Wonder Woman w/o Powers Pt. 13: Wonder Woman #187

On a splash page that echoes the cover, Diana holds Ching in her arms as he appears to be dying. She asks, “Why? Don’t you know who he is?” A mysterious person who may or may not be wearing a cape, answers, “She knows who he is – that is why she did it!” Diana replies…

You!

On page two, a flashback begins that will presumably tell us what happened to Diana and Ching. When Ching receives a call from Hong Kong, he asks an old friend, Patrick McGuire, to fly him there on his freight plane. Diana insists on going with him.

While they are sleeping overnight on the plane, the side of a large crate slides open. Suddenly, the three passengers are ordered at gunpoint to neither move nor make a sound. The villains want something from Lu Shan, but a fight ensues as they try to throw her off the plane.

Diana discover a tiger’s eye tattoo on the palm of one of the dead villains and Lu Shan explains…

They were members of the Tiger Tong – they’re trying to get my employer’s treasure away from me – They are a terrible band of criminals and murderers.

Ching is then astonished when he learns that Lu Shan’s ring matches perfectly the half of a coin that hangs around his neck on a gold chain. “At last -- my long search is over!”

As they leave the airport, Diana, Ching and Lu Shan are ambushed by more Tiger Tong.

Suddenly, and with complete disregard for innocent pedestrians and drivers, the horrible rattle of machine gun fir echoes through the crowded Hong Kong streets as the men of Tiger Tong try desperately to stop their quarry…

Patrick appears in his sports car, challenges the villains to a game of chicken… and wins, asking Diana for a dinner date as he drives away.

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Later that evening, in the office of chief-inspector David McLean of the Hong Kong police, Patrick asks what he is doing to find Diana, who is currently three hours late for their dinner date.

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In another flashback, we see that Diana and Ching went with Lu Shan to deliver her precious cargo to her “master”…

The contents of this box -- the contents which are going to supply the power… that will give me the world! The power to put my earthquakers into operation! Once they are activated – they will emit waves which will cause violent earthquakes!

Just then, Lum Fong, leader of the Tiger Tong, and two henchmen arrive to steal the cargo. With the click of a button, Dr. Cyber kills them. But one is barely alive and manages to fire his machine gun and burn Dr. Cyber’s face with red-hot coals from a blazier.

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Lu Shan carries out Cyber while Diana stays with Ching.

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Later, at a secret hospital outside of Hong Kong, the bandaged Dr. Cyber orders Lu Shan to kill Diana Prince.

So ends the first of the Earthquaker series –

Thoughts

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Wow, after issue #187, the new Wonder Woman is back in fine form. More globetrotting action, more mystery, more suspense, more intrigue… The stories are definitely more exciting when Diana leaves her boutique to Cathy and heads out of town.

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The “mythology” of the saga goes deeper as we learn more about Ching’s past, although the plot point of the coin has not, to my recollection, been mentioned before. That makes me think seeds of this mystery could have been planted earlier. Then again, I don’t know how far ahead they plotted stories in the early 1970s.

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Boy, I’m dying to know what readers thought of these stories, but once again there’s no letters page. We know how they were ultimately received, but early comments were favorable, so have opinions changed? Had the tables turned so suddenly? Oh, well, I’m really digging it, so that’s all that matters right now!

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Title: Wonder Woman

Issue #: 187

Cover Date: Mar/Apr 1970

On Sale Date: 1-6-70

Writer: Mike Sekowsky

Penciller: Mike Sekowsky

Inker: Dick Giordano

Editor: Mike Sekowsky