Wonder Woman Unbound (25 page)

Wonder Woman
#125, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, DC Comics, 1961

Steve Trevor and Mer-Man fight over Wonder Woman. Her refusal to choose between them constantly agitated both suitors.

Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane
#16, cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, DC Comics, 1960

In the Silver Age, Superman pretends to be hurt by Lois’s Kryptonite vision to teach her a lesson. Every female character in the Silver Age, including Wonder Woman, had to put up with a domineering boyfriend.

Sensation Comics
#94, cover by Arthur Peddy, DC Comics, 1949

The comic may look like a stereotypical romance on the outside, but inside Wonder Woman constantly made Sapphic references.

Wonder Woman
#124, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, DC Comics, 1961

Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, and Wonder Tot often teamed up as the Wonder Family.

Ad for “The New Wonder Woman” in
Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane
#92, DC Comics, 1969

DC Comics’ in-house ads for a revamped
Wonder Woman
targeted female readers directly, promising romance and intrigue.

Wonder Woman
#178, cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1968

The Bronze Age Wonder Woman abandoned her superpowers and her classic costume in favor of a new, mod look.

Wonder Woman
#180, cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1969

A weeping Diana Prince, a common occurrence throughout the mod era.

Wonder Woman
#203, cover by Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1972

Samuel Delany’s muddled “Special! Women’s Lib Issue,” the series’ only attempt to address the women’s liberation movement.

Mike Sekowsky and Joyce Miller, DC Comics Publicity Photo, 1969

Sekowsky uses a fashionable model as inspiration for his
Wonder Woman
art.

Wonder Woman
#189, cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1970

Diana Prince strafes a Chinese fighter jet with a machine gun, one of her many uncharacteristically violent escapades in the mod era.

Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane
#109, cover by Dick Giordano, DC Comics, 1971

The Bronze Age Lois Lane has had quite enough of Superman. They broke up a few issues later, and the newly independent Lois stood in stark contrast to Diana Prince’s chronic need for male attention.