”Wonder Woman Goes to the Circus”, and we will get a tale of money, power, sex, and elephants! Feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on this story! Next Saturday, 13 April, we will continue with ”Wonder Woman Versus the Prison Spy Ring”, also from Wonder Woman #1.
Well, maybe not so much of that third thing, though one never knows what Diana and Etta did during the middle of the story. King’s Colossal Circus is raising money for the army, and Diana decides to bring not only Steve but the ”settlement kids” as well. From what I can tell, it’s some sort of care for orphans or other traumatised kids. Steve asks to bring Etta, but she isn’t shown until page three when the story is well underway. The kids have their priorities straight, however, as they say the elephants are the best.
Elva King is apparently the elephant trainer, even though they have Burmese elephant handlers. Peter is drawing them in a hugely stereotypical way. Meanwhile, the elephants are dropping like flies, and Elva seeks solace with Dom Carney the trapeze performer, who has very little sympathy with her or the elephants.
Is there any man in this comic who doesn’t come off as a jackass? Might be Colonel Darnell…
At the same time, Steve discovers his favourite problem, that is a punchable one, as he helps drive away a bunch of gangsters who wants protection money from the Burmese handlers. Why the gangsters didn’t try to extort the circus owner instead isn’t explained.
We get lots of theories on who is poisoning the elephants, all of them wrong. Pam the pachyderm dies during the show, nearly crushing Elva, but she is rescued by Wonder Woman, who then puts on her own show, consisting of trick riding, horse carrying, lion wrestling, and a trapezee stunt, where she barely survives a sabotage attempt. She decides to help out, and borrows a stuffed baby elephant. She and Etta hides in it and infiltrates the elephant compund. The burmese handlers are worshipping the elephants, but a big elephant isn’t fooled and throws out Diana and Etta. They are captured by the Burmese, who decide to sacrifice them.
Diana: ”Sacrifice is good for the soul, Etta! I have a yearning to visit this secret temple of the elephants!”
So Diana and Etta are carried of by the Burmese to be sacrificed, who are pursued by the gangsters who wants to bump them off, who are pursued by Steve. Meanwhile, Elva wants to have a tête-à-tête with Dom, but her uncle the circus owner discovers them and fires Dom. However, one of the Burmese handlers were still there, and have his elephant kidnap Elva and run away. They are pursued on clown horses by King the uncle and Dom.
As the Burmese intends to sacrifice Diana, Etta, and Elva, San Yan makes the mistake of speaking Burmese, which makes Diana realise he is speaking with a heavy Japanese accent. I wonder why she didn’t realise it while still hidden as a baby elephant, but maybe her ears were stuffed full. Thus having worked out everything to her satisfaction, she breaks her chains and every able-bodied American join battle against the common enemy and punches them. Finally Elva and Dom gets King the uncle’s blessing for their marriage. And Diana—as Wonder Woman—calls Steve ”darling”.
So this was a seriously silly adventure, where Marston really digs into the dictionary with words like pachyderm and avuncular. The anti-Asian racism and stereotying is also really bad. Even American gangsters gets to help out… Another fun thing here is Diana’s behaviour. Even when tied up she is constantly telling jokes and making humorous comments, sometimes even leaning on the fourth wall.
Characters introduced: Elva King, San Yan, Dom Carney, Mike Mulgoon
Concepts introduced: Elephants!, Diana's language skills
Expressions: ”Black hounds of Hades”