Jill Lepore’s astonishing story of The Secret History of Wonder Woman will surprise even the most jaded comic book reader or feminist critic. Lepore researches the secret origins of Wonder Woman back in the early 1940s and her evolution over the decades. The kinky background of the principals behind the creation of Wonder Woman was completely unknown to me. Part Utopian vision, part feminist agenda, part classical mythology, the Wonder Woman comic was original and very different from the rest of the DC line. I highly recommend The Secret History of Wonder Woman to comic book devotees and fans of popular culture! GRADE: A
Table of Contents:
Veritas
Family circle
Paradise island
Great Hera! I’m back!
Already got it for my sister-in-law.
Dan, great choice! I was surprised by the story of THE SECRET WORLD OF WONDER WOMAN. It’s a fascinating read!
George, I only know about Wonder Woman, and most superheroes for that matter, through their comics. Save for Superman, perhaps, I have never read the making of a superhero. Are these histories usually written in consultation with the creators and publishers, DC in this case?
Prashant, Jill Lepore is a professor at Harvard University and the guy who came up with the idea of Wonder Woman was a Harvard prof, too. If you’re going to read only one book on the making of a comic super-hero, THE SECRET HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN should be the top choice.
I’m supposed to be getting this for Christmas.
Bill, then you must be on Santa’s Good List!
This looks great. I don’t even know her non-secret history.
Patti, you would really enjoy THE SECRET HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN. So would Phil and Megan!
Kinky background? Sounds interesting!
Jeff, very kinky!
In may check this out. I am very familiar with the author’s back story and have a copy of his Secret Life of Julius Caesar, though I have not read it. Comics come from the weirdest places.
Scott, we comic book readers are accustomed to weirdness, but the story behind Wonder Woman is really, really strange.
I think it pounds a little too hard on the off beat interests of the original creator, the misguided “ideas” about bondage and the anti-feminist themes, just to make a point / sell books. It’s more of an option piece than a comic character history told about the stories themselves and history of the comics (though there is a lot of that), the publishers, cancellations, various writers and artists that I would have preferred. My copy already went on BookSwap.
Rick, I think Jill Lepore tells an intriguing story that was unfamiliar to me. Her focus on bondage, unconventional marriage arrangements, and feminism will generate some debate.