Where Should I Start Reading Wonder Woman?
Where you start reading Wonder Woman largely depends on what you bring to the table. Have you read comics before? Do you insist on modern comics or are you open to something with some age on it? Have you seen any Wonder Woman media before? Are you looking for an ongoing story or something more self-contained?
The comic that is probably most often recommended for getting to know the essence of who Wonder Woman is as a character and the lore that defines her, is the George Pérez run that started Wonder Woman from scratch following DC’s company-wide reboot event in the mid-1980s (Crisis On Infinite Earths). He wrote over 60 issues, leaving the title in 1992. The first arc of seven issues is collected as “Gods and Mortals” and serves as a nice point at which you can decide to keep going or read as a standalone. If seven issues is too much, honestly the very first issue does such a great job of setting up her backstory, you can easily just read this one issue, then decide your next steps.
A more modern approach can be found in Greg Rucka’s Year One from 2016. This tied into DC’s Rebirth event meant to streamline some big changes that had occurred in continuity from reboots in years prior. With his tasking, Rucka (who had a previous run on Wonder Woman from 2002-2006) was instructed to bring Wonder Woman “back to her roots.” Year One is a flashback story that ran concurrently with a story in the present, but it’s been collected and can be read on its own.
The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz was published in 2015/2016 and although it’s not canon, it respects the major beats of the traditional Wonder Woman story and streamlines those elements while not veering too far into drastic reboot territory. It was published in 27 digital issues, then 9 print issues, and collected into one easily digestible book.
No Wonder Woman writer will ever understand the character better than her creator. William Moulton Marston was a seasoned Harvard professor who started writing comics only after enjoying a successful academic career, creating (along with his life partners and illustrator) what he called “psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.” Sensationalists will emphasize the bondage aspects present in Golden Age Wonder Woman, which were certainly there, but shouldn’t overshadow the virtues of radical empathy, strategic acumen, honed skills, and humanism that defined her stories during the 1940s. In addition to having been developed by Marston, his wife, and their live-in life partner, many later issues were ghost written by Joye Murchison. Several Golden Age collections exist, but if you can read only one issue, check out Wonder Woman #1 which streamlines elements from All-Star Comics #8 and Sensation Comics #1.
What Are Some Other Notable Wonder Woman Stories?
Phil Jimenez wrote and illustrated a run from 2001 to 2003 often seen as a spiritual successor to the George Pérez run which focused on Diana’s role as an ambassador and her supporting cast.
Gail Simone’s 2008-2010 run is often celebrated for the strong voice and characterization she applied to Diana.
Before he brought her back to her roots in Rebirth (see above), Greg Rucka’s 30+ issue run was preceded by a graphic novel called The Hiketeia in which a young woman appeals to Diana in a bid of sanctuary from Batman.
Kelly Thompson’s Absolute Wonder Woman is an Elseworlds-type take on the character set in a universe meant to pit its heroes in a foundation of hardship as opposed to the mainline universe where they may have had better advantages. Despite being raised in hell, Absolute Wonder Woman still proves stalwart to the values we have typically seen in her best iterations.
Kelly Sue Deconnick’s Historia is a Black Label title that focuses on the formation of the tribes that make up the Amazons. It is highly celebrated by readers, critics, and awards committees for its deep storytelling and rich artwork by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott.
Blood and Guts by Brian Azzarello is recognized for its outstanding art and character designs by Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins. Readers recognize that the storytelling is strong, but not necessarily a great Wonder Woman story due to the changes to her origins and family being inconsistent with the values of the character. Once canon, the story is now seen as something of an Elseworlds, taking place in an alternate grittier timeline: Earth 52.
In Jill Thompson’s The True Amazon, Diana grows up spoiled, entitled, and reckless. She must learn humility and responsibility to become the true Wonder Woman.
Warbringer started out as a novel by Leigh Bardugo which was adapted as a comic book by Louise Simonson. In the story, a teenage Diana rescues a mortal girl from a shipwreck near the Amazon island of Themyscira. She soon learns that the girl is a Warbringer—a descendant of Helen of Troy fated to spark global destruction and misery.
Grant Morrison went to great efforts to honor the spirit of Marston’s intentions in Earth One, but the general consensus is that he didn’t quite nail it.
Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad enjoyed a 30 issue run from 2021 to 2023. “Afterworlds,” often gets attention as the run’s first strong arc in which Diana finds herself in the Norse afterlife.
Dead Earth is a post-apocalyptic look at a world in which Wonder Woman is the only superhero survivor who has failed in her mission to bring peace to Man’s World.
Wonder Woman isn’t always particularly well written in team books, but some of note include Justice League Dark (2018), A League of One (2001), Wonder Woman & The Justice League America (1993), and JLA: Golden Perfect (2002).
For anthologies of short stories, seek out Black and Gold (2021), Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman (2015), Sensational Wonder Woman (2021), and any number of anniversary issues, special, secret files, and other one-shots.
There are also a number of Wonder Woman reference books and “best of” books including “Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Victories,” “Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told,” “Wonder Woman: The Cheetah,” and “Wonder Woman: 80 Years of the Amazon Warrior.”
This subreddit has also voted on some of the best stories: [link].
Who is Wonder Woman's "Joker" or "Lex Luthor"?
Unlike Superman or Batman, there is some debate among DC editorial and fans over who Wonder Woman's definitive arch nemesis is. The three characters who are most often associated with being her most prominent villains are Cheetah, Ares, and Circe. Other notable villains include Giganta, Dr. Poison, Dr. Psycho, Veronica Cale, Silver Swan, and others.
There's a common misconception that Wonder Woman doesn't have as strong of a rogues gallery as the two other members of the DC trinity, but this is mostly due to the fact that Superman and Batman have had many multimedia adaptations and Wonder Woman has not.
Indeed, she has many who are just as interesting. The Wonder Woman Wiki has a fluid list here: wonder-woman.fandom.com/Rogues_Gallery
Does Wonder Woman Have a No Kill Rule?
The important thing to remember about Wonder Woman's antagonists is that she primarily believes in rehabilitation. The Amazons have an entire island dedicated to this called Transformation Island (or Reform Island) where she once turned an evil Nazi scientist into one of her greatest allies.
Cruder interpretations of Wonder Woman have tried to harden her image by making her a killer (New 52 writers once made her say, "When I deal with [my villains], I DEAL with them."), but one of the most powerful quotes that represents her stance on "dealing" with conflict comes from Gail Simone in Wonder Woman v3 #25...
"We have a saying, my people: Don't kill if you can wound, don't wound if you can subdue, don't subdue if you can pacify, and don't raise your hand at all until you've first extended it."
Of course, Wonder Woman has killed before, perhaps most controversially in Infinite Crisis where she killed Max Lord under extenuating circumstances (that we don’t go into here) and subsequently turned herself into the International Criminal Court. Typically though, Wonder Woman is more often seen slaying demons or evil creatures than she is people. It might be best equated to Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the writers made a clear distinction between the main character killing beings with souls vs those without.
Wonder Woman’s modus operandi is a mission of peace and ambassadorship, not warmongering.
What Are Wonder Woman's Origins?
Wonder Woman was sculpted from clay by her mother and given life by the gods. This has been Wonder Woman’s origin for over 96% of her history. From time to time, DC has flirted with the idea of alternate origins, even trying to give her a father (usually men who have engaged in some form of forced compliance with her or her mother: Zeus, Hercules, Hades, etc), but these are exceptions that largely have not stuck.
The Zeus origin has probably been the most persistent variation due to a few factors: 1) it was featured as a plot point in her first theatrical movie because it was canon in the comics at the time, 2) it has been published in reference books despite having been retconned, and 3) has been suggested in derivative works (i.e. the “Children of the Gods” arc with Diana's brother Jason) as a result of DC editorial keeping canon fluid in the interest of offering opportunities for a wider variety of storytelling options. But in fact, this was only canon for a few years before being corrected in Year One.
see: https://wonder-woman.fandom.com/wiki/Origins
Wonder Woman having been born from only a mother is as central to her character as immigration is to Superman, trauma to Batman, or guilt to Spider-Man.
The Comics Journal: You've mentioned that Amazon parthenogenesis was an important inspiration in early feminist literature, symbolizing a woman's ability to choose when to give birth.
Jill Lepore: To turn Wonder Woman into the daughter of Zeus is to take a massively influential female hero and icon whose unique origins lie in the suffrage and birth control movements, and whose origin story is taken directly from Progressive era feminist utopian fiction, and turn her into a stock element in a Percy Jackson knockoff. You could take away Krypton from Superman, too, and decide, say, that Superman is the son of Odin, or that he’s George Washington brought back from the dead, or that he has a sidekick named Watson, or two heads. But then, of course, he wouldn’t be Superman.
—The Comics Journal: “Wonder Woman and the Unknown: An Interview with Jill Lepore” November 14, 2014
Is Wonder Woman Queer?
The short answer is yes, despite a lack of full embrace by her publisher.
Wonder Woman has been shown to be in romantic relationships with both men and women, both in and outside of canon. For specific examples in stories, see the following section about her love interests.
This is one of the most oft-quoted responses on the topic from Greg Rucka:
“Are we saying Diana has been in love and had relationships with other women? The answer is obviously yes.”
The full answer is much more thoughtful and nuanced, and worth the read: Comicosity, “Greg Rucka on Queer Narrative and Wonder Woman” by Matt Santori, September 28, 2016
Notably, she’s also widely seen as a queer icon, especially the Lynda Carter version. There’s plenty of evidence for this, but we’ll leave you with just this quote from the woman herself:
“I didn't write Wonder Woman, but if you want to argue that she is somehow not a queer or trans icon, then you're not paying attention. Every time someone comes up to me and says that WW helped them while they were closeted, it reminds me how special the role is.“ —u/RealLyndaCarter on Twitter, June 1, 2022
Who Are Wonder Woman's Love Interests?
Steve Trevor is Wonder Woman’s primary love interest, although it should be noted that he was absent in this role for 31 years. Following Wonder Woman’s 1980s reboot, Steve Trevor was aged up and served as a platonic mentor to Diana, later marrying Etta Candy in that continuity.
For a comprehensive list, see: Wonder Woman's romantic love interests
Who Are Wonder Woman's Children?
Primarily, Lyta Trevor (Fury) and Lizzie Prince (Trinity).
For a comprehensive list, see: Children of Wonder Woman
What Are Some Wonder Woman Books for Young Readers?
See: Category: Children's Books
How Often Have Women Written and Illustrated Wonder Woman?
See: Women who have written and illustrated Wonder Woman
Is Wonder Woman Profitable Enough to Justify New Projects?
This is a tough question and impossible to answer given the amount of spin that companies put on the numbers they release concerning expenses and returns. We bring it up because this is often the reason people cite for why Wonder Woman doesn’t have as many projects as Superman and Batman despite DC’s insistence that she’s their third most important character.
There are some clues, though. For example, the 2017 Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman movie was the DCEU’s highest grossing release at the domestic box office, the 2009 direct-to-video Wonder Woman animated movie is the 4th highest-grossing DC animated movie (out of 54 titles), the Lynda Carter TV series enjoyed strong ratings among its peers in the 70s, and Absolute Wonder Woman has been a consistent top-seller for DC.
Is Wonder Woman Lore Accurate to Greek Mythology?
No, and it’s not meant to be. As a publisher, DC has pushed a Greek myth angle for her stories from time to time because it’s an easy access point for readers. But she's not beholden to the "real" Greek gods any more than Superman is to the "real" gods of Krypton.
Show Me Some Wholesome Wonder Woman Content
Glossary
CANON — the official, authoritative storyline and events that are considered to have actually happened within the main continuity of a fictional universe. Typically, these stories happen in the “main” Wonder Woman or Justice League books, while “non-canon” stories happen in mini-series, spin-offs, and books published under other brands such as (but not limited to) Elseworlds.
DC Comics editorial was pretty strict with what was canon and what was not after they rebooted the universe with Crisis On Infinite Earths up until the Flashpoint event starting a fresh canon that lasted about five years before restoring some prior canon and merging others. It’s all very confusing, depends on writers and editorial teams, and what has been retconned. As a result, canon is much more fluid and far less important when stories shift writers (especially in the wake of storylines such as Rebirth and Death Metal that try to explain how things can be so fluid).
RETCON — retroactive continuity: where the facts, history, or events of a previously established narrative are altered, ignored, or directly contradicted by a newer work to change how the audience interprets them.
