Wonder Woman #1
Wonder Woman #1 (summer 1942) marks the graduation of DC's first headlining superheroine from a backup feature into her own solo title — a milestone with no parallel among superhero comics of the era, which were dominated almost entirely by male leads. The issue deepens the mythology Marston had sketched in All-Star Comics #8 and Sensation Comics #1 by formally retelling Diana's origin in long form, introducing the now-canonical detail that she was sculpted from clay by Queen Hippolyte and given life by the gods — a story beat that has anchored every major retelling of the character for eight decades. It also introduces Ares (then called Mars), the God of War, who would become Wonder Woman's most enduring mythological antagonist across every era of her publication history. Together with its 'Wonder Women of History' educational backup feature, the issue established a template — feminist symbolism woven into adventure storytelling — that made Wonder Woman a cultural touchstone far beyond the superhero genre.
In this foundational tale from Wonder Woman #1 (1942), the Amazons’ legendary origin unfolds through an ancient scroll, revealing their creation by Athena and their isolation on Themyscira. As Wonder Woman arrives in man’s world, the story traces her roots through the Amazonian past—her training, her bond with Mala, and her early trials, all set against the looming shadow of Mars and the rise of a dangerous enemy in the guise of Hercules.
Wonder Woman takes a group of children to King’s Colossal Circus, where she dazzles the crowd in the big ring before uncovering a mystery behind a series of elephant deaths. With the help of Etta and Steve, she digs into the circus’s inner workings, facing off against a web of secrets tied to the Holiday Girls, the enigmatic San Yan, and a sinister group of Burmese men.
In a time of war, Florence Nightingale answers the call not with a sword, but with compassion, leaving behind a life of privilege to tend to wounded soldiers on the Crimean front. With the quiet strength of her Nana’s wisdom and the weight of a broken engagement to John, she finds purpose in the trenches, earning the name “Angel of Crimea” as she brings care to the suffering. Her journey—marked by duty, sacrifice, and quiet courage—leads her to earn the respect of Queen Victoria and the admiration of a nation, even as she redefines what it means to serve.
In a tense 1942 showdown, Wonder Woman investigates a prison spy ring when suspicions fall on Baroness Paula von Gunther, who’s secretly using her confinement to pass intelligence to the Nazis. With the magic lasso slipping into her hands during a visit, Diana must navigate deception behind bars—where even the warden’s own family may be compromised.
Adeline and her father are left scrambling when tenants at the newly purchased hotel complain the water tastes like oil. Desperate to solve the mystery, Adeline’s father calls in Hy, an oil expert, who brings his dog Snort to sniff out the source—leading to a series of wacky discoveries in this lighthearted 1942 slice of Wonder Woman humor.
In "The Greatest Feat of Daring in Human History!", Wonder Woman and Etta race from Texas to Mexico City after Private Mint Candy is attacked by Japanese spies, uncovering a secret plot to invade the country. With the help of a young woman named Pepita Valdez and a reluctant bullfighter, Wonder Woman must confront a dangerous informant and a daring bullfight that becomes the battleground for a nation’s fate.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
William Moulton Marston, a Harvard-educated psychologist who co-invented an early polygraph prototype, proposed the concept of a female superhero to publisher M.C. Gaines after a 1940 Family Circle article on comic books' educational potential caught Gaines's attention, leading to Marston's hire as an educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications. Marston wrote all stories under the pen name 'Charles Moulton' — a portmanteau of his own middle name and Gaines's — while newspaper illustrator Harry G. Peter provided the artwork throughout the Golden Age run. The series launched roughly six months after Wonder Woman's debut in Sensation Comics #1, with editor Sheldon Mayer overseeing the book and former world No. 1 tennis champion Alice Marble serving as associate editor, personally distributing complimentary copies of this debut issue to prominent American women and servicewomen to solicit ideas for the 'Wonder Women of History' feature she conceived and wrote.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First issue of Wonder Woman's self-titled solo series, cover-dated June/July 1942, published by All-American Publications under the DC umbrella — making it one of the earliest solo titles ever launched for a female superhero.
- Written by William Moulton Marston (as 'Charles Moulton') and drawn by Harry G. Peter, with the 'Wonder Women of History' backup written by associate editor Alice Marble and illustrated by Sheldon Moldoff.
- First appearance of Ares, the God of War — referred to here by his Roman name Mars — who is depicted as an interplanetary warlord seeking to sustain World War II for his own power; he would go on to be Wonder Woman's most persistent mythological villain.
- Introduces the clay-birth origin of Diana: the story 'The Origin of Wonder Woman' is the first place in comics where Diana is depicted as having been sculpted from clay by her mother Hippolyte and animated by divine will — a detail absent from the earlier tellings in All-Star Comics #8 and Sensation Comics #1.
- The issue contains four complete Marston stories: 'The Origin of Wonder Woman,' 'Wonder Woman Goes to the Circus,' 'The Master Plan of Paula Von Gunther,' and 'The Greatest Feat of Daring In Human History,' running approximately 68 pages total.
- Retcons two elements from the earlier Sensation Comics run: Wonder Woman receives her magic lasso before leaving Paradise Island (rather than in Sensation Comics #6), and Steve Trevor is shown receiving a promotion to Major upon his return from the island.
- The 'Wonder Women of History' backup — debuting here with a profile of Florence Nightingale — inaugurated a recurring educational feature celebrating real historical women that ran in the Wonder Woman title and Sensation Comics from 1942 through 1954, spanning at least 71 entries.
- The entire issue has been reprinted multiple times, including Famous First Edition #F-6, the Millennium Edition reprint, Wonder Woman Archives Vol. 1, Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (2016), and DC Facsimile Editions published in January 2024 and May 2026.
Cast · 6 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Secret Origins #3 (1973), Famous First Edition #F-6 (1975), Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes #[nn] (1976), Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes #[nn] (1976), The Golden Age of Comic Books #[nn] (1977), Wonder Woman Archives #1 (1998), Millennium Edition: Wonder Woman No. 1 #[nn] (2000), The Wonder Woman Chronicles #1 (2010), Wonder Woman: Amazon. Hero. Icon. #[nn] (2015), Wonder Woman: The War Years 1941-1945 #[nn] (2015), DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection #51 (2016), Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus #1 (2016), Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017), Wonder Woman antologi #[nn] (2018), Wonder Woman: The Golden Age #1 (2018), Wonder Woman 1 (Facsimile Edition) #[nn] (2024), Wonder Woman 1 (Facsimile Edition) #[nn] (2026)
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