Customer Reviews

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman - VOL 01

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Just in time for New Wonder Woman, DC Comics has released their classy reprint of Wonder Woman #178 to 184.

Having read voraciously DC Comics in the late 60's to late 70's, I remember the mysterious Wonder Woman. Gone was the `old' look Amazon and in was the hip, groovy, more Bewitched heroine. These 6 issues written by Dennis O'Neil, illustrated by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, commanded my attention and elicited a wow factor I haven't had from a Wonder Woman book for a long time.

This 6 issue run takes Wonder Woman from Amazonian powered to `powerless' Diana Prince. Steve Trevor, in his capacity for the army, turns traitor to uncover the plot of Dr Cyber, and disappears. Dr Ching, an oriental master, befriends Diana, and teaches her the arts of oriental self defence. Within months, she has regained her combative edge and even learned some `wisdom'. To support herself, she opens "Dianas Mod-ly Modern Boutique", and caters to Washingtons' hippest customers. Dr Cyber has not given up on defeating Wonder Woman however, and the trail leads to Bjorland and ultimately to London. Dr Cyber retreats as Diana's flame turns jewel thief. In the midst of this, O'Neil brings in a battle of cinematic proportions. Her mother the Queen, lies in a coma induced by Ares, the God of War. Only Diana can stop the secret of inter-dimensional travel from being revealed and she leads the remaining Amazons, a host of Valkyries, and the forces of King Arthur against Ares.

Wow! All that in six issues.

The comics are full of hippy lingo. On one page, the male character utters "For a ginchy chick like you, I'd take a trip to the moon!" And even the modern fashions make their way into the book. Diana dresses like a yellow/orange parachute and immediately makes a fashion statement at the Tangerine Trolley. (Perhaps it was pass the sunglasses?) The hippy storyline is done in 2, and Tim Trench, partner of Archy Miles (think Maltese Falcon), joins the duo of Ching and Diana in their quest to free Steve Trevor.

I truly appreciated the mix of adventure in this book. War fare, espionage, and even a little hippy turns this run into a great read. Out of place however, is Diana's tear soaked statements like "Everyone I love....". The last two issues on the Ares/Amazon war are very interesting and if we were to compare it to a modern reference, Hercules and Xena come to mind. Historical figures apparently can come together from thousands of years!

The Sekowsky/Giordano art is awesome. Many of the panels show Steranko stylings. There's even a cemetary scene with a motorcyle that reminds me of Captain America #112! Even Gil Kane is mirrored in some of the art as well. The international espionage scenes look straight out of James Bond even.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

The new Wonder Woman might be good, but this is better!

Tim Lasiuta

The cover image says it all. This may not be the Wonder Woman you know, but Diana Prince is still something very special. Even without superpowers, this Amazon is hardly helpless. The great late '60s reprints contained in this book are a wonderful time capsule of the psychodelic era. Denny O'Neil and Mike Sekowsky's spy-fueled stories perfectly match the full color glory that is Sekowsky and Dick Giordano immaculate art. If you are a fan of Steranko's brief but wild Marvel work, please do yourself a favor and pick up this fantastic reprint collection. Diana Prince could easily give Steranko's Nick Fury a run for his money and maybe even make him forget that bodacious vixen, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine! O'Neil and Sekowsky's rebooting of Wonder Woman as a kung fu dynamo in skin tight Emma Peel jumpsuits is as visually exciting as her new espionage adventures are fun. Wonder Woman has rarily looked as sexy and stylish as she does in these groovy reprints. Highly recommended! Volume 2 can't come out fast enough for me!

Volume #1 reprints seven regular issues 178-184; these were originally issued from Oct. 1968 through October 1969 (Wonder Woman was a bi-monthly title back in those days). The reprint is in color, nicely bound and printed on a slightly better stock of paper than the original release comic book. It is the same size and most importantly is in proper register so the colors fill the spaces allocated for them; which was a problem with DC issues in the 1960's. So overall it is clearly a better product than the original.

The seven stories are sequenced although stories 6 and 7 go off on a somewhat lame retrograde tangent, with Diana temporarily returning to Paradise Island, but generally keeping her Mary Quant mod fashion look. The change in clothing was the most significant change at the time of the original publication. She has become the "New Wonder Woman", shedding her Amazon powers and spending a lot of time crying (I'm not exaggerating) over the men who done her wrong or just her general female discontent.

Denny O'Neil wrote the first 4 stories which introduce "I Ching" and private detective Tim Trench; phasing out Steve Trever. Dr. Cylvia Cyber and her army of hot girls is Diana's recurring and elusive foe, running from story 2 through story 5; this four part sequence is clearly the best part of Volume 1. The Mike Sekowsky / Dick Giordano art is typical of the era; good but rushed, with the covers showing how good they can be if given the time to do detailed work.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

The paperback volumes (trade backs) of "Diana Prince: Wonder Woman" are interesting to look into.

After more than 20 years in publication, in the late 1960's, due to dropping sales figures, writer Denny O'Neil was brought in to revamp Wonder Woman. The result was "Diana Prince: Wonder Woman" or "Diana Prince The New Wonder Woman."

Wonder Woman is summoned by her mother, Hypolite, Queen of the Amazons, to Paradise Island. Wonder Woman is told by her mother that the Amazons plan to shift Paradise Island into another dimension where they can rest and recuperate their tired and waning Amazon powers.

Wonder Woman tells her that with Steve Trevor in trouble, she cannot go with them. Wonder Woman has to then give up her Amazon powers, costume, magic lasso and bracelets, and her invisible plane to return to the U.S. as a non-super-powered Diana Prince.

Diana Prince meets this blind elderly Asian man named I-Chang who mystically senses who she really is. He offers to help her and train her in the ways of martial arts to compensate the for the loss of her Amazon powers. Diana Prince proves to be a quick student.

Basically you can say that Wonder Woman was turned into a sort of take-off on Emma Peal of the 1960's TV series, "The Avengers."

Feminist activist Gloria Stynum wrote a letter to DC Comics to voice her disapproval of this change to Wonder Woman.

Also Steve Trevor was even later killed off at this point of the series.

Wonder Woman, at this point, had to go on an indefinite leave of absence from the Justice League of America to be replaced by the Black Canary.

The beginning volumes of the stories from the late 60's and early 1970's cover show the views, beliefs and political issues of the time. They can also be looked at as time capsules.

By the mid-12970's, DC Comics decided to restore Wonder Woman to her former super-powers, costumed, Amazon self again. The original Wonder Woman firs re-appeared in the Hanna-Barbara Saturday morning animated cartoon series, "The Super Friends," a Saturday morning kid version of "The Justice League of America."

Around this time, a TV movie pilot of "Wonder Woman" staring Cathy Lee Crosby as Wonder Woman and Ricardo Montalbon as the villain was aired on ABC. This pilot reflected more the New Wonder Woman series. Wonder Woman leaves Paradise Inland giving up her Amazon heritage to go into "Man's World" to help make a difference and make a change for he better. She goes to work as an agent for the U.S. Government. Her superior is Steve Trevor. ABC did not pick up the series.

The producers went back to the drawing board and decided to try again. But this time, they went back to the beginning and the series was based on the original Golden Age Wonder Woman from the 1940's during World War II. It stared Linda Carter as Wonder Woman and Lyle Wagner as Major Steve Trevor, "the American war hero" as the evil enemy Nazis of the week would refer to him as.

ABC decided to pick up this series.

If you are interested in comic book history and/or the history of Wonder Woman, you should definitely look into these books. Also if you are a fan of Denny O'Neil's writings who also revamped Batman and Green Lantern and Green Arrow in the 1970s, you will also want to look into these books.

Reprints issues #178-184 in full color. This is 1970's style Wonder Woman, so if you like the 70's style of art, fashions, etc., you will enjoy this a lot. Can't wait for volume 2.

Totally fab stories and artwork of the 1970's Wonder Woman. I love love love that Diana Prince has to try to make it without her Wonder Woman powers. Plus we get to see her in cool retro outfits.

WW gave up her powers and travelled the globe with a sightless elder named I-Ching. These are the tales that introduced Dr. Cyber (the one where she kidnaps people in order to find an new face still gives me chills).My mother threw out most of these in a move;I have not been able to replace many of them and have never forgiven her their loss;but now I can buy this handy collection(and vol 2, as well)and the healing can begin!

This is the 70s at its best. Without spoiling the story... Diana is truly Diana in this story and not Wonder Woman. She works her tail off to do what is right. She feels emotions and ups and downs... She is altogether, human. The artwork and coloring is detailed, crisp and compelling. A hearty solid read for any heroic myth fan.

Great book!

I belong to the generation of the original Wonder Woman TV Series and basically I am a big fan of it. That's why I found this "graphic novel" so disapointing not only on the retro,colorfull design but also on the history itself. This Diana Prince has little or nothing to do with the original one regarding her attitud, selfcontempt and power. The original one would never had to give up her powers; that would mean a refusal to recognize herself as a true Amazon which, in fact, was never in discussion.