The Comic Chronicles
The DC archivist picks his 10 all-time favorite covers
By Brian Steinberg
Wonder Woman Debuts
Sensation Comics #1 1942
The character made her first appearance in late 1941 in the company’s All Star Comics, but this cover marks her initial big splash. She’s using her Amazonian bracelets to ward off bullets, a scene readers would see time and again over the decades. “This is the big one,” says LeClear.
Wonder Woman Meets the Cheetah
Wonder Woman #6, 1943
Wonder Woman tangles with the Cheetah — unhinged socialite Priscilla Rich, who develops a split personality that includes the villainous huntress. Die-hards will notice in the background a cameo by Etta Candy and the Holiday Girls, early sidekicks for Wonder Woman who even tangled with Nazis, LeClear notes.
Wonder Woman for President
Wonder Woman #7, 1943
“This is one of the most important and most iconic covers we have ever produced,” notes LeClear. Set in 2043, the cover shows the Amazon heroine gearing up for a run at the Oval Office. Creator William Moulton Marston “was someone who would advocate female superiority,” LeClear says.
Wonder Woman Gets an Update
Wonder Woman #45, 1951
With World War II in the nation’s rear-view mirror, the character was in need of some retooling. She gets sandals to replace her boots, and her invisible plane becomes an invisible jet. “It’s a rebirth,” notes LeClear.
Wonder Woman Goes Mod
Wonder Woman #178, 1968
She renounces her powers when her home, Paradise Island, relocates to another dimension. To better know the people she protects, she goes undercover as alter ego Diana Prince, sporting the fashions of the times. “She ends up opening her own mod boutique,” says LeClear. “It was definitely a play off Diana Rigg and ‘The Avengers.’ ”
Wonder Woman Gets Ready for Battle
Wonder Woman #253, 1979
Post-’60s, DC tries a new look for the Amazonian Princess, giving her a sword and putting her back in costume. “It has been rare to see her with a sword,” notes LeClear, but DC was testing new ideas, including having Diana Prince work at the United Nations.
Wonder Woman Takes to the Heavens
Wonder Woman #1, 1987
Legendary comic-book artist and writer George Perez takes over Wonder Woman and sets her on a new creative path. “There’s an emphasis on relationships, not just with Princess Diana, but with the gods themselves,” says LeClear, reflecting the heroine’s origins as an Amazon. Perez’s tenure would last 62 issues.
Diana Stands on Her Own
Wonder Woman #63, 1992
Writer William Messner-Loebs takes the creative reins and sets about having the character and her heroics take the spotlight. “She is back more as a super-hero,” says LeClear.
Wonder Woman in Space
Wonder Woman #69, 1992
Princess Diana is sent into space as Messner-Loebs tests her mettle in some unorthodox situations — and costumes. “She is just fighting the good fight with whatever she has available,” notes the archivist.
A Modern Twist
Wonder Woman, 2013
In a critically acclaimed three-year run under writer Brian Azzarello, Wonder Woman discovers she is the daughter of Zeus, raising all kinds of new family intrigue. She interacts with modern versions of the Greek pantheon, like Ares.
Wonder Woman Debuts
Sensation Comics #1 1942
The character made her first appearance in late 1941 in the company’s All Star Comics, but this cover marks her initial big splash. She’s using her Amazonian bracelets to ward off bullets, a scene readers would see time and again over the decades. “This is the big one,” says LeClear.
Wonder Woman Meets the Cheetah
Wonder Woman #6, 1943
Wonder Woman tangles with the Cheetah — unhinged socialite Priscilla Rich, who develops a split personality that includes the villainous huntress. Die-hards will notice in the background a cameo by Etta Candy and the Holiday Girls, early sidekicks for Wonder Woman who even tangled with Nazis, LeClear notes.
Wonder Woman for President
Wonder Woman #7, 1943
“This is one of the most important and most iconic covers we have ever produced,” notes LeClear. Set in 2043, the cover shows the Amazon heroine gearing up for a run at the Oval Office. Creator William Moulton Marston “was someone who would advocate female superiority,” LeClear says.
Wonder Woman Gets an Update
Wonder Woman #45, 1951
With World War II in the nation’s rear-view mirror, the character was in need of some retooling. She gets sandals to replace her boots, and her invisible plane becomes an invisible jet. “It’s a rebirth,” notes LeClear.
Wonder Woman Goes Mod
Wonder Woman #178, 1968
She renounces her powers when her home, Paradise Island, relocates to another dimension. To better know the people she protects, she goes undercover as alter ego Diana Prince, sporting the fashions of the times. “She ends up opening her own mod boutique,” says LeClear. “It was definitely a play off Diana Rigg and ‘The Avengers.’ ”
Wonder Woman Gets Ready for Battle
Wonder Woman #253, 1979
Post-’60s, DC tries a new look for the Amazonian Princess, giving her a sword and putting her back in costume. “It has been rare to see her with a sword,” notes LeClear, but DC was testing new ideas, including having Diana Prince work at the United Nations.
Wonder Woman Takes to the Heavens
Wonder Woman #1, 1987
Legendary comic-book artist and writer George Perez takes over Wonder Woman and sets her on a new creative path. “There’s an emphasis on relationships, not just with Princess Diana, but with the gods themselves,” says LeClear, reflecting the heroine’s origins as an Amazon. Perez’s tenure would last 62 issues.
Diana Stands on Her Own
Wonder Woman #63, 1992
Writer William Messner-Loebs takes the creative reins and sets about having the character and her heroics take the spotlight. “She is back more as a super-hero,” says LeClear.
Wonder Woman in Space
Wonder Woman #69, 1992
Princess Diana is sent into space as Messner-Loebs tests her mettle in some unorthodox situations — and costumes. “She is just fighting the good fight with whatever she has available,” notes the archivist.
A Modern Twist
Wonder Woman, 2013
In a critically acclaimed three-year run under writer Brian Azzarello, Wonder Woman discovers she is the daughter of Zeus, raising all kinds of new family intrigue. She interacts with modern versions of the Greek pantheon, like Ares.
