Wonder Woman #15
Wonder Woman #15 (vol. 2, April 1988) introduces Valerie Beaudry as the second Silver Swan — the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reinvention of the character — cementing her as a cornerstone villain of George Pérez's definitive run on the title. Unlike her pre-Crisis predecessor, whose powers were mystically granted by the god Mars, Beaudry is a product of corporate exploitation and nuclear-age trauma, making her a distinctly modern and morally complex antagonist whose trajectory from victim to villain to redemption arc would play out across the entire Pérez era. The issue also advances the ongoing subplot of Diana's complicated attraction to Superman, threading romantic tension through the action in a way that distinguished this incarnation of Wonder Woman from the superhero norm. Its narrative threads — the Silver Swan's debut, the charity fair setting, and Myndi Mayer's escalating arc — directly seed the events leading to the landmark 'Who Killed Myndi Mayer?' story in issue #20.
In "Swan Song," George Pérez and Len Wein launch a gripping chapter in Wonder Woman’s story as Diana grapples with unexpected emotions toward Superman, even as she’s honored with a charity fair in her name. When Solomon Buchman kidnaps Maxine Sterenbuch and reveals that her pen pal Valerie Beaudry has been transformed by a dangerous experiment, the truth erupts at the fair—where Valerie, now wielding mutant sonic powers as the Silver Swan, turns against Wonder Woman. George Pérez’s dynamic art and Bruce Patterson’s inks bring the tension to life, while the cover by Pérez captures the moment’s escalating drama.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 15 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The story was scripted by Len Wein from a plot laid out and pencilled by George Pérez, with inks by Bruce D. Patterson — the standard creative division of labor on the title at this point in Pérez's run. Pérez designed the post-Crisis Silver Swan from the ground up, replacing the pre-Crisis model's supernatural origin with a science-fiction framework rooted in Cold War nuclear anxiety, a shift that reflected the grittier, more socially conscious tone he was building for the relaunched series after Crisis on Infinite Earths. The issue's cover, drawn by Pérez, has been singled out by commentators for its striking use of negative space and unsettling composition.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Valerie Beaudry as the second (post-Crisis) Silver Swan; she debuts as the antagonist of 'Swan Song' at a Wonder Woman charity fair in Boston Common.
- Valerie Beaudry's origin: born disfigured due to her parents' exposure to radiation from nuclear testing, she was manipulated and cybernetically transformed into the Silver Swan by industrialist Henry Cobb Armbruster through his company Armbruster International.
- The Silver Swan's post-Crisis powers are technological rather than supernatural — artificial wings for flight and a devastating sonic 'swan song' — in deliberate contrast to the pre-Crisis Helen Alexandros version, whose abilities were granted by the god Mars.
- Like all three Silver Swan incarnations in DC continuity, Beaudry's backstory is explicitly inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Ugly Duckling.
- Issue title is 'Swan Song'; it was written by Len Wein (script) and George Pérez (plot and pencils), with inks by Bruce D. Patterson, cover date April 1988.
- A secondary plot thread has Diana experiencing romantic dreams about Superman and struggling with those feelings — a character development running through this phase of Pérez's run.
- Supporting cast appearances include Lt. Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, Vanessa Kapatelis, Myndi Mayer, Inspector Indelicato, and Solomon Buchman (whose father was killed by the Silver Swan, providing his revenge motivation).
- The issue has been collected in the George Pérez Wonder Woman trade paperback series (Vol. 2) and in the George Pérez Wonder Woman Omnibus published by DC.
Cast · 16 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Wonder Woman #3 (2005), Wonder Woman by George Pérez Omnibus #[1] (2015), Wonder Woman by George Pérez #2 (2017), Wonder Woman Through the Years #[nn] (2020)
Key issues in Wonder Woman
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.