Wonder Woman 1942 105

Who is Wonder Woman? Where did she come from? How did she obtain her invincible powers? So many times have these questions been asked‹and the time has come to release the answers!

Saturated in patriotic colors, Superman and Wonder Woman are about as American as baseball and apple pie. Superman, created in 1938, materialized as the brawny answer to the Great Depression, and when Wonder Woman arrived three years later, she supported her adopted country by fighting alongside Allied troops in World War II. As the proverbial mother and father of the superhero genre, these icons appeared to a society in crisis as unwavering beacons of national morality, a quality that lent them success on the battlefield—and on the newsstand. As new crises arise our comic-book champions continue to be called into action. They adapt and evolve but remain the same potent, if flawed, symbols of the American way. The artists in Men of Steel, Women of Wonder, an exhibition organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, wrestle with Wonder Woman’s standing as a feminist icon, position Superman as a Soviet-era weapon, and question the immigration status of both characters. Featuring more than seventy artworks that range from loving endorsements to brutal critiques of American culture, this exhibition catalog reveals the enduring presence of these characters and the diverse ways artists employ them.

America’s Changing Icons is a discursive examination of the female patriotic icon in the United States. This creative and entertaining work examines her use and decline, particularly in the 20th century, with a particular focus on popular culture icons like Lady Columbia, Rosie the Riveter, and Wonder Woman. These fictional creations, used with advertisements; letters; and literature of the eras work together to craft a multi-layered and dynamic portrait of cultural politics, tides, and perceptions about American women, life, and place.

"Menace of the Mirror-Wonder Woman!" Wonder Woman fights the Image-Maker, a villain who exists within a world of mirrors.

Mr. Gargoyle, a villain whose face has been disfigured in an explosion, forcing him to wear a gargoyle-like mask, tries to force Wonder Woman to love him by capturing both her and Steve Trevor and placing Trevor in a death trap. Gargoyle says that he will release Trevor if she will fall in love with him.

Steve Trevor and Mer-Man compete for Wonder WomanÕs hand, only to find themselves at odds with a knight in shining armor with a flying saucer.

The Triple Stars gain superpowers in order to attract Wonder Woman's attention in "Threat of the Triple Stars!"