Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years

DC Anniversary Celebrations

by Robert Kanigher, George Pérez (Penciller)

The most recognizable superheroine of all time, Wonder Woman has been an essential part of the DC Universe and an icon for female empowerment for more than 75 years.

Armed with her lasso of truth and her bullet-stopping bracelets, the Amazon Princess journeys into Man's World again and again, spreading her mission of peace and goodwill and fiercely battling injustice where she finds it. She's a princess, a warrior and an ambassador. Beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules, swifter than Mercury...she is Wonder Woman!

WONDER WOMAN: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS collects more than 400 pages of the iconic heroine's best stories, from her first appearance by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, to her mod '60s redesign by Denny O'Neil and Mike Sekowsky, to her present-day adventures by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. Other legendary talents featured include George Pérez, Darwyn Cooke, Robert Kanigher, Gene Colan, Phil Jimenez, Mike Deodato, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone and more.

Collects ALL-STAR COMICS #8; SENSATION COMICS #1; WONDER WOMAN (1942-) #7, #28, #99, #107,#179, #204, #288; WONDER WOMAN (1987-) #1, #64, #93, #142, #177, #195, #600 ; WONDER WOMAN vol. 3 #0; JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER SPECIAL #1; SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN (2014-) #1 and #7.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Wonder Woman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book

300 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

See also as Bob Kanigher

One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.

Reviews

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonder Woman is my favourite superhero, and has been since I was a kid. So imagine how excited I was when I knew her 75th anniversary book was coming out.

And it's just... meh.

It is literally just a collection of comics cobbled together. I was expecting a 'celebration' as the title suggests - some history, some discourse, commentary from fans and theorists about Diana's importance and impact... but nothing. It seems no thought has gone into this at all. Batman and Superman weren't treated this shabbily.

You deserved better, Wonder Woman.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a better retrospective of Wonder Woman's stories than the previously released Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, showing more breadth and a few more sides of the character's representation, including the hyper-sexualized 1990s. More interesting, however, is the fact that two of the stories are still very relevant to the world today, most notably one from the 1950s where Wonder Woman runs for president against Steve Trevor. Trevor's running mate is staunchly anti-female and attempts to rig the election. The more things change...

[Leanne Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was WONDERFUL!!!!

[Diz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection wasn't put together well, in my opinion. While everything from Wonder Woman's origin up until the John Byrne version of Wonder Woman is good, everything that comes after John Byrne is junk. Either these stories weren't well selected, or it's a reflection that Wonder Woman stories weren't that good between Byrne and Azzarello and Chiang. If this collection had stopped in the 1980s, I would have rated it five stars, because the earlier stories have relevance to Wonder Woman's character and the philosophy behind her creation. It's just sad when you are really enjoying the first half of a book and then get a bad second half. I'll be wary about buying any of the other DC celebration books after reading this.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of Wonder Woman stories throughout her career and though it's fun to see her in all her guises the book is really only for die-hard fans. Not all the stories are seen through to their conclusion. It does a good job of showing the many shades that make up this complex character but sometimes the change can be jarring and some stories conflict with the accepted canon of the Amazon Princess. It's a good book but has been done better with collections like the 'Sensation' series.

[Jillian Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Wonder Woman. I especially love her funny personality.

[Judy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Wonder Woman comic book I ever read was during that most reviled period when she was stripped of her powers. I loved it. I was young, the fact that she was derivative of Mrs. Peel didn't bother. She was a woman who could kick men's asses and still look good. I've changed a lot since then, but the fact that a woman could be that strong without super powers hasn't been forgotten.

I didn't start buying comics on my own until after she got her powers back. In fact, the first one I bought happened to, accidentally, be the first of her 12 labors to be reinstated to the Justice League. I was intrigued.

I actually have a fondness for the Cathy Lee Crosby movie. It was a cheap tv movie and it couldn't hold a candle to Lynda Carter, but that movie showed a strong, intelligent woman who could use her brains to get out of a fix just as easily as she could her fists. There was a message of sisterhood and the strength of women that you saw again with Lynda Carter. In both of them Steve Trevor was a partner who wasn't intimidated by their strength.

Over the years, I've drifted away from comics and then back again. DC has had so many redesigns and restarts that sometimes it's hard for me to figure it out. I don't always know what's going on, but Wonder Woman is still strong and beautiful and loving.

What I'm saying here is that Wonder Woman at her weakest or most poorly executed was still a woman and still a hero. Yes, I always want the best for her, and I think we are in the most exciting period since she was created, but I wouldn't miss any incarnation of her because she always asks us to think.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of Wonder Woman's comics from various eras. It was really fun to read through and see how the character has changed over time. I never really knew that Wonder Woman could talk to animals but that was part of her power set at one time. Also, there've been some crazy, strange amazon technologies over the years.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic collection. I loved reading all of the stories throughout Wonder Woman's History. Some were very...of their time if that makes sense but I still really enjoyed them. If you're looking to get into Wonder Woman or just learn more about her this is a great collection.

[Lauren Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look at one of the most famous superheroes of all time!

[Scott Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a WONDERful collection. It’s very cool to see Wonder Woman’s 75 year evolution in a single volume. She’s become one of the most sophisticated DC superheroes. She’s an incredible warrior and she fights for social justice as much as she fights against super villains.

[Mhorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been better

I really think DC could have chosen better stories and a nice cover gallery would have been nice. WW should have been better served.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a compilation of some of the best representative of Wonder Woman stories over the years to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary debut of the Amazon Princess (2016). This collection features Wonder Woman in all her many forms from Amazon Princess of the Amazon Warrior, but always exemplifies female empowerment.

This anthology is divided into four sections or more precisely comic eras. The sections are: Amazon (Golden), Princess (Silver/Bronze), Ambassador (Modern), and Warrior (Rebooted). It was rather interesting to see how Wonder Woman's evolution through the years from Amazon Princess, Ambassador of Themyscira, Goddess of Truth, and finally to Amazon Warrior.

As a whole, Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a slightly unbalanced book, leaning towards the Modern Age of Comics more, but in all honestly most of the best Wonder Woman stories are found in this Age, so I wasn't too bothered by it. This anthology however showed its purpose somewhat well –give a nice perception and reflection of the times.

Story selection must have been difficult to say the least. Wonder Woman has a long and varied history and has been featured or cameos in many stories over many titles and it is no easy feat to pick out the best or favorite from the masses. The thing is those measuring sticks are subjective and will never reach perfect consensus. Actually, we all can agree that in an anniversary collection like this, we could all agree on one story: All Star Comics #8 – the first appearance of Wonder Woman – the rest is debatable.

Regardless, I think the editors picked a somewhat nice selection, would I swapped some stories out for others – sure I have my favorites, but it is difficult if not impossible to please everyone, since everyone is different. On the whole I was really happy of which stories were presented.

All in all, I think Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a wonderful selection of stories over the three-quarters of a century that the Amazon Princess has been around. It is a good anthology for both the avid and subdued fan alike. However, for the newly initiated I would recommend a collection that is more substantial and cohesive.

[Jasna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked or loved all the stories collected in this series except one: "The Mother of the Movement" by Darwyn Cooke. I already had a sour taste in my mouth with the cover words opening with, "It's 1962, and being politically correct means you're a Democrat." WOW, okay. You know you're in for a ride when someone uses "politically correct", which is a dog whistle for "I get upset at needing to be considerate about others, not recognizing the hypocrisy in my own sensitivity." After that is basically a caricature of bra-burning feminism. To think this was written not too long ago--2008! So many of the older Wonder Woman comics, even the original ones with their poorly-aged racism and gender stereotypes, are arguably more progressive and sophisticated than this garbage. And at least I can somewhat forgive those older comics given their times. Holy shit.

I feel a little iffy as well with the Brian "Kiss My" Azzarello (eye roll) entry since, even before War's appearance, young Diana seems to be completely unconcerned with taking another creature's baby egg just for some birthday tribute tradition. That seems pretty anti-Diana. But then the rest of the rest of the story is about her learning the value of mercy, so... Okay, i suppose. It's still way better than the Darwyn trash, and I appreciate the type dive into Greek mythos stuff.

Anyway, all the stories are neat lenses into the many renditions of Wonder Woman over the years. I had read some of them ahead of this collection (Perez, Rucka, Azzarello, Simone, and Chu) and it was quite fun revisiting them here alongside many other new (for me) stories. I especially appreciated the short writings between major comic ages/evolutions of Diana's character. Like other reviewers, i wish they could've done more here, as well as add a nice art gallery, writer/artist bios, or character profiles of major WW figures over the years at the end.

I'm happy I picked this up soon after it came out... And finally got around to reading it. I'm extra excited to dive into Jimenez and more Perez, and I'm open to exploring the other writers I liked and discovered in this collection.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I'm jumping on the bandwagon by checking out the comics after seeing the movie, but I had actually read a collection of early Wonder Woman stories before. I'd read the seventy-fifth anniversary collection of Superman stories and enjoyed that, but unfortunately this book seemed more haphazard. That isn't to say there weren't good comics in it, just that it isn't really a good overview. Even with the short essays on the character's history, it's difficult to keep up with all the changes between stories. Too many of them are part of arcs and don't do so well on their own. Maybe there just weren't that many good stand-alone Wonder Woman stories, but somehow I doubt that. And while most comic characters are retconned from time to time, they went in some really weird directions with Diana. In the late sixties, DC decided it would be a good idea to take away her Amazon powers completely, and instead have her learn martial arts from a stereotypical Chinese guy. There were also a few largely similar but somewhat incongruous origin stories for her, and while obviously the first one had to be included, I'm not sure the others were necessary.

[Tyler Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of Wonder Woman comics that gives a glimpse into one of the most dynamic and popular characters in the DC cannon. I was pretty impressed with the wide scope that this book covered, from the Amazon princess’ creation by pioneer William Moulton Marston to her New 52 run. I’ve always been a huge fan of WW, so this was an awesome read. I will admit, I would’ve liked to see more of her villains. It wouldn’t have hurt to show more Circe, Cheetah, Giganta or some of her other well known rogues. I thought some of the picks were odd over others. I mean, they really left the 60’s run of Wonder Woman in here, but didn’t include any of Gail Simone’s run with Wonder Woman? (And I’m not counting Gothamazon as a Simone story because that was a Sensations Comics one shot, fight me.) I also loved the appearance of Nubia and Artemis, two of the most awesome side characters that appear in WW comics. I wish we had more stories with both of these characters in general. Despite my fan boy grievances, I had a lot of fun reading this collection and watching Diana of Themyscira grow over the years.

[Kole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this just made me appreciate how hard it is to write good Wonder Woman and how bad a lot of her stuff has been throughout the years. It's interesting to see her transformations throughout the years but it really shows how a lot of writers had no idea what to do with her. There's a great story or two in here but most is ok to bad, I was surprised by how bad some of it really was. Not the best choices in issues. This also could had used some more writing on Wonder Woman and her impact.

I would consider this recommended for Wonder Woman fans who haven't experienced too much Wonder Woman but they should also be wary as it's very mixed in quality. Everyone else can probably find better places to start.

2.5/5

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read full runs of Wonder Woman yet and I spent the past year getting really into the character's recent stories. Therefore, I don't have a lot of experience with her comic history and the comics included in this collection. I enjoyed the variety of stories included here and liked getting an overall perspective of the different eras of storytelling she's had. There are clear tonal shifts from one era to the next.

This collection made me excited to read more Wonder Woman comic series in their entirety. It may be repetitive for long-time fans and not offer very much that is new. However, for an aid in getting to know Diana over her publishing history, it's pretty good.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely deluxe version of some of the funniest or cannon stories of WW!

You will Not believe how much the early stories revolve around bondage - I mean extreme showing women tie each other up in new and exciting and deliberate ways - it's insane!

The 60s stories are run when she wears white and does martial arts.

George Perez will always remain supreme in my eye as the ultimate WW detailed and his story of her origins is pretty much verbatim the opening sequence of the movie version so it's a great story.

A really fun over view, beautifully done.

[Sarah Dunmire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cool to see the versions of Wonder Woman throughout comic history. The main ideas stay the same, but her strength and independence shine through in more recent decades. The original ones, of course, were a little painful to get through. Falling in love with Steve Trevor while he’s unconscious, and you’ve never met a man before? Come on now. Ridiculous. Even though her origin story was reiterated and updated a few times, it was good to see the updates. Excellent character and love the tie-ins to Greek mythology.

[Thibaut Nicodème · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like…if this is your "best of" compilation, it's not impressive.

The annoying part is, I know for a fact there's a ton of comics that were left out. I guess they had a mandate to sample from every writer/era rather than focusing on just the actual best stuff?

Oh well. It's still nice that they had the celebration, of course, but still. A lot of the things I've read that were made specifically for the anniversary were…kind of underwhelming, to be completely honest.

[Hilmi Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good compilation of stories to celebrate 75 years (as of 2016) of Wonder Woman,in my opinion,dare for me to say! I also think this volume can also serve as introductory or essential reading especially for new fans of Wonder Woman.
Selection of issues compiled here from 1941 until 2016 and divided into four parts clearly highlighted the evolution and transformation of Wonder Woman throughout the history since the introduction of this iconic character.

[Jörg Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories from 75 years of the worlds greatest heroine. It covers all kind of stories from plain crime busting to mythical encounters with godesses and greek monsters, from comical to heart wrenching conflict. A perfect place to encounter Diana Princess of Themyscara for the first time or to deepen your love for the Wonder Woman.

[Bleachedblackcat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not like the collection they got together. It seemed like Diana's origin story told time after time which would have been ok in a collection titled "Origins of Wonder Woman Through the Years". It just felt super hollow and I had a lot of stories in mind that could have fit in a lot better.

[Amanda Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat read and compiles a good history on the Amazonian princess while I am sad there are important character moments not included in this collection, that is just something I can look up online or find the graphic novels themselves.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The volume showcases stories from various periods of Wonder Woman. It is interesting to see the evolution of the character over 75 years.

[Artie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a comic book reader but this was a nice introduction to the character and her evolution.

[Arturo De Tuoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair representative sampling of Wonder Woman over the years (a microcosm of the aesthetic/narrative paradigms). An equivalent of examining core samples or tree rings.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a good introduction to the Wonder Woman Comics as it gives you a bit of the old and the new as well as some background.

[Flavio · Rating 5 out of 5]

The evolution of the character is well presented in this selection of stories. Has a great value.