Wednesday, October 25, 2017

All-Star Comics 8 The First Wonder Woman

On October 25, 1941, All-Star Comics #8 (cover date December-January, 1941/1942), DC (in its identity as All-American Comics) was the first comic sold to be "Introducing Wonder Woman"!

The Amazon was created by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, detailing Princess Diana's first meeting with U.S. Army pilot Steve Trevor as his plane crashed near Paradise Island, and, after winning a competition against her fellow Amazons, Diana left her mother, Queen Hippolyte, and her home, Paradise Island, to go fight World War II in Man's World as Wonder Woman!


But, as you might have noticed, Wonder Woman didn't make the cover.   


The main story of the issue (with a cover by Everett Hibbard) was having Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite join the Justice Society of America (and a short story about pilot Hop Harrigan)! 


Wonder Woman wouldn't get a chance to join the group until a few issues later with a major cover appearance.....



Oddly, Wonder Woman's success (getting her origin told again with Sensation Comics #1 of January, 1942, and again in Wonder Woman #1 of Summer 1942) messed up her membership to the JSA (because the comic company had a rule that active members wouldn't have their own titles, yet Wonder Woman graduated up at the time she was inducted....so, she remained as a secretary to the team....).



Both of the above Wonder Woman issues got both Famous First Editions as well as Millennium Edition reprints, but the All-Star Comics #8 was only reprinted in its entirety in All-Star Comics Archives #2 of 1993 (making the cover with the JSA) and in the Millennium Edition: All-Star Comics #8 (February, 2001), joining the DC trinity with Superman and Batman.

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