Wonder Woman--beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, swifter than Mercury, and stronger than Hercules!
Wonder Woman is a fictional superheroine created by American psychologist and comic book writer William Moulton Marston and published by DC comics. Wonder Woman, also known as Princess Diana and Diana Prince, is a warrior princess from the island of Themyscira(/Paradise Island), home to the Amazons of ancient Greek myth. When the wars and conflicts of Patriarch's World wash up onto her peaceful island home she dons her tiara, the Lasso of Truth, and a pair of indestructible bracelets and ventures out into the world of men to teach them her Amazon ways of peace and compassion.
Cliche as it probably sounds, Wonder Woman has always been incredibly important to me for what she represents as a woman superhero. Since I was just a kid, I have appreciated her for what she represents as a symbol of women's empowerment and liberation. At their best, Wonder Woman comics are powerful tales of sisterhood and liberation with a vibrant mythology-inspired world as backdrop.
Wonder Woman by George Perez
Wonder Woman's colorful cast of supporting characters includes her mother, Queen Hippolyta, General Steve Trevor, "Holliday Girl" Etta Candy, her inconsistently backstoried sisters Donna Troy and Nubia, scrappy kid sidekick Cassandra Sandsmark, fractious rival Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, mother and daughter duo Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis, and many, many more.
The Wonder Woman family by Travis Moore
I'm currently working on my very own Wonder Woman/Wonder Woman family reading guide, but it isn't quite finished as of yet. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite Wonder Woman related places on the internet!!!
- Amazon Archives, a website dedicated to the history of Wonder Woman comics.
- Wonder Woman Villains, a Tumblr blog dedicated to Wonder Woman's rogues gallery.
- Carol A. Strickland's Wonder Woman fansite, a very comprehensive Wonder Woman fansite and index.
- The Comics Heroines Fan Club, not strictly Wonder Woman, but it is a super cool archive of a fanzine dedicated to comic book superheroines.
- DC comics' official character profile for Wonder Woman, which is not actually that great but does feature the latest in Wonder Woman comics.
And here's a list of some of my favorite Wonder Woman related criticism and/or analysis (links provided when possible):
- Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel: Militarism and Feminism in Comics and Film by Carolyn Cocca. As someone whose political convictions/beliefs are strongly anti-war, I think it's incredibly important to recognize that American comic book superhero franchises have often functioned as U.S. military propaganda. I strongly recommend reading this book in its entirety.
Finally, an assortment of some of my favorite Wonder Woman panels.
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