Wonder Woman #214
Wonder Woman #214 (cover-dated November 1974, on sale July 9, 1974) is the third chapter of 'The Twelve Labors,' the ambitious Bronze Age storyline — running through issues #212–222 — in which Diana Prince must complete twelve monitored missions to prove herself worthy of rejoining the Justice League of America after her de-powered 'mod' era. This installment is memorable because Green Lantern Hal Jordan serves as the designated JLA monitor for the adventure, and the story cleverly exploits the tension between Diana's magic-based lasso and a power ring that cannot function against sorcery, ultimately forcing Diana to solve the crisis entirely on her own — a pointed argument for her reinstatement. As a 100-page Super Spectacular, the issue also served readers of the period as a sampler of the character's full history, packaging the new Twelve Labors chapter alongside reprinted Golden Age and Silver Age Wonder Woman stories featuring classic supporting cast members like Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, and Hippolyta. The lead story from this issue was later selected for reprinting in the DC trade paperback 'Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told,' a curatorial judgment that speaks to how editors regarded it as representative of the character at her Bronze Age best.
When a young girl named Rrara from the Chameleon Planet swaps places with Wonder Girl for a day, her simple wish to experience life on Paradise Island quickly turns chaotic—just as both worlds face unexpected threats from separate enemies. With Wonder Girl’s powers and Rrara’s unique abilities now in play, the day becomes a test of courage, quick thinking, and what it truly means to be a hero.
In "The Masquerader," Wonder Woman ventures beyond Paradise Island under a strict vow of secrecy, taking on the guise of Diana Prince to evade capture by a gang of racketeers. As she navigates the world below, she must carefully balance her dual identities while confronting threats that test her resolve—both as a hero and a guest among the Holliday Girls and the Amazons.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Twelve Labors arc was initiated when Julius Schwartz became the new editor on the Wonder Woman title and enlisted writer Len Wein to address a significant continuity problem: Diana had returned to her classic powered identity without any in-story explanation for the gap left by the 'mod' era or for the unexplained resurrection of Steve Trevor. Issue #214 specifically was scripted by Elliot S. Maggin — one of several writers who rotated through the arc alongside Wein, Cary Bates, and Martin Pasko — with pencils by Curt Swan, an artist closely associated with Schwartz's editorial output on the Superman family of titles. The decision to format issues in this period as 100-page volumes allowed DC to embed new Twelve Labors installments within a context of reprinted material that gave newer readers a crash course in the character's decades-long history.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: November 1974; on-sale date: July 9, 1974 (DC Database / Fandom).
- Part 3 of 'The Twelve Labors' storyline (Wonder Woman #212–222), in which Diana must complete twelve JLA-monitored missions to earn reinstatement in the Justice League.
- Written by Elliot S. Maggin; pencils by Curt Swan — confirming this issue's specific creative team within the rotating roster of the arc.
- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) serves as the JLA monitor for this mission; his power ring is rendered useless by the magical Celtic amulet at the story's center, making Diana's own magic-based lasso the only tool capable of averting a nuclear catastrophe.
- At the story's conclusion, Green Lantern files a positive report with the JLA formally recommending Wonder Woman's reinstatement.
- Published as a 100-page Super Spectacular, the issue bundles its new lead story with reprinted Golden Age Wonder Woman tales (featuring Etta Candy and Hippolyta among others) and several Silver Age stories.
- The lead story, 'Wish Upon a Star!', was reprinted in the DC trade paperback 'Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told' (2007), as confirmed by multiple sources including the Grand Comics Database and the Internet Archive.
- The entire Twelve Labors arc (#212–222) is also collected in the 2012 DC trade paperback 'Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors,' edited under the aegis of Julius Schwartz's original editorial tenure.
Cast · 12 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Sensation Comics #26 (1944), Wonder Woman #84 (1956), Wonder Woman #106 (1959), Wonder Woman #108 (1959), Wonder Woman #115 (1960), Wonder Woman #143 (1964), Wonder Woman #144 (1964), The Adventures of Bob Hope #89 (1964), Wonder Woman #157 (1965)
Reprinted in Comic Reader #107 (1974), Superman Presents World's Finest Comic Monthly #119 (1975), Superman Presents World's Finest Comic Monthly #121 (1975), Superman Presents World's Finest Comic Monthly #126 (1976), Wundergirl #5 (1976), Super Action avec Wonder Woman #3 (1979), Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told #[nn] (2007), Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors #[nn] (2012)
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