Wonder Woman

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The Diana Prince/I Ching Era

At the end of the 1960s, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers to remain in "Man's World" rather than accompany her fellow Amazons into another dimension so they could "restore their magick."

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Now a mod boutique owner, the powerless Diana Prince soon came under the wing of a Chinese mentor known as I Ching. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana was trained to use her body as a weapon, learning martial arts and weapons skills, and proceeded to undertake secret agent-style adventures.

Related Topics:
Mod - Martial arts

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The new format of the comic book was strongly influenced by the Emma Peel era of the then-popular British spy series The Avengers. It also bore some similarities to the later TV series Kung Fu, with Diana being an inexperienced student to I Ching's master. Soon after the "new" Wonder Woman began, the editors removed one-by-one her connections to the superhero world, most notably killing off Steve Trevor (though the character would later be revived). One exception was a one-on-one confrontation with Catwoman.

Related Topics:
Emma Peel - The Avengers - Kung Fu - Catwoman

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This period of the comic book has its supporters and its detractors. Some critics welcomed the change from campy super-heroics to more serious, "topical" storytelling in the wake of the Batman TV series. Others felt that the comic had abandoned its history. Storylines included secret agent-style plots, as well as some occult tales. One controversial cover showed Diana Prince brandishing a machine gun and firing at an airplane; contrary to the traditional depiction of Wonder Woman, the updated version of Diana Prince was not against killing in order to defend herself or others.

Related Topics:
Batman - Machine gun

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The revised series attracted some writers not normally associated with comic books, most notably science fiction author Samuel R. Delany, who wrote two issues.

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This storyline lasted for two years, with Wonder Woman finally being restored to her powers and costume in the early '70s. Part of the credit for the revival of Wonder Woman as a superhero was due to a campaign in which feminist Gloria Steinem - who was offended to see the most famous female superhero depowered - had a hand. The 1972 first issue of Steinem's Ms. Magazine featured Wonder Woman in her 1940s costume on the cover, and contained an essay in appreciation of the character. Ironically, the change in format was originally an acknowledgement of the Women's liberation movement. The I Ching era, despite the controversy, would continue to resonate for some years to come, both in the comic book and in live action adaptations of Wonder Woman a few years later. The 1974 Cathy Lee Crosby telefilm, and the second and third seasons of Lynda Carter's popular series (see below), would borrow heavily from the characterization of Diana Prince in the early 1970s.

Related Topics:
Gloria Steinem - 1972 - Ms. Magazine - Women's liberation - Cathy Lee Crosby

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Following the return of the "original" Wonder Woman to the comic books, a major two-year story arc consisted of the heroine's attempt to be readmitted to the Justice League of America, the organization she quit after giving up her powers. To prove her worthiness to rejoin the JLA, Wonder Woman voluntarily underwent 12 "trials" (analagous to the 12 labors of Heracles), each of which was monitored in secret by a different member of the JLA.

Related Topics:
Justice League of America - Heracles

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Wonder Woman had barely won readmittance to the JLA when DC Comics ordered another format change. The popularity of the Wonder Woman TV series, which was initially set during World War II, resulted in DC setting the comic book in this era as well (this was made possible due to DC Comics' multiverse concept, which established that the 1970s Wonder Woman and the 1940s original version lived on two separate, yet parallel, worlds: The 1970s version on "Earth-One", and the 1940s version on "Earth-Two"). When the TV series later changed its setting to the 1970s, the comic book followed suit.

Related Topics:
World War II - Multiverse - "Earth-One"

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Wonder Woman fought a series of "epic" battles through the 1970s and 1980s, until the character was killed during Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986. But the character wouldn't stay dead for long.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1980s - Crisis on Infinite Earths - 1986

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