Wonder Woman #212

Diana sets herself Twelve Labors to prove to herself she is worthy of being a member of the JLA and much of the story is narrated by Superman.

Diana meets up with him as Clark Kent. He had last seen her when she was just a normal human woman trained in the martial arts. (I-Ching era) Diana does not recall any of this. Clark has to remind her that she had lost her powers. Sensing something was wrong, he tells her to change into Wonder Woman and  meet him at the JLA Headquarters.

Superman arrives at Headquarters and Diana is not there. Instinctively he knows where to find her. She is at the old JLA base and she appears confused and distraught. Superman comforts her and assures her that they will find out what's wrong with her.

Back at the JLA headquaters the League are trying to decide what to do about Diana. Batman cannot find anything wrong with her memory but it just seems she cannot recall the last few months. Diana is not happy with this explanation. She demands to know about this part of her life. Superman tries to reassure her than now she was back with the JLA that they would get to the bottom of the mystery. But does not think she deserves to be part of the team.

She insists she will rejoin only after she feels she is worthy. She will undergo twelve tasks. Much like the twelve labors of Hercules. She requests the JLA monitor her and if she succeeds she will rejoin.

The JLA nominates Superman as the first one to monitor Diana and at first he is not keen because he feels he can't be objective. It's clear Superman has softer feelings for Diana, just by the way deals with her. But the League feels he is professional enough not to let them cloud his judgement. He follows Diana as she visits Paradise Island and we find out that the Amazons had somehow been responsible for her lost memories and that Steve Trevor was dead. Vulnerable and grieving Diana encounters a villain called the Cavalier who tries to control her with his hypnotic powers. Before Superman could intervene, Diana demonstrates she does not need anyone rescuing her. She can look after herself. She is a superhero after all.

Superman's faith in Diana is rewarded and he is happy to report to his JLA allies that she passed her first trial.

 

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane # 136

So here is another Lois title with her insecure and jealous of Wonder Woman. The set up is that in order to save Lois from an enemy of Superman, Superman and Wonder Woman must convince Lois and the foe that they are in love.

 

We have Lois spying and crying and, of course, it is an excuse for DC to tease some Super/Wonder smooching.

Of course in the end Lois finds out they only did it to save her and Lois actually gets to save Wonder Woman.And then she gets to go reunite with Superman. She's a lucky girl? Yeah, and Superman is lucky he has a good friend like Diana to even do this for him.

Superman #141 1971

Diana kisses Superman to distract the duplicate

Diana and I-Ching help Superman to defeat an evil other-dimensional duplicate known as the "Sand Superman" (Superman #240-242).

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.