Wonder Woman Unbound Read online

  All Star Comics #8, cover by Everett E. Hibbard, All-American Comics, 1941

  The first appearance of Wonder Woman, though she’s not on the cover. She continued to costar in All Star Comics as the secretary of the Justice Society.

  Sensation Comics #1, cover by H. G. Peter, All-American Comics, 1942

  Wonder Woman’s origin story continued here, launching her new series. Wonder Woman starred in the lead story and on the cover of Sensation Comics every month.

  Wonder Woman #1, cover by H. G. Peter, All-American Comics, 1942

  Wonder Woman’s solo series. She starred in every story in each issue, which came out quarterly during the Golden Age.

  Action Comics #1, cover by Joe Shuster, Detective Comics Inc., 1938

  The first appearance of Superman, the hero who started the superhero craze. Many imitators followed, which led William Moulton Marston to create Wonder Woman as a counter to the genre’s “blood-curdling masculinity.”

  Captain America Comics #1, cover by Jack Kirby, Timely Comics, 1941

  The first appearance of Captain America, an American super soldier, punching Hitler before America even entered World War II.

  Whiz Comics #2, cover by C. C. Beck, Fawcett Comics, 1940

  The first appearance of Captain Marvel. He was less violent than other heroes but enjoyed demonstrating his superior strength, while Wonder Woman only used force as a last resort.

  Wonder Woman sketch by H. G. Peter, 1941

  An original design of the character, with notes by Marston and Peter. The skirt was soon replaced by briefs, and the sandals became boots. H. G. PETER; IMAGE COURTESY OF HERITAGE AUCTIONS (WWW.HA.COM)

  Etta Candy vs. the Cheetah sketch by H. G. Peter, 1943

  Etta Candy, the stalwart leader of the Holliday Girls, boxes with the felonious Cheetah. H. G. PETER; IMAGE COURTESY OF HERITAGE AUCTIONS (WWW.HA.COM)

  The Wonder Woman team, from Wonder Woman #2, All-America Comics, 1942

  From left to right, writer William Moulton Marston, artist H. G. Peter, editor Sheldon Mayer, and publisher Max Gaines.

  The Marstons and friends at home, 1944

  From left to right, Marston’s live-in lover Olive Byrne (note the large bracelets), occasional Wonder Woman writer Joye Murchison, Marston’s wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and Marston himself. IMAGE COURTESY OF PETE AND CHRISTIE MARSTON

  Ad for Gillette razors, LIFE magazine, October 24, 1938

  Marston shows how the lie detector proves Gillette’s superiority. Though a Harvard-educated psychologist, Marston was a bit of a huckster as well.

  Alice Marble. from Wonder Woman #1, All-American Comics, 1942

  The former tennis star and associate editor of Wonder Woman, enjoying the series’ first issue. Marble worked on sixteen issues of the series and wrote the regular “Wonder Women of History” feature.

  Sensation Comics #13, cover by H. G. Peter, DC Comics, 1943

  Wonder Woman strikes against Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini in this wartime issue.

  Wonder Woman #10, cover by H. G. Peter, DC Comics, 1944

  Wonder Woman halts an alien invasion, ultimately ending the conflict by negotiating a trade agreement between Earth and Saturn.

  Venus with Us by William Moulton Marston, Sears Publishing, 1932

  The classier, original cover for Marston’s sex romp novel about Julius Caesar. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BOOK COLLECTOR’S LIBRARY (WWW.TBCLRAREBOOKS.COM)

  The Private Life of Julius Caesar by William Moulton Marston, Universal, 1952

  Venus with Us retitled and recovered as a pulp novel featuring scores of nude women to better reflect the lascivious story inside. IMAGE COURTESY OF HANG FIRE BOOKS (WWW.HANGFIREBOOKS.COM)

  Wonder Woman #103, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Espositio, DC Comics, 1959

  New artists updated Wonder Woman’s look in the Silver Age, replacing Peter’s classic style with a more conventional aesthetic and a tweaked costume design.

  Crime SuspenStories #22, cover by Johnny Craig, EC Comics, 1954

  The cover that doomed William Gaines’s testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency when he had to declare that it was “in good taste.”

  The seal of the Comics Code Authority

  The mark of the organization that monitored comic book content for decades.

  Justice League of America #1, cover by Murphy Anderson, DC Comics, 1960

  For a decade, Wonder Woman was the only female member of DC’s superhero team—now a full member and not just the secretary.

  Wonder Woman #105, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, DC Comics, 1959

  Robert Kanigher loved fantastical creatures, and giant birds were a common foe for Wonder Woman during the Silver Age.

  Wonder Woman #125, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, DC Comics, 1961

  Steve Trevor and Mer-Man fight over Wonder Woman. Her refusal to choose between them constantly agitated both suitors.

  Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #16, cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, DC Comics, 1960

  In the Silver Age, Superman pretends to be hurt by Lois’s Kryptonite vision to teach her a lesson. Every female character in the Silver Age, including Wonder Woman, had to put up with a domineering boyfriend.

  Sensation Comics #94, cover by Arthur Peddy, DC Comics, 1949

  The comic may look like a stereotypical romance on the outside, but inside Wonder Woman constantly made Sapphic references.

  Wonder Woman #124, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, DC Comics, 1961

  Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, and Wonder Tot often teamed up as the Wonder Family.

  Ad for “The New Wonder Woman” in Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #92, DC Comics, 1969

  DC Comics’ in-house ads for a revamped Wonder Woman targeted female readers directly, promising romance and intrigue.

  Wonder Woman #178, cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1968

  The Bronze Age Wonder Woman abandoned her superpowers and her classic costume in favor of a new, mod look.

  Wonder Woman #180, cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1969

  A weeping Diana Prince, a common occurrence throughout the mod era.

  Wonder Woman #203, cover by Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1972

  Samuel Delany’s muddled “Special! Women’s Lib Issue,” the series’ only attempt to address the women’s liberation movement.

  Mike Sekowsky and Joyce Miller, DC Comics Publicity Photo, 1969

  Sekowsky uses a fashionable model as inspiration for his Wonder Woman art.

  Wonder Woman #189, cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1970

  Diana Prince strafes a Chinese fighter jet with a machine gun, one of her many uncharacteristically violent escapades in the mod era.

  Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #109, cover by Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1971

  The Bronze Age Lois Lane has had quite enough of Superman. They broke up a few issues later, and the newly independent Lois stood in stark contrast to Diana Prince’s chronic need for male attention.

  Detective Comics #359, cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson, DC Comics, 1967

  The first appearance of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. As a nonsuperpowered crime fighter, Batgirl was the feminist heroine Diana Prince should have been.

  Ms. #1, 1972

  Wonder Woman graces the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine. The issue reprinted a portion of her Golden Age origin story.

  Wonder Woman, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem, 1972

  A collection of Golden Age Wonder Woman stories published by Ms. magazine to celebrate her return to her Amazon roots. IMAGE COURTESY OF HERITAGE AUCTIONS (WWW.HA.COM)

  Wonder Woman #204, cover by Don Heck and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1973

  After four years as a normal human without superpowers, the Amazon Wonder Woman returned.

  The Newspaper of the Los Angeles Women’s Centre, cover by C. Clement, 1973

>   A cartoon in a feminist paper had Wonder Woman advocating for women’s sexual health.

  Wonder Woman TV show publicity photo, 1977

  Lynda Carter as TV’s Wonder Woman. Carter’s portrayal became the definitive version of the character, cementing Wonder Woman as a pop culture icon.

  Wonder Woman #1, cover by George Pérez, DC Comics, 1987

  Wonder Woman was relaunched as a brand-new series with a premier artist and a strong feminist slant.

  Wonder Woman #190, cover by Adam Hughes, DC Comics, 2003

  In one of the biggest Wonder Woman stories of the Modern Age, she got a haircut.

  Justice League #12, cover by Jim Lee, DC Comics, 2012

  In another big Modern Age Wonder Woman story, she hooked up with Superman.

  The cast of The Big Bang Theory as superheroines, publicity photo, 2010

  Howard (Simon Helberg) as Batgirl, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) as Wonder Woman, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) as Supergirl, and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) as Catwoman. SONJA FLEMMING / CBS

  INTERLUDE 2

  Letters and Advertisements

  Wonder Woman’s intended audience over its first few decades is very clear in retrospect. Marston stated several times that he aimed the book at boys, trying to teach them to submit to the loving authority of women. In the 1950s, extra features like “Marriage a la Mode” and “Gems of Destiny” suggested that DC Comics was trying to appeal to female readers. The target audience reveals a lot about Wonder Woman and the aims of the creators and editors behind the book, but what it can’t show is who actually read the series.

  Some fairly safe assumptions can be made about the age range of the audience, since superhero comics in the Golden and Silver Ages were read primarily by kids. In the 1960s, Marvel comics brought in an older crowd of teen readers as well, and by the end of the decade DC was trying to get the same demographic, but there aren’t any exact figures. Data about comic book readers in general from the early decades of the industry is fairly minimal, much less for specific series. There are no numbers out there that give a clear idea of who was reading Wonder Woman, but hints of this information can be found in other ways.

  Letter Columns

  Wonder Woman’s letter column changed a lot over the years, going through several titles and a big demographic shift. Initially the column was called “Wonder Woman’s Clubhouse,” and young kids would write in to Wonder Woman herself. They’d ask Wonder Woman questions about her life or tell her about the fan clubs they’d started. Most of the columns consisted of several short letters, with replies from Wonder Woman.

  In 1965, the content changed. Instead of several short letters to Wonder Woman from little kids, there were two or three longer letters addressed to the editor, written by older readers, at least in their early teens. These more substantial missives addressed issues like continuity, mythology, or art and storytelling techniques.* This format became the norm and lasted through many name changes. The column became “Wonder Woman’s Readers Write!” in 1967, then “The New Wonderful World of Wonder Woman” late in 1968, followed by “Wonder Woman’s Write-In” in 1971, “Princessions” in 1972, and “Wonder Words” in 1974. “Wonder Words” actually stuck, and it lasted well into the 1980s.

  The letter column appeared in almost every single issue of Wonder Woman once it began, providing an excellent set of data on the series’ audience. By tabulating the names by gender and charting them, the broad strokes of how Wonder Woman’s readership changed from 1961 to 1975 can be seen.* While the numbers by year are somewhat scattered, the trends are clear. Female writers to Wonder Woman’s letter column declined fairly steeply over the fifteen years examined, while there was a commensurate growth in male writers.

  In terms of reliable information, there’s some subjectivity in letter columns. Editors didn’t painstakingly craft each column to statistically reflect all of the letters they’d received that month. Rather, a slew of factors likely affected which letters were chosen. For example, in the early 1960s DC encouraged kids to form fan clubs for their characters, so letters about fan clubs probably had a better chance of being published. When “Marriage a la Mode” and other female-directed features dominated Wonder Woman, they may have chosen letters from female readers to showcase their intended audience. Similarly, when a feminist outcry led to Wonder Woman’s return to her Amazon roots in the 1970s, the editors might’ve been more likely to publish letters from women.

  Nonetheless, the trends over these fifteen years are compelling. The marked drop in letters from girls and the corresponding rise in letters from boys suggest a change in readership and indicate a diminishing female audience over this period.

  Advertisements

  Ads from the Silver and Bronze Ages were charming and fun. Super-heroes told you about their favorite Hostess products,* you could buy onion gum or a bald cap for pocket change, get buff after a bully kicked sand in your face at the beach, and own a bowlful of happiness and have instant pets with sea monkeys! There weren’t many ads in the Golden Age, but publishers worked hard to maintain the price of comics by lowering page counts for their comics and increasing the number of ads over the course of the 1950s.† By 1960, ads made up a substantial part of every comic book, and a sense of who advertisers thought were reading Wonder Woman can be derived by examining the ads’ intended audience.

  Comic book ads weren’t subtle. Many ads proclaimed their intended audience with bolded headlines that read “BOYS!!” or “GIRLS!!” Others showed images of their intended audience using the product, like boys playing with toy cars or girls applying makeup. For ads without those helpful hints, stereotypical assumptions can be made about which gender the product was traditionally associated with. Boy ads consisted of things like toy soldiers, race cars and other vehicles, monsters, guns, and the NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition. Girl ads included dolls, hair accessories, makeup and beauty products, jewelry, and helpful books like How to Slenderize Heavy Legs.* There were also many ads for products that were gender neutral, like records, stamps, amusement parks, televisions and radios, and those classic full-page spreads that showed a variety of items that could be purchased, earned, or won.

  The chart above shows a gendered breakdown of the ads in Wonder Woman for every second year from 1961 to 1973. Astoundingly, of nearly five hundred ads, only one was aimed at girls. It appeared in Wonder Woman #197 from November 1971 and was for Kenner’s Easy Care Manicure Set. It was an impressive product that included tools to smooth, shape, and buff your nails, along with two bottles of nail polish. Other than that, it was all boys or gender neutral, and they each averaged out to about half of the total ads examined.

  The ads for dolls, hair accessories, and the rest listed above were all from the pages of Young Love, one of DC’s romance comics, because no examples could be found in Wonder Woman. In fact, advertisers seemed to go out of their way to avoid aiming ads only at girls. Jewelry ads featuring smiling women with rings, bracelets, and necklaces always included a set of cufflinks or a ring for military men, making them gender neutral. The ads for Iverson bicycles featured laughing boys having adventures, but each ad ended with a reminder that they had a model “especially for girls.” After a few months, though, Iverson cut any mention of their girls’ bicycle.

  The furthest that advertisers were willing to go to sell to girls were ads that appealed to both genders. This is largely due to the nature of ad sales at the time. Advertisers didn’t buy ads in individual books, but in lots. For example, Wonder Woman and Aquaman came out on similar schedules, and over the course of the 1960s both titles featured the exact same selection of ads 97 percent of the time.* By grouping Wonder Woman with their other superhero titles, it’s clear that DC Comics and its advertisers felt that Wonder Woman’s readership was akin to DC’s other superhero books. And, as evident from the intended audience of these ads, this readership was predominantly male.

  DC had another group of series that were aimed at female readers with ads to match, composed of r
omance series like Heart Throbs and Young Love. A stark example of this gender divide for ads comes from Marvel comics and an ad for the Wayne School, a way to finish high school at home. In Fantastic Four, the ad showed a young man being told by a woman in the personnel department, “Sorry, we only hire high school graduates.” In Millie the Model, it was the exact same ad, except the young man was replaced by a young woman. Both publishers had a boy group and a girl group for ads, and Wonder Woman was in the boy group. This choice speaks volumes about her audience.

  Not Who, but How Many

  The above data has obvious limitations and doesn’t provide us any definitive numbers for Wonder Woman’s readership, but the trends are quite clear.

  An area that’s much more definitive, however, is sales. Regardless of how many boys or girls read Wonder Woman, there weren’t a lot of them. The sales data from the 1960s is fairly solid, showing that Wonder Woman was in rough shape. From 1960 to 1969, the book averaged sales of just over 200,000 copies per issue. By today’s standards those numbers would be fantastic, but in the 1960s Wonder Woman sold barely a quarter of what the top book sold and averaged forty-seventh place on the charts. For a series that had occasionally outsold Superman and Batman in the Golden Age, this was a big drop. Superman and Batman, along with the many other titles starring the two heroes, consistently owned the top of the charts, but Wonder Woman floundered.