After reading the first Wonder Woman, its clear that this is
a different style of comic. I could break the differences down into three categories:
subject, context, and style.
Contextually, Wonder Woman draws deeply on Greek mythology.
I like that Marston formed these connections instead of taking the “easy” way
out – just making Wonder Woman an alien from a different planet. It’s
interesting that the average reader probably didn’t have a substantial
background in Greek mythology. This isn’t necessarily vital, given that
Greek mythology can be intriguing and mystical, but my inkling is that most
young readers didn’t pick up on the connections. So, there’s an interesting mix
of complicated ideas – Greek mythology, war, feminism, and women’s suffrage – that
aren’t normally seen in comic books.
The style of the comic is also different than past comics
we’ve examined. This series is particularly text-heavy, more so than Tintin.
The text is so long at points, particularly in the first comic, that I question
whether Wonder Woman lost readers because of the complicated background and
text-filled speech bubbles. That being said, I respect Marston’s objectives and
his belief in his reader base.
In terms of art, there are clear connections between Wonder
Woman and Superman. Basic, rough sketches, vibrant colors, and lots of
movement. Page 25 of the second Wonder Woman comic particularly interested me.
One of the few background details we pick up, this time through the window, are
iconic monuments in the nation’s capital. This reminded me of the politics
behind some of the comic series. Politics again come up in Wonder Woman’s fight
against Nazi gangs and spies. Again, potentially a heavy subject for young
readers.
I was impressed with the Wonder Woman comics, but I was far
more interested in reading about the creator’s bizarre background. Having this
backdrop undoubtedly provided another layer to the comics. I hadn’t read Wonder
Woman before, but interestingly, I’ve seen Wonder Woman in popular culture more
than any other super hero. Probably because she’s become so sexualized.
I agree with the main points you made here, Jasper, although I think the subject matters you discussed, while certainly heavy, were in fact appropriate for youth at the time. With subject matter such as war and naziism, these were the reality of life in the 40's for every man, woman, and child living in the United States. I think Marston saw Wonder Woman as a chance to get these kinds of messages to the youth in a way that they would understand and internalize (vs. seeing it on the news or hearing it from a parent). Feminism and women's suffrage were a little less universal (not everyone agreed with the movement), however I appreciate Marston's try at at least talking about the subject, even if he is misguided and misrepresents women to a large extent.
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