Number 1781: Bound to be popular: the original Wonder Woman

The creation of Wonder Woman was one of the most successful achievements of William Moulton Marston’s career, helped in no small part by the women in his life. Jill Lepore’s excellent book, The Secret Life of Wonder Woman, is an education in the early years of the women’s rights movement, Marston’s polygamous living arrangements with two women and their children, and Marston’s background as a psychologist, inventor, and self-promoting huckster.

As has been mentioned before, Marston was into bondage, domination and submission. It was the key plot element in many of the early Wonder Woman stories. When challenged, he used his psychology training to defend it. He claimed that the chains that held Wonder Woman were symbols: she was being shown breaking the chains with which men had bound women for centuries. He may not have passed his own lie detector test telling that whopper. The old boy liked seeing girls tied up, and used symbolism as an excuse.

This story is from Sensation Comics #4 (1942), which would be the fifth published Wonder Woman adventure (number one was in All Star Comics.) Slavery with bondage is a major story device. It also introduces the German spy and dominatrix, Baroness Paula Von Gunther. The haughty baroness became Wonder Woman’s first recurring villain.

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