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What Is the Story Of?
What Is the Story of Wonder Woman?
Your favorite characters are now part of the Who HQ library!
Wonder Woman--DC Comics' greatest female superhero--flies onto our What Is the Story Of? list.
She is a founding member of the Justice League, a goddess, and an ambassador of the Amazonian people. Wonder Woman burst onto the comic book scene during World War II. For more than seventy years, she has been fighting for equality, power, and truth with her lasso of truth in one hand and her sword in the other. Author Steve Kort� shares the story of how one of the first and foremost superheroines was created, and how she came to be such a powerful feminist icon.
Wonder Woman--DC Comics' greatest female superhero--flies onto our What Is the Story Of? list.
She is a founding member of the Justice League, a goddess, and an ambassador of the Amazonian people. Wonder Woman burst onto the comic book scene during World War II. For more than seventy years, she has been fighting for equality, power, and truth with her lasso of truth in one hand and her sword in the other. Author Steve Kort� shares the story of how one of the first and foremost superheroines was created, and how she came to be such a powerful feminist icon.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2019
22 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 16, 2024
Interesting look at both WW and William Moulton Marston (creator of WW). Just a correction: on the back cover WW is listed as "The world's first female super-hero" - and that is not quite true. Hawkgirl (HG) was introduced in Flash Comics #1 (1940) and appeared in All Star Comics #5 (three issues earlier than WW first appearance in ASC #8) in 1941. No big deal - unless you are HG!
April 3, 2021
I was a little girl when Wonder Woman aired on TV. I remember this was family time for us, watching WW on TV. My sister and I would take turns imitating WW as best we could, doing her famous spin. We both wanted to be her. (Of course I dressed up as her for one Halloween.) I was so excited to see that my favorite Who's... series had a book on WW. I loved this story behind the superhero. This also delved into the history of comic books and the creator of Wonder Woman.
(And as a side note, I stopped following WW when the shows stopped airing. I guess I felt I'd outgrown her but my nostalgic love for WW will always be there. I'll have to admit that beyond vague memories of the show, I didn't know much behind the superheroine.)
Some fun and interesting facts for me:
--The creator of WW was William Moulton Marston aka Bill Marston aka Charles Moulton in the earlier stories. He was also a lawyer, a psychologist, a scientist, a professor, and an inventor.
--Bill invented a lie detector machine in 1914 based on a person's blood pressure changes. He chose not to patent it because "important scientific discoveries should be free for all to use." It would cost him a lot of money. In 1931, Leonard Keeler patented his own lie detector machine which not only used a person's changes in blood pressure but also a person's pulse rate, levels of perspiration, and their rate of breathing.
--Bill joined the suffrage movement. He was fond of saying that he believed women should rule the world because they understood love better than men, and love was more powerful than any man's physical strength.
--Comic books came under attack for using so much violence. Batman, at the time, even carried a gun. DC Comics instituted a new policy. None of their heroes would kill anyone, which meant that the villains could make appearances again and again in the stories.
--Wonder Woman was born in 1941 and was originally titled Suprema the Wonder Woman. (Thank goodness they changed that name!)
--From 1942-1954, a monthly feature was added to the WW comic. The addition was a 4-page bio celebrating a real-life wonder woman, such as Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, Susan B. Anthony, and Helen Keller. More than 75 women were profiled during its run. It was titled "Wonder Women of History".
--In 1968, WW was rewritten as a mortal woman. No more superpowers or costume. WW was now into fashion, owned a dress shop, and was an international spy. No more Paradise Island or her love Steve Trevor.
Gloria Steinem convinced DC Comics to allow her to put the original, costumed Wonder Woman on the first cover of Ms. Magazine, 1972. A story within was about returning WW to her original creation with her superpowers. DC Comics decided to bring her back.
--The TV show aired in 1976. Lynda Carter claims she created the famous spin that would change WW into her costume.
--I'd forgotten this but WW's younger sister Drusilla aka Wonder Girl, was played by Debra Winger.
--Lynda was Miss World USA in 1972. She first played WW in a 1975 TV movie. She later played her in the series during its run 1976-1979.
--Her powers were the lasso of truth, her bracelets, her invisible plane, and didn't her tiara also have some kind of superpower? She became weak if a man attached chains to her bracelets. (I found that funny odd, so I was telling my daughter about it and she said, Oh, you didn't know about the creator's fetishes? Uhm...no. This is a kid's book. I'm sure they're not going to mention something like this.)
(And as a side note, I stopped following WW when the shows stopped airing. I guess I felt I'd outgrown her but my nostalgic love for WW will always be there. I'll have to admit that beyond vague memories of the show, I didn't know much behind the superheroine.)
Some fun and interesting facts for me:
--The creator of WW was William Moulton Marston aka Bill Marston aka Charles Moulton in the earlier stories. He was also a lawyer, a psychologist, a scientist, a professor, and an inventor.
--Bill invented a lie detector machine in 1914 based on a person's blood pressure changes. He chose not to patent it because "important scientific discoveries should be free for all to use." It would cost him a lot of money. In 1931, Leonard Keeler patented his own lie detector machine which not only used a person's changes in blood pressure but also a person's pulse rate, levels of perspiration, and their rate of breathing.
--Bill joined the suffrage movement. He was fond of saying that he believed women should rule the world because they understood love better than men, and love was more powerful than any man's physical strength.
--Comic books came under attack for using so much violence. Batman, at the time, even carried a gun. DC Comics instituted a new policy. None of their heroes would kill anyone, which meant that the villains could make appearances again and again in the stories.
--Wonder Woman was born in 1941 and was originally titled Suprema the Wonder Woman. (Thank goodness they changed that name!)
--From 1942-1954, a monthly feature was added to the WW comic. The addition was a 4-page bio celebrating a real-life wonder woman, such as Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, Susan B. Anthony, and Helen Keller. More than 75 women were profiled during its run. It was titled "Wonder Women of History".
--In 1968, WW was rewritten as a mortal woman. No more superpowers or costume. WW was now into fashion, owned a dress shop, and was an international spy. No more Paradise Island or her love Steve Trevor.
Gloria Steinem convinced DC Comics to allow her to put the original, costumed Wonder Woman on the first cover of Ms. Magazine, 1972. A story within was about returning WW to her original creation with her superpowers. DC Comics decided to bring her back.
--The TV show aired in 1976. Lynda Carter claims she created the famous spin that would change WW into her costume.
--I'd forgotten this but WW's younger sister Drusilla aka Wonder Girl, was played by Debra Winger.
--Lynda was Miss World USA in 1972. She first played WW in a 1975 TV movie. She later played her in the series during its run 1976-1979.
--Her powers were the lasso of truth, her bracelets, her invisible plane, and didn't her tiara also have some kind of superpower? She became weak if a man attached chains to her bracelets. (I found that funny odd, so I was telling my daughter about it and she said, Oh, you didn't know about the creator's fetishes? Uhm...no. This is a kid's book. I'm sure they're not going to mention something like this.)
November 26, 2019
In terms of what this book could be, this was probably the most conservative and kid-friendly version that could exist, which I appreciated.
It gives a brief biography of Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman; touches on some of the Greek myth influences; discusses the history of pulp magazines and their transformation into comic books as well as some of the more well-known comics (excluding Marvel); and covers the changes Wonder Woman has endured over the years and the various iterations (TV, movies, cartoons).
In terms of facts, this book seemed to trivialize the role of Olive Byrne in the Marston household as someone who cared for the Marston children and wrote articles for magazines. According to other biographies, Byrne was a "domestic partner" to the couple (even giving birth to two children with Marston) and is credited as the inspiration behind Wonder Woman.
The author also minimizes the controversy surrounding Marston's Wonder Woman comic years (which were noted to contain "subversive 'bondage and sapphic-undertones' subtext"*).
Finally, this book didn't have the usual timeline in the back that most WHOHQ books have, which was disappointing.
* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonde...
It gives a brief biography of Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman; touches on some of the Greek myth influences; discusses the history of pulp magazines and their transformation into comic books as well as some of the more well-known comics (excluding Marvel); and covers the changes Wonder Woman has endured over the years and the various iterations (TV, movies, cartoons).
In terms of facts, this book seemed to trivialize the role of Olive Byrne in the Marston household as someone who cared for the Marston children and wrote articles for magazines. According to other biographies, Byrne was a "domestic partner" to the couple (even giving birth to two children with Marston) and is credited as the inspiration behind Wonder Woman.
The author also minimizes the controversy surrounding Marston's Wonder Woman comic years (which were noted to contain "subversive 'bondage and sapphic-undertones' subtext"*).
Finally, this book didn't have the usual timeline in the back that most WHOHQ books have, which was disappointing.
* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonde...
June 24, 2020
This book is suppose to be for a younger audience but I think they would lose interest unless they truly loved Wonder Woman and wanted to know facts about how she came to be. I thought it would be fun to read and enjoyed it. I did know most of the facts already.
February 7, 2021
This book was great. The story behind Wonder Woman is very vaccinating. She is definitely one of my favorite super heroes.
August 24, 2020
It felt more like the history of comic books in general at times but it’s a great timeline for Wonder Woman.
December 23, 2022
I pulled this off the shelf today because I was trying to remember what Diana Prince's original profession had been and recalled seeing it when I skimmed this upon receiving it. I ended up just reading it because it's short and ultimately targeted towards kids. Even so, this was a pretty darn good read. It may have actually been a little too confusing for a young child to read - I'd put it somewhere in at least a preteen age range to really get what's going on.
I learned a lot about the folks involved in creating and catapulting Wonder Woman into stardom, the changes to the character over the years, and how the character coincided with women's rights over the years (yay!).
I don't know if it was just pregnancy hormones, but I choked up several times reading this. I just adore this character so much. She is a wonderful role model for young girls, and with having two young daughters, I've made sure to elevate her in my household.
3.5 Rounded to 4 Stars
I learned a lot about the folks involved in creating and catapulting Wonder Woman into stardom, the changes to the character over the years, and how the character coincided with women's rights over the years (yay!).
I don't know if it was just pregnancy hormones, but I choked up several times reading this. I just adore this character so much. She is a wonderful role model for young girls, and with having two young daughters, I've made sure to elevate her in my household.
3.5 Rounded to 4 Stars
August 26, 2020
I know this is a juvenile book but poor Olive. Her relationship with Elizabeth and William was barely even mentioned. She was a "friend" who took care of the children.
April 26, 2023
Wonder Woman is a mighty super hero. She is brave, smart, and strong. Her stories inspire us to be the same.
September 2, 2021
I liked this book, I don't usually like non-fiction but superheroes appeal to me so that made this book a good read. (no pun intended) I did not like all the different changes and drama that happened to Wonder Woman just because she is not a male hero! She was almost never in the Justice League books which made me ashamed of the writers of the Justice League comics. Plus there was even a time when she lost all her powers because of the bad writing of the comics, "The new Wonder Woman". I loved how they portrayed the different perspectives of the comics in this book, this includes the perspective of the guy that made the Justice League comics and the man who made Wonder Woman. That's not all did you know that the man who made Wonder Woman, (Max) was also the man who created the lie detector test, hints magic lasso of truth!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
It was interesting to learn the origins of Wonder Woman and how her story came to be. I didn't realize that her story had changed so much over the years. My daughter loves Wonder Woman and this is actually her book, so I wanted to know more about the superhero she likes so well. Creating Wonder Woman ended up getting girls more interested in reading comic books, so the sale of comic books went up. Wonder Woman stands for truth, women's rights, and patriotism, hence the colors of her uniform. I think she has pretty cool powers - the strength of her bracelets and her lasso of truth.
January 14, 2021
My favorite character in the book is Wonder Woman because she is a strong , brave woman who has a lot of courage.
It surprised me how they made a "new" Wonder Woman in 1968. They made her a woman whose name was still Diana, but they took away her super powers and her red white and blue uniform. Instead she wore fashionable clothes and owned a dress shop.
No, I would not change the ending because it ended talking about her origin and where she originally came from which was nice. It also talked about how she entertained millions of people.
It surprised me how they made a "new" Wonder Woman in 1968. They made her a woman whose name was still Diana, but they took away her super powers and her red white and blue uniform. Instead she wore fashionable clothes and owned a dress shop.
No, I would not change the ending because it ended talking about her origin and where she originally came from which was nice. It also talked about how she entertained millions of people.
July 29, 2023
“As lovely as Aphrodite—as wise as Athena—with the speed of Mercury and the strength of Hercules.”
What Is The Story of Wonder Woman not only explores the history and evolution of the character but places her in the context of Comic Books as an industry/medium. This book gives a rundown of her female "peers" in print, what was happening with the publishers of Comic Books at various times during her evolution, and does a really nice job of sharing aspects of her creators life that influenced the character.
What Is The Story of Wonder Woman not only explores the history and evolution of the character but places her in the context of Comic Books as an industry/medium. This book gives a rundown of her female "peers" in print, what was happening with the publishers of Comic Books at various times during her evolution, and does a really nice job of sharing aspects of her creators life that influenced the character.
February 14, 2020
A good background about Wonder Woman for an immigrant like me who did not grow up reading comic books of Wonder Woman
who-hq
May 12, 2020Creator of Wonder Woman also invented early prototype of lie detector test
November 30, 2020
Great review of my favorite superhero of all time. A nice refresher before the new movie comes out.
January 20, 2021
Good read!
April 6, 2021
I love the chapter dedicated to Lynda Carters WW
August 8, 2021
I enjoyed reading about the history of how Wonder Woman came into existence. It’s interesting how her journey mirror that of women in history too.
July 3, 2023
I didn’t like when Bill Martsen, the creator of WW, died.
June 11, 2025
Enjoyed reading about my childhood heroine!
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December 7, 2022I was reading this to the 2 little girls down the street I sometimes babysit. They both share my love of all things Wonder Woman. They sort of lost interest in the book, so I decided to finish it on my own today. Its a good thing-I wouldn't have wanted to read them the middle part, which is quite the negative history, thanks to the men drawing the comic in the 40's, 50's & 60's. I'm so glad my introduction to her was in the 70's, watching the SuperFriends TV show as well as the Lynda Carter drama. I'm sure its still good to learn this history, so I'm glad its in the book, but it really disappointed me.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews