions, the company behind the Batman show, produced a four-and-a-half-minute Wonder Woman test reel starring Ellie Wood Walker as Diana Prince, Linda Harrison as Diana's Wonder Woman alter ego and Maudie Prickett as her mother. As with Batman, the reel took a comic slant on the character. This pilot episode was never broadcast.

Wonder Woman's first broadcast appearance is as a guest in a Brady Kids cartoon in 1972, entitled "It's All Greek To Me". (Wonder Girl, either Diana's younger sister or a teenaged version of Diana herself depending on which comics continuity is to be believed, had already appeared on television in a series of Teen Titans cartoon shorts, part of the Batman/Superman Hour cartoon show.) This was quickly followed by the heroine's inclusion in the long running Superfriends cartoon series.

Her second live-action outing was a TV movie made in 1974, starring Cathy Lee Crosby as a blonde non-superpowered Amazon. This version owed little to the Wonder Woman comic book character current at the time of screening, being closer indeed to the "I Ching period" abandoned by the comic book some years before.

Though not successful at the first attempt, network interest was such that within a year another pilot was in production. Scripting duties were given to Stanley Ralph Ross, who'd worked on the original pilot reel, but this time he was instructed to be more faithful to the comic book. "The New, Original Wonder Woman" made in 1975, starred Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggonner. This version was successful that a planned TV series would follow that featured 'campy' overtones. The 1975 pilot film was re-edited with subtle "high comedy" and retitled "Wonder Woman" for the new TV series which ran from (1976-1979), and starred Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, and is probably the best known version of the character

Post-Crisis, 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 behind the scenes working with editor Janice Race on new concepts before being joined by writer/artist George Pérez. Potter dropped out of writing the series after issue #2, and Perez became the sole plotter with help from writer Len Wein, who wrote the series' finished dialogue.

Comic book fans and critics consider Perez's 60-issue run one of the highlights of Wonder Woman's history. Pérez and Potter gave her a pro-woman personality, and Perez's extensive research into Greek mythology gave more depth and verisimilitude to Wonder Woman's world than in her previous incarnation. In her new incarnation, Wonder Woman was Diana, a princess and an emissary from Paradise Island (called Themyscira) to Patriarch's world (read: man's world). She possessed incredibly stunning beauty, a gift from the goddess Aphrodite. From Athena, she received the gift of wisdom; from Demeter, the power and strength of the earth; from Hestia, sisterhood with fire; and from Artemis, a rapport with animals and the instincts and prowess of a hunter. Finally, from the god Hermes, she received the gift of speed and the power of flight.

Wonder Woman did not keep her identity a secret, and she was not at first a "superheroine". Indeed, her character was in many ways that of a babe in the woods, innocent and without guile. Diana spoke only Themyscirian, a combination of classical Greek and Turkish. She had to learn English when she arrived in America, rather than knowing the language intuitively. Nonetheless, Diana was trained as a warrior and had no compunction against using deadly force when called for. Through Pérez's tenure on the book, Diana dealt with war, injustice, inequality, death, and conflicts involving the Olympian Gods.

The supporting characters of the comic were altered as well. For instance, Steve Trevor was changed into an Air Force officer considerably older than Diana's apparent age, thus sidestepping the traditional romance between the two. Instead, Trevor became involved with Etta Candy, who herself became a mature military officer of good standing and a large, but realistic physique. The Greek war god Ares and the Greek witch Circe eventually were written to become two of Diana's greatest enemies. Diana's enemy list also included the Cheetah who was a woman who could transform into a powerful and ferocious feline-humanoid creature.

After Pérez left the series, other writers and artists tried to follow in his footsteps, with varying degrees of success. William Messner-Loebs wrote the character respectfully and the series sold well, but the artwork done by Mike Deodato portrayed the Amazon in skimpy outfits and sexualized poses, which drew criticism from feminists, and also portrayed all the Amazons (with the exception of Phillipus) as exclusively Caucasian -- including Euboea, who was already established during Perez's run as being of Asian descent. His most remembered contribution to the title though was the introduction of the red-headed Amazon Artemis, who eventually took over the title of Wonder Woman for a short time. John Byrne later tried a "back to basics" approach with mixed reviews, including a period with Diana's mother Hippolyta as Wonder Woman. Phil Jimenez produced a run which was likened in some ways to Pérez's, particularly since Jimenez' art bears a striking resemblance to his.

ANIMATED AMAZON:

The animated Justice League series on the Cartoon Network in the 2000s was the first chance to add Wonder Woman (voiced here by Susan Eisenberg) to the DCAU, her rights having been previously tied up in possible movies and television shows. To introduce her anew into a landscape already populated by famed and experienced heroes like Batman and Superman, Bruce Timm and his team decided to take a cue from the George Pérez newcomer-to-Man's-world interpretation. This Diana started off with complete innocence of Man's world, coupled with a certain adherance to Amazonian dogma and class structure (causing her teammates to react to her attitude by calling her "Princess" somewhat disdainfully). Also like the Pérez version, she does not keep a secret identity, and so she quickly becomes an international celebrity for her heroism (as seen in Maid of Honor). Seemingly unique to this incarnation, though, is the noticable effect of Man's World on Diana. Her first appearances are marked by her constantly acting off of Amazonian beliefs and ideas (in Fury, she questions how necessary men really are), but as time passes, she becomes more interested in men - in particular, Batman, with whom she has a consistently flirtatious relationship (a source of controversy among fans) - and also experiences the emotional excesses of Man's world, as compared to the Amazons (who are portrayed as emotionally stunted and stiff). She finds joy, but she also begins to develop a massive temper that on multiple occasions needs to be derailed by her teammates (Hereafter, Hawk and Dove, Eclipsed, and many more). After recent episodes that have dealt directly with her temper, Diana seems to be keeping it relatively in check and has adopted the role of ambassador of the Amazons (on the request of her mother) as first seen in To Another Shore, making for another comic-borne trait that the DCAU Wonder Woman has taken to heart.

NEW BEGININGS:

In 2005, a new Wonder Woman film was announced to be written and directed by Joss Whedon, who has considerable experience with female action heroes with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Whedon has been quoted as saying his interpretation of the hero will not wear "star-spangled panties", raising concern that he may be planning to redesign the character in some way, but he has also said that he will not do anything 'silly' with the character. The film is scheduled for release in 2007. Main role hasn't yet been cast, as of January 2006.

Also in 2005 Wonder Woman took a dark turn, particularly in the final portion of the four part "Sacrifice" storyline, one of the major lead-ins to Infinite Crisis. Issue #219 of the current Wonder Woman title ("Sacrifice," Part 4) ended with Diana breaking the long-standing do-not-kill code of DC superheroes. While under the mind control of Maxwell Lord, Superman brutally beat Batman and engaged in a vicious fight with Wonder Woman, thinking she was his enemy Doomsday. During the fight with Superman, she realized that even if she could somehow beat Superman the problem would not be solved, because he'd still be under the absolute mental control of Max Lord. She created a diversion that lasted long enough for her to race back to Max Lord and demand he tell her how to free Superman of his control. Bound in her lasso of truth Max replied, "Kill me," and Wonder Woman snapped his neck. (See The OMAC Project for more about this storyline.)

The ramifications of this action are expected to resonate in the future; her relationships with both Superman and Batman are seriously strained. (The cover of #220 shows Wonder Woman being arrested by police; however, no such event actually occurs within the issue itself. Wonder Woman voluntarily surrendered to the authorities in issue #222.) The status of Wonder Woman amongst the other heroes and the public at large is uncertain; in the final pages of The OMAC Project, the Brother Eye satellite (the deranged Artificial Intelligence controlling the OMACs) broadcast the footage of Wonder Woman murdering Maxwell Lord, preceded by the word MURDER, to media outlets all over the world.

This isn't the first time Wonder Woman has been shown "crossing the line". In Mark Waid's mini-series Kingdom Come, Wonder Woman is also shown taking a life, albeit in battle and directly in order to save the life of another. However, it should be noted that Kingdom Come takes place in an alternate reality's future, and is therefore not canonical.

In issue #221, Wonder Woman defended herself from several OMACs who attacked her in her own home. Having repelled the assailants, she was delivering an injured boy to the hospital at the close of the issue and saw a broadcast of the damaging video on the waiting room's television. She witnessed first-hand how people viewing the footage reacted with fear and revulsion; Brother Eye had managed to kill the faith the world had in her. At the start of Infinite Crisis, Batman and Superman distrust her: 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 decide to mindwipe their villains. (When he 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, acting out of vengeance for the murder of Lord, initiated the final protocol Truth and Justice which aims at the elimination of all 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, are fighting for their lives. In Infinite Crisis #3, the Amazons prepare to destroy the OMACs with a powerful new weapon. However, Wonder Woman realizes that Brother Eye is watching and transmitting, and that unleashing such destructive violence would only exacerbate the effects of her killing of Maxwell Lord. After the weapon (the Purple Ray of Death) is used once, Wonder Woman convinces the Amazons to shut it down. She then calls upon Athena, who transports Paradise Island and the Amazons remaining on it to another dimension. However, Wonder Woman chooses not to join them, and is left to face the OMACs alone. The current Wonder Woman series will be among several which will be cancelled at the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis storyline, specifically as part of the "One Year Later..." event focused around the upcoming weekly series 52. The final issue will be #226, to be released in February 2006 with the relaunch of the series taking place sometime in 2006. TO BE CONTINUED....