Wonder Woman #1
DC Comics
United States
- Published
- Summer 1942
- Page count
- 68
- Cover price
- 0.10 USD
- Colour
- Colour
- Size
- Standard size
- Interior paper
- Newsprint
- Cover stock
- Glossy colour
- Binding
- Saddle-stitched
- Format
- Comic series
- GCD
- www.comics.org/issue/2268
Credits
- Editing
- Sheldon Mayer (editor)
Alice Marble (associate editor)
Issue contents
Cover
No title recorded
(Wonder Woman)
Cover, 1 page
Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Woman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; the Nazis
Credits
- Art
- Harry Peter
1Credits
- Author
- Letters
- typeset
Notes
inside front cover; photos and text on Alice Marble and Helen Wainwright Sterling
2Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Woman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; Aphrodite; Athena; Mercury; Hercules
Credits
- Script
- William Marston
- Art
- Harry Peter
- Letters
- Typeset
Synopsis
The Gods behind the epithet, "Beautiful as Aphrodite, Wise as Athena, Strong as Hercules and Swift as Mercury," are visually and in text introduced to the reader.
3Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Woman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Wonder Woman [Diana Prince] (origin re-told); Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty, introduction); Hercules (introduction); Queen Hippolyte (origin); the Amazons (origin re-told); Steve Trevor; Mala; Colonel Darnell; Dr. Hellas (famed archaeologist); Athena (goddess of wisdom); Doctor Althea (Amazon doctor, introduction); Fatsis (Amazon); unnamed Japanese agent (villain, introduction); Heinrich Fritz Uber (villain, Hitler's Chief Agent, only mentioned); Mars [aka Ares] (villain, god of war); Hercules (villain)
Credits
- Script
- William Marston [as Charles Moulton]
- Art
- Harry Peter [as H. G. Peter]
Reprint history
- Also printed
-
Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (Crown, 1976 series) (1976) — The Origin of Wonder Woman
-
Wonder Woman Album (KG Murray, 1976 series) #2 ([January 1977?]) — Untitled [The Origin of Wonder Woman]
Synopsis
Upon her arrival in man's world, Wonder Woman drops an Amazon scroll that details the origin and early days of the Amazons, while later sources outline her birth, her youth, and her battle in the arena for the right to be Wonder Woman.
Notes
Story title from reprints.
Wonder Woman's origin from All-Star Comics (DC, 1940 series) #8 is shown with more detail, including the creation of the Amazons from clay by Aphrodite, and Diana's birth on Paradise Island: sculpted from clay by Hippolyte's hand under the direction of Athena, and brought to life by Aphrodite.
Wonder Woman is shown here to receive her magic lasso along with her costume after winning the contest, whereas she originally received her lasso after having lived in man's world for a time, as shown in Sensation Comics (DC, 1942 series) #6.
Captain Trevor is promoted to Major.
4"Here's good news, boys and girls..."
Featuring
- Feature
- All-Flash
5"Green Lantern and Doiby Dickles join the army!"
Featuring
- Feature
- Green Lantern
6Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Woman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; Steve Trevor; Etta Candy; the Holliday Girls; Dom Carney (trapeze artist, introduction); Ed King (circus owner, introduction); Elva King (Ed's niece, introduction); San Yan (villain, head elephant keeper of the circus, introduction); Mike Mulgoon (villain, head of Strongarm Protective Association, introduction); Mike Mulgoon (villain, introduction); Torrence "Slugger" McGee (villain, introduction); group of Burmese men (villains, circus employees, introduction for all)
Credits
- Script
- William Marston [as Charles Moulton]
- Art
- Harry Peter [as H. G. Peter]
Synopsis
Wonder Woman brings children to King's Colossal Circus, performs in the big ring, and with the help of Etta and Steve, investigates a rash of elephant deaths by poisoning which threaten to close the circus.
7Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Women of History
- Genre
- Biography
- Characters
- Florence Nightingale; Florence's unnamed Nana; Florence's unnamed father; John (Florence's ex-fiancee); Tommy; Queen Victoria; King Edward VII
Credits
- Script
- Alice Marble
- Art
- Sheldon Moldoff
Synopsis
The story of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) who sacrificed personal happiness to nurse soldiers on the Crimean War front and throughout her life.
Notes
Credits verified by Jerry Bails.
8Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Woman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; Colonel Darnell; Steve Trevor; unnamed prison warden (introduction); Freddy (warden's son, introduction); Mabel (warden's daughter, introduction); Captain Loyal (captured soldier, introduction, death); Heinrich (villain, introduction); Baroness Paula von Gunther (villain, death); Swipe (villain, prison guard, introduction, death); the Nazis (villains, introduction for all, many die)
Credits
- Script
- William Marston [as Charles Moulton]
- Art
- Harry Peter [as H. G. Peter]
Synopsis
Suspecting Paula von Gunther of leaking military secrets, Diana and Steve visit her in prison, where Paula is aided in her subterfuge when the magic lasso accidentally falls into her hands.
Notes
Story title from reprints. Reprint note from Error Report by Darci.
The image of Wonder Woman riding a horse on the splash page was used for the cover. Mabel is shown reading an issue of Sensation Comics. This story was the basis for an episode of the Wonder Woman TV series, "Wonder Woman Meets Baroness Von Gunther." Paula is shot and killed at story's end, although she's alive in her next appearance, Sensation Comics (DC, 1942 series) #12, because an "electric machine she invented brought her back to life."
9Featuring
- Genre
- Adventure; war
- Characters
- Phillip Downs; Phillys (Phillip's twin sister); Dr. Rines; Uncle William; Sergeant Ryan (Policeman); Lt. Commander Rawlings (British sub base commander)
Credits
- Author
- Jack Miller [as Jay Marr]
- Letters
- typeset
Synopsis
Phillip's invention, a miraculous combination compressed air and water suction valve, is stolen and he and his brother believe the Nazis had stolen it to use on their U-Boats.
Notes
Writer credit by Craig Delich, confirmed by the Who's Who.
10"Can anybody tell me why we bought this danged hotel?"
Featuring
- Feature
- Sweet Adeline
- Genre
- Humor
- Characters
- Adeline; Adeline's unnamed father; Hy; Snort (oil expert)
Credits
- Script
- Art Helfant
- Art
- Art Helfant
- Letters
- Art Helfant ?
Synopsis
Adeline's father buys a hotel. When the hotel's tenants complain that the water tastes like oil, he hires an oil expert to see if there is oil on the property.
Notes
Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.
11"Here we are again..."
Featuring
- Feature
- Mutt & Jeff
12Featuring
- Feature
- All-Star Comics
13Featuring
- Feature
- Wonder Woman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; Etta Candy; Private Mint Candy (Etta's brother, introduction); Steve Trevor; Colonel Darnell; unnamed train porter (introduction); Captain Diaz (introduction); unnamed President of the Corrida (introduction); Pancho (villain, informant, introduction, death); Pepita Valdez (villain, bullfighter, introduction, reforms); Japanese spies (villains, introduction for all, some die)
Credits
- Script
- William Marston [as Charles Moulton]
- Art
- Harry Peter [as H. G. Peter]
Synopsis
When Etta's brother is attacked by spies, Wonder Woman and Etta trail them from Texas to Mexico City, where Wonder Woman fights a bullfight and stops a secret Japanese invasion of Mexico.
Notes
Wonder Woman crashes a car into a tree to avoid hitting Etta, seemingly killing the other passengers, noting they were "too lazy to jump in time." Instead of using the magic lasso, Wonder Woman hypnotizes Mint to determine what he revealed to the Mexican spies.
14Notes
House ad for All-American Comics #42, Action Comics #52, Adventure Comics #78, Sensation Comics #9, Star Spangled Comics #12, Flash Comics #33, Detective Comics #67, and More Fun Comics #83.
15Credits
- Letters
- typeset
Notes
Inside back cover.
16Featuring
- Feature
- Good Books Worth Reading
- Genre
- Non-fiction
Credits
- Author
- Josette Frank
- Art
- ? (illustration)
- Letters
- typeset
Synopsis
Book review of book by Lydia Mead with drawings by Oscar Fabres.
Notes
Also includes a "Superman's Secret Message" (in code Pluto No. 8).
17"A special message to the boys and girls of America from Henry Morgenthau, Jr. - Secretary of the Treasury!"
Featuring
- Genre
- Advocacy
Credits
- Script
- Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (credited)
- Art
- ? (illustration)
- Letters
- ?
typeset
Synopsis
The publishers donated this space, on behalf of the U.S. Savings Bonds and War Stamps campaign, to published a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., encouraging the boys and girls of America to buy at least one 10 cent Savings Stamp each week to help the war effort.
Notes
Back cover.
Notes
The on-sale date is the publication date reported in the U. S. Copyright Office filing. On-sale date of July 22 given in Green Lantern #4.
Indicia
The indicia for this issue is not recorded. The identified publisher might be an associated or parent company, rather than the specific listed publisher.