The Secret History of Wonder Woman
In nearly a century of comic books and comic strips, only a few names have captured the imaginations of generation after generation with heroic careers. And, among that rare and illustrious roster of names–Batman and Superman included–only one woman stands tall: Wonder Woman.
But, unlike the relatively straightforward creation stories that surround The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman’s origins are tied to the women’s rights movement, a psychologist with lofty aspirations, and the (many) women in his life. Some of these key details are only coming to light now, thanks to the investigative skill of Jill Lepore in The Secret History of Wonder Woman.
And, it gives you a sense of how much back-story is involved, considering that it’s nearly 200 pages before the first Wonder Woman story appears in print. Delving deep into both the drive for equal rights and the life of William Moulton Marston, we discover the Amazonian hero’s feminist roots, where her bullet-deflecting bracelets came from, and even why she was chained up in nearly every issue.
Lepore does a fantastically thorough job exploring the big strokes and small moments that inspired the birth of an icon.