Superman Wonder Woman Embrace.

By  Gene Espy

 

A very sensual and romantic piece. Very superior work with pencils. It's fluid and bursting with sexual intensity. You could feel and hear hear the air crackle around them as their bodies meld together. Their physiques are both strong, but Kal is utterly masculine and Diana very feminine even as they surrender to the moment and each other.

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #93

I am not too sure what to make of this story but it's hilarious in its cliches. Lois,as we will see in many stories to come, is jealous of Diana and feels she wants her man and, of course, Superman,who does not seem to think he is exclusively her man, is a jerk. It still is Diana in the I-Ching Era and here she is in her boutique. Boy, DC sure knew how to pick some jobs for Diana. But even though this book is about Lois being a martyr over that mean, mean Superman...Superman and Diana are having fun while Lois whines and pines.Really,can you blame the guy? Which woman would you actually want to be with? And, Lois, I am sorry, but get a life.

She decides to challenge Diana for Superman's love and gets bitch slapped in the process. Superman watches the two and is quite comfortable with their shenanigans. Even after Lois loses out to Diana, she decides to spy on them. Wow. Really, DC must be writing satire or comedy here. But Lois Lane comics were a bit like that. There was nothing remotely inspirational here and to feel sympathy for Lois, Superman had often to be written as a jerk. So what does that say about that relationship?

In the end of course it turns out the real Diana was imprisoned somewhere and this was an escaped Kryptonian villainess. The real Diana would be rescued and all will once more be well between Lois and Superman. I think dysfunctional would be a better way to describe it all. Even though Superman had fallen in love with Diana and was going to marry her, he came to his senses. He suddenly cared for Lois too much. Aren't you lucky, Lois, to have that back pedaling man? And when you think DC could only do this sort of thing back then, you'd be surprise to know they can write rubbish in current continuity too.

World's Finest # 204 Superman Wonder Woman

So in this issue Superman teams up with Diana Prince. It's got rioting students, a supercomputer in the future and a race to save a guy who apparently will be savior to humanity.

I Ching tells Diana she needs to have some fun and he suggests she needs to date. He gives her an application form for a computer dating service. Clark Kent is also given an application form by Perry White because he wants him to do it for a news story. Clark is very skeptical but he does it anyway since it is work related. A few days later Diana is about to meet "the man of her dreams."
 

Turns out she knows this man. And he knows her.




It's a little odd their interaction as if they never worked closely before. It does feel off. Like two strangers meeting when in JLA they are always together and touching and giving each other soulful looks. Anyway they decide they'll go on the date and see how it goes.

Of course they are mugged and Diana shows that she can take care of herself.

After Diana deals with the muggers, they get sucked into the future and meet a Supercomputer than tells them that it was the reason they got matched up, since they are two most perfect and extraordinary beings on the planet and they had to save a man from dying in a riot; and if they didn't the earth would become a mass waste land due to war and pollution. Seems it can send out probes in the time stream and it implanted the thoughts of the blind date in I-Ching and Perry White's minds to get Clark and Diana together. Hmm, all that just to facilitate a blind date and some cuddling? They could have just shown me a whole issue of cuddling. I would not have complained.

It's an attempt, I guess, to highlight social causes and use some troupes in Time Travel. Have We Met Yet? Bad Future. Even Star Crossed Lovers. They stop the riot and Diana does manage to hold her own despite being just a normal woman but Superman still has to help her out when she is shot at. So after the dust nearly settles, Diana admits that she wouldn't mind getting to know him better. He is clearly not minding the idea seeing he wants to lay one on her. Now as to why they shouldn't? Beats me. They not with anyone. Both single and in their primes. So what is the problem? The noose of Lois and Steve, I assume, who never let anything stop them from dating when they were single. But DC must keep Superman and Wonder Woman guilty for acting like a normal red blooded man and woman. Oh, as to whether they managed to save that savior guy when they quelled the riot? Well, seems the future is unwritten and they won't know until it is too late.

Wonder Woman Surrenders Her Powers

Justice League of America # 69

The I-Ching Era was DC taking away the powers of one of their most powerful heroines to give her the Modesty Blase/ Emma Peel treatment, I imagine. The idea any hero would renounce his/her gifts for some vague, crappy, patronizing reasons never sits well with me. But it seems Steve Trevor was wrongfully accused of murder and she can't help him as herself. Oh no. She needs to go underground to find the culprit and she needs to be "powerless" to do this.  She was taken under the wing of a Chinese mentor called I Ching, who taught her martial arts and weapons training. Yes, Amazonian training is nothing important. They are not warriors. And even if she was depowered, she could not do anything so silly as remember it. Anyway she stays like this for two years, where she is Diana Prince and she has spy like adventures and runs a boutique. Oh Diana. Anyway, she breaks it to the Justice League that she has to leave them, cause powerless she is useless. Cough, Batman? Green Arrow? Superman refuses to accept her resignation and says he will give her a leave of absence. And Barry (the Flash) picks up on the fact that Clark and Diana have feelings for each other and that there has always been a sense of inevitability with them. Only as with many instances, bad timing and well, DC steps in and they lose each other.

Yes, Madame Ambassador

By Meejay7

I adore this image. Madame Ambassador clearly has finished dealing with all those stuffy diplomats and now she is ready to spend some time with a certain mild mannered reporter.

The First Superman/Wonder Woman Interactions and Teases...

Some people think Superman and Wonder Woman ship only goes back to the 8oties. But the chemistry goes way back. According to our very informed and own DC historian and published author from the Superman/Wonder Woman fan club, countryboylife ,he thinks they first teamed up in the Golden Age of comics, in 1947, in All Star Comics Vol 1 #36. Wonder Woman was actually a member of the Justice Society of America. This was all reworked later on to make the JSA the first superhero team. The Justice League of America in canon would come after, with members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as founders of the team.

It's difficult to know if they ever teamed up in other titles but it seems Diana knows already him from the dialogue. They all are obviously only just meeting Batman.

       

Sadly Diana, as a female member who is very powerful, was useless in these adventures. She was the JSA's designated secretary. Yeah, we are so glad she went on to the Justice League.

The Justice League of America # 1 (1960 ) had Superman and Wonder Woman team up and the chemistry was obvious. The art had a lot of holding and touching and I think very well established sub-textually that there is sexual tension between these two. It is quite an awesome image of these two flying in deep space. It means Diana can breathe up there! Plus how cute is she in that classic hot-pants and those laced up red shoes!

Of course there is a lot of reciprocation going on as well. She saves him and he saves her. A theme DC would do well to remember.

In July 1962, Wonder Woman # 131 in a story written by Robert Kanigher the final panel is a gem. Plain Diana Prince shows Steve Trevor, who always wanted Wonder Woman and ignored her, that she could get a Superman if she wanted.

Now,ladies, haven't we all as women wanted to do that to men who can be jerks to us? (Looking at you too in current canon, Batman) It's a valuable lesson too. That we should be with people who value who we are and not what we look like or that it is beneath them to be with us. We have the power. We teach people how to treat us. Diana is not waiting for him to do her a favor. She already has a hot date lined up, who actually wants to be with her. Wonderful!

My Sacrifice

I did this fan video using images from Kingdom Come, Justice Society of America # 22, The Kingdom and a few Superman and Wonder Woman titles. The lyrics of the song perfectly fit the theme of time moving on and two friends finally finding each other after many obstacles and a renewing love that would sustain them for centuries.

SM/WW by Ribbons of Ebony

New Page Added: Perfect Partners

A new page has been added to show case any figures/stature/art/craft that show case the couple as a pair.

The Princess and the Reporter

Meejay7 is one of my favorite artists. She is a fellow Superman/Wonder shipper and she has enormous talent. Her art is so realistic and full of emotion and she has done some beautiful pieces of our couple. I have an especial fondness for Clark and Diana in their civilian identities, not only visually but concept of the reporter/ambassador and farmboy/princess playing off each other. I find it infinitely more interesting than Lois and Clark. There is so much potential here that DC have not even begun to mine. I have always explored them from this angle as well as them being heroes and it is amazing how they seem to gel. Meejay has done several pieces based off fan fiction and I am going to showcase some of my favorite ones. The Princess and The Reporter was among my first stories and I adore this image so much. Even out of costume they are iconic and they look so well together.

Diana Prince and Clark Kent by

Meejay7

The Princess and the Reporter can be read in its entirety here.
http://www.supermanwonderwomanfanarchive.com/princessandreporter1.html

Kingdom Come

DC rushed to get Lois and Clark married to tie into the TV series in 1996 and irony of all ironies, Kingdom Come made its mark upon the world that year too. Everyone knows by now it was a commercial and critical success. All single issues sold extremely well and the graphic novel continues to be a perennial best seller. DC has mined this story for many plots and characters in current canon. It also has its own earth, Earth-22, in the current Multiverse. Kingdom Come was originally an Elseworld title, with a middle aged Superman and Lois Lane was dead. Two huge changes that actually did more for Superman as a relatable character to people who never got him than many other stories put together. Alex Ross' art played a major part in making this series because of the emotion and realism he was able to convey. The original concept was also his idea. But DC needed a writer to compliment Ross. This is where Mark Waid came in. The collaboration was not always an easy one, as they both had firm ideas about what they wanted but they both loved the subject matter and what they did produce was pure gold.

Kingdom Come is a look at a possible future of the DCU. It is really what happens when the world changes and two generations come into conflict with each other. Can our heroes bridge the gap? And can they evolve and change to fit the times without compromising their principles? Sometimes we all need to grow up. To me, this is what Kingdom Come is about. It's great art and great prose. It is the Return, the third step in the Hero's Journey. It is political commentary. Its themes can be applied to the world today. Not every opponent or rival in the world is all evil and everyone has a point of view. We do what we must for the greater good but who decides that? Do we appoint ourselves as the world's judge, jury and executioner or work with each other? You want to read a simple book with good guys fighting bad ones and everyone looking like pretty clones of each other? Then this book is not for you.

Superman is older and world weary and he has lost some of his human touch stones. He retires because he thinks the world does not want or need him. But, in fact, we find that they do. Desperately. He also learns this as well and that he has more to offer still, and his work and life would have only just begun. The same applies to the other heroes, like Wonder Woman and Batman. They all sort of come full circle and find themselves again even as they had temporarily lost sight of what they believed in. Even heroes can become tired and disillusioned because heroes are reflections of us looking in at ourselves as we try to do our best and sometimes we falter.

The book makes these titans seem flesh and blood. Larger than life but still humanly flawed like everyone of us. It shows that even the best of intentions sometimes can still lead to mistakes. And what makes up for it is the maturity to stand up and face your mistakes and make reparation. To never give up. It also has some of the best written sequences done for Captain Marvel. A character that largely gets left behind in today's climate of Superman and Batman as being the top dogs in comics.

Superman and Wonder Woman's romance is at the heart of this book. It lends a kind of relief in a world that at times seems so dark and devoid of hope. It shows the love of best friends finally finding each other and really, as emotional beings, we all have the propensity to love and live and be happy despite loss. If anything the gift of Clark's humanity is that life goes on and gets better. Also Superman and Wonder Woman's relationship is based off current canon. Whereby they have a romantic past and unresolved sexual tension. They are comrades in arms and close friends and do their share of supporting and disagreeing of and with each other. And so it should be with intellectual and physical equals. In Kingdom Come, the inevitable finally happens and the obstacles ( Lois, his own lack of self worth, their youth and inexperience, etc) finally have been overcome, and they start their love affair. Two mature adults who know each other very well, with none of the hangups and mind games we have and play in our youth. There has always been a tenderness and honesty in the relationship that super/wonder fans adore.

The Epilogue of the book is a gem by itself because it showcases Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman at their best. People who have a lot of love and trust for each other. Clark and Diana are a couple and they want to share a surprise with Bruce. But he already knows. They stun him back though by giving him the biggest compliment they could as a man and their friend. To be the godfather to their child. The book ends on a high note.Hope. Hope in the future. Hope in the new life and child that is going to possibly define the new generation. The child of Superman and Wonder Woman mentored by Batman. Can't get a better ending than that. Well, maybe The Justice Society of America # 22 by Ross and Johns which shows even more Kingdom Come scenes left us sighing in satisfaction even more. But that's for another time.

Superman,Wonder Woman and Krypto

Nothing more normal than walking the dog

THANKS

Thank you Donny, Fanci, Vida,Radone and Robenson for your support. :)

Art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

These images go back to the late 70ties and early 8oties even then Superman and Wonder Woman always seemed to have a special connection/rapport/bond with each other. They were done by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

Aww, look at Wonder Tot's hand being held by Super Jr

The super/wonder jrs again

She sits with him at his desk.

Clark ,are you checking out Diana?

Two New Pages Added

She Looks Better With Your Cape.

He looks Better in Your Lasso

Images of Wonder Woman with Superman's cape and Superman in Wonder Woman's lasso. Look under Pages on the left tab and click on the title. Some may be NFFW, but they are not explicit. Thank you Meejay, Mami and Darius for the follows. The support is appreciated.

They Have Seperate Lives But...

Time moved on and our two heroes continued to forge a strong bond. They had their own lives. But they remained close. They had a strong working relationship. The attraction between them would flare up occasionally because it was largely unresolved. But DC pushed the same old same old with Clark and Lois and the love triangle gets played out...AGAIN. Safe and predictable for Superman comics and writers really. Clark occasionally might show the extent of his feelings for Diana, even while he was moving on with his life.

In Adventures of Superman 435 Clark faces a foe that gets into his subconscious mind and taunts him with his hidden desires. Interestingly we see the women who have been part of romantic Clark's life. Lana Lang, Cat Grant and Lois Lane and they are all wearing Diana's costume.

Here the fantasy changes to Diana herself. Doing away with the other women.It gets to the meat of the matter. He wants Diana...he desires her but it taunts him. Possibly throwing back at him his own insecurities about Diana. She is an Amazon who didn't need him and they were too different. Oh Clark, Diana really intimidated you, huh, by probably being the first woman not to openly go gaga for you? It was safer to have Lois chase after you and you feel more manly, no doubt, having to save her all the time.

WW #61

Well, at least he admitted to himself why he cared.It's a very honest and telling panel from Wonder Woman #61 how much Clark was drawn to Diana.

"Oh Diana,you placed your trust in humanity and this is how you are rewarded. Those eyes...so hopeful...so honest...it's no wonder I nearly fell for them...A Wonder Woman who just wanted to be everyone's friend...and mine..."

This is as close to we will ever get Superman admitting to how deep his feelings were for Diana. The rest of time in comics it will be in what he does. His actions will speak louder than words.

WW#88

And Diana? How was she feeling about him? She valued and supported him during his courting of Lois.She was having her own problems though when he got engaged.

When he died at the hands of Doomsday his death hit her hard. Oddly enough she was not around when he was battling the behemoth. Don't even ask me why Wonder Woman, of all people, was not around to help.You would think if she knew her friend was in trouble as he battled for hours she would come and try to help him. This is Diana, we are talking about, blessed with the eyes of Athena and er, there were things like tv and radio in the  90ties right? Lazy as usual by DC. She came for the funeral though. How nice of them to let her show up and even feel guilty and shed a tear. When he came back from the dead his relationship with Lois was up and down...Oh, who am I fooling? It was said to be pretty crappy. Lois was written as hardly deserving of Clark and he was a masochist to put up with her bitchiness. He was inflicted with a mullet too. DC only rushed and got them back together to tie in with with campy Lois and Clark TV show, (cancelled after 4 seasons) which plunged in ratings after they got hitched. Superman comics would eventually pay a heavy price sales wise due to this creative mistake mid canon. His comics have dropped badly in sales for the past decade.

WW #112

Clark was even anxious about letting Diana know he broke up with Lois. One wonders why he felt he couldn't face her. Guilt? Or the fear of the unresolved feelings he had and that he might be tempted to act upon them? "She and I were never the item the popular press wanted to make us. But that was not entirely for my lack of trying." Clark, you sabotaged it by running off after one "date."

Superman #118

In any case, Clark was lucky he had someone like Diana.She encouraged him not to give up on Lois because she knew he loved her. She wanted him to be happy. Even after the Lois/Clark marriage things between our two heroes remained very complex and intriguing.

Superman and Wonder Woman Themed Greeting Cards

These cute cards from 1978 once again show that Superman and Wonder Woman have always had chemistry and implied romance.And let us note no other heroes or characters get together in merchandizing as frequently as Superman and Wonder Woman. Not even Lois or Steve are used because visually and psychologically they do not have the impact nor do they fulfill the archetype of the ideal male and female couple. And that goes for you too,Batman. You will never mesh with Wonder Woman unless they change her or you.But then you have your own perfect partner, Catwoman. So,DC, if you are wise, you would capitalize on this.

 

A Beautiful Friendship Begins

So after their first failed "date", or rather first meeting that ended in fighting Darkseid and Clark chickening out, what then? Well, they move on with their lives and team up often to help each other, inspire each other and even give the other a kick up the behind if need be. Diana, it is to be said, still was unclear about what she needed or expected from him and the male of the species in general. She judges him by his public persona than as a man. He may have the looks and power of a demigod, Diana, but he does not act like one. He is as good a man as you will ever find.

As we will see this naivety will come back to haunt her when she really grows to learn who this man is.But then that was DC's doing, wasn't it? Two flagship characters, an alpha male and female, apparently are tough to write as a couple who can be equal and even vie for equal panel time. Boy, the world really has not moved on has it, if a powerful male has to be threatened by a powerful female and vice versa to keep his/her relevance. The real test would have been that they could.I guess at least Kingdom Come, when they hook up, older and wiser, proves that but will DC even chart this relationship in canon that way? Remains to be seen if they will or cop out.The way DC have been treating the two characters individually these last few years, it seems Superman and Wonder Woman are floundering in stagnating story lines or wandering with no sense of purpose or direction.

Anyway Clark will continue to be there for Diana at the most important times in her life. Here we see Diana at her embassy, (WW#8 Vol2) preparing to meet the public and she is nervous. It is the start of many dropping ins by Superman throughout the years. "Need some help?" he asks. Diana is surprised to see him. He thinks of her at this important event.

More than any other man, Steve Trevor, Aquaman, Batman, Trevor Barnes, Tom Tresser, men she has been attracted to, it is Clark who is able to claim being Diana's rock in current canon. He will be there when she needs him. They will be there for each other in their hours of happiness and doubt. They have inadvertently even caused each other pain. Isn't that how the greatest loves are built anyway? Love that is not asking of anything itself? Unconditional. Challenging. Evolving over time to give each other what they may need? And here they speak of something they have in common. The burden of the limelight. Don't you just love him pinning her cape for her?

It's a wonderful moment. She blurts out, "Thank you,Clark.I'll always love you for this." It's innocently said and indeed she means it and he receives it in the spirit that she gives it. He kisses her cheek. In time to come Diana will not know how telling those words will become. He salutes her with words of utmost respect,"May the Glory of Gaea be with you."