Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948

262 Pages·2015·18.93 MB·English

by  Noah Berlatsky

W O N D E R W O M A N
Edited by Corey K. Creekmur, Craig Fischer,
Charles Hatfield, Jeet Heer, and Ana Merino
Volumes in the Comics Culture series explore the artistic, historical, so-
cial, and cultural significance of newspaper comic strips, comic books, and
graphic novels, with individual titles devoted to focused studies of key titles,
characters, writers, and artists throughout the history of comics; additional
books in the series address major themes or topics in comics studies, in-
cluding prominent genres, national traditions, and significant historical and
theoretical issues. The series recognizes comics of all varieties, from main-
stream comic books to graphic non-fiction, produced between the late 19th-
century and the present. The books in the series are intended to contribute
significantly to the rapidly expanding field of comics studies, but are also
designed to appeal to comics fans and casual readers who seek smart critical
engagement with the best examples of the form.
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Bart Beaty
Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948
Noah Berlatsky
Considering Watchmen: Poetics, Property, Politics
Andrew Hoberek
W O N D E R W O M A N
BONDAGE AND
FEMINISM IN THE Noah
MARSTON/PETER Berlatsky
COMICS,1941–1948
Rutgers University Press
new Brunswick, New Jersey and London
Library of Congress Catalog ing- in- Publication Data
Berlatsky, Noah.
Wonder Woman : Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics,
1941–1948 / Noah Berlatsky
pages cm.—(Comics Culture)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0-8135–6419–7 (hardback)—ISBN 978–0-8135–6418–0 (pbk.)—ISBN 978–0-
8135–6420–3 (e-book)
1. Wonder Woman (Fictitious character) 2. Feminism in literature. 3. Women in literature. 4.
Bondage (Sexual behavior) in literature. 5. Comic books, strips, etc.—United States. I. Title.
PN6728.W6B47 2015
741.5’973—dc23
2014014279
A British Cataloging- in- Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright © 2015 by Noah Berlatsky
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press,
106 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.
The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law.
Visit our website: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu
Manufactured in the United States of America
For Marcy and Siah, in loving submission

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction
3
Chapter One
The Pink Bondage Goo of Feminism 13
Chapter Two
Castration in Paradise 74
Chapter Three
Candy You Can Eat 128
Conclusion
A Future without Wonder Woman 187
Notes 217
Works Cited 229
Index 243
H
vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with any book project, this one could not have been accom-
plished without the aid of many people. Dirk Deppey’s blog posts
at Journalista! first introduced me to the Marston/Peter run on
Wonder Woman, for which I am extremely grateful. Bill Randall,
Ben Saunders, and Eric Berlatsky commented on various versions
of the book proposal. Bert Stabler, Sharon Marcus, Peter Sattler,
Monika Bartyzel, Ben Saunders, and Craig Fischer all read chap-
ter drafts and provided helpful comments and advice, as did two
anonymous reviewers. Andy Mangels (through the Comix Scholars
listserv), Robert Stanley Martin, Jones, One of the Jones Boys, and
Ken Alder all provided generous help with particular research ques-
tions and problems. Abigail Rine kindly shared her work on Irigaray
and incarnation. My editor, Corey Creekmur, has provided useful
comments and advice throughout the project and read more drafts
than he probably cares to think about. Thanks are due also to Leslie
Mitchner and Lisa Boyajian at Rutgers, who helped with the long
process of shepherding the book to press, and to Andrew Katz for
his careful copyediting.
This project began with, and was inspired by, writing about Mar-
ston/Peter on my blog, The Hooded Utilitarian. I am very grate-
ful to readers and commenters on the site for challenging me and
sharpening my thinking. In particular, I would like to thank Jones,
One of the Jones Boys, Kelly Thompson, Sina, Sharon Marcus, Ben
Saunders, Vom Marlowe, Richard Cook, Derik Badman, and Charles
Reece for participating in a roundtable on Marston/Peter at HU,
H
ix
x Acknowledgments
which generated many questions, ideas, and arguments that I have
used in this book.
Finally, I want to thank my son, Siah, who quite likes the Marston/
Peter comics (especially Etta Candy), and my wife, Marcy, who does
not particularly but who has put up with this book anyway.