I've noticed that at least one big issue with WW is that DC won't let her have a solid continuity that's cemented and acknowledged across the DCU comics. Compare with Batman: we know his supporting characters, his villains, his mission, his protege/sidekicks (as well as their origins), even his backstory. Despite crises, reboots, and rebirths, Batman is now so characteristically consistent, he's unstoppable. DC would have to work REALLY hard to make Batman hard to sell. **nervous chuckle** Right? Yet, when it comes to Wondy, her rogues gallery is woefully underrepresented. Her supporting cast gets swapped out and replaced repeatedly. Her New52 continuity was completely wiped out during "Rebirth" without an Anti-Monitor or Superboy Prime involved! Is it just me seeing this? At least we all know that Superman protects Metropolis, works at the Daily Planet and has a consistent supporting cast.
I bought a few comics of WW in the late eighties and it wasn't till they brought Superman back to life that I decided to collect Wonderwoman again so now I have about 30 years worth of Wonderwoman comics. :)
That's been my experience. WW fans are hardcore and those books are hard to find, so you will be prying them from their cold, dead hands. And even then...
Wonder Woman collectors don't part with Wonder Woman titles. They are hardcore fans of the character and not necessarily comics collectors. If they are comics collectors, they keep their WW comics if they sell their collection. Also, there's such a sense of shared identity among Wonder Woman fans, they gift them rather than sell them, regardless of their dollar value. (I gave my Wonder Woman comics collection to my niece when she was a teenager with issues going back to the 1960s, and one from 1944.)
Wonder woman comics are for those true collectors who don't care too much about money. They are also usually kept by whoever is selling their collections. You don't find wonder woman because people don't want you to take their wonder woman comics.
She has very few key issues, and most of her keys come from the golden age, and cost like thousands of dollars. She doesn't have a good library of villains to collect keys from either. I think the 2 best key issues she has in the last 50 years are: -The First Appearance of Nubia (which is overpriced but still worth $150) -The First Appearance of Artemis (which is worth like $15, or $25 if you have the DC logo variant) That's all, sure, there are some key issue covers, but most people don't collect those. Wonder Woman is a good character to watch on screen, but her comics lack villains and key collectible issues.
@@The_Oak_Boat Wonder Woman did a golden age revival theme in the mid 150s and brought back several 1940s characters, including the Cheetah, for thier first Silver age appearances. WW also went mod woman's lib with no powers or costume for a few years starting in the mid 170s. These are significant story arcs in my opinion.
I came across a Wonder Woman #213 a while back and I picked it up for sentimental reasons. It happened to be one of my first comics. I was actually a little embarrassed at age 8 to ask my Mom for it, it being a “girl” comic, but the Flash was on the cover as well as a really cool looking robot. I reread it as an adult. Hate to admit it, but it was one of the worst comics I ever read. Flash wasn’t in the story except as a narrator. An alien race used a ray that took away everyone’s courage.on Earth. Three people were unaffected the alien Ray. Conveniently, Wonder Woman. The other two, a criminal and a peace loving hippie. You see, you’re only unaffected if you hurt yourself and are simultaneously struck by lightning. Diana Prince, it turns out, got struck by lightning at the same time she stubbed her toe, Yes, it was that bad, though I admit, a lot of Bronze Age DC were pretty corny. 😂
I live in New England , and I find the mirage TMNT run ALL the time, probably because Eastman and Laird are from here . But for people from other areas of the country I’ve been told that they have a harder time finding them and can only come across the archie adventure issues which is insane to me . Region def effects scarcity of a comic
There are three definitive runs. First, the George Perez run. 62 issues (beginning with post-Crisis 1987 reboot, Wonder Woman # 1). George Perez does the plot and art (and sometimes the full scripts) during the first 24 issues and then issues # 25 - 62 he's only doing plotting and the covers (with the occasional rare full script) but it's still definitely George Perez's vision of Wonder Woman throughout those 62 issues. Second definitive run starts with issue 63 till issue 100 of the same Wonder Woman series, but now with writer William Messner Loebs and cover artist Brian Bolland and later on Mike Deodato Jr starts drawing the interiors. That run is also very, very good. Finally, starting with issue 101 till # 136 is the John Byrne run. Personally, I really liked it and I feel it's just as good as the George Perez and Loebs / Bolland / Deodato Jr runs. After issue # 136, Christopher Priest writes issues # 137 and 138 and it's really good, but then he leaves and after that the series goes into a slump. However, I've heard a lot of good things about the Greg Rucka run (issues 195 till the final issue, # 226). I never read it (apparently a lot of people didn't since the series got cancelled by the end of it and got restarted with a new # 1 a few months later) but A LOT of people who did read the Greg Rucka run really loved it and consider that a definitive run. Honestly, most of that 226 issue Wonder Woman series (from 1987 till 2006) is easily the best of all her series.
The problem with DC is that out of all the characters they keep rebooting wonder woman in different ways destroying her they don’t do that with Batman or Superman
I think the reason wonder woman is never found is simply that it’s such a cool title that no one wants to give it up. I think it’s similar to EC horror. Here too one really finds it.
George Perez Wonder Woman was the first comic I collected from issue 1 onwards, and is still my fave DC hero to this day as a result. Not all recent interpretations, just it started there.
I'm a California collector. I collected every WW issue from 1942 -2016. Finding Golden and Silver WW was difficult in the 1990's to early 2000's because most dealers didn't bring them to shows. For the most part Golden and early Silver Vol 1 issues #1- 118 are moderately to extremely difficult to collect. Everything after 118 was relatively easy to find out here. Without the internet and Ebay in the late 1990's it would have been even more difficult to complete.
Thanks for the video! Golden age Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics are two of my favorites. Once I learned about the character's history and historical significance, I sought her out. I highly recommend Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman. An engrossing read!
@@jarredsmith9187 No you shouldn’t have to be a member to leave comments. Sometimes he releases the videos early for members so that may be why there’s only member comments when they go full public.
I started buying comics back in the 60s. Back then comics were marketed to a specific audience: war, western, supernatural and superhero titles were aimed at the male audience; romance, slice of life, teen humor was aimed at female audiences. There was a crossover audience for movie and television tie-ins, funny animal and Disney titles. Wonder Woman was obviously aimed at girls with fairly lightweight plots, lots of romance story lines and goofy villains like Egg Fu. Then they made her into an un-super powered, Emma Peel type character. It wasn't until the George Perez reboot that the title picked up a male audience.
Funny that's not what Marston or even Bob Kanigher said about it...they were both aiming at the Lowest Common Denominator at the time...Preteen Boys like every other comic, but tomboy girls liked reading that and Black Canary too. I think what the problem is with the Pre-Crisis issues from 1948-1968 is.... Wonder Woman is Superhero Barney...and that is actually still DC's attitude towards her today. That is to say when they're stuck for an idea with Superman or Batman they just go "eh...I guess this idea could be tried on Wonder-Dino" (and she would deck somebody for insuiating the age.)
@@johnnydropkicks because the creeps were too scared of being caught in that golden lasso exposing them...which yeah...explains a lot of creeps. The golden lasso exposes repressed secrets and it hurts!
Lol, trying to pull at heart strings throwing your new baby in there. The old stories were lackluster for sure. She was like the flag bearer for woman empowerment back then. Kind of like how the anti-hero has been stealing the spotlight from the first heroes, Supes and Cap. Perez brought her back to life for sure. Byrne helped keep her alive. Also, Bolland and Hughes covers helped for a time.
From 1976 to about 2007 I collected WW along with other titles and had to sell them when I ran out of space to store them! I had every WW from 1969 to that year.
I feel ya James. I live in your area and hit up some of the same shops you do. Would love to buy some nice older WW issues but you are correct. I never can find any. No choice but to search online.
I finished up a run of WW from the beginning of the silver age last year and I left it to one of the last series I collected. It's a nightmare to find issues and most of them aren't very good. Not surprised it's not collected often. However it's not an east coast thing, I'm on the west coast and I can count on one hand how many comic stores I've been to in my life that had any WW issues.
I'm curious how that affects the prices. Is it more expensive because it's rarer and harder to find, or is it cheaper because it's seemingly less desired and collected?
I grew up in Brooklyn in the 70s and I followed Wonder Woman, just like I did with all the other major DC and Marvel heroes. I could tell it wasn’t a huge seller at the time, but I’ve always tried to keep my reading interests as broad as possible. I might be selling some of my collection soon, if I still have any volume 1 Wonder Woman issues I’ll be sure to contact you! 👍🏼
I wonder how much of it has to do with the shipping lanes on the East Coast to the UK. Comics used to be used as ballast on return trips to the UK, so maybe certain titles were more likely to make it on the ships than others…
I've been slowly putting a run together over the past decade or so...from #269-##329(final issue). Still looking out for 12 issues between #301 & #329. They're tough to source, at the right price. Started initially for the Huntress back ups and just went with it...
@@MintHunterComics it has lol. Very rarely see this era, just before CoIE, out in the wild. Low print run, I guess. Shame, some of it isn't bad. It really needed Perez to come along and reboot it.
Ww had hard time post war then was dramatic shift that deny o Neil questions himself about a redesign and complete overhaul made title on shaky ground. Love a lot modern covers like bolland and Hugh’s thou.
I have the George Perez and John Byrne runs. Also the Mike Deodato run. Plus the one shots or Earth One books. Heard praise for that 12 labors of WW where the Justice League members guest star from the mid-70s. The de-powered WW from the late 60s where she looks like Emma Peel. There were the original Huntress back up stories in WW in the late 70s.
If you pick thru my comic book collection you would find Wonder Woman comics from the ‘70’s till today. Maybe it’s because I’m a female but I live in the Midwest. You tell me !?!
I have been selling comics full time for a year now. Rare times I find Wonder Woman in a collection I actually pull it and keep it for my PC. I will sell everything else but I keep all WW Bronze or older. I love Silver Age and Golden age WW Covers. I set weird rules for my PC so I would not keep everything when buying collections. I only collect UK Marvel Variants, GGA, and Wonder Woman. Helps me not get attached to stuff in collections that I buy.
I believe the scarcity has something to do with the deal DC made with the original creator - William Moulton Marston. DC actually did different deals with different creators of the characters . Schuster and Siegel famously lost rights to Superman for $130 dollars . Bob Kane did a much better deal he negotiated sole credit as the creator of Batman and a percentage of everything DC Comics licensed the character on. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston - a Psychologist who advised DC comics . Part of Marston's deal with DC is that the character would revert back Marston if the character's comic was ever out of print. This is why it stayed in print even though it sales were low .
The period I sold comics was the mid-90's early 2000's. We had a decent back issue library but the girls all bought old X-Men if they ever bought older comics.
I see some great bronze / silver WW books being sold on Whatnot for $2,3$ and still don't sell Aquaman too, it is crazy I grab some here & there but yeah it doesn't sell well
I had tons of WW comics up until around ten years ago and then sold them on eBay very easily. All the issues from the 80's with Huntress backups. All of Perez's run, Messner-Loebs/Deodato run and Phil Jimenez's run. They all got bids within a few hours of adding the auctions.
Early Wonder Woman books are very rare, especially those from prior to 1960. The CGC census population for most Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman issues (up to the early 100's) are a fraction of the population for Superman and Batman titles from the same era. I feel lucky whenever I find issues of Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman from the Golden Age. They usually go for a lot of money on auctions especially the very early Sensation Comics issues. I think it's because most readers back then read their Wonder Woman comics then threw them away unlike issues of Superman or Batman. For example, the highest CGC graded issue of Wonder Woman #80 from Feb 1956 has an 8.0 (Very Fine) grade. Take note that it is a key issue for Wonder Woman since it features the origin of the invisible plane. On the other hand, the highest graded copies of Batman #97, Superman #103, and Detective Comics #228 (also from Feb 1956) are all 9.2 (Near Mint -). Take note that those Batman and Superman books are not key issues. Another example is Sensation Comics #100 from Dec 1950 that has a highest grade of 6.5 (Fine +) in the CGC census. It is an anniversary issue with a nice cover so I was surprised at the survival rate of that issue. On the other hand, Action Comics #151 has one copy graded 9.4 and and four copies graded 9.2. Detective Comics #166 has one copy graded 9.6, one copy graded 9.4, and two copies graded 9.2. I think that these show evidence that more collectors saved their copies of Superman and Batman books compared to Wonder Woman books.
My friend Tom used to own a comic book store. Tom had a chance to purchase WW issue 1 from the first series. The grade he told me was around a 4 out of 10. He passed on it, because of how much it cost.
Old batman comics in the Tristate area is also a rarity. Like pre 1980's we have all the 80's and 90's batman you can stomach. We do get a lot of old X-men though.
I think it's pretty easy to explain. Yes, it's a hobby that is male dominated and has and continues to be ("I know plenty of females.." Stop - they are still the minority). So, most dudes just don't gravitate toward WW. But even female readers may view her like many view Supes; they see her as one dimensional. Super good and powerful and always goin to win = boring. Unlike her, Superman has always had interesting villains: Lex, Brainiac, Bizarro, Darkseid, etc. I do think it's funny that about a decade ago Entertainment Weekly published the most important super of all time and they ranked WW #1. They do like to tow the progressive line.
I live in the southeast US. Wonder Woman shows up fairly frequently here. I've seen quite a few in Florida, Georgia, etc. I've got a pretty decent Wonder Woman collection from the late 60's/early 70's. Even got Vol.1 #11 from the 40's. If I had to say what the deal was...Maybe it's like some other people have stated and that might be that so many girls and their parents might have just tossed them back in the day. The other thing is, though, most of the people I know that buy Wonder Woman don't turn loose of them. The collectors usually hold on to them pretty tight. They don't get flipped as much as say Superman or Spider-Man. Sad to say, they may eventually start showing up in estate sales. But by and large, I think the Wonder Woman collectors are hardcore collectors. I mean, if you collect Wonder Woman, you kind of have to be. That title went through a ton of ups and downs. So the people that stuck with it...Loved it.
I do. I find they have lots of variant covers drawn by female artists. I started buying because they're relatively inexpensive for books I think are going to explode soon.
I read some of the trade paperbacks and the stories are great but she doesn't have that wow or investment factor that people are llooking for when buying comics
The title of this video is not true. Tho the fact that Wonder Woman comics never sold like any of her other fellows for understandable reasons, this video is more like a personal opinion on this fact.
RIP Fat Jack's in Center City though. Their landlord screwed them over. Also, I tend to follow artists, and I really liked Cliff Chiang's run on WW because his style is so distinct.
I think many collectors are completionists and getting her first appearance is too pricey. I think Green Arrow falls in the same category. Unlike Batman and Spiderman she is lacking good villain keys to offset the unobtainable
I'm in Hawaii, (Oahu specifically). Whenever I get my hands on a collection, it's almost always Marvel. If they have DC, it's probably Batman or Superman. Not a lot otherwise.
I collect Wonder Woman 😁 especially Perèz & post-Perez eras like Messner-Loebs & Byrne. I have the Omnis & lots of paperbacks as well. Kinda wish I had more Golden Age WW but a few of those, Sensation Comics, & the Silver Age stuff cap off my collection nicely, considering the majority of my collection is 1950s-present Marvel, 1990s-present Image, & randomness. The bulk of my DC is Wonder Woman, anything Jack Kirby, & Harley Quinn.
@@MintHunterComicsI think this region specifically missed out because Philly to Baltimore was a test market back in the 60s & 70s, too, if I remember right 🤔 that's why we see so many 35¢ price variants on those Ms. Marvel & Spider-Woman issues compared to, say, Vegas, Colorado, & Cali. I can't throw a rock without hitting Silver & Bronze Age price variants around here, even Newark & Wilmington DE got that stuff.
I’m going to be extremely biased since I am a 90s kid but my theory is that you had to wait till the 90s for the bad girl era to put strong female leads on everyone’s radar. Btw the only WW in my collection is WW: Dead Earth
I would assume because there’s a lot less female collectors. As a collector myself, I don’t think I have more than an issue or two of WW. She doesn’t have a definitive origin & has had various different starts, which also doesn’t help.
I'm collecting Wonder Woman. My CLZ app is currently showing 68 issues of vol. 1 and 72 issues of vol. 2. I've still got a few to find then. 😊 Oh, and I'm in England, so I'm not sure how that affects your location theory... 🤔
@@NJ-eo2oc I do. I did. - and the last comic show I went to, multiple vendors said, "DC Comics just do not move." So it's not just me. - but you just stay mad.🤣
I really like WW - particularly the Perez run and also Azzarello runs. Also some of the older covers are magnificent - lots of bonage and rockets lol. Just speculating but perhaps most comic buyers are guys who prefer and identify with male heroes? I know there are others like Harley Quinn, Catwoman etc but many of these are more sexualised. A similar character, from a female kick-ass perspective is Black Widow - how does that sell? I would be interested in how WW sells compared with Red Sonja also and if that has taken readers from WW. Again, just speculating.
Interesting question James, I love WW and collect her when I can get my hands on them. So far no one has actually given a "reason" why they don't collect her other than saying "it's just not my thing" what is the reason that it's not their thing? Is the reason they don't like female superheroes? Is it the story lines or the writing quality or the artwork quality? Maybe they are put off by a woman that could hand their a** to them if she were real.
I collected it until the price got to be 4-5 bucks an issue here in Canada, with all my other titles I had to start getting choosey and sadly many of my DC titles took the hit, when Disney took over Marvel and gave every character a title and Xmen/Wolverine got multiple titles each I felt like I was missing a lot of the story so I quit completely. Still have all my Wonder Woman issues, just haven't added to the pile.
Interesting video. Maybe do follow up with what you've learned from the comments. For me, it's always about the quality of the storytelling. Perez was always amazing.
Problem mainl is males sont feel si manly reading Diana's books, at a younger age so the depth wasnt there. Im the minority who loves wonder woman books Its silly, shes got many great stories being slept on The Perez run I conpare to the Simonson Thor run (ehich iss till by far the best story telli Thors ever seen). More classic stuff is harder to find I think because less were invested in the character. Makes me cringe thinking about how many golden amd silver age Wonder woman bokks were tossed to the garbage
Well it is not only Wonder woman it is female superheroes and villains 2 when I grew up I wanted to have a comic book of all female villains.. some people are saying in the comic book industry they discriminate against women's and other minorities
Don´t know who doesn´t collect Wonder Woman. My favorite DC superheroes are: Green Lantern (Hal), Wonder Woman, Batman and Aquaman. ...among others like Firestorm, Creeper and Zauriel. I´ve been collecting Wonder Woman since the New 52. Also collected Wonder Woman Earth One, New 52 Superman/Wonder Woman and Rebirth Trinity (just cause she was a main character there). ...and I´d like to start collecting the George Pérez run but can´t for the moment. And, as a fan of WW I get tired that they won´t make use of her rogues gallery often. It´s always Cheetah, Ares, Cheetah, Veronica Cale, Cheetah, Circe, Cheetah, Grail, Cheetah... One of her most well known villainesses is Giganta and since New 52 she was only used ONCE for a story arc...and they had to be partners. Whenever she appears is just to get KOd instantly: either in her comics, JL or main events. Heck, sometimes she isn´t even KOd in in the comic. She´s already KOd. Plus, there´s this INCREDIBLE character in First Born an he hasn´t brought back since New 52. PS Honest, in Rebirth she was used so often that I got tired of her. PS1 Pérez has an accent on the first E. That means that the accent goes there. You pronounce it "pErez". Not "perEz".
George Perez (RIP) had the best WW run of all time.
i collect wonnder woman. love early rucka, simone and perez
Anything with George Perez was that title's best run of all time.
Wonder woman is one of the few heroes to have a regular monthly title all the way through the 1950s. Only Superman, Batman and Superboy did the same
Wonder Woman's Comics are invisible like her jet
I've noticed that at least one big issue with WW is that DC won't let her have a solid continuity that's cemented and acknowledged across the DCU comics.
Compare with Batman: we know his supporting characters, his villains, his mission, his protege/sidekicks (as well as their origins), even his backstory. Despite crises, reboots, and rebirths, Batman is now so characteristically consistent, he's unstoppable. DC would have to work REALLY hard to make Batman hard to sell. **nervous chuckle** Right?
Yet, when it comes to Wondy, her rogues gallery is woefully underrepresented. Her supporting cast gets swapped out and replaced repeatedly. Her New52 continuity was completely wiped out during "Rebirth" without an Anti-Monitor or Superboy Prime involved! Is it just me seeing this?
At least we all know that Superman protects Metropolis, works at the Daily Planet and has a consistent supporting cast.
I've laid eyes on a Wonder Woman comic the same amount of times I've laid eyes on Bigfoot.
😂😂😂
I bought a few comics of WW in the late eighties and it wasn't till they brought Superman back to life that I decided to collect Wonderwoman again so now I have about 30 years worth of Wonderwoman comics. :)
Give a fun fact I sold My Wonder Woman 1 and Sensation 1 and paid for the birth of My Daughter. But kept the All Star first Wonder Woman story.
Wonder woman is my DC book of choice. I love those old silver and bronze age covers
Dude literally same - I love WW. I'm frustrated buy how rarely I get to pick it up
@@gregoryliedtka7510 I guess if you’re a girl Wonder Woman appealed to you. Boys didn’t read Wonder Woman.
Everyone wants Wonder Woman that’s why you never find it. People won’t let it go. At least the gold/silver/bronze age.
I suppose that might account for some of it!
The late great George Perez run on Wonder woman is the only one worth getting imo.
Wonder Women collectors are hard core , keep their collection , due to low print runs.. alot covers are so awesome
That's been my experience. WW fans are hardcore and those books are hard to find, so you will be prying them from their cold, dead hands. And even then...
Wonder Woman collectors don't part with Wonder Woman titles. They are hardcore fans of the character and not necessarily comics collectors. If they are comics collectors, they keep their WW comics if they sell their collection. Also, there's such a sense of shared identity among Wonder Woman fans, they gift them rather than sell them, regardless of their dollar value. (I gave my Wonder Woman comics collection to my niece when she was a teenager with issues going back to the 1960s, and one from 1944.)
Wonder woman comics are for those true collectors who don't care too much about money. They are also usually kept by whoever is selling their collections. You don't find wonder woman because people don't want you to take their wonder woman comics.
Growing up in Maryland in the 70s and 80s, I never saw much Wonder Woman on the spinner racks.
@@christopherwilliams2385 Agreed. Bought most of my comics of the spinner racks and never saw Wonder Woman. Probably because it doesn’t sell.
She has very few key issues, and most of her keys come from the golden age, and cost like thousands of dollars. She doesn't have a good library of villains to collect keys from either. I think the 2 best key issues she has in the last 50 years are:
-The First Appearance of Nubia (which is overpriced but still worth $150)
-The First Appearance of Artemis (which is worth like $15, or $25 if you have the DC logo variant)
That's all, sure, there are some key issue covers, but most people don't collect those. Wonder Woman is a good character to watch on screen, but her comics lack villains and key collectible issues.
I collected all Brian Bolland covers of Wonder Woman.
I have never collected Wonder Woman, but I am getting the Absolute Wonder Woman later this year.
I think it might have to do with the fact that other than George Pérez i cant name a single iconic WW run or series
Hughes
@@stormshadowctf never heard of it
Azzarello
@@leonbeale5431 the trump shooter?
@@The_Oak_Boat Wonder Woman did a golden age revival theme in the mid 150s and brought back several 1940s characters, including the Cheetah, for thier first Silver age appearances. WW also went mod woman's lib with no powers or costume for a few years starting in the mid 170s. These are significant story arcs in my opinion.
Why ? Because it's quality is inconsistent. The best Wonder Woman has ever been is when George Perez rebooted it Post- Crisis.
I came across a Wonder Woman #213 a while back and I picked it up for sentimental reasons. It happened to be one of my first comics. I was actually a little embarrassed at age 8 to ask my Mom for it, it being a “girl” comic, but the Flash was on the cover as well as a really cool looking robot.
I reread it as an adult.
Hate to admit it, but it was one of the worst comics I ever read. Flash wasn’t in the story except as a narrator. An alien race used a ray that took away everyone’s courage.on Earth. Three people were unaffected the alien Ray. Conveniently, Wonder Woman. The other two, a criminal and a peace loving hippie.
You see, you’re only unaffected if you hurt yourself and are simultaneously struck by lightning. Diana Prince, it turns out, got struck by lightning at the same time she stubbed her toe,
Yes, it was that bad, though I admit, a lot of Bronze Age DC were pretty corny. 😂
I live in New England , and I find the mirage TMNT run ALL the time, probably because Eastman and Laird are from here . But for people from other areas of the country I’ve been told that they have a harder time finding them and can only come across the archie adventure issues which is insane to me . Region def effects scarcity of a comic
Seeing the pic of Fat Jack comics here in Philly at 4:00 bums me out..The store was open for 55yrs but closed up last month..So sad..
Does wonder woman really have a definitive run?
There are three definitive runs. First, the George Perez run. 62 issues (beginning with post-Crisis 1987 reboot, Wonder Woman # 1). George Perez does the plot and art (and sometimes the full scripts) during the first 24 issues and then issues # 25 - 62 he's only doing plotting and the covers (with the occasional rare full script) but it's still definitely George Perez's vision of Wonder Woman throughout those 62 issues. Second definitive run starts with issue 63 till issue 100 of the same Wonder Woman series, but now with writer William Messner Loebs and cover artist Brian Bolland and later on Mike Deodato Jr starts drawing the interiors. That run is also very, very good. Finally, starting with issue 101 till # 136 is the John Byrne run. Personally, I really liked it and I feel it's just as good as the George Perez and Loebs / Bolland / Deodato Jr runs. After issue # 136, Christopher Priest writes issues # 137 and 138 and it's really good, but then he leaves and after that the series goes into a slump.
However,
I've heard a lot of good things about the Greg Rucka run (issues 195 till the final issue, # 226). I never read it (apparently a lot of people didn't since the series got cancelled by the end of it and got restarted with a new # 1 a few months later) but A LOT of people who did read the Greg Rucka run really loved it and consider that a definitive run.
Honestly, most of that 226 issue Wonder Woman series (from 1987 till 2006) is easily the best of all her series.
The problem with DC is that out of all the characters they keep rebooting wonder woman in different ways destroying her they don’t do that with Batman or Superman
I think the reason wonder woman is never found is simply that it’s such a cool title that no one wants to give it up. I think it’s similar to EC horror. Here too one really finds it.
I collected John Byrne's 90s WW run. The WW JSA story in that run was excellent
George Perez Wonder Woman was the first comic I collected from issue 1 onwards, and is still my fave DC hero to this day as a result. Not all recent interpretations, just it started there.
I'm a California collector. I collected every WW issue from 1942 -2016. Finding Golden and Silver WW was difficult in the 1990's to early 2000's because most dealers didn't bring them to shows. For the most part Golden and early Silver Vol 1 issues #1- 118 are moderately to extremely difficult to collect. Everything after 118 was relatively easy to find out here. Without the internet and Ebay in the late 1990's it would have been even more difficult to complete.
I am collecting Bronze Age WW as part of my overall Bronze Age DC collection.
One of my favorite PC books is Wonder Woman #49 . It's an epic cover
I want WW and you’re right! No one ever has any old stuff!
I know! It's always just volume 2, never volume 1
Every time I see a decent pre-1980s Wonder Woman issue I buy it, as long as it's priced sanely -- it's just not easy to find!
Thanks for the video! Golden age Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics are two of my favorites. Once I learned about the character's history and historical significance, I sought her out. I highly recommend Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman. An engrossing read!
One must wonder....
I see what you did there
I just recently started to collect a tiny bit of Wonder Woman and this might’ve just convinced me to keep going! Great video👍
Do you have to be a member to leave comments now? It willnt let me leave my own comments.
@@jarredsmith9187 No you shouldn’t have to be a member to leave comments. Sometimes he releases the videos early for members so that may be why there’s only member comments when they go full public.
I'm likely an outlier here, but I really enjoyed Greg Rucka's run and Brian Azzarello's run on the New 52 version of Wonder Woman!
Not a lot of WW collectors out there but the one's that are our ususual very Loyal, and the 1940-50 alway sell fast at any grade.
Ironically people really seem to want her around me - and I don't have any to offer!
I started buying comics back in the 60s. Back then comics were marketed to a specific audience: war, western, supernatural and superhero titles were aimed at the male audience; romance, slice of life, teen humor was aimed at female audiences. There was a crossover audience for movie and television tie-ins, funny animal and Disney titles. Wonder Woman was obviously aimed at girls with fairly lightweight plots, lots of romance story lines and goofy villains like Egg Fu. Then they made her into an un-super powered, Emma Peel type character. It wasn't until the George Perez reboot that the title picked up a male audience.
Funny that's not what Marston or even Bob Kanigher said about it...they were both aiming at the Lowest Common Denominator at the time...Preteen Boys like every other comic, but tomboy girls liked reading that and Black Canary too.
I think what the problem is with the Pre-Crisis issues from 1948-1968 is....
Wonder Woman is Superhero Barney...and that is actually still DC's attitude towards her today. That is to say when they're stuck for an idea with Superman or Batman they just go "eh...I guess this idea could be tried on Wonder-Dino" (and she would deck somebody for insuiating the age.)
Early 70s and earlier WW books are awesome. Beautiful art and decent stories.
I was so enamored with Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman that, as a four year-old boy, I had a Lynda Carter Wonder Woman book bag.
I'm sorry you got your ass kicked
Lynda Carter had that Gap.😆😆😅😆
@@stormshadowctf Not once in my entire life, pal. Not once.
@@johnnydropkicks because the creeps were too scared of being caught in that golden lasso exposing them...which yeah...explains a lot of creeps. The golden lasso exposes repressed secrets and it hurts!
Lol, trying to pull at heart strings throwing your new baby in there.
The old stories were lackluster for sure. She was like the flag bearer for woman empowerment back then. Kind of like how the anti-hero has been stealing the spotlight from the first heroes, Supes and Cap.
Perez brought her back to life for sure. Byrne helped keep her alive. Also, Bolland and Hughes covers helped for a time.
I know the comic collector geek has a lot of Wonder Woman going back to golden age.
From 1976 to about 2007 I collected WW along with other titles and had to sell them when I ran out of space to store them! I had every WW from 1969 to that year.
Girls who bought Wonder Woman in the 50's and 60's probably threw them out when they grew up and got married.
That’s too bad. They’re probably worth money if they’re mint.
Girls certainly weren’t the only ones who did that with their comics or Golden and Silver Age titles wouldn’t be worth much today.
Same happens where I live, I can find Superman and Batman, even some Justice League and Marvel stuff, but WW is hard to find.
I've never collected Wonder Woman, but some of those covers you showed on screen are absolutely epic! Need to look into these.
I feel ya James. I live in your area and hit up some of the same shops you do. Would love to buy some nice older WW issues but you are correct. I never can find any. No choice but to search online.
I finished up a run of WW from the beginning of the silver age last year and I left it to one of the last series I collected. It's a nightmare to find issues and most of them aren't very good. Not surprised it's not collected often. However it's not an east coast thing, I'm on the west coast and I can count on one hand how many comic stores I've been to in my life that had any WW issues.
I'm curious how that affects the prices. Is it more expensive because it's rarer and harder to find, or is it cheaper because it's seemingly less desired and collected?
It's bc I have all of them!
Wrists are limper in California. That might explain the Wonder Woman popularity.
lol!!!!!! so true!!!!!
I never see pre-70s WW ever , in shops or shows here in the midwest
I don’t see many of the volume 2…. And it’s usually not at prices I am comfortable with.
my little sister still collects the wonder woman comics. #ROADTO34K #IWANTCAPTAINCARROTPLEASE
I grew up in Brooklyn in the 70s and I followed Wonder Woman, just like I did with all the other major DC and Marvel heroes. I could tell it wasn’t a huge seller at the time, but I’ve always tried to keep my reading interests as broad as possible. I might be selling some of my collection soon, if I still have any volume 1 Wonder Woman issues I’ll be sure to contact you! 👍🏼
I wonder how much of it has to do with the shipping lanes on the East Coast to the UK. Comics used to be used as ballast on return trips to the UK, so maybe certain titles were more likely to make it on the ships than others…
I've been slowly putting a run together over the past decade or so...from #269-##329(final issue). Still looking out for 12 issues between #301 & #329. They're tough to source, at the right price.
Started initially for the Huntress back ups and just went with it...
I imagine it's taken quite some time!
@@MintHunterComics it has lol.
Very rarely see this era, just before CoIE, out in the wild. Low print run, I guess. Shame, some of it isn't bad.
It really needed Perez to come along and reboot it.
Ww had hard time post war then was dramatic shift that deny o Neil questions himself about a redesign and complete overhaul made title on shaky ground. Love a lot modern covers like bolland and Hugh’s thou.
I have the George Perez and John Byrne runs. Also the Mike Deodato run. Plus the one shots or Earth One books. Heard praise for that 12 labors of WW where the Justice League members guest star from the mid-70s. The de-powered WW from the late 60s where she looks like Emma Peel. There were the original Huntress back up stories in WW in the late 70s.
If you pick thru my comic book collection you would find Wonder Woman comics from the ‘70’s till today. Maybe it’s because I’m a female but I live in the Midwest. You tell me !?!
@@user-jo2wx2xm8h I have a sweet spot for 1968-1975 Wonder Woman. I love her “new” look
I have been selling comics full time for a year now. Rare times I find Wonder Woman in a collection I actually pull it and keep it for my PC. I will sell everything else but I keep all WW Bronze or older. I love Silver Age and Golden age WW Covers. I set weird rules for my PC so I would not keep everything when buying collections. I only collect UK Marvel Variants, GGA, and Wonder Woman. Helps me not get attached to stuff in collections that I buy.
I believe the scarcity has something to do with the deal DC made with the original creator - William Moulton Marston. DC actually did different deals with different creators of the characters . Schuster and Siegel famously lost rights to Superman for $130 dollars . Bob Kane did a much better deal he negotiated sole credit as the creator of Batman and a percentage of everything DC Comics licensed the character on. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston - a Psychologist who advised DC comics . Part of Marston's deal with DC is that the character would revert back Marston if the character's comic was ever out of print. This is why it stayed in print even though it sales were low .
I would pick up Wonder Woman as part of the Justice League of America books back in the Silver Age. Some keys like first Nubia I'm on the lookout.
I've had that before - tough to find in sharp condition
Wonder Woman may not be as popular as she use to be but she still in third place DC Super hero, just after Batman and Superman.
Lots of people collect Wonder Woman. I'm part of a whole Facebook group around collecting her merch.
I'll have to dig through my collection. I know I have several 1970s issues.
The period I sold comics was the mid-90's early 2000's. We had a decent back issue library but the girls all bought old X-Men if they ever bought older comics.
Interesting insight!
I see some great bronze / silver WW books being sold on Whatnot for $2,3$ and still don't sell Aquaman too, it is crazy I grab some here & there but yeah it doesn't sell well
If you can’t find it but it did sell at good numbers, maybe people are holding on to them?
I had tons of WW comics up until around ten years ago and then sold them on eBay very easily. All the issues from the 80's with Huntress backups. All of Perez's run, Messner-Loebs/Deodato run and Phil Jimenez's run. They all got bids within a few hours of adding the auctions.
Early Wonder Woman books are very rare, especially those from prior to 1960. The CGC census population for most Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman issues (up to the early 100's) are a fraction of the population for Superman and Batman titles from the same era. I feel lucky whenever I find issues of Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman from the Golden Age. They usually go for a lot of money on auctions especially the very early Sensation Comics issues. I think it's because most readers back then read their Wonder Woman comics then threw them away unlike issues of Superman or Batman.
For example, the highest CGC graded issue of Wonder Woman #80 from Feb 1956 has an 8.0 (Very Fine) grade. Take note that it is a key issue for Wonder Woman since it features the origin of the invisible plane. On the other hand, the highest graded copies of Batman #97, Superman #103, and Detective Comics #228 (also from Feb 1956) are all 9.2 (Near Mint -). Take note that those Batman and Superman books are not key issues.
Another example is Sensation Comics #100 from Dec 1950 that has a highest grade of 6.5 (Fine +) in the CGC census. It is an anniversary issue with a nice cover so I was surprised at the survival rate of that issue. On the other hand, Action Comics #151 has one copy graded 9.4 and and four copies graded 9.2. Detective Comics #166 has one copy graded 9.6, one copy graded 9.4, and two copies graded 9.2. I think that these show evidence that more collectors saved their copies of Superman and Batman books compared to Wonder Woman books.
As a former WW collector I concur. At one point I owned some of the highest graded WW's in the census like 7.5 or 7.0.
My friend Tom used to own a comic book store. Tom had a chance to purchase WW issue 1 from the first series. The grade he told me was around a 4 out of 10. He passed on it, because of how much it cost.
Old batman comics in the Tristate area is also a rarity. Like pre 1980's we have all the 80's and 90's batman you can stomach. We do get a lot of old X-men though.
haha. you're right. out of 40 000+ books I have maybe 15 Wonder Woman......(from the 1st series)
RIGHT?!?!?
@@MintHunterComics a very good question and great content on your part. im from Montreal Canada
Wonder Woman comics are awesome. As a male I have never understood the popularity of sweaty men in tights beating the snot out of each other.
Hahahahahaha
100
I'm a male and rather enjoy sweaty men in tights getting into it
Are you slow
I think it's pretty easy to explain. Yes, it's a hobby that is male dominated and has and continues to be ("I know plenty of females.." Stop - they are still the minority). So, most dudes just don't gravitate toward WW. But even female readers may view her like many view Supes; they see her as one dimensional. Super good and powerful and always goin to win = boring. Unlike her, Superman has always had interesting villains: Lex, Brainiac, Bizarro, Darkseid, etc. I do think it's funny that about a decade ago Entertainment Weekly published the most important super of all time and they ranked WW #1. They do like to tow the progressive line.
I've been collecting Wonder Woman since 2001.
I picked them up for the Huntress back-ups in the late 70's - early 80's
Good point. Not just WW collectors on the hunt for these but Huntress / Earth 2 completists as well.
I live in the southeast US. Wonder Woman shows up fairly frequently here. I've seen quite a few in Florida, Georgia, etc. I've got a pretty decent Wonder Woman collection from the late 60's/early 70's. Even got Vol.1 #11 from the 40's.
If I had to say what the deal was...Maybe it's like some other people have stated and that might be that so many girls and their parents might have just tossed them back in the day. The other thing is, though, most of the people I know that buy Wonder Woman don't turn loose of them. The collectors usually hold on to them pretty tight. They don't get flipped as much as say Superman or Spider-Man. Sad to say, they may eventually start showing up in estate sales. But by and large, I think the Wonder Woman collectors are hardcore collectors. I mean, if you collect Wonder Woman, you kind of have to be. That title went through a ton of ups and downs. So the people that stuck with it...Loved it.
I do. I find they have lots of variant covers drawn by female artists. I started buying because they're relatively inexpensive for books I think are going to explode soon.
I read some of the trade paperbacks and the stories are great but she doesn't have that wow or investment factor that people are llooking for when buying comics
The title of this video is not true. Tho the fact that Wonder Woman comics never sold like any of her other fellows for understandable reasons, this video is more like a personal opinion on this fact.
RIP Fat Jack's in Center City though. Their landlord screwed them over.
Also, I tend to follow artists, and I really liked Cliff Chiang's run on WW because his style is so distinct.
I recently sold the Absolute editions of that run.
I just started collecting again and I have noticed that old WW are harder to find. I thought it was just me though.
I think many collectors are completionists and getting her first appearance is too pricey. I think Green Arrow falls in the same category. Unlike Batman and Spiderman she is lacking good villain keys to offset the unobtainable
I'm in Hawaii, (Oahu specifically). Whenever I get my hands on a collection, it's almost always Marvel. If they have DC, it's probably Batman or Superman. Not a lot otherwise.
I collect Wonder Woman 😁 especially Perèz & post-Perez eras like Messner-Loebs & Byrne. I have the Omnis & lots of paperbacks as well.
Kinda wish I had more Golden Age WW but a few of those, Sensation Comics, & the Silver Age stuff cap off my collection nicely, considering the majority of my collection is 1950s-present Marvel, 1990s-present Image, & randomness.
The bulk of my DC is Wonder Woman, anything Jack Kirby, & Harley Quinn.
EXACTLY! the only WW anyone has is Perez and onward!
@@MintHunterComicsI think this region specifically missed out because Philly to Baltimore was a test market back in the 60s & 70s, too, if I remember right 🤔 that's why we see so many 35¢ price variants on those Ms. Marvel & Spider-Woman issues compared to, say, Vegas, Colorado, & Cali.
I can't throw a rock without hitting Silver & Bronze Age price variants around here, even Newark & Wilmington DE got that stuff.
I do.
I’m going to be extremely biased since I am a 90s kid but my theory is that you had to wait till the 90s for the bad girl era to put strong female leads on everyone’s radar. Btw the only WW in my collection is WW: Dead Earth
I would assume because there’s a lot less female collectors.
As a collector myself, I don’t think I have more than an issue or two of WW. She doesn’t have a definitive origin & has had various different starts, which also doesn’t help.
She has a definitve origin. its the made of clay origin. that BS was just the New 52
I'm collecting Wonder Woman.
My CLZ app is currently showing 68 issues of vol. 1 and 72 issues of vol. 2. I've still got a few to find then. 😊
Oh, and I'm in England, so I'm not sure how that affects your location theory... 🤔
Wonder Woman = Wonder Boring. 🥱
lol maybe
Speak for yourself please
@@NJ-eo2oc I do. I did. - and the last comic show I went to, multiple vendors said, "DC Comics just do not move." So it's not just me. - but you just stay mad.🤣
I really like WW - particularly the Perez run and also Azzarello runs. Also some of the older covers are magnificent - lots of bonage and rockets lol. Just speculating but perhaps most comic buyers are guys who prefer and identify with male heroes? I know there are others like Harley Quinn, Catwoman etc but many of these are more sexualised. A similar character, from a female kick-ass perspective is Black Widow - how does that sell? I would be interested in how WW sells compared with Red Sonja also and if that has taken readers from WW. Again, just speculating.
Interesting question James, I love WW and collect her when I can get my hands on them. So far no one has actually given a "reason" why they don't collect her other than saying "it's just not my thing" what is the reason that it's not their thing? Is the reason they don't like female superheroes? Is it the story lines or the writing quality or the artwork quality? Maybe they are put off by a woman that could hand their a** to them if she were real.
You all missing out. I am reading 4 eras currently.
Why didn't you dress up as Wonder Woman?
Damn it. What a missed opportuntiy
I collected it until the price got to be 4-5 bucks an issue here in Canada, with all my other titles I had to start getting choosey and sadly many of my DC titles took the hit, when Disney took over Marvel and gave every character a title and Xmen/Wolverine got multiple titles each I felt like I was missing a lot of the story so I quit completely. Still have all my Wonder Woman issues, just haven't added to the pile.
Interesting video. Maybe do follow up with what you've learned from the comments. For me, it's always about the quality of the storytelling. Perez was always amazing.
Problem mainl is males sont feel si manly reading Diana's books, at a younger age so the depth wasnt there. Im the minority who loves wonder woman books Its silly, shes got many great stories being slept on
The Perez run I conpare to the Simonson Thor run (ehich iss till by far the best story telli Thors ever seen). More classic stuff is harder to find I think because less were invested in the character. Makes me cringe thinking about how many golden amd silver age Wonder woman bokks were tossed to the garbage
I’m collecting Wonder Woman stuff now
Well it is not only Wonder woman it is female superheroes and villains 2 when I grew up I wanted to have a comic book of all female villains.. some people are saying in the comic book industry they discriminate against women's and other minorities
Don´t know who doesn´t collect Wonder Woman. My favorite DC superheroes are: Green Lantern (Hal), Wonder Woman, Batman and Aquaman.
...among others like Firestorm, Creeper and Zauriel.
I´ve been collecting Wonder Woman since the New 52. Also collected Wonder Woman Earth One, New 52 Superman/Wonder Woman and Rebirth Trinity (just cause she was a main character there).
...and I´d like to start collecting the George Pérez run but can´t for the moment.
And, as a fan of WW I get tired that they won´t make use of her rogues gallery often. It´s always Cheetah, Ares, Cheetah, Veronica Cale, Cheetah, Circe, Cheetah, Grail, Cheetah... One of her most well known villainesses is Giganta and since New 52 she was only used ONCE for a story arc...and they had to be partners. Whenever she appears is just to get KOd instantly: either in her comics, JL or main events. Heck, sometimes she isn´t even KOd in in the comic. She´s already KOd.
Plus, there´s this INCREDIBLE character in First Born an he hasn´t brought back since New 52.
PS
Honest, in Rebirth she was used so often that I got tired of her.
PS1
Pérez has an accent on the first E. That means that the accent goes there. You pronounce it "pErez". Not "perEz".