Wonder Woman #2 is sending off Diana, Etta, and Steve into space in ”Mars, The God of War”! Feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on this story! Next Saturday, 25 May, we will go on to ”The Earl of Greed”, also from Wonder Woman #2.

Wonder Woman #2 opens with a one-page prose introduction and background to Mars, Aphrodite, and their relation to Wonder Woman. As a modern European reader, there is a lot of this that feels dated, like the focus on the Greeks as the founder of modern science and medicine, as well as the idea that if the USA wins the war, peace will return with happiness for the world.

Mars is on the side of the Axis, and complains that all their spies in America have been caught by Wonder Woman, and order trevor to be kidnapped. I must say that later writers have missed the beat to not use General Destruction—that name is awesome.

When Steve receives new orders, Diana changes clothes to Wonder Woman, with stockings flying and wiggling toes. As Steve leaves on his secret mission, she provides him purple healing ray tablets. After several days with no news, Diana prays to Aphrodite, who arrives in a cloud and advises Diana and provides her with the means to reach Mars via astral travel. Her soul is chained by Mars’s men and is taken to Mars on an interspace convict ship.

She poses as Etta Candy, and breaks all the sorting tests for strength. She befriends the Martian girl Tiva who gives a clue to Steve’s whereabouts. We are propery introduced to Lord Conquest, the Earl of Greed, and the Duke of Deception, as a tournament is held with all the strong captives. Wonder Woman the women’s tournament, but then has to face a tactically proficient Martian gurd. But Wonder Woman notes that ”no man is going to spank me”, breaks her ankle chain and spanks the guard. Then she has to face Satan, the Saturn winner of the men’s tournament.

I note that the Duke of Deception is living up to his name, full ready to deceive Mars at the drop of a hat. He also makes up a convoluted plan with no real goal on how to handle Wonder Woman. Also, Martian guards have spears and cuirasses, but also tanks and heavy guns. Diana is unchained, gets a banquet in her honour, and receives the former wife of Lord Conquest as her personal slave. Diana refuses to give ex-Lady Conquest her daily beating, but gets her to lead the way to the palace dungeons, where Steve is kept.

An unshaven Steve is freed, and they escape towards the high tower of the space ships. Somehow, he manages to shave while running. At the ship they are ambushed by Mars and his guards, but Wonder Woman makes the ship tilt so they fall off, and Steve and Diana fly back to Earth. It appears that Steve’s pilot was a Japanese spy, who shot him and then tossed him out of the plane, but Steve was saved by the purple healing ray tablets. Diana wakes up in the arms of Etta Candy, and later on Diana compels Steve to never go into danger without her with the Magic Lasso.

Ex-Lady Conquest decided to stay on Mars, so she could be conquered again by Lord Conquest.

Not much to say about this issue, even if it introduces several characters who would be important later on. It’s rather clear that Marston has a rather binary good-versus-evil view of the Greek gods. It also continues with the idea of astral travel to other planets, but I note that Marston still had to include an Axis spy in the narrative. Wonder Woman also has low thoughts on Steve’s thoughts about other women.

Characters introduced: Mars, General Destruction, Lord Conquest, Earl of Greed, Duke of Deception, Tiva, Satan

Expressions: ”no man is going to spank me”, ”for Aphrodite and the Amazons”

Concepts introduced: Mars as the ruler of Mars, soul collecting

Bechdel / Reverse Bechdel tests: Yes / Yes