Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
CHAOS ENSUES MEDIA:
-Website: witsendpod.com
-YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCwvSur7b4J_U3gMIA44OGWQ
-Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/thechaosensues
Full essay transcript is available on my website: witsendpod.com/podcast-episodes/chaos-ensues-why-are-golden-age-wonder-woman-comics-so-weird
Chaos Ensues in this exploration of the original Wonder Woman stories from the Golden Age. For a character who is as well known as Wonder Woman, Diana’s earliest adventures aren’t covered all that much. The character was created in the early 40s at DC Comics by psychological William Moulton Marston (aka Charles Moulton) and artist Harry G. Peter (HG Peter). Wonder Woman first debuted in Sensation Comics and quickly received her own title.
Only the people involved in her creation could have created Wonder Woman like they did.This essay dives into the history of Wonder Woman, the suffrage movement’s influence on the character, her Golden Age stories, her rogue’s gallery (Ares, the Cheetah) the women involved with her creative team (including her editors and writers). And why is Steve Trevor such a dude in distress?
Also recommending some must-read comics for new readers of the character, including work by George Perez and Jill Thompson.
(Margaret Sanger is racist and ignorant for her eugenics beliefs. A whole circus. She’s discussed in the video due to her association with Wonder Woman’s creation.)
TIME CODES:
-0:00—Intro
-0:36—William Moulton Marston/Harry G Peter/systolic blood pressure test/Elizabeth Holloway
-1:12—Olive Byrne (inspiration for Wonder Woman) and suffrage movement
-1:39—DC Comics/Wonder Woman debut/original Wonder Woman sketches
-3:26—Weirdness/social topics
-4:29—Wonder Woman villains
-6:25—HG Peter art strange
-6:50—The woman who worked on Wonder Woman
-7:24—Editor and tennis champion Alice Marble
-7:53—Joye Kelly (First woman to write Wonder Woman)
-9:08—Reading recommendations (for new readers)
-10:11—Viewer question
-10:56—Outro
SOURCES:
-Jill Lepore interview/article: npr.org/2017/06/09/532149100/the-man-behind-wonder-woman-was-inspired-by-both-suffragists-and-centerfolds
-Smithsonian article: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2015/09/25/a-real-life-wonder-woman-adventure
-Alice Marble tennis footage: youtube.com/watch?v=Vz3vDU5oqkg
#wonderwoman
CHAOS ENSUES MEDIA:
-Website: witsendpod.com
-YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCwvSur7b4J_U3gMIA44OGWQ
-Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/thechaosensues
Full essay transcript is available on my website: witsendpod.com/podcast-episodes/chaos-ensues-why-are-golden-age-wonder-woman-comics-so-weird
Chaos Ensues in this exploration of the original Wonder Woman stories from the Golden Age. For a character who is as well known as Wonder Woman, Diana’s earliest adventures aren’t covered all that much. The character was created in the early 40s at DC Comics by psychological William Moulton Marston (aka Charles Moulton) and artist Harry G. Peter (HG Peter). Wonder Woman first debuted in Sensation Comics and quickly received her own title.
Only the people involved in her creation could have created Wonder Woman like they did.This essay dives into the history of Wonder Woman, the suffrage movement’s influence on the character, her Golden Age stories, her rogue’s gallery (Ares, the Cheetah) the women involved with her creative team (including her editors and writers). And why is Steve Trevor such a dude in distress?
Also recommending some must-read comics for new readers of the character, including work by George Perez and Jill Thompson.
(Margaret Sanger is racist and ignorant for her eugenics beliefs. A whole circus. She’s discussed in the video due to her association with Wonder Woman’s creation.)
TIME CODES:
-0:00—Intro
-0:36—William Moulton Marston/Harry G Peter/systolic blood pressure test/Elizabeth Holloway
-1:12—Olive Byrne (inspiration for Wonder Woman) and suffrage movement
-1:39—DC Comics/Wonder Woman debut/original Wonder Woman sketches
-3:26—Weirdness/social topics
-4:29—Wonder Woman villains
-6:25—HG Peter art strange
-6:50—The woman who worked on Wonder Woman
-7:24—Editor and tennis champion Alice Marble
-7:53—Joye Kelly (First woman to write Wonder Woman)
-9:08—Reading recommendations (for new readers)
-10:11—Viewer question
-10:56—Outro
SOURCES:
-Jill Lepore interview/article: npr.org/2017/06/09/532149100/the-man-behind-wonder-woman-was-inspired-by-both-suffragists-and-centerfolds
-Smithsonian article: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2015/09/25/a-real-life-wonder-woman-adventure
-Alice Marble tennis footage: youtube.com/watch?v=Vz3vDU5oqkg
#wonderwoman
