Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Wonder Woman Lie Detector

Wonder Woman would make liars tell the truth with her Golden Lasso, but Wonder Woman creator, William Moulton Marston (also under the pen name of Charles Moulton), helped to create a systolic blood pressure test (which led to the modern day lie detector).

Here's a little of how that truth intersected with Wonder Woman comics!

Wonder Woman #53

In Wonder Woman #53 (May-June, 1952) by Robert Kanigher and H.G. Peter (and a cover by Irwin Hasen and Bernie Sachs)...




....one of the stories of the issue was the tale of "The Wonder Woman Nobody Knows", where a reporter followed Wonder Woman around all day, sometimes asking questions, all in an attempt to save her own job at the magazine she worked for....



Sadly, this story has not been reprinted for a modern audience



Wonder Woman #217

With Wonder Woman #217 (April-May, 1975), under a cover by Mike Grell, the tale was told of "The Day Time Broke Loose", by Elliot Maggin, Dick Dillin and Vince Colletta, wherein Green Arrow was narrating the tale of one of Wonder Woman's 12 Labors to rejoin the Justice League while hooked up to a lie detector, telling of Wonder Woman's reality bending battle with the Duke of Deception, by the end of which, both Green Arrow and Wonder Woman weren't sure of what was true anymore (and showed that the JLA needed Wonder Woman for her Golden Lasso, as well as everything else Diana brought to the table).

This issue also reprinted a story from Wonder Woman's Golden Age, telling of Diana Prince (the young woman whose identity the Princess from Paradise Island took over to stay near Steve Trevor....this from Sensation Comics #9), and a tale from the Silver Age, with Wonder Woman facing the Time-Master, from Wonder Woman #101.

Best of all, you can find all twelve of Diana's labors from Wonder Woman #212 to #222 in the tradepaperback of Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors from 2012.....and that's the truth.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

For Memorial Day

Remembering those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms on Memorial Day.


I present this cover, from artist Joe Kubert, from Weird War Tales #2 (November-December, 1971).


Usually, Weird War Tales stories had a supernatural or science fiction angle, but we'll let this cover speak for itself, about the bravery of our soldiers, and the pain of those they left behind.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Marvel At Star Wars 40th Anniversary

Back on May 25th, 1977, "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away", a movie arrived in theaters that changed the world...."Star Wars".   Soon after, came the comic books adaptations from Marvel Comics (then, later, Dark Horse Comics, and then back to Marvel!).


Let's look back at these comics!


Star Wars - 6 issues

The original Star Wars saga was printed in six comics from to July to December, 1977...


...with the adaptation written by Roy Thomas, with art by Howard Chaykin, Steve Leialoha (issues #2-#5), and Rick Hoberg, Bill Wray and Dave Stevens (issue #6).


The first cover was by Howard Chaykin and Tom Palmer, the second by Rick Hoberg and Tom Palmer, the third by Gil Kane and Tom Palmer, the fourth by Rick Hoberg and Frank Giacoia, the fifth by Rick Hoberg and Dave Cockrum and the sixth by Rick Hoberg, with most of the issues having reprints done at the time (labeled as such in the upper box).


Star Wars - 2 Marvel Special Editions

Marvel reprinted the saga in oversized Marvel Special Editions #1 and #2 (with #1 having a cover by Rick Hoberg and Dave Cockrum, reprinting original issues #1 to #3, and MSE #2 reprinting original issues #4 to #6, with a cover by Howard Chaykin and Tony DeZuniga, with both treasuries coming out in 1977.

Star Wars - Marvel Special Edition

Marvel outdid itself with Marvel Special Edition #3 in 1978, collecting all 6 original Star Wars issues in an oversized treasury, with a cover by Ernie Chan...all "complete in one issue!" with 114 pages!!!!



By this point, Marvel should have felt they really got their money's worth on the work done for the first George Lucas' Star Wars movie.


But wait....


....there's more!


Star Wars - Marvel Movie Showcase

Marvel went back to the original saga, trying to give it new hope with the Marvel Movie Showcases, with #1 of November, 1982 featuring the first 3 issues of the original story (and a cover with characters colored to look more like the movie), and #2, which featured issues #4 to #6 (coming out in December, 1982).

Classic Star Wars: A New Hope

Marvel had given up on the Star Wars license for a time, so Dark Horse Comics took over, giving the world new stories of Luke, Leia, Han and more....as well as its own reprints of Classic Star Wars: A New Hope, as the original movie was now being referred to, with Art Adams giving us the cover to #1 (reprinting #1 to #3) in June, 1994, and Adam Hughes doing cover #2, for July, 1994, with original issues #4 to #6.

Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus 

Marvel got he rights to the Star Wars license back, and couldn't wait for a collection of original Star Wars comics. 

All six of the original  "Star Wars: A New Hope", and all the way up to the original Star Wars issues #44...

...as well as all the covers above are in the Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #1 of January, 2015, with a color corrected cover...

...finally letting readers see Howard Chaykin's cover as it should have been, with Han, Leia, Luke, Ben and Darth Vader as they should have been, "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....."

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Arrow Shots: Covering 5 Years

"My name is Oliver Queen.  For five years, I've opened the CW Arrow show that featured a split story, dealing with the present, and flashbacks usually to five years ago, detailing my hell on an island (and so much more).  Ending my fifth season, I have to be more than that, and get ready for a season with instead of in two stories, as one continuous show featuring Green Arrow...."

So, here's a look back at the comic book history (in tandem with the TV show), focusing on Green Arrow #5 issues!

Green Arrow #5 1988

The first Green Arrow #5 game with a cover date of June, 1988 (by Mike Grell, Ed Hannigan, Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin), was part of the Green Arrow series that spun out of the Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters mini-series by Mike Grell, establishing Green Arrow as an urban hunter of criminals, taking him away from the rest of the DC Universe (except Black Canary....).


This series lasted from February, 1988 to November, 1998, and for a time was suggested for mature readers, due to its graphic, realistic storytelling techniques; introducing Shado; and much later in this series, they established the split story technique, with Oliver teaching Connor Hawke archery at a monastery in issues written by Chuck Dixon.


Green Arrow Annual #5

Green Arrow wasn't completely isolated from the DC Universe during his urban hunter phase, even before coming back to the DCU in full force in Green Arrow #81 (December, 1993), having worked with Hal Jordan (but only as Hal, not Green Lantern), the Question, the Warlord, and the Question again (as well as Batman and Black Canary) in his Annuals.  Green Arrow Annual #5 of 1992 by Sarah Byam, Trevor Von Eeden and Frank Springer (with a cover by Mike Grell), had the lunar villain Eclipso possess Black Canary, with Batman and Green Arrow trying to save her (and Black Canary's story continuing into the Eclipso: The Darkness Within annual crossover event of that year).

Green Arrow had seven Annuals from 1988 to 1995, with the last focusing on Ollie's origin on the island, in a story by Chuck Dixon, Rick Burchett, Chris Renaud, Eduardo Barreto and Gerry Fernandez.

Green Arrow #5 2001

The next Green Arrow #5 is from August, 2001 by Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Ande Parks, dealing with a storyline, "Quiver", with Ollie returning to life (as he had died during the first regular series run of Green Arrow, to be replaced for a time by Connor Hawke).  This specific issue with a cover by Matt Wagner dealt Batman investigating the resurrected Ollie, Etrigan the Demon looking for the undead Green Arrow, a little of how Ollie got back to life with Hal Jordan (and his then complicated history beyond Green Lantern as Parallax and the Spectre), with Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) and Arsenal (Roy Harper) just looking to reunite with Oliver Queen.

This series lasted from April, 2001 to August, 2007, and carried on the idea of Green Arrow fighting Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson), that had started in a couple of issues of Ollie's over 130 issue run.

Green Arrow/Black Canary #5

Green Arrow shared cover billing with Black Canary starting in 2007, including with Green Arrow/Black Canary #5 (April, 2008 by Judd Winick and Andre Coelho, with two covers, one by Cliff Chang, the other by Amanda Conner), as the two finally settled their differences and got married. 

This series lasted for 29 issues from December, 2007 to April, 2010 (with a few solo Green Arrow issues after the pair split and some machinations of Prometheus).  This series also had Green Arrow and Black Canary face Ra's Al Ghul, and introduced the female archer villain, Cupid, who even attacked archer Merlyn (in issues written by Andrew Kreisberg, who Arrow fans should recognize from the CW show's credits).

Green Arrow #5 2010

Dealing with events of the Darkest Night and Brightest Day company wide crossovers, Green Arrow #5 (December 2010 by J. T. Krul, Diogenes Neves and Vincente Cifuentes) had Ollie dealing with a Black Lantern resurrected version of his father, Robert Queen, as well as a Star City devastated by a disaster under two covers by Mauro Cascioli and Gary Frank.

This series lasted for 15 issues from August, 2010 to October, 2011, at which point, the entire DC Universe was hit by Flashpoint, changing the characters histories....

Green Arrow #5 New 52

In the DC Universe of the New 52, it was a still rich Oliver Queen fighting as Green Arrow in Green Arrow #5 (March, 2012, by Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens and Ray McCarthy, and a cover by Jason Fabok), with a Green Arrow who was a little more like the Arrow of the CW Show, working with a tech support crew, but not really having a relationship with Black Canary.


This series lasted 54 issues from November, 2011 to July, 2016, with the introduction of the archer Komodo, as well as a reintroduction of Count Vertigo, as well as eventually having Felicity Smoak and John Diggle be his support team.   This series also sent Ollie back to the island to rediscover himself (though that needed work even beyond what Ollie found....).


Green Arrow #5 Rebirth

Currently, Green Arrow has a series, spinning out of the DC Universe: Rebirth, with Green Arrow #5 (October, 2016 by Benjamin Percy and Juan Ferreyra, with covers by Juan Ferreyra and Neal Adams), dealing with Ollie and Diggle going to rescue Black Canary from the hell she was trapped in!


The Rebirth of Green Arrow series started with August, 2016, and runs to this day, restoring Green Arrow and Black Canary's love for each other, as well as bringing back some of Ollie's extensive history....proving no man (or comic series) is an island, and that we all depend on others to help us with our mission through life, a lesson Oliver Queen had to learn on his 5 years on the CW Arrow show (even as that show expanded to include Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl and will continue to go on into a sixth season and more).

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Giant Wonder Woman Annual

To be honest, Wonder Woman didn't have either an 80 Page Giant or an Annual back in the Silver Age, but that was a problem rectified in February of 2003, when DC put out a faux Silver Age Wonder Woman 80-Page Giant....

...containing some great reprints from Wonder Woman's Golden and Silver Ages!


Here are the stories represented in this book...


Wonder Woman #28

First up is Wonder Woman #28 (March-April, 1948) with the three part introduction of "Villainy, Incorporated" by Joye Hummel and  H. G. Peter (though the writing was originally credited to Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston, who passed away on May 2nd, 1947, at least part of the tale was written by Marston's wife, Joye).


Villainy, Incorporated was a Golden Age gathering of the worst of Wonder Woman's villains from previous issues, freed from their prisons on Paradise Island by Eviless (who originally appeared first in Wonder Woman #10 of Fall, 1944) to menace Wonder Woman and her mother, Queen Hippolyte.



Those villains included Cheetah (who first appeared in Wonder Woman #6 of Fall, 1943, and later elsewhere), Zara (who first appeared in Comic Cavalcade #5 of Winter, 1943), Queen Clea (who first appeared in Wonder Woman #8 of Spring, 1944), Giganta (who first appeared in Wonder Woman #9 of Summer, 1944), Hypnota (who first appeared in Wonder Woman #11 of Winter, 1944), Byrna Brilyant (a.k.a. the Blue Snowman, who first appeared in Sensation Comics #59 of November, 1946), and Dr. Poison, who had two appearances, one in Sensation Comics #2 and the other in Sensation Comics #24 (in 1942 and 1943).  Only the Golden Age Cheetah and Queen Clea appeared again after this story (at least these Earth-2 versions of the characters).

Wonder Woman #105

Wonder Woman encountered dinosaurs and more, helping out Steve Trevor, as he checked out missing Mars rockets in Wonder Woman #105 (April, 1959) in the "Eagle Of Space" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, finding himself in trouble again (a pretty common occurrence at this time for the Air Force man!).
 



The dinosaurs were alive and well at the moon of Titan (in Saturn's orbit), with Wonder Woman helping out the primitive humans there before Steve and the Amazon Princess left the moon in Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet....



Wonder Woman #108

Under this incredible cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito lurked the story of "Wanted -- Wonder Woman" from Wonder Woman #108 (August, 1959) by Robert Kanigher, and art by Andru and Esposito.

Aliens came to take over the world, but first, they used their mind control abilities to take over Wonder Woman and have the Amazing Amazon commit crimes to undermine our nations faith in this powerful princess...

...while they were successful, they didn't count on Wonder Woman following them into space and causing trouble for the aliens while they were away from Earth, thwarting their invasion plans.



Wonder Woman #144

Last, but not least is a tale definitely from the Silver Age, with the "Revolt Of The Wonder Woman" from Wonder Woman #144 (February, 1964) by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.

This story features Wonder Woman's fear of losing her humanity, as she feels the world only notices her for her fighting prowess, so Wonder Woman gives up rescuing people for a while.

At least until a young blind girl, Mary Jane, finds her, befriending Wonder Woman in her time of need (not knowing that she is Wonder Woman).  Fate conspires to put the girl in danger, with Wonder Woman saving her, but still treating Wonder Woman as her friend, restoring the Princess' faith in humanity!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Wonder Woman Foe The Mask

Sometimes, it's the simplest things that stick in our memory....

...that might be the case with Wonder Woman foe, the Mask, as she menaces Wonder Woman on and off for decades, with little more than a domino mask and a gun!

Golden Age

Nina Close premiered in Wonder Woman #24 (July-August, 1947) with "The Challenge Of The Mask" by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter (being one of the last Wonder Woman villains created by Wonder Woman's creator).  Nina was a pilot, rescued by Wonder Woman, getting Wonder Woman involved in Nina's life (with her dominating husband, Brutus, who was a big game hunter).  Their marriage was not a happy one, but it got worse, with Brutus being trapped in a mask rigged with an acid drop by a villain called the Mask, and Brutus' freedom being ransomed off.  Wonder Woman tried to catch the Mask at the drop off, only to find the Mask able to steal her Invisible Plane!  Planning revenge against Wonder Woman, the Mask kidnaps Brutus, along with Etta Candy and the Holliday Girls, with Wonder Woman coming to their rescue...to find the Mask (and black wig)....hid Nina Close (who had a breakdown thanks to her husband, and came up with this scheme to get her revenge against him).  Brutus then tried to get Nina help for her actions....and that was the end of the Mask for an era.

Silver Age

The Mask returned in Justice League of America #35 (May, 1965) in the "Battle Against The Bodiless Uniforms" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs (though it technically was the Earth-1 Mask, and even then, really only a magical duplicate brought to life by the demons Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast to battle the Justice League (along with Flash rogue Pied Piper, Batman villain Killer Moth, Aquaman menace Dagon and Green Lantern's enemy of Dr. Polaris).   The Mask didn't even make the cover!

More Modern

A more recent version of the Mask debuted in Wonder Woman #4 (February, 2007 by Allan Heinberg with Terry and Rachel Dodson) (making the cover of Wonder Woman Annual #1 of 2007 in the upper right hand corner), along with many other Wonder Woman villains re-imagined for a new age.  As Wonder Woman was struggling with her own identity, Nina Close came back as an empowered woman (in an all black outfit, but keeping the domino mask) using the fortune she got from killing her husband to fight for oppressed women everywhere (though her over-aggressive tactics brought her into conflict with the peace loving Wonder Woman, proving violence in and of itself is not the answer....but must also be tempered with kindness and wisdom).

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Superboy's Crazy Mother

To be fair, it seemed both of Superboy's adopted parents, Jonathan and Martha, went crazy in Superboy #100 (October, 1962) with "Ma And Pa Kent's Incredible Delusion!" by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and George Klein.

Pa thought he was Jor-El, and Ma thought she was Lara...or at least, that was what Superboy thought for a bit. 

This was a bit of a dirty trick by a couple of Phantom Zone villains (Dr. Xadu and Erndine), all to attempt to free more of the Phantom Zone villains!

Thankfully, it all worked out.....

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Bugged By Jack Kirby's Forager

In his saga of the New Gods, Jack Kirby introduced readers to the Forager in New Gods #9 (June-July, 1972)...a member of the "insect-people" population under the Supertown where New Gods like Orion and Highfather lived.  Forager and his people were being manipulated to go to war against the residents of Supertown by Mantis (who was directed by the evil Darkseid of Apokolips).  Mantis took control of the bug Colony, and then transported them to Earth to attack Metropolis, where they were defeated in New Gods #10 (August-September, 1972, also by Jack Kirby) with the help of Forager, Orion and Lightray. 

Forager wasn't like other Bugs, and might even have been one of the New Gods himself, but, sadly, Kirby never had the time to develop that storyline as Kirby's run of New Gods ended with #11.

Return Of The New Gods

Forager did return, as a part of "Conway's Corner", where writer Gerry Conway and artists Don Newton and Rich Buckler, with inkers Dan Adkins, Bob McLeod and Joe Rubenstein continued the battles between the forces of New Genesis and Apokolips, with the Forager working with Orion, Lightray, Metron and a new addition, Jezebelle, to fight against Darkseid and his minions, like Desaad, with Forager being present in issues of New Gods from #12 (July, 1977) to #19 (August, 1978), and for the end of this branch of "the saga" in Adventure Comics #459 and #460 in 1978.

A Battle And Odyssey

Forager did reappear briefly in Warlord Annual #6 (1987), as a part of a battle of the forces of New Genesis and Apokolips in the inner world of Skartaris (home of Travis Morgan, the Warlord), but really came to life during the four issue mini-series of Cosmic Odyssey of 1988, where Jim Starlin, Mike Mignola and Carlos Garzon had a universal battle of Darkseid's forces, with Earth heroes like Superman, Batman, the Martian Manhunter, Adam Strange, Green Lantern John Stewart, Etrigan the Demon and Dr. Fate...

...with dire consequences for the Bug...


...and a new, female Forager (most definitely an insect) replacing him for the 1989/1990s series of New Gods for a time (with the original Bug appearing on the cover of New Gods #28 in 1991).


Return Of The Bug

But, the Bug returns in a Young Animal series called Bug! The Adventures Of Forager by Mike Allred...with this bit player in the saga of the New Gods taking center stage (and maybe some of Kirby's other DC work being explored as well...like General Electric, who premiered in Sandman #1 of Winter, 1974)...

...proving that every insect will have his day!

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Wonder Woman Foe Minister Blizzard

When it is cold outside, it might not just be the weather, but instead, it could be this chilly foe of Wonder Woman's....


...Minister Blizzard!


Golden Age

Prime Minister Blizzard premiered in Wonder Woman #29 (May-June, 1948) in "Ice World's Conquest" by Robert Kanigher and H. G. Peter


Prime Minister Blizzard was the advisor to Princess Snowina of the Icicle Men, who was afraid of a climate change machine Professor Chemico (from Holliday College) had invented.  So, the Prime Minister decided to steal the machine for himself, attacking the Holliday Girls with it, as well as trying to sink New York with an iceberg.  Quite a few feats for Wonder Woman to handle, but she did, as well as convincing Princess Snowina that people of warmer climates meant no harm, and to take Blizzard into custody....though he was never seen again.


Silver Age

"The Return of Minster Blizzard" happened in Wonder Woman #162 (May, 1966) by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito (though to be fair, this was the Earth-1 Minister Blizzard, facing the Earth-1 Wonder Woman, as the Prime Minister was from Earth-2, facing its Wonder Woman). 

Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor had to deal with a frozen Manhattan, that Minister Blizzard did a number on, though he did capture Wonder Woman with her own lasso, Wonder Woman did get free, and proceeded to thaw out the city and defeat the forces of Minister Blizzard.  This Minister Blizzard even reappeared in Justice League of America #139 (February, 1977), working with Captain Cold, the Icicle and a mystery villain who premiered in Brave and the Bold (search for his identity here!).


Modern Day

Minister Blizzard returned again as an eco-terrorist in Wonder Woman #4 (February, 2007) and Wonder Woman Annual #1 (November, 2007) (along with many other Wonder Woman villains, all reworked for the modern day by Allan Heinberg, Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson, thought he barely makes the crowded cover....behind Wonder Woman's head), and even makes it into an issue of Justice League during the Darkseid War (as well as the 2017 Batman Annual). 


Still, for the decades he's been around, readers seem to give this villain the cold shoulder!

Thursday, May 4, 2017

DC Heroes War Against The Giants

It's a giant issue, but not an DC Giant.


It's just an overstuffed (though normal sized) issue of DC Special (#19 of December-January, 1975/1976), with a cover by Ernie Chan....


...and featuring battles of Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman fighting some giant menaces!


Action Comics #343

Superman faces "Eterno The Immortal" in Action Comics #343 (November, 1966) in a story by writer Jim Shooter and artist Wayne Boring (under a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein).


The Superman Revenge Squad releases the giant android, Eterno, from his underground prison of the element, absorbium (created by an alien race, the Xan), to bedevil Superman in the city of Metropolis, bringing doomsday to where Superman lives.  The two powerhouses battle, until Eterno finds out he was manipulated by the Superman Revenge Squad, then he attacks them.  Trying to stop him, the Squad makes more absorbium, stopping Eterno (as Eterno stopped them!).



Green Lantern #53

Green Lantern Hal Jordan becomes a "Captive Of The Evil Eye" in Green Lantern #53 (June, 1967), in an issue by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane (with Flash artists, Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson providing the cover for this issue!).  


Hal Jordan found himself a new job (after having given up his time as a test pilot), becoming an insurance adjuster, heading up to the site of a crashing meteor.  When Hal arrives there, he finds the giant alien, Thotan, who was inhaling Earth's oxygen (with the plans to take the air back to his homeworld).  Green Lantern battles the alien, even getting sucked up inside of him, until Hal comes up with the idea of facing his foe on his own terms, using his Power Ring to grow to giant size to face the alien.

Strange Adventures #28

Earth faces "The Indestructible Giant" in Strange Adventures #28 (January, 1953), in a story by writer Jack Miller, penciller Gil Kane and inker Sy Barry, under a Ruben Moreira cover.




For a time, Earth had few super heroes protecting it, and faced strange, alien menaces, and relied on us tricky humans to protect it from threats from beyond! 



There was a little surprise awaiting the people that defeated this monster after all his confused destruction....




Wonder Woman #106

Wonder Woman was just like any other girl, and liked a charm bracelet, until she and Steve Trevor ended up as part of "The Human Charm Bracelet" in Wonder Woman #106 (May, 1959) by writer Robert Kanigher, penciller Ross Andru and inker Mike Esposito (with Andru and Esposito providing the cover to the original issue).


The alien giant Tooroo wanted to impress his girlfriend, the giant Rikkaa, so he got her a charm bracelet...but, it happened to include Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman's lasso, tiara and invisible plane!  To get free, Wonder Woman challenges the giant to three contests, and, by winning them, is able to get herself, Steve and her belongings returned to Earth (and a pledge that these aliens would leave Earth alone....).

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Wonder Woman Golden Age Vs Silver Age

Wouldn't it be great if the original Wonder Woman met the new and improved one?

Well, that happened in DC Comics, for a few special issues of Wonder Woman (inspired by the TV Show, Wonder Woman, DC was looking to cover adventures of Wonder Woman during World War II, so they came up with an interesting idea....)

Wonder Woman #228

With Wonder Woman #228 (February, 1977), readers were treated to a "Retreat To Tomorrow" by Martin Pasko, Jose Delbo and Vince Colletta, with the then modern Wonder Woman (1977, more or less a "Silver Age" Wonder Woman, who worked with the Justice League of America on Earth-1) facing off against an aerial attack from the Red Panzer in an experimental Nazi plane over New York, and as the two battled, they fell back through the space warp to Washington DC in 1943 (where the Red Panzer was from), and into Earth-2 (an Earth where the world was protected by the Justice Society since just before the start of World War II, and Superman, Batman and Robin had started their adventures in the 1930s, with their own Wonder Woman soon after).   The two Wonder Women met (battled briefly), with the Golden Age Wonder Woman sending the Silver Age Wonder Woman back home in the Panzer Ship, and the battle between the Golden Age Wonder Woman (and Red Panzer) continued until next issue....).

Wonder Woman #243

Wonder Woman's World War II adventures continued in her own title (as well as in World's Finest Comics #244 to #250, and a few other places, as the Silver Age Wonder Woman still adventured in the Justice League of America) until Wonder Woman #243 (May, 1978) with "The Five-Sided Square" by Jack C. Harris, Jose Delbo and Frank Chiaramonte), where the two Wonder Women met again, thanks to the Earth-1 Angle Man (escaping prison, and using his time and dimension spanning weapon, the Angler, to come back to World War II).  The two Wonder Women worked together to defeat the Angle Man, with the stories in the comic following the Earth-1 version back to her own after afterwards (because, after the first season of the Wonder Woman show on ABC, the show moved to CBS for its second and third season, and was in the then modern world of the 1970s!).

More Wonder Women Facts

During the course of these two adventures, the Earth-1 Wonder Woman made the Earth-2 Wonder Woman forget about their adventures (as Earth-2 wasn't discovered by Earth-1 until the Flash of Two Worlds in Flash #123 of September, 1961, with Barry Allen and Jay Garrick).   The two Wonder Woman didn't even look different in these team-ups, but did in their first meeting (a large meeting of the JLA and JSA to free the Seven Soldiers of Victory from traps in the past, with the Golden Age Wonder Woman spotting a classic look, and the JLA's Wonder Woman in her white pantsuit "mod" look as Diana Prince for Justice League of America #100 to #102 in 1972).

A more fulfilling Wonder Woman meeting happened in Wonder Woman #300 (February, 1983), when an older, Golden Age Wonder Woman (married to Steve Trevor, with a daughter named Hippolyta, who later became Fury), met the Silver Age Wonder Woman (who had improved her breastplate from an eagle symbol to the stylized double "W"), as Earth-1's Diana was looking to make some changes in her life.

Still interested in more Wonder Woman?


Well, there was a whole Encyclopedia based on her history out a few years ago, and you can read my interview with one of its authors, John Wells, with Part 1 here and Part 2 here!


Great Hera, there's good reading in the Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia!