Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948 (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780813564197)

William Marston was an unusual man--a psychologist, a soft-porn pulp novelist, more than a bit of a carny, and the (self-declared) inventor of the lie detector. He was also the creator of Wonder Woman, the comic that he used to express two of his greatest passions: feminism and women in bondage.

Comics expert Noah Berlatsky takes us on a wild ride through the Wonder Woman comics of the 1940s, vividly illustrating how Marston's many quirks and contradictions, along with the odd disproportionate composition created by illustrator Harry Peter, produced a comic that was radically ahead of its time in terms of its bold presentation of female power and sexuality. Himself a committed polyamorist, Marston created a universe that was friendly to queer sexualities and lifestyles, from kink to lesbianism to cross-dressing. Written with a deep affection for the fantastically pulpy elements of the early Wonder Womancomics, from invisible jets to giant multi-lunged space kangaroos, the book also reveals how the comic addressed serious, even taboo issues like rape and incest.

Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics 1941-1948 reveals how illustrator and writer came together to create a unique, visionary work of art, filled with bizarre ambition, revolutionary fervor, and love, far different from the action hero symbol of the feminist movement many of us recall from television.

Author: Noah Berlatsky
ISBN-10: 0813564190
ISBN-13: 9780813564197
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/01/2015
Pages: 264
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/10/2014 pg. 52
Choice 06/01/2015 pg. 1646