The Classical Reception and Impact of Wonder Woman in Comics and Film

Description

Employing a wide range of scholarly approaches, such as reception studies, feminist studies, racial studies and posthumanism studies, this volume examines the classical influence on the character of Wonder Woman. In particular, the contributors look at the cultural phenomenon of this female superhero across comic books and film. The result is an in-depth study that examines the influence ancient Greek mythology has on popular culture and, reversely, how modern media shapes contemporary views of the ancient Mediterranean world.

Introduced to the world via Sensation Comics in 1941, Wonder Woman remains one of the most identifiable superheroes today, and her narratives that frequently involve love, inclusion and empathy continue to speak to readers and viewers around the world. Engaging with her long and complex history, the chapters examine the history of this influential character and her associates, alongside her relevance within the field of classical reception, and her gender identity. As such, this book presents Wonder Woman as the complex heroine that she is, and one who has both influenced and been influenced by our understanding of the ancient world.

List of Illustrations
List of Contributors

Introduction, Amanda Potter (Open University, UK), Connie Skibinski (University of Newcastle, Australia), and Natalie J. Swain (University of Winnipeg, Canada)

Section I: Wonder Woman Comics through the Ages
1. The Two Wonder Womans: Gender Subversion & Audience in the Early Marston/Peter Comic Book and Newspaper Strips, 1941-1945, Natalie Beglin (Indiana University, USA)
2. George Perez and the Reinvention of Wonder Woman, Tony Keen (University of Notre Dame, UK)
3. Challenging the White, Male Gaze: Nubia's Herstory and the Importance of Representation, Whitney Hunt (Colgate University, USA)
4. Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark) and the Teen Titans, C.W. Marshall (University of British Columbia, Canada)
5. Elseworlds and Milk Wars: Wonder Woman in Less Well-Known Multiverses, Iris Haist (E.o.plauen Foundation, Germany)

Section II: Gods, Faeries and Amazons
6. "This is OUR Story": Wonder Woman Historia, History, and the Evolving Nature of the Amazons, Jeremy Brett (Texas A&M University, USA)
7. Amazons on Screen: Where Did All the Gods Go? Anneka Rene (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
8. A Real Amazon: Amazonian Identity and Representation in "Trial of the Amazons", Natalie J. Swain (University of Winnipeg, Canada)
9. Themyscira as an Otherworld: Reception of the Faery Realm in the Wonder Woman Universe, Madelaine Sacco (University of Newcastle, Australia)
10. What is the Godkiller? Artificiality, Intention, and Purpose in the Origins and Development of Diana Prince, Tannika Koosmen (University of Newcastle, Australia)

Section III: Wonder Woman and the Politics of Feminism
11. The United Nations Decade for (Wonder) Women: Wonder Woman, the U.N., and Women's Liberation, Christina M. Knopf (SUNY Cortland, USA)
12. Truth, Extracted Truth, and the Lasso of Truth: Tracing Wonder Woman's Tool of Submission, Theresa Ashford (University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia), and Amanda Potter (Open University, UK)
13. Wonder Woman, Patriarchy, & the Sanitization of Rape, Princess O'Nika Nicole Auguste (Independent Scholar, St. Lucia)
14. The New Wonder Woman and the Saviour of Western Civilization, Anise Strong (Western Michigan University, USA)

Afterword, Phil Jimenez (Independent Scholar, USA)

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published	22 Jan 2026
Format	Ebook (PDF)
Edition	1st
Extent	272
ISBN	9781350439375
Imprint	Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations	30 bw illus
Series	IMAGINES – Classical Receptions in the Visual and Performing Arts
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing