Meanwhile...

Wonder Woman

2007-03-14T21:31:00.000-04:00

First, there is She.

Diana, of Themyscira, the Paradise island. Wonder Woman.

What is it about her? She's beautiful, good, smart, strong and fast. Really, what's not to like?

And this is high praise, coming from a guy who's first confusing exposure to the Amazing Amazon was her being just this agile dame in a pantsuit in an issue of The Brave and The Bold, teaming up with the Batman. I'm still trying to figure her out.

Anyway, it is Diana, the idea of her, that captures my fancy. To my mind, she stands at the heart of the trinity that also includes Batman and Superman. And so we begin with her.

The Collection

2007-03-25T23:19:00.000-04:00

My comic book collection, while a source of pride, had become in recent years, just another great mound of boxes that needed to be lifted and relocated as we move from one rental to the next. It is only recently that I've renewed my interest in reading them all again...and that has brought into sharp focus the fact that it could hardly be less organized.

As you can see, all my issues have been housed in whatever assortment of boxes and cartons were available to me...and some remain in the boxes in which they were originally shipped to me. (The box that amuses me most, but which I never noticed before taking the above photo, is the one from T & A Leaf Lettuce. What must THOSE leafy mounds look like, eh?)

As for as organizational structure to the collection, there's slim quantity of that, too. Yes, all of my issues from 1985 (the year of the great Crisis on Infinite Earths) or before are all grouped by issue title, and are 95% mylar bagged.

Probably 80% of the rest of the issues are poly-bagged, as they came that way through purchase at Fantastic Planet or elsewhere. But the most recent issues I've purchased (1999 and beyond) were bought at assorted newsracks and spinning stands and do not have bags.

I have no doubt that my issues will be safer once fully bagged, but you can never tell. To the left is a photo of the aftermath of a recent burst pipe in our normally very dry basement. While most of the boxes were nowhere near the flood, there was one particular box which was directly below the break and took a fairly direct hit.

Inside the box, I found kind of a randomness to the damage. Some issues that were bagged were soaked, while others remained dry. And more inexplicable, some issues that weren't bagged at all were perfectly dry, while others were quite saturated. All in all, only these 22 or so seen hanging took the brunt of a box of about fifty or so. It could've been much worse...and while a few of those hanging have minor water damage like crinkly pages or covers, most look to have survived just fine.

Still, it only underscores the business of needing to get things properly organized and stored...and so the chronicle of that undertaking will comprise part of this blog. And so, it is with some happiness that I can report having purchased my first three long boxes today. They aren't water-proof, but they are pretty sturdy, and will keep the comics stored in an upright position which is best.

True enough, three boxes will only barely begin to scratch the surface on this project. I actually assumed that a place called Newbury Comics might have more than three of them in stock at a time...and was wrong about that. No worries, they're priced so I'll have to buy them here and there for a while, anyway. And three's as good a number to start with as any. As you can see, I've already put all my Wonder Woman's into one of the boxes, with room to spare.

My First Issue

2007-03-27T22:20:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is: Detective Comics #388, dated June 1969. The first comic book I ever owned. It really looks it, doesn't it? It's actually got a loose page near the center, and almost feels too fragile to read, which is a shame.

I'd forgotten there was a back-up Batgirl feature in the issue, but being only part one of a longer story, I guess I'd never really gotten it. To add confusion to my newbie (need I remind you, four-year old) perspective, in the story, Barbara has been hired by someone to dress up like Batgirl and runs afoul of a gang of jewel theives dressed like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Flash. How long must I have puzzled over that?

Sorry it's not a scan. Don't have one of those set up currently, so had to be satisfied with a digital photo of the cover.

The Sorting Begins

2007-03-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

After dinner tonight, I retired to the basement and began the process of sorting the collection by title, as dictated by the advent of the long boxes.

Predictably, those first three boxes have been properly filled already with any variety of titles featuring the big guns, The Big Three, The Trinity...those guys: Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman. It just seemed right they should get (and easily fill) the first three long boxes.

[The young woman at the comic shop looked at me agog the other day, when three boxes didn't seem a satisfactory number for me. I had thought of coming home with a dozen, to be honest. "My collection fits all in one box," she said. Clearly to this girl, the words "Pre-Crisis" mean nothing.]

Fun to see some of these old covers, some other of my earliest purchases...their iconic images standing revealed in my memory like long lost friends found. Heh heh...whatta geek, huh?. But I'm kind of serious. Back in those pre-working days of my childhood, my DC collection numbered some twenty or so fondly and frequently re-read issues.

Of course the challenge is always the distraction of the collection itself. It meant the derailing of many an childhood afternoon's room cleaning project, and the danger remains. Wanting to stop and slide a particular issue from its plastic sleeve, to open the cover and fall into the story within. I'm glad to say I kept my focus this evening, and as you can see, I started getting those early titles sorted out into seperate boxes. As I rediscover how much of each particular title I have, I'll have a better sense of the storage needs and how I want to actually organize them.

There'll be a need for plenty more protective bags, and some backing boards will be a good idea for the rehabilitation of some issues which were rolled or bent a little during their adventures in storage.

Of course, in each box there are plenty of surprises...misfiled issues sometimes, or perhaps one bought out of sequence in back issue bins...like this issue of Wonder Woman (#224) from 1976. It was one of a handful of mags I held aside to bring upstairs and read when the session was through. I don't remember the story--I'm looking forward to reading it shortly. But I just love this cover.

The long history of Wonder Woman's published adventures is rife with any manner of minor inconsistancies: the swapping of Greek and Roman names for the gods of the Amazons, continuity disregarded, the strange riffs on female clothing of times past. But you gotta wonder what were they thinking here?

Oh, right. Because, everyone knows that the Amazons, a race of women who were so turned off by their subjugation at the hands of Heracles' men that they took leave of the World of Man...yah, they're the ones who're gonna be wearing golden testicle hats. Okay, hold on.

11:23 pm. I've read the issue. Those Amazons wearing the testicle helmets (they're a silver-blue inside...) were the ones who staged a coup against Hippolyta...but were, of course, roundly defeated by Wonder Woman in the end. It begins when they cause a US aircraft to be destroyed over the shores of Paradise Island and it's seen as act of war by many in the US. As a result, there's anti-Amazon rioting and Diana gets caught up in the midst of this mob scene, where she translates her Amazon credos in the slanguage of the times.

That's right, kids, "Rapping with your fists never accomplishes anything." Not until the next panel, anyway. WOK!

Drag Knight Detective

2007-03-28T19:34:00.000-04:00

Ah, the Seventies...what a fun time for our dark knight detective. Witness Batman #266, from 1974. This is another of my early issues, unearthed last night. A special favorite of mine, as it's an issue long story by Denny O'Neil, with art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. Catwoman is the villain of the feature and there's a derailed prison train, to boot.

And it features Batman in drag.

Yes, sure, I know, Bruce is a master of disguise. Often he's donned costumes to blend into the human landscape. But in this memorable instance, he goes undercover as Mrs. Bertha Carrington Bridgewater, owner of jewels, in hopes of flushing out the recently-escaped Catwoman.

Not only does he take the appearance of a middle-aged Texas matron, but a colorful one at that and you can tell from the dialogue that he's really acting this one out. Just look at that caftan!

Even the theatrically-trained Alfred looks a little askance as Bruce peels off the jewel-studded tiara and wig. Of course even the most experienced drag queens are impressed at how quickly Bruce transitions from "ole Bertie Suggins" to his more familiar night clothes.

Poor Selina Kyle, she doesn't get to do much in the story, except model that classic outfit of hers as she stands around, clawing the air with a cat-o-nine-tails. It's clear that she was actually thinking about going straight at this point, and her heart doesn't seem to be in it. But then, I wouldn't be the first to suggest that she owes that limited mobility to the high-heeled boots.

She does get a good claw into the hand of a Sonny Bono clone, while she is still in prisoner attire (before apparently unpacking the Costume, Cat Throne and ocelots back at her lair--I'm picturing her storage unit now), so her reputation's safe.

Introducing (and Reintroducing) Diana Prince

2007-03-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

This issue was my first introduction to Wonder Woman: #105 of The Brave and the Bold, February 1973 (I was eight years old!) with story by Bob Haney and art by the great Jim Aparo. In the story, Bruce Wayne suspects he is being gaslighted by a family from Gotham's Latin Quarter and calls in his friend Diana Prince for a little undercover action. She poses as a chaperone from a fictional agency and promptly "warms" her way into the unsuspecting family (who really aren't hatching a plot against Wayne).

Again, I remember trying to figure her out. This was Wonder Woman? She speaks about running a boutique, "when business is good". (Really, was there a time in the early 70s when mod stylish clothing wasn't vanishing off the shelves?) But I guess that was as good an excuse as any to be off adventuring, rather than selling clothes. And what about this "Amazon guardian angel" who appears? What?!? More than a little confusing.

This was a strange time in the Wonder Woman history. She'd renounced her Amazon immortality and god-given strengths in her grief following Steve Trevor's death and ran around taking the advice of a guy called I Ching (I kid you not!) and often seeming to act like a helpless female. If only she'd known that Trevor would twice be brought back from the dead before the Crisis eventually brought about her total reboot.

To be clear, though, whatever Diana's shortcomings at the time, she still held her own in battle at Batman's side...and they get the real villians of the piece exposed and captured in short order. But this appearance really didn't do too much for me as far as establishing Diana as a major player in the universe. Thankfully, that wouldn't come too much later.

* * *

It's fun to look at that time period again now, since the Diana Prince identity, as well as a variation on the white pantsuits of that time, are being revisited in current issues of Wonder Woman. Today's DP is decidedly more self-assured (and thanks to Terry and Rachel Dodson, more beautiful than ever!), of course, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

There's been no lack of internet furor about Allan Heinberg's run on the new Wonder Woman. I read the most recent issue (#4) this past weekend, and I'd like to add my Two Cents. I gotta say, I really like what he's been doing. Yes, the time delays have been dreadful and frustrating (and seemingly disrespectful of a character who, unfortunately, has been shown a lot of disrespect over the years--fortunately she's strong, she can take it.), but there's plenty of good here.

Mr. Heinberg's got his hands full writing Diana at this point in her history. Prior to the Infinite Crisis, she was forced to kill Max Lord to stop him controlling Superman and that will, for a time, change many things about the character. Her conversation during IC with the original Wonder Woman surely gave her even more to think about. While it sounds like the dream assignment for a WW fan/writer, really, its got to be a little bit of a nightmare, too. Do you say something completely new and ignore the recent past? Do you use up your shot rehashing what has come before? I've spent more than a few hours of this last year trying to imagine what story I'd choose to tell under the circumstances.

I can't help but wonder if Allan was somehow hamstrung by the mysteries surrounding the events of 52 and Diana's eventual appearances there. I'd love nothing more than for the last chapter of his story "Who is Wonder Woman" to come out soon and reveal that the delay in story-telling here somehow relates to the whole business of time anomolies in that other title ('cause you just know all the clamouring internet horde would be all "oh, we knew that's what he was doing--we love him" ).

It's true, the Dodsons' art is absolutely mesmerizing me, but one thing's clear: Heinberg writes a strong Diana. He has a good sense of who she is and what she believes in, and also seems to know what she's struggling against these days. In the past she has often been quick to leap into battle, but these days, a little more thought is required first. Under his pen, she hasn't done a single thing out of character...except maybe refer to Hercules (one point here, Allan: it really should be Heracles)with the respect of the title "Lord."

I look forward to the concluding chapter of this run, even though it's not likely to come out 'til the fall, just to see our Diana kick the butts of all those villains who swarm her in the last panel. (Another thing I'll say for Allan, he writes a heck of a cliffhanger!)

Superman: Hero of the Beach

2007-03-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

My first issue of Superman didn't come until 1973(*), when at age nine I purchased #267. It was, interestingly enough, a story (by Elliot S. Maggin, with art by Cary Swan)of global climate change. In this case, it was brought about by the gargoyle creatures shown on the cover, who are absorbing all the world's heat to survive.

After breaking up an iceberg or two, we catch up with Clark, who's having a day at the beach with Lois and Steve Lombard, blow-hard sportscaster from WGBS TV. We see Clark endure a remake of the old Charles Atlas advertisement which was a staple in comics at the time (see the original below), before Superman learns through Steve's visiting nephew of the existence of the creatures under the North Pole.

Once Supes figures out their plight, he's only too happy to help, creating a device to help them capture sunlight which is being wasted in the vacuum of space...thereby saving the world and the so-called villians. This story gets extra points for being done in one issue...and as a bonus, there's a "Private Life of Clark Kent" back-up feature that's pretty amusing.

* There'd been plenty of Batman by then. Mom confirms he was the favorite back then, that I had my first Batman shirt at age 2, and was pretty young when they took the show off the air and I wrote the network a letter to let them know what a bad idea it was. Heh heh.

Expanding Horizons

2007-03-31T23:28:00.000-04:00

I'm continuing the sorting business in the basement as free time allows. I've chosen a few of the longer running titles I've collected, and am currently sorting THOSE titles out from the rest of the masses, and consolidating those that remain. Right now I've got seperate boxes going for Justice League of America (and all its later incarnations and spin-off titles), Flash, Green Lantern, Firestorm, assorted Teen Titans titles and the All-Star Squadron.

It's helping me get a better sense of how much of everything there is, but also allowing me to get rid of some of the smaller boxes as things start falling into their appropriate categories. And of course many covers are familiar and ring distant memories of great stories (or in a few cases, real stinkers), while others seem brand new to me. What fun it will be to re-read them all (well, most of the them...) once they've fallen into consecutive order.

I also managed a quick trip to Hyannis yesterday to pick up a package of backing boards and a fresh supply of polybags, so I'll be able to begin rehabilitating those issues I come across which have suffered some in storage.

* * *

Tonight, I'll feature this issue, Flash #241, from May 1976. By then I was twelve and had gotten a pretty good introduction to Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and my attentions turned to some of their peers. This was a great two-for-one issue, since it featured both Flash and Green Lantern for my thirty cents (YEESH!).

This issue features the story, "Steal, Flash, Steal" by Cary Bates, with art by Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin.

It's a fun little tale from the Barry Allen days. Mirror Master has created a trick mirror which hypnotizes Flash into believing he's a villian and the MM has decided to build public support for himself by posing as the hero who's trying to bring the theiving Flash to justice...

At home, Barry's wife Iris burns through shirts as she attempts to iron while watching the news, and enlists the caretaker of the Flash museum to go to Barry's aid...which he does, disguised as another of Flash's rogues, Heat Wave. Eventually, Barry figures out what's happening, when he realizes that he is never nervous when the police appear on the scene (being a police scientist himself), but the Mirror Master always gets fidgety. A simple tale, to be sure, but definitely an enjoyable one.

As I mentioned before, there's a Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) back-up solo story, also. It's typical outer space fare, really (story by Denny O'Neil, with excellent art by Mike Grell), about a minor mission of mystery GL is sent on by one of the Guardians, in which he witnesses the extinguishing of a distant sun and must rekindle its fire.

It's an odd little tale...made no less confusing by the fact that GL is accompanied on his journey by a little flower creature on his shoulder, called (appropriately) Itty. And when Hal has completed the task, he falls asleep in the vacuum of space, protected, we assume, by the power of his ring and then we're out of panels.

I wonder how well you can sleep, drifting out there in the cosmos...?

World's Finest

2007-04-06T00:47:00.000-04:00

Continuing to sort through the old comics, and have now come across a cache of old World's Finest issues, which often featured a team up of Superman and Batman (like peanut butter cups, two great tastes that go great together!). This one, #219, was my first of this particular title, dated September-October 1973.

It features a story by Bob Haney, with art by Dick Dillin and Frank Giacoia, titled "The Prisoner of Rogues Rock". Our heroes learn of a creature, El Monstro, who has appeared in South America, leaving treasure and gold from a long-lost Nazi treasure sub.

In a Sign of the Times moment, and totally uncharacteristically, Superman exclaims "far out!" after hearing the story, and they're off. Supes spends some time searching the ocean floor for the sub, in the process gathering up assorted wrecks and sending them into a deep chasm in the ocean floor, while Batman hires a guide to lead him into the tropical jungles, who promptly double-crosses him.

Batman is rescued by El Monstro, who it turns out was once a human, who was wrongly arrested, but managed to escape from prison using some strange jungle herb to avoid breathing underwater.

Of course it is the herb which causes the transformation into El Monstro...and although this story remains unconcluded in this issue, we do get a nice surprise moment towards the end, as El Monstro takes a bit of the herb again, and is briefly transformed into the beautiful woman it original was...shocking both our sexist heroes.

A back-up offers an uncredited solo story featuring Rex Mason, AKA Metamorpho, the Element Man. A mad bomber is continually planting bombs in various properties of Simon Stagg, and Rex is called on to find each of them. It turns out that Rex is actually the made bomber, as some defect in his broad chemical make-up has caused a split personality...which is cured by some kind of glop-bath, in time for him to rescue his girlfriend Sapphire from the last bomb. Like the character of Metamorpho isn't odd enough, this was a terrifically confusing introduction to another hero in the DC Universe.

Coming soon: I discover the Justice League of America.

War of the Giants

2007-04-09T22:41:00.000-04:00

Here's another blast from the past, DC Special #19, December-January 1975-1976. DC Special took old stories from the DC archives and grouped them thematically. This one was the "War of the Giants", and full of fun-a-plenty. Sadly, no information was included in this volume about when the stories had originally been printed. I didn't care about that back then, but I'd be more interested to know now.

First up was a Superman tale, "Eterno the Immortal" (story by Jim Shooter with art by Wayne Boring), in which the ever-bumbling Superman Revenge Squad revive a giant metal robot, which had conveniently been long dormant below the Earth's mantle, loosing it via a volcano that bursts through the ground just outside the Metropolis city limits. For a while, it seems like Eterno will beat our Man of Steel, but eventually, the Revenge Squad messes up and Eterno accidentally hears them say they are using him as a puppet, and the rampaging robot turns his wrath on their rocketship. Before long, their mutual destruction is assured, leaving Kal-El to clean up the mess.

Second is a Green Lantern tale by John Broome, "Captive of the Evil Eye" with truly classic art from Gil Kane. Hal Jordan has left Ferris Aircraft for a job in the Pacific Northwest as a claims adjustor, and when he's sent out to the site of a meteor crash to report on damage to timberlands, he discovers the 300 foot tall alien giant Thotan, who has been sent to Earth by the Nabgorians, who are at war with the Joxandans (I'm not making this up!). Thotan's mission is to inhale all the oxygen on Earth, so it may be used to poison the atmosphere of the ammonia-breathing Joxandans' planet. Hal gets sucked into the giant, and seems to be trapped there, until he's able to engineer a sneeze by which he escapes. His ring brings his size up to Thotan's and the battle is a short one...and the story quickly wraps with Thotan's delivery back to the Nabgorians, along with a stern warning from Hal that the next invader will get worse.

Our third tale, "The Indestructible Giant" is a non-super hero story by Jack Miller, with art by Gil Kane and Sy Barry. "From out of the unknown" (was this originally offered in "Tales of the Unknown", I wonder??) a giant appears on Earth, rampaging across the countryside, derailing trains, upending cruise ships, knocking over buildings and trampling humans. The government tries everything to no avail, and only a chance lightning storm reveals a weakness to electricity. A lightning cannon is jerry-rigged and kills the giant. And only after his death do they discover that the dreadful weapons he seems armed with are fake, and he is apparently only a child.

The last story in the volume is my favorite, of course, featuring Wonder Woman in an odd tale of "The Human Charm Bracelet" by Bob Kanigher with art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Diana Prince is working for Army Intelligence, wearing cat-eye glasses, and trying to remember why the date June 19th is supposed to be important to her.

Meanwhile, on Planet G, home of the space giants (really, folks...Planet G!!! No wonder they didn't have trouble meeting deadlines back in the old days...)a Giants Olympics is being held. The competition includes events like whale riding and submarine fishing, and Tooroo is quickly declared the champion, and receives the planet Earth as a plaything. Before he departs, his giant girlfriend Rikkaa asks him to bring back a souvenir for her charm bracelet, "not the Empire State Building, but something really novel--unusual--unique!"

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Diana has become Wonder Woman. Some captured spies are attempting escape with a helicopter, and she leaps into the fray to protect Steve Trevor...impressively balancing atop the spinning rotors of the helicopter. Of course she makes short work of them...while her mother Hippolyta watches her daughter on the Omni-Screen, concerned that Diana has not yet remembered the importance of the day.

By now, Tooroo arrives on the planet, menacing both boats and planes as he attempts to find the right charm for Rikkaa's bracelet. Wonder Woman attempts to engage him, but discovers that her lasso has lost its special powers. She suddenly realizes that it must be after ten a.m. on June 19th...which means (for no readily explicable reason) that all her special weapons against crime have lost their power for 24 hours. Apparently that's the day they recharge or something...

Tooroo quickly captures the Invisible Plane, with Wonder Woman and Steve inside and they are taken off planet and gassed by "insidious fumes". They wake up later to discover that they and all of Diana's accessories, including the plane, have been made charms on a special bracelet. This is classic stuff.

To Tooroo's public embarrassment, Diana challenges him to an Olympics competition to regain her and Steve's freedom. It seems an impossible challenge, without her special weapons, but they don't call her Wonder Woman for nothing, and she manages to match Tooroo in each of the proscribed events. When she has won the tournament, she claims Planet G as her prize, and when the nervous giants ask what she will ask of them, she replies:

"Just because you are big, doesn't mean you can disregard the rights of those who are smaller than you! It is my command that you respect the rights of others and live in peace." Chagrined, they thank her for teaching the lesson and wish she and Steve a safe trip home to Earth.

I believe that this was the first comic book I read to feature Wonder Woman with her powers and costumes...although this costume featured the red lace-up sandels and hair-encircling tiara of an earlier generation. Despite the confusion about the bizarre June 19th business, it was a nice, proper introduction for me to the Amazing Amazon.

Signs

2007-04-25T01:36:00.000-04:00

I know, it's been a little while. Sorry about that. That JLA post will come along shortly. Tonight, though, i just wanted to say that when you put the right random pieces of the puzzle together, life can be pretty surreal.

Today, a Serbian scientist announced his recent discovery of kryptonite, although he's decided to call it something else.

Which is probably because the astronomers who discovered this planet in 2005 didn't recognize it as Krypton, at least partly due to its not having exploded and sent its last son our way...yet.

Further proof of the return of the Multiverse.

UPDATING, 4/30/07:

Okay, and now this whole business is getting just a little creepy, now that they've discovered the Fortress of Solitude in Mexico.

I Meet The Justice League

2007-05-03T10:43:00.000-04:00

Ah, 1976. It was our country's bicentennial. There were tall ships and parades and fireworks and celebrations galore. I wore a tri-corn hat and knickers myself on more than one occasion. It was quite a lot of fun.

By then the Super Friends were on Saturday morning TV, so I kind of knew who the Justice League was. That summer, DC released a number of over-sized comic books, all reprints of earlier stories.

Here were all the world's greatest heroes (well, most of them), coming together to save the world one way or another. 1963's "Decoy Missions of the Justice League" starts things off, featuring (alphabetically from the Roll Call) Aquaman, Atom, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, J'onn J'onzz (the Martian Manhunter) Superman and Wonder Woman (with a special guest appearance from Adam Strange) in a tight little encounter with the bug-eyed alien Kanjar Ro, story by Gardener Fox, with art by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.

The second tale (from 1965)related "The Deadly Dreams of Dr. Destiny", featuring another great JLA villian, who went on to some fame in a few memorable issues of Sandman at the end of the last century. The roll call this time out included Atom, Batman, Hawkman, Snapper Carr, Superman and Wonder Woman.

What a classic pair of stories...and such a great introduction to the Justice League. DC really knew what they were doing when they released these. There were four pages of character sketchs from Super Friends, as well as a double-page centerfold featuring the entire 18 person full roster of the JLA in their satellite headquarters. This stuff was like crack to me.

From knowing just a few heroes, I'd known been introduced to all the world's greatest super heroes...and now I was hooked and interested in all of their adventures. With this one over-sized edition, DC had created an addict...uh, that is to say...a fan for life.

Even better, the back cover of the magazine offered the mirror image of the front cover shot...only featuring the parallel versions of our heroes from World War II...though it would probably be another couple of years before I learned that they now lived on something called Earth Two. (Please, give a kid a couple years to get through puberty before you break out that complicated sh*t...)

Childhood finances being what they were (and other comics to be collected), it was a year before I picked up my first "in-continuity" issue of JLA, that being #143 in June of 1977.

I'm glad to say it was a Giant-sized issue, with 80 pages for sixty cents! This was "A Tale of Two Satellites", featuring a particularly large roll call, adding Black Canary and Elongated Man, with special guest appearances from Hawkgirl and Mark Shaw, Manhunter, who by then was calling himself the Privateer.

Our story, by Steve Englehart, with art by Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin, begins with a blowout between Superman and Wonder Woman, since her performance is being a little heavily monitored and critiqued by other Leaguers.

I always thought they portrayed her here a little...shall we say...premenstrual (and who's to say she wasn't? Not that there's anything wrong with that.)...but she's still Wonder Woman. Just listen to her roar. She actually quits the team!

Diana teleports to Earth and all too quickly finds herself in the midst of a bank heist by Poison Ivy and Scarecrow, in which she and Mark Shaw cross paths. After the villians escape, he takes her out for dinner and she pours out her heart about about the JLA but when he doesn't say quite the right thing in response, she goes nuts and starts flipping tables over in the restaurant. It actually sounds more like menopause, doesn't it? It's always the waitstaff who suffer.

Anyway, the portrayal seems a little one-note and stereotypically female, until we learn that an alien construct...called Construct II, has recently taken over the satellite headquarters of the Injustice Gang, and has all of them (Ivy, Scarecrow, Mirror Master, Chronos, and the Tattooed Man) under mind control...and now add the Amazon to the unwilling army, which (say it with me, people) Construct II will use to rule the earth.

The JLA breaks down after Diana leaves and the heroes break off into smaller groups...and are eventually attacked by one of these villians. And of course, Mind Control Wonder Woman returns to the satellite and gets to kick some kryptonian ass. It's amazing that she and Superman didn't destroy the satellite, considering the damage the two did in the much more recent "Sacrifice" storyline, but Supes does realize that she's not herself, so he's holding back. In fact, he's concerned that her condition may kill her.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team have regrouped, compared notes and realize that they are being lured into a trap at the IG satellite, and so arrive by the backdoor, using GL's trademark green bubble to make a surprise entrance, and then...

...Fight Scene!!

The bad guys actually do pretty well with their sneak attacks, but clearly they're outnumbered by the full roster of the JLA.

Their defeat takes about a full page and then they've destroyed the infested IG satellite and Wonder Woman is freed of mind control: "a suddenly liberated lady is sobbing softly in Superman's comforting arms." and just in time, we run out of pages.

Free Comic Book Day!

2007-05-05T23:18:00.000-04:00

Had an enjoyable and productive trip to Hyannis this morning. I needed assorted supplies for the garden and so I combined that with a visit to Borders, for a few graphic novels I'd ordered, as well as the latest issues of both Wonder Woman #8 and Amazons Attack. These are really hitting their stride now. It's becoming more obvious that Jodi Picoult is setting up Nemesis to be a potential Steve Trevor type to Diana, which is something she's long needed.

She's got a relationship growing between these two characters that has a sort of "Dave and Maddie" feel to it, for those of you ancient enough to recall the classic, but ill-fated Moonlighting. It seems like that could give us entertainment and good stories for some time to come.

To get myself excited about the arrival of Gail Simone as the new regular writer for this series, the graphic novels were actually two Birds of Prey collections, as well as the Secret Six mini-series, all featuring her work. I've read such great things, I'm really sort of looking forward to wrapping up this entry and going off to do a bit of reading!

In other current comics news, I've been reading all the online reviews, synopses, etc., of the final issue of 52, which came out this week. It sounds to have been a suitably big finish, with the "return" of an all-new Multiverse. Ah, the possibilities!!! Can't wait to read the trades on this...but will have to practice patience, since the first of the four volumes of the series won't be available 'til the end of the month.

Meanwhile...most importantly, today was Free Comic Book Day and so the highlight of the Hyannis run was my visit to Newbury Comics, where I was in need of a few more packages of polybags for the collections, and also picked out my five titles from the special display rack.

For the uninitiated, this event happens every May and its just great. In an effort to bring in some new fans, most comic publishers prepare a special issue which is available at stores for free that day. At Newbury, the limit was five. I picked mine out with my pal Sebastian in mind. He's eight and will hopefully enjoy my choices...and not mind that I gave them a quick and careful read before delivering them to him!

Super Moms

2007-05-13T04:10:00.000-04:00

Some moms are nurturers, taking children to their heart and doing everything they can to help their child fit into the world. They try to teach goodness and fairness and encourage their children to be a good example themselves.

Other mom's sacrifice the joy of having their children near them, for the sake of the world at large. They worry about their children and wonder if they've made the right decisions.

And no matter the length of each mom's life, they are always taken too soon. They can only hope that the examples they have set in the time they had are taken to heart by their mourning children.

Moms come in all shapes, sizes, colors and temperments. Today, I salute them all, but especially my own Super Mom. She comes to the title with qualifications quite diverse and I wish her a Super Mother's Day!!

Ivy Did It!

2007-07-19T00:08:00.000-04:00

Would that I could blame Pamela Isley for my long absence from these pages. It was however, Poison Ivy, which snuck up on me unawares in the garden around mid-May.

I'd spent the first 42 of my years suspecting that I might be immune to the stuff, considering the sheer number of times I've wandered unwittingly into great drifts of the Leaves of Three, without ill effect.

Suddenly, this year, poison ivy is my kryptonite. Go figure. They say global warming is responsible for the plant's new potency and is effecting folks who've never been bothered before, so it would seem I've become a global statistic.

The Garden itself, has also been drawing me away from the business of organizing the old comic collection...but that was sort of a given as spring turned to summer. Plus June's exceedingly busy at work...and the weather's so nice. I've hardly even been able to keep up with all the blossoms.

I have now had the chance to read the first trade paperback collection of "52", and even though I know where the story's going, what a great read. It's absolutely worth the wait...anticipating the second volume's release in a week or so (tho to be honest, more immediately, I'm all about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).

I am still trying to stay abreast of developments in the DC Universe/Megaverse, through the wonder of the Internet. It's a mess, frankly, but it interests me. Everything seems convoluted at the moment, but I really do have this feeling that they've got some over-arching plan for the next year...and that (beyond the Crisis of Infinite Crossovers weariness...glad I'll be able to find things bundled in trades in a year or so...)we'll find that everything makes sense...or at least suitably entertained us. They are, after all, just comic books, right?

(But Amazons Attack?! I'm reserving judgement there. I'm not exactly sure how I foresee this coming out so that it's not a public relations nightmare for Themiscyra. Thank the gods that soon we'll have Gail Simone showing us the way on Wonder Woman!)

There's so many good resources for following what's going on, but I've recently come out as being rather fond of Ami Angelwings. If you aren't reading her review blogs, I can only ask, why the heck not? Her "text speak" style takes a little mental translation, but then she's just great.

I don't know much about this Squirrel Girl, but I sure like what I see.

And I just love love love that she gets around in something called a "squirrel-a-gig"!! Chee!!

I'm interested by some of the more thoughtful discussion on the internet about DC's latest teaser image about the upcoming "Final Crisis". I can't help but wonder (I know...ha ha) about the possibility of these being dopplegangers from one or more of the 52 earths. You'll note I'm sure, as I have, that Diana's wearing the classic silver age high heeled boots here.

But to be honest, this image from the upcoming Justice League of America #14 excites me a little more. Somehow, it feels like many a cover from my childhood. Plus, I like the colors, particularly in the shadows at the top--shame they'll be covered by the logo.

In Your Woolen Tights, Fighting For Our Rights...

2007-09-10T02:04:00.000-04:00

A knitting friend recently turned me on to the good work of Kirsty, and the lovely Wonder Woman jumper (or sweater, as we say here in the colonies...)she has created. It is, dare I say, quite wonderful. I'm especially fond of the way she's made the stars all different sizes. We all await word that she's being courted by the world's top clothiers.

If you'd like to see the jumper (and Kirsty) in some action poses, then surf on over to Practical Polly and check it out! If you're feeling industrious, you can get some hints about the pattern while you're there!!

What I Wouldn't Give For A Sorting Hat...

2007-10-01T02:13:00.000-04:00

With recent news of a possible move coming down the road for us, I was able to spend some time this weekend down in the basement, sorting through the collection, dividing things down into individual categories.

This time out, as you can see, various versions of The Flash were sorted into their own box. You can see above some of the collection highlights, Flash #350, featuring the conclusion (almost) of the Barry Allen story...and also Flash #1, when Wally West picked up the crimson mantle.

They are joined in a box with assorted issues of Firestorm, Hawkman(and Hawkworld!), and most naturally, Impulse (we bow our heads and remember Bart). Yes, it's sort of a random grouping, but Firestorm was featured in a back-up of Barry's title back in the 80s.

Most other titles have now been sorted into individual (if not yet chronological) stacks, with the big exception being about four cartons of assorted titles all related to either Batman or Superman. I know...odd that I didn't sort them out first...but their titles are so numerous, it seemed wise to work into their stuff.

Will need to make another longbox run to Newbury Comics soon, as I've filled the nine boxes so far, and will likely need another five or so for the rest. Good lord, what a collection. But at least stored this way, it will be easier to tote when the time comes to re-settle somewhere.

New Earth Now

2007-10-04T02:23:00.000-04:00

Oh, it's fun what you can find in the news! For example, this story in which scientists claim to have discovered the formation of a "new Earth". It so closely follows the theme of Real Life (so-called) becoming more like Comics (see my post of April 24th) that I have to believe that these astronomers and such are fans of DC.

What they mean, of course, is that they believe they have found the formation of a possible earth-like planet. But what if it did turn out to be a parallel of ours, just out of whack in the timeline. How bizarre the world is.

To be fair, though, I'm glad people are spending some time looking for other planets that might be like Earth out there. The way things are going, we may need to find a new one sometime soon. What if the "Great Disaster" is global warming?

More likely, I'm inclined to believe its got something to do with the recent revival of the Anti-Monitor, of all people. As always, I'm following the progress in my favorite titles via la Internet, lying in wait for the eventual release of the trades. And you know, Countdown is really starting to pick up the pace as far as the story goes...though it does seem to have spawned an almost unseemly amount of crossover/spin-offs.

I'm choosing to have some faith that eventually as this continues to unfold and mesh with other supposedly stand-alone stories like The Sinestro Corps War and such (for the record, I'm terribly sorry the Amazons Attacked. That does seem like a big gaffe. But sadly, not to be expected in the history of our Amazon's treatment at the hands of the comic creators of Man's World.)as it all builds toward the (oh, dare we hope...) Final Crisis in 2008.

Admittedly, this is a little on the gratuitous side...but I just love this Countdown cover art. (And I'm surprised Sally hasn't addressed it in more detail over at Green Lantern Butts, but then again, it might've been amongst the scans lost in the Great Housekeeping Disaster, too, so we shan't mention it again.)

Not only does it ensure that Kyle seems to have come out on the far side of Parallax okay, but its one of the great images of him. Of course, I'm also amused (as others online are, too) that everyone else seems to be checking out Kyle's goods in this particular shot.

Of the three onlookers, only Donna probably knows what she's really looking at...but doesn't Jason Todd seem kind of surprisingly interested? I'm just saying, it adds another layer of subtext/plot to this whole business of his crushing on Donna. I'm not sure it will do us any good to act surprised when one of the Dark Knight's former teen sidekicks turns out to be at least bisexual.

Of course, Bob's a monitor, so there's no telling what he's seen.

"Explosion"

2007-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

While doing a bit of late-night blogsurfing last night (if you have a blogger account, check your dashboard for the new BlogPlay feature, which scrolls through the newest photos uploaded to peoples' blogs! It's brilliant!!!), I discovered this breath-taking image by Tuan Hoang, who describes himself as an environmental and concept artist.

There wasn't much context, leaving me free to imagine that Tuan is another brilliant painter who's painting visions of the future, just as Isaac Mendez was last season on "HEROES". And then I remembered that Sylar killed Mr. Is-aac last year, which makes me a little sad.

Still, I wanted to share Tuan's image here, so you will hopefully find it and surf over for a look at some of his other work, which is equally stunning, including a recently-added photo of something that looks like one of those Martian invasion vehicles in action.

Snapshots

2007-10-09T01:25:00.001-04:00

The image above is Showcase #97, a pre-Crisis title that showed Power Girl emerging as a solo hero in her own right.

Spent today in the basement, moving forward on the organization process of the collection. I seem to have passed the halfway mark, as there are more comics properly long-boxed than not at this point. Still the Batman and Superman titles alone will probably take up four more boxes just by their lonesome.

Having spent the day in the company of assorted musty and moldy old boxes (who nonetheless have done a good job of protecting the collection through a variety of varying-quality storage situations), I have a bit of a headache and I'm not really feeling up to a full review of any random issues...I thought I would share some scenes of the work in progress, and some of my discoveries.

And then there's this finale image from Legends #6. This was the first crossover event post-Crisis, and I remember it was a bit of a relief to see all the major players on the same page together again! It was the start of Bad Costume Time for Black Canary (pictured here between Wonder Woman, Batman and Captain Marvel...and due to some poor perspective, appearing to be about ten years old...).

Now this I was particularly happy to find: The Question #1, and Blue Beetle #5. Both of these guys were new to me as the dust settled from the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and while I waited for the start of things like George Perez' Wonder Woman or John Byrne's Superman...these titles began first, and introduced me to heroes of the former Charlton comics, who'd recently been "folded" into the DC Universe.

Blue Beetle quickly took the comedy route in the pages of Justice League, but The Question, man, Vic Sage or Charlie, he was the real deal. I wish that I could take the time to re-read all those stories now that I've got them all in one place, and in the right order...but other things beckon just now, and so I'll have to wait.

I just this weekend read 52 Volume 3, the trade of last year's brilliant weekly series. What a great story (or collection of them, really...) they tell. I found this shortly after reading Vic's death scene in those pages. So sad to see him go, but--unlike so many vocal internet fans (is there another kind?)--I'm really kind of grooving on the idea of Renee Montoya taking up the dermaskin mask and seeking some answers.

As for Blue Beetle, well, Ted Kord was also sadly lost to us recently in the lead-up to Infinite Crisis...and his loss was a big one, too. However, I also highly approve of Jamie Reyes adventures as the all-new and different Blue Beetle; the latest trade of that title is actually sitting high on my reading pile at the moment and I look forward to diving in.

Boxes of Progress

2007-10-14T22:42:00.000-04:00

Well, as you can see, the sorting process is moving along well, as a result of a few minutes here, a half an hour there and the occasional multiple hour session. I've managed to sort the bulk of my comic collection into a dozen different longboxes. I've left the image large, so you can try to souse the logic behind why certain things are stored together...but to be honest, there's a randomness, too. Sometimes, it was just a matter of what run of titles happened to fit in the available space remaining.

But I tried to keep some thematic sense about things, too. Solo titles by characters from various Titans titles are grouped with those titles. Same with the various versions of the Justice League and their stars. Assorted Legion of Super Heroes titles are collected with related mini-series, and a few crossovers which threatened to impact timelines and/or The Future. Spooky titles like Spectre and the Demon got a box together. You get my drift.

Still remaining in the project (and make no mistake, it's a pretty vast chunk of the collection) are titles featuring both Superman and Batman and their costars. At the moment, I'm guessing another four or five boxes may do the trick. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I also stumbled across this issue of Whiz Comics 102, dated October 1948. It's possibly the oldest book in the entire collection, something I stumbled across at a flea market a number of years back.

The cover, featuring Captain Marvel facing off against the Dangerous Dollar is a classic piece of late Golden Age magic. How cool and surreal it might've been if Cap had actually been going up against an animated, human-sized dollar bill...but I suppose they might've gotten letters from the folks over at Dick Tracy for that kind of frivolity.

Inside, Billy Batson finds a dollar that the breeze carries to his feet, and he is quickly set upon by assorted gangsters looking to reclaim it. Of course he says the magic word ("SHAZAM!") and makes short work of these thugs, but then recognizes the mystery at hand, and before long figures out that one of these gangsters has hidden a considerable sum of loot, and the directions for finding said cache are coded onto the face of the bill.

Now, for ten cents, you got an awful lot of comic back then. In addition to this Shazam tale, there's also a post-war adventure of Commando Yank (yawn), an old West adventure of the Golden Arrow (double-yawn), four pages of inanity from Colonel Corn and Korny Kobb (puns too dreadful to mention, as their names suggest) and a seven page tale of Ibis the Invincible being turned into a bat.

You know, in light of all that (even for a dime)it's no wonder Fawcett Comics went out of business.

Then and Now

2007-10-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

First, another random discovery while making sense of the Collection: Freedom Fighters #5, cover dated December 1976. I don't think I bought this one off the racks, tho certainly the prominent display of Wonder Woman (hey, big surprise: she wasn't really dead!) suggests that as a possibility. I think rather this was one of a collection of issues I received in a trade with someone who preferred the Marvel issues in my collection which didn't really interest me.

In any case, it's a dramatic cover, but the story inside is a little wanting. Bob Rozakis gets the writing credits, and I really "knew" him better from his Answer Man column in the back of DC titles later in the seventies. You could write him your queries about continuity and such and he'd be glad to set you as straight as was possible. Of course, in those pre-Crisis days, the "imaginary story" possibility was thrown around a lot.

And it's interesting that he was writing the Freedom Fighters in light of that, because there seems to be a little bit of a continuity wonk going on here. It's hard to be sure exactly on which Earth (yes, there were many back then...)this story takes place...though the presence of Wonder Woman suggests Earth One or Two...probably One, owing to some minimal visual cues in the interior artwork of Ramona Fradon which suggest more present-day than historical context.

But since I've only got the single issue, I can't be sure where the story was supposed to be set. After all, by then, the Freedom Fighters would long ago have migrated to Earth X from Earth 2 to fight the Nazis...but I don't believe there ever was a Wonder Woman on that Earth, so perhaps they came to Earth 1...or maybe it was just a big goof. Whatevs, this was exactly the sort of compound confusion the Crisis was designed to fix.

(Shame, though, that Ray Thomas and the gang at All-Star Squadron worked so hard to tell that tale properly ten years later, only shortly before the Multiverse got the finger, making it all a little moot...)

Still, it was fun to find this issue so soon after having read the recent Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters miniseries trade. There's no doubt that the FF are in proper continuity now (tho thanks to the appetite of Mr. Mind/Evil Skeets, it sounds as though there are TWO sets of Freedom Fighters out there...)
and I surely enjoyed this series, and look forward to seeing where this group goes from here, now that they're getting another regular series and will be dealing with the seemingly ill-planned Amazons Attack aftermath.

The story in the mini gives Uncle Sam and the Gang (most of them killed in the opening pages of Infinite Crisis, to be re-invented here) some new relevance in our post-911, post-Bludhaven/Crisis world, as they join together to take on the dark forces of S.H.A.D.E. (Super Human Advance Defense Executive), a team of meta-humans authorized by the President of the US, who's now been replaced with some alien machine creature who's running the country into the ground. Oh, if only the troubles in the current Executive Office were so easily explained.

Still, it's a rollicking story through the fresh environments of New Earth, which for the purposes of this story have more similarities with our "real" world than we usually see. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have woven a tale to recreate these great heroes, in a way that manages to draw some sharp parallels to the troubles of this dimension that's entertaining, too. I have to admit I nearly stood up and cheered when the new Firebrand (he's okay, but he's no Danette Reilly!)says,

"The war is a big oil-sucking lie and people are dying by the truckload because of it. The whole world knows there were no warehouses packed with nuclear warheads, no underground vats of bio-toxins, no super-agents dropping from the sky like human bombs. Our nation is anesthetized and divided but somehow our leaders are not ashamed."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? Sure I like my comics as Escapism the same as anyone, but its also nice to see some real world issues addressed from time to time, especially when we have so very many to spare. In fact, as we watch President Gonzo execute sacrifice innocent Americans in terrorist attacks to discredit meta-humans and begin to circle around the Constitution for the kill, having your president replaced by an alien/machine actually begins to seem one of the more reasonable explanations for the past six years in our world.

Daniel Acuna is the artist and his style seems to reflect well the dark and bright contrasts of this all-out fight to preserve the integrity of the United States.

Sunday Snapshots

2007-10-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

Before heading off to other things on this sunny Sunday, I thought I'd share a few glimpses of the collection which have floated to the surface during the continuing organization.

First is this issue above. Although the cover title is "Firestorm the Nuclear Man", this is actually The Fury of Firestorm #54, from December of 1986. I've always been a fan of Firestorm--he was one of the first new heroes to show up on the scene once I'd really begun to explore the DC Multiverse, and he was the first new member to join the Justice League during my reading tenure. This is a fun, but silly, done-in-one issue in which Ronnie and the Professor (the two personalities fused together to form the Nuclear Man at the time) work together against a sort of punk-era Maestro named Trash, who's controlling young people with his mesmerizing music.

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life rounded with a sleep."

Next up on the tour is The Sandman #75, from March 1996, the grand finale of Neil Gaiman's brilliant run on the series. This issue really deserves more attention than I'll give it here just now, due to the day's format, but it numbers among the finest in a run that was all top-notch.

In the early pages of Gaiman's masterful storyline, Dream of the Endless overhears a young Will Shakespeare telling Kit Marlowe that he'd "give anything to give men dreams that would live on long after I'm dead." and strikes a bargain with him: in exchange, the Bard will craft two plays during his career for Dream, commission works. The first we'd long ago seen, a gift to Titania of The Mid-Summernight's Dream, and in this issue, we see an aged Will write the last, The Tempest, as he reflects on his career and his life and eventually is brought to the Dreaming for a farewell visit with his patron.

Truly great stuff here!!

A few years earlier, Gaiman had ridden the success of The Sandman onto other projects, such as the four-issue miniseries, The Books of Magic (the cover of #4 presented here)in 1991. In the series, the "Trenchcoat Brigade" (The Phantom Stranger, John Constantine, Doctor Occult and Mister E) lead the young Tim Hunter on a tour of the magical world of the DC Universe, so that he may choose a way of magic or not.

Finally, with the recent return of Captain Carrot and his pals (please, DC, be sure to put this mini-series in trade!!) I'm happy to feature this fourth cover, of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #7, as the Captain, Rubber Duck, Yankee Poodle, Alley Cat-abra, Fastbak and Pig Iron face the menace of Bow-zar the Barkbarian!! Woo hoo!!

Great news that they are "in continuity" now that there are 52 Universes to play with. Oh, please, oh please, let them all survive the Final Crisis!!

bat-love

2007-10-22T23:28:00.000-04:00

I recently realized that because I've been saving the assorted Bat-related titles in my collection for the end of the sorting, it's been a while since there's been any Bat-love on this blog. Today, I thought I'd address that issue.

I've been reading the trades of 52, the groundbreaking weekly series from last year. What a great trip it's been. So many terrific characters, and high on that list for me is Batwoman. It's about time they reinvented the character; that she's a lesbian, too, is just gravy!

I think it's a shame that so much time has passed since the conclusion of 52 and to my knowledge (reading only trades, I rely on others reviews to keep me in the know) there's not yet been a scene in which Batman acknowledges she exists. True, he's had other things on his hands, and at least Nightwing has made the effort (though we can't rule out that being just the Grayson's fascination with redheads).

Anyway, here's one of the new Batwoman's first appearances. I look forward to hearing more (and eventually reading) about her role in the upcoming Gotham Underground, in which she appears on the cast list in solicitations from DC.

For perspective, I thought it'd be fun to compare our new daredoll (check out those boot heels!!) against the original(check out that Bat-purse!!), as seen here on the cover of Detective 233, dated July 1956.

I'm sorry to say I didn't actually learn of the original Batwoman until after she'd died at the hands of Ras Al Ghul's League of Assassins, although that happened right about the time I was really getting into comics.

Interesting to note that this new Batwoman has also already (at least apparently) been killed by someone from the League of Assassins...but I've got a feeling that's not going to stop her!

Why Steve Trevor Had to Die...

2007-10-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

Harken back with me once more to the steamy summer days of the Bicentennial and this comic, Four Star Spectacular #3, dated August 1976. FSS was another publication of the time, like DC Special and Showcase, which was retreading stories from the recent past (at least these days they make an attempt at re-writing, eh?). Included here are stories of Superboy and Green Lantern, but for our purposes this evening, we'll discuss only the Wonder Woman story.

This is another of those Robert Kanigher stories, from somewhere in 1958 or '59, with art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Although the stories of the time are often a bit wonky one way or another, but I do enjoy the art. Diana--tho the styles of the years have changed--has always been a beautiful woman.

Too often, though, she seems to have forsaken the wisdom of Athena, as is the case here, when she foolishly accepts a wager with Steve. He proposes that, if Wonder Woman has to save him three times during the course of one day, then she has to marry him. (What the?! The "I'm such a doufus you have to marry me" thing never works...)

So, anyway, she accepts this dumb bet, and *big surprise*, she has to start rescuing Trevor, and each time he's gloating about their impending matrimony, and you know, you can really see Diana considering braining this mouthy bastard.

It doesn't take long as a reader to get tired of him, either. Really, why was she hanging around this self-important rube? I guess because he was the first Man she'd ever seen...and she imprinted on him like a duckling.

Although more likely she just realized from their first meeting in his crashing plane that here was a creature who was absolutely incapable of taking care of himself and so she'd better hang around and try to make sure that he didn't die.

Of course she saves him three times, but whew, they discover that it's actually been slightly more than the 24 hours designated in the terms of the bet, and so Diana remains a free...er, single...woman.

In re-reading this story, I began to think this matrimony business had been a real obsession with Steve Trevor, and looking back through a few other stories from that era, I quickly found two more examples to share.

Here, Wonder Woman's been defeated by a robotic version of herself, and so the world no longer needs her...and Steve wastes no time hearing wedding bells.

Or here, where poor Diana's had her secret identity exposed to all the world, including Trevor, and is he sympathetic? Of course not. His mind spins at the possibility, now that she's no longer effective as Wonder Woman, she's free to settle down with him. AGH!

It really becomes clear why it was such a good idea for them to finally kill off the obnoxious pretty boy.

Of course, they couldn't even do that right, bringing him back TWICE to mess with Diana's head before the Crisis rebooted her and Perez recast Steve Trevor as an older man, who actually had a little self-respect and heroism about him.

But these old stories? They're crazy-making, and if you read them long enough, then all of a sudden you're doing THIS sort of thing in response.

If anyone else would like to have a go, I've included a blank version here (click to enlarge and save, then paste your own dialogue atop the file and send it back to me!); what have YOU always wanted to hear Diana say to Steve Trevor?