Wonder Woman w/o Powers Pt.2: Wonder Woman #179

This is the beginning of the most bizarre adventure you have ever witnessed!

Colonel Steve Trevor agrees to a voluntary mission in which he must establish himself as a traitor…

After a daring escape, General Darnell laments…

…the world has gotten pretty rotten to force me into a lie like that! But the world will get a great deal more rotten… unless we can bring Doctor Cyber and his high-powered cutthroats to justice!

Wonder Woman’s Last Battle! Part II

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As Diana hears news that Trevor is a traitor, her mother, Queen Hippolyta, summons her to Paradise Island. She explains that the Amazons’ time on Earth grows short…

For ten thousand years, we have lived here, performing the mission assigned to us… helping mankind find maturity! But now, our magic is exhausted! We must journey to another dimension to rest and renew our powers! We are tired, Diana… the ages weigh heavily upon us! Will you come?

Diana replies that Steve Trevor desperately needs her and she must stay…

For the first time in her life, faced with “practical problems – like finding a place to live, and earning money for food,” Diana rents a simple apartment. From the window, she sees a gang of hoodlums attacking a blind man. As she races downstairs and reaches the alley, the old man has knocked his attackers unconscious.

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He introduces himself as I Ching…

He explains that he is the last surviving member of an ancient sect that was attacked by Doctor Cyber because he wished to possess its treasures. Although he was wounded, he managed to escape.

Ching does not hate! Rather, I pursue Doctor Cyber for reasons of love! I love humanity – and if Doctor Cyber’s plans of conquest are realized – men and women will be reduced to living automatons – slaves to do his bidding!

He explains the Doctor Cyber is a monstrosity… a creature half man, half machine. Before he continues, he says that Diana must learn skills to replace her lost Amazon traits…

At the gym where she's training, Steve Trevor appears, wounded. Cyber’s thugs didn’t believe him and tells Diana that they’re hiding at an abandoned factory putting bombs into toys that they intend to send to congressmen’s kids to cause chaos in the government.

Thus begin Ching’s lessons, as Diana feels frightened of facing criminals for the first time without her Amazon powers. Face them, she does, including “a huge Frankenstein doll!” Then, when she knocks toy airplanes from the air, she says…

I never guessed I’d begin my post-Amazon career playing King Kong!

Afterwards...

Thus, the first chapter in the saga of the new Wonder Woman ends… with Diana and her aged mentor being observed by a sinister figure hidden in the shadows! More danger – more high-voltage excitement – more heartbreak -- await Diana Prince as she and Ching continue their pursuit of the supremely depraved Doctor Cyber!

Thoughts

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Now that Diana has fully given up her powers, we learn that her decision is not so much motivated by love as it is by a plot device introduced by her mother. It may feel convenient, but I do like that the last issue established a mental state that sets the stage for a change. She doesn’t seem to be too distraught by her decision, which should prove to help her move forward.

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This issue lays a lot of groundwork for the future. It explains how she’s going to fight crime without her traditional powers, although what she’s learning to do now definitely utilizes a new kind of power. I like I Ching, her Yoda-like mentor. It should be fun watching their relationship develop. I’m also intrigued by Doctor Cyber; we don’t know much about him yet, but he sounds like a really bad guy.

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Finally, I want to comment about this incarnation of Steve Trevor. I thought I noticed in the last issue that he had a cigarette in hand. In this one, it’s even more apparent. He’s written as a real tough guy and, to be honest, I’m not familiar with this characterization of him. I’m not sure he’s very likable, so I’m interested to learn if he softens any as a result of this Wonder Woman experiment.

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Title: Wonder Woman

Issue #: 179

Cover Date: Nov/Dec 1968

On Sale Date: 9-3-68

Writers: Dennis J. O'Neill

Penciller: Mike Sekowsky

Inker: Dick Giordano

Editor: Jack Miller