DC Comics Toys
Silver Age Wonder Woman
By Hervé St-Louis
April 15, 2007 - 10:25




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Created by William Moulton Marston at the behest of All-American Publications, the precursor to DC Comics, in hopes she would offer a comforting female counterpart and role model for young female readers, Wonder Woman appeared in All Star Comics #8, in 1941. Although not the first female super heroine, she nonetheless remains the most noteworthy and a symbol of feminism.

Likeness

The main Wonder Woman’s artists in the Silver Age were Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The Silver Age Wonder Woman differed from other version because of the laces around her legs, the absence of a skirt and a more dynamic silhouette. She was more woman like and her suit streamlined for the super hero’s world.  The action figure is similar, although the blue hue of her shorts and the eagle crest on her shirt are of different colours.

Sculpt

Sculpted by Tim Bruckner, Wonder Woman has large eyes and a compact face making her look like a Milton Caniff woman or one of those 1950s actresses. Her body is lean and beautiful. It translates the grandeur of the character very well. Truly, this is one of the most gorgeous Wonder Woman action figure ever. All of her body parts are proportionate. She stands ready to protect and oppose evil looking confident and noble. This Wonder Woman is wonderful.

Paint

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The paint is good. Wonder Woman has a tan, unlike other versions released from DC Direct. It makes her look healthier. She has subtle blush on her cheeks and lacks the annoying make up on her eyelids. Her hairs have blue highlights, similar to the depiction in a comic book. Instead of yellow paint, the original version of Wonder Woman had gold paint on her eagle crest and tiara. The First Appearance Justice League: Brave and The Bold version has yellow paint instead of golden colours. It would seem that the Reactivated version of the series has fewer stars on the action figure’s shorts.

Scale

The Silver Age Wonder Woman will fit nicely with many of the early DC Direct action figures released before 2003. For example, the Hard Travelling Green Lantern, the Silver Age Superman and Lois Lane, the Silver Age Flash and Batman fit well with her. Of all these characters, she is only taller than the Silver Age Flash. Next to other Wonder Woman action figures such as Ares, she looks odd. Wonder Woman fits with no other Wonder Woman action figures released by DC Direct, except for the first Wonder Girl.

Stability

 This figure cannot stand on her own. It has been a constant problem since day 2001. Her body is out of balance and her feet too short to support her weight. The figure comes with peg bars and an action figure stand. At first, the figure stood well, but after a few months, the weight of her upper body makes the Wonder Woman lean forward. After a while the pegs cannot support the action figure.

I used G.I.Joes action figure stands with larger pegs but with a wide base and it solved the problem while giving the figure more mobility. However, these stretch the peg holes and make them unusable with the regular DC Direct offer. At the time, DC Direct did not sell many action figure stands. If you are getting this action figure today, I would suggest using one of the newer DC Direct stands, such as one of the JLA stands.

Articulation

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The Silver Age Wonder Woman has few articulations. Her shoulders rotate, her biceps twirl, he waist twists, her wrists turn and her head moves a little, on top of its ball joint base. The legs starting from the waist do not move.  The motion of her head is limited by her hair. While the Brave and The Bold version shares similar articulations, the Reactivated Wonder Woman’s action figure sports v-shaped hips articulations, bendable knees and elbows. The lack of articulation is one of the major negative points of this action figure.

Plastic

The plastic is strong PVC that does bend in warmer months and under the weight of the action figure. I would strongly suggest resting the action figure from time to time to allow the shape of her ankles to go back to their original states. Many early DCDirect action figures have similar problems, even if the PVC is durable.

Props

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The figure comes with a lasso inserted on the side of her waist. Besides that, the figure comes with a clothe toga. The toga is useless and has little play value. Instead of being soft fabric, it should probably be ironed and is too heavy to look good on the figure. Also, the Silver Age Wonder Woman did not use a toga very often.

Diorama

The diorama that comes with the Silver Age Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl is cool and a good way to stack up action figures. With its two steps and multiple pegs, it is possible to put several action figures on it. Styled in a Greco-Roman look and adorned with stars, it is perfect for the Justice Society of America (JSA).

For a long time, several JSA action figures who had no action figure stands, like Doctor Fate (with custom-drilled peg holes), the Golden Age Hourman, Doctor Mid-nite, Green Lantern and Wild Cat lived on this stand, while the Silver Age Wonder Woman acted as a stand in of the Golden Age Wonder Woman who was part of the JSA. It’s sturdy enough and is easy to pile against a wall or a book.

Packaging

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The Silver Age Wonder Woman set came in a huge package with the Silver Age Wonder Girl and the giant Greco-Roman action figure stand. A window opening allowed on to see how each action figures in this set.

Cost

At the time, DCDirect had no price suggestion for two packs and many retailers sold this set for $50. This set is no longer available, of course, but the reactivated version of this figure was released at the end of 2006. The price of this action figure is much lower than the original or the one found in the Brave and The Bold set. I strongly suggest buying this one as the original one is a collector’s item b y now and only available on secondary markets, like auction sites.

Availability

Since DCDirect no longer manufactures this set, as it was made to order, only the reactivated version of this figure can be purchased through a regular store. If you ever find the full set in a store at a reasonable price, get it. It is a nice figure set, although there were many annoying problems, such as the lack of articulations and poor stability for the Silver Age Wonder Woman.



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