Wonder Woman #297
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWonder Woman #297 (cover date November 1982) is a triple-debut package that makes it one of the most content-dense single issues of the Bronze Age Wonder Woman run. It introduces the Greek-mythology-themed villain Nikos Aegeus — a terrorist empowered by Bellerophon with the thunderbolts of Zeus and the winged horse Pegasus — who would go on to appear in DC's Who's Who and return in the New 52 era, representing an early attempt to anchor Wonder Woman's rogues gallery in Olympian myth well before George Pérez made that approach definitive. The same issue debuts Blackwing (Charlie Bullock) in the Huntress back-up strip and houses the 16-page 'Masters of the Universe Preview' insert that served as one of the first DC Comics appearances of He-Man, Skeletor, and the Eternia cast, directly bridging Mattel's toy line to the comic-book medium. The issue's Aegeus story arc (continuing through #298–299) was even name-checked in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7, a minor but charming measure of its cultural staying power.
In "Thunder on the Wind," Superman is pulled through a mysterious vortex and finds himself in Eternia, where he must team up with He-Man to stop Skeletor’s desperate quest for the Power Sword. With Zodac’s ominous warnings and the Dark Sea’s secrets unfolding, the fate of both worlds hangs in the balance. Written by Paul Kupperberg and brought to life with Curt Swan’s dynamic art, Dave Hunt’s inks, Anthony Tollin’s colors, and Ben Oda’s lettering, this 1982 DC classic features a stunning cover by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
In Eternia, Zodac warns Prince Adam of a looming death, while Skeletor prowls the Dark Sea in search of the missing half of the Power Sword. On Earth, Superman follows mysterious energy spheres into a watery vortex, emerging in a realm where he’s immediately caught in a clash between Skeletor, Beast-Man, and Mer-Man. With the sword’s power at stake, a desperate battle unfolds—until He-Man arrives, and fate itself is tested.
In "Go Save the World!", Helena Wayne finds herself caught between the law and the streets when a new vigilante, the Black Wing, emerges in Gotham. With doubts still lingering, she must navigate a growing threat as a mysterious thug named Toro and a man named Mr. Cohn become entangled in a web of crime that tests her resolve.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 11 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.4 ▾ $99.99–$250 2 listings
Raw — NM ▾ $9.99–$37.24 4 listings
Raw — VF+ ▾ $10–$14.99 2 listings
Raw — FN/VF ▾ $14–$34.95 2 listings
Raw — FN ▾ $7.39–$22.98 3 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $5.99–$31.34 13 listings
More listings for this title
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
Dan Mishkin took over as writer with this issue — his first solo outing on the Wonder Woman title — while Gene Colan and Frank McLaughlin handled the main story's interior art, with Curt Swan pencilling the Masters of the Universe insert and Joe Staton and Joey Cavalieri producing the Huntress back-up. The book was edited by Marv Wolfman with Dick Giordano as managing editor. The Masters of the Universe insert carried its own indicia ('MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE PREVIEW, Nov., 1982') and was simultaneously tipped into 14 other DC November-cover-date titles as a coordinated promotional launch for the upcoming three-issue Masters of the Universe mini-series (December 1982–February 1983), representing an unusually broad cross-line marketing effort for the era.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Nikos Aegeus (a.k.a. Aegeus), a Greek-terrorism-themed Wonder Woman villain co-created by writer Dan Mishkin, penciller Gene Colan, and inker Frank McLaughlin; cover date November 1982, published August 5, 1982.
- First appearance of Blackwing (Charlie Bullock) in his costumed identity, debuting in the Huntress back-up story 'Go Save the World!'; Bullock himself had previously appeared in Adventure Comics #464 (1979).
- Contains the 16-page 'Masters of the Universe Preview' insert ('Fate Is the Killer'), written by Paul Kupperberg with art by Curt Swan, introducing the DC Comics version of He-Man, Skeletor, Prince Adam, Battle Cat, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Mer-Man, Beast-Man, Stratos, Zodac, and the Sorceress to the DC publishing line.
- The Masters of the Universe insert was simultaneously distributed inside 14 other DC titles with November 1982 cover dates, making Wonder Woman #297 one of the first wave of books to carry it.
- The Masters of the Universe insert's story leads directly into Masters of the Universe (DC, 1982 series) #1, published December 1982.
- The main 'Thunder on the Wind' story arc (issues #297–299) was referenced by characters Andrew and Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7, Episode 10 ('Bring on the Night'), giving the issue a small pop-culture afterlife.
- This issue also notes, per the Grand Comics Database, that Diana Prince is shown piloting an Air Force jet for the first time in the series, and that the Magic Sphere returns to the title after a long absence.
Cast · 31 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Wundergirl #2/1983 (1983), Wundergirl #8/1983 (1983), Adventure #3 (1983), Wonder Woman #3 (1984)
Key issues in Wonder Woman
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.