Customer Reviews

Wonder Woman Masterpiece Edition: The Golden Age of the Amazon Princess

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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I have always enjoyed Les Daniels and his carefully researched books of comics history, but everyone has a blind spot. Wonder Woman is obviously his. This book, beautifully designed as it is, fails to capture what has made Wonder Woman such an enduring character and icon. It's clear on almost every page, Daniels is unimpressed by her. It's fine if he doesn't like her -- no one character can be everyone's favorite -- but it does make for a frustrating read at times when one wishes to celebrate Wonder Woman's unique place in comics history. His fascination with her creator is evident to the point that it seems clear Daniels would much rather write about Marston than Diana. His heavy emphasis on the bondage subtext of the Golden Age incarnation undercuts the more postive surface elements of those stories. Indeed, he sneers at Gloria Steinem's endorsement of those early years, casting great disbelief that there could be anything of substance taken from them.

Also, as another reviewer points out, Daniels gives short shrift to George Perez's post-Crisis revamp. Widely acknowledged by fans as the high point of her modern career, it's strange to see Daniels blandly note the support Perez got from female collegues in overhauling Wonder Woman's character and deride it by calling the later issues akin to ADVENTURES OF MENOPAUSAL MOM (I'm paraphrasing but only slightly). Daniels here suffers from the same fanboy syndrome that infuses the industry these days -- the idea that if HE doesn't appreciate it, it must be terrible. Meanwhile, Mike Deodato's art is viewed favorably, despite that being universely considered a lower point in the post-Crisis stories.

At the end of the book, it really seems as if Daniels only reluctantly churned it out because of a contractual obligation. His Superman and Batman books are excellent and filled with total respect for the characters and their appeal. If only he could've retained enough objectivity for the Wonder Woman assignment. Despite it all, it is a beautiful book and the history is thorough and still fascinating if somewhat subjective. Good for historical nuts, not so good for WW fans.

(Please note that this review is for the "Wonder Woman Masterpiece Edition", though my comments may also appear under the Amazon listing for Daniels' "WW Complete History Book". Though the M.E. set and the History book share some content, they are separate items, both available here at Amazon. Sorry about any confusion.)

This collector's set is arguably the nicest product released during Wonder Woman's 60th anniversary, and has been issued in two different editions: the Deluxe edition (the one Amazon offers) and a standard edition. The Deluxe version includes the following: a hardcover book entitled, "Wonder Woman: The Golden Age", a glossy reprint of WW #1 (in it's own slip holder), an 8.5 inch tall WW figure in Golden Age garb, and a folding display case (or binder) with velcro fasteners.

The hardcover book (by Les Daniels) is an abbreviated version of "WW: The Complete History"; it excludes approx 100 pages of illustrations and reprinted story panels. "Golden Age" includes the basic text from Daniel's earlier book but features a different dustjacket WW reprint image, and a different Alex Ross illustration on the back of the hardcover. The WW #1 reprint is on heavy, glossy paper stock, and includes all the original content from issue one. The WW figure included is a plastic (upper body) and rubber (lower body) composite, and includes a cloth skirt (not removeable) and golden lasso made from stretchy material. (Note that the doll in Amazon's illustration is missing the skirt, which was either cut off or left off in pre-sales production.) The figure has limited articulation: the arms rotate at the shoulders, the legs can be moved (impeded by a plastic "bustle" that fluffs up the skirt) and the knees can be bent (at preset intervals) to help stand the doll. The head can be moved slightly from side to side. It all comes in a handsome blue "binder" that can be stored on a (deep) bookshelf or left open for display.

Though this is an excellent package well-worth the money, fans may opt for the less expensive "standard" edition which omits the WW #1 reprint and binder/display case. Both sets include the "Golden Age" hardcover and 8.5" poseable figure. Highly recommended to WW memorabilia collectors.

I loved the two previous "Complete History" books byLes Daniels on Superman and Batman, but his book on Wonder Woman iseven more amazing. Maybe it's because she isn't as over-exposed asthose other two superheroes, but there are surprises galore in thishandsome book. The still-gorgeous Lynda Carter contributes a lovelyintroduction, and just wait until you read the story of WilliamMarston, Wonder Woman's unconventional creator. And the stunningdesign by Chip Kidd showcases totally awesome toys, original art andeven photos from a 1960s TV show pilot I didn't know existed. And weeven get to see the legendary never-seen "Star Riders"toys. Well, I could just go on and on. This is my favorite book ofthe year, and any fan of Wonder Woman (or Lynda Carter) will just haveto have it!

This book is stunning; theres no other word for it. The art design is by Chip Kidd, who also designed the gorgeous Batman: Animated hardcover. Beautifully reproduced pages from her early stories interspersed with photos of antique Wonder Woman toys, dolls, and DC promotional items complete the experience. The fact that it is so much fun to leaf through and enjoy Kidds layout is probably why these books (Kidd designed all three Complete Histories, as well) earned the unfair coffee table label. Fans of the television show will be happy to know that there are plenty of photos from the series included as well as an introduction by Lynda Carter, which is a nice nod to the permanent association many of us have between the actress and the character.

(...)

Les Daniels' Wonder Woman: The Complete History is the third book in a 3-volume series (the first two addressed Superman and Batman). While not without its flaws, it's overall a well-researched and enjoyable treatment of the character.

Wonder Woman first appeared in 1941, the brainchild of Dr. William Moulton Marston (writing under the pen name Charles Moulton), by any standard a bit of a weirdo who's remembered today for two things: (1) he invented the polygraph, (2) Wonder Woman, of course.

I could pick a few nits with Daniels' text. In places he does reveal an ignorance on certain topics. For instance, when speaking of Marston's World War I U.S. Army service, he states Marston "rose to the rank of second lieutenant." False. No officer (and I can't imagine someone of Marston's high educational level ever being an enlisted man) "rises" to Second Lieutenant because that's the absolute lowest officer rank.

Daniels is extremely opinionated. How much space is allocated to any of Wonder Woman's creative teams over the decades is very much controlled by how much Daniels likes their work. Obviously the Marston stories, with artwork by Harry G. Peters, are his favorites thus receive the most attention, though he devotes surprising time and positive comment to the generally despised stories written by Robert Kanigher. This is fine. Half the fun of a book like this is getting the writer's likes and dislikes on the character and her creators. Where I part company with Daniels is his low opinion of the George Perez stories of the mid-1980s thru early '90s. Daniels devotes an entire chapter to Kanigher's creation of such fascinating (hah!) characters as Glop (a "shapeless mass of grinning goo from outer space [which] absorbed everything in its path including 100 rock 'n' roll records"), Wonder Tot ("Mommy be proud to see me now!"), and Egg Fu (a Chinese Communist agent inexplicably shaped like an egg the size of a house, who used his mustaches as weapons and had a Charlie Chan speech pattern). After that, it was more than a little disappointing to have the Perez stories, considered by many Wonder Woman fans including myself the character's finest hour (especially the stories on which Perez did the artwork in addition to scripting) dealt with in a mere seven text pages, much of that explaining how they weren't really all that hot.

The only truly major flaw in this book involves its layout. These days, book publishers are terrified of the Internet. And well they should be. However, instead of focusing their efforts on what books do better that the 'net - provide one, continuous, uninterrupted stream of information - publishers' response has been to make their book pages look as much as possible like web pages. Lots of bright colors, lots of sidebars. I hate sidebars. I don't appreciate having to flip back and forth between pages, sometimes reading blocks of text in four or five different locations, to get all the info. More to the point in this particular book, choice of color on some of the sidebars is extremely poor, so much so it's difficult to read the text. Black lettering against a dark blue or dark red background just doesn't make it.

With those few negatives out of the way, this book is a delight. It's all here: a biography of Marston, on to the creation of Wonder Woman, all the creative teams of note and their storylines up til this book's publication date (2000), the Cathy Lee Crosby made-for-television movie, the Lynda Carter TV show, Wonder Woman merchandise, her appearance on the cover of Ms. magazine's first issue, etc. This book is a must-have for fans of one of the 20th/21st Century's most fascinating fictional creations.

Any question you've had about the amazing Amazon Princess will be answered here. You can learn about her origins, and how she has evolved over the years, always keeping in touch with each particular generation (i.e., the difference between WW in the 60's and today). The book is up-to-date, bringing the reader to the very latest story line. It truly covers all aspects of the heroine's life, including the TV series and all the many wonderful products related to her. It is also visually stunning, full of rich, vibrant images. Even if you never get to read the text, the pictures alone are worth the purchase.

This highly pictorial history (or should I say "herstory") of Wonder Woman has just about everything in it that you could want. Beginning with Wonder Woman's origination in the mind of Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston, continuing through to her rebirth as the new Wonder Woman in 1968, through Gloria Steinem's work to bring her back, through the television show, through today. Along the way there are many reproductions of comic book covers and comics, pictures of paraphernalia (e.g. toys, cards, macaroni, etc.), and sidebars discussing such things as lie detectors, other comic book heroines, and such.

This is a great book that taught me many things that I did not know, about her origins, who she was written for and why. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in Wonder Woman or in comic books in general.

This is the book every Wonder Woman fan has been waiting for! It's beautifully done. The pictures are fantastic. There's a foreward done by Lynda Carter that reminds you of why you loved our star studded super heroine. Long Live Wonder Woman

Written with obvious love and admiration, this is the definitive history of the Golden Age Amazon Princess and the effusive character who created her, William Moulton Marston. Filled with wonderful art work, rare photographs and fun facts...this a collectible no Wonder Woman fan should be without. Well done!

First off, loved the book. It was nice to read the comments from Lynda Carter and see the multitude of changes that WW has gone through. But I did notice two things, the actress that played Wonder Woman's mother in that tiny demo in the 60's was named Maudie Pricket and the photo of Ms. Carter's costume says it is from the first season and it's not, it's from the CBS years as are the bracelets and tiara on the following page. I know Ms. Carter preferred the CBS years updated costume but the original on worn while fighting Nazis in the more humorous years will always be my absolute favorite! Thanx...