Wonder Woman: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1

by Bob Kanigher, Jack Schiff, Ross Andru (Illustrator)

Classic Wonder Woman stories from the Silver Age of comics are reprinted here for the first time in color.

Fans of the Amazon Warrior won't want to miss this collection of some of the finest Wonder Woman comics from the 1950’s and 1960’s by some of the eras top talents including writer Robert Kanigher and legendary artist Ross Andru. These exciting tales featured Wonder Woman as a teenager, introduced Wonder Tot, teamed-up Diana with her mother, Queen Hippoylta, and much more.
 
Includes Wonder Woman #98-123
 

Genres: Dc Comics, Comics, Graphic Novels

696 pages, Hardcover

Published January 4, 2022

About the author

Alternative name used by comics writer Robert Kanigher

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of the early Silver Age stories. Fun reads. Recommended

[Bill Wallace]

There's not much to be said about these stories that isn't said perfectly in the excellent introduction by Gail Simone. They come from a time that might as well be part of some imaginary world where actual kids read comic books untethered to any notions of reality, as far from today's comics as Paradise Island is from the streets of a modern inner city. They were among my earliest reading and I'm delighted that DC is finally going to reprint the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman comics of my early childhood. These comics are delightedly childish, the best of them read like they were plotted by an imaginative child, with rampant sea monsters on one page and invading aliens on the next, while Wonder Girl hangs out with merboys at an undersea malt shop in between. Robert Kanigher is by no means my favorite Silver Age scripter but his work here is uniquely innocent and exciting in a way that eight-year-olds appreciate. DC's superhero comics paved the way for Marvels' new "realistic" stories but they also stretched the limits of creative thrill-making, especially when drawn in the clean lines of Andru and Esposito, two guys who knew their way around a dinosaur or a spaceship.

This volume is the first of the Silver Age Omnibus books featuring DC's Big Three. Batman is next, later this year. I've already asked the guy at the newsstand to reserve me a copy.

[Steven "Steve" · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Silver Age Wonder Woman. The absolute chaos and absurdity of Kanigher’s writing with the gorgeous art from Andru and Esposito work so well together in making an entertaining (if nonsensical) story. This volume has the origin of Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot (both younger versions of Diana), as well as Mer-Boy and the surprisingly dangerous waters around Paradise Island. It’s not for everyone, but it sure is fun. This volume also includes the letters pages from several issues, which are interesting to read.

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Woman in the 1960s might be DC Comics’ wonkiest book. Robert Kanigher (who had been doing the book as both writer and editor since issue 30 in 1947 when creator William Moulton Marston died) created an entire world wrapped around the amazing Amazon, including her own little “Wonder Family,” which is slowly introduced in this volume. Wonder Woman 98 is viewed as the start of the Silver Age for the title. It’s the first issue that Ross Andru and Mike Esposito took over the interior art. This volume reprints Wonder Woman issues 98 through 123, roughly from 1958 into mid-1961. It features the introduction of Wonder Girl, “the Amazon Teen-ager!” and Wonder Tot, Wonder Woman as a little girl, who won’t become a more featured player until the Silver Age Omnibus Volume 2. Queen Hippolyta, the royal mum of the Wonder Woman Family, also plays an increasing role. Kanigher’s writing is delightfully wonky and his apparent love of dinosaurs (he did, after all, create the classic “War That Time Forgot” series that pitted U.S. soldiers against dinosaurs on a forgotten Pacific Island), is on display here. There are lots of dinosaurs. I was not a huge fan of Wonder Woman as a kid; we bought the book pretty much each month, but I didn’t like Andru and Esposito’s art. Wonderfully (pun intended), that attitude has changed as I’ve grown older. (Ps-goodreads is not showing the correct cover.)

[Gaute Hjartåker · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC Silver Age was never more Silver Age-y than in these bonkers Wonder Woman stories. This reads like a stream-of-consiousness fever dream, and I love every minute of it. Giant sea turtles suddenly appear out of nowhere, flying saucers arrive on earth and turns skyscrapers into ice, and the Sphinx turns alive and shoots light beams from its eyes - all because the story demands it. (Apparently Robert Kanigher used to sit down at the typewriter not having a clue where the story was headed, which explains the stream-of-consiousness quality to these stories.)
If you're looking for more grounded Silver Age DC (if such a thing exists), Green Lantern or Doom Patrol might be more up your alley. But for me the weirdness of these stories is a feature, not a bug. These stories are bright, colorful, silly and wholesome, and a perfect antidote to real-world craziness. Recommended!

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of this early Silver Age era of WW, goofy as Kanigher's stories were. Andru's art has never looked so good as it does in this volume. We see Wonder Woman proving herself in multiple contests, battling multiple evil doubles and dinosaurs (Kanigher liked his tropes) and meet Wonder Girl (teenage WW in this version) and then Wonder Tot as we inch towards the era when the entire Wonder Family would become a super-team.
Gail Simone's intro expresses some of what's fun about this era though she's wrong when she says Diana resists killing — she has no qualms blowing up enemy submarines or invading alien fleets at all.
Definitely YMMV, particularly at these prices, but it suits my mileage just fine.