Thursday, March 05, 2015

Hidden Gems: Wonder Woman 80 Page Giant Annual (2003)

Just over a decade ago, DC published a bunch of this sweet retro-comics filled with Golden and Silver Age goodness. I will admit that I was put off by the price tag at the time and admired them from a distance. The beauty of the back issue market is that, for most recent books, the prices will eventually come down. I picked this up for $1.99 and was delighted with it. It gives the reader a great sampling of two eras in Wonder Woman history: the lunacy of the Golden Age stuff from the minds of Martson and Peter and the charm of the Silver Age, featuring the inventive storytelling of Robert Kanigher and beautiful artwork from the Andru/Esposito team. This is a great way to get a sense of early Wonder Woman stories without having to spend a ton of money on Archive collections. I am now wondering if the all-star team of villains in the Villainy Incorporated story from 1948 represents one of the first super-villain team ups in DC history. If you ever stumble upon this while flipping through back issue bins, I recommend picking it up.

3 comments:

darkmark said...

It's one of the first. The team of villains from LEADING COMICS #1 (for the Seven Soldiers of Victory) definitely came beforehand, as did the Injustice Society in ALL-STAR COMICS. Also there was the Monster Society of Evil in CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES which comprised Sivana, Ibac, Captain Nazi, Mr. Banjo, Nippo, and a batch of others.

Anonymous said...

Those issues were indeed a lotta fun. I only picked up a couple, I kinda wish I had the whole bunch.
Wonderful covers on those comics!
Hard to picture D.C. doing something as fun as that now.
M.P.

BK said...

Certainly the first all-female team of villains, no? WW was home to many female firsts, including the first all-female superteams (The Amazons, the Holiday Girls, and the Pantheon of Godesses who are worshipped by the Amazons and give Diana her powers).