Though they may have reached the point of oversaturation, the cultural prominence of comic book superheroes makes it difficult to dismiss them as mindless juvenilia. They are often, rightly, recognized as symbolically representing the best and worst of the world as its creators see it, from Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s original immigrant success story Superman to Frank Miller’s quasi-fascist take on Batman to Deadpool’s self-referential postmodern absurdity. For characters who have been around for decades, there are years of influences – both on and of – to unpack. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore and The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon give this treatment to two of D.C.’s most iconic long-runners, with very different results.
Lepore’s detailed and meticulously researched text is less a history of Wonder Woman and more a history of her creators: Professor William Moulton Marston, his wife Elizabeth “Sadie” Holloway Marston, and his former student-turned-lover Olive Byrne. Marston, a Harvard-educated psychology professor who created a version of the lie detector, emerges as a fascinatingly complex and contradictory figure: a committed and outspoken feminist (he fully intended for Wonder Woman to serve as feminist propaganda, Lepore notes) who overshadowed his female collaborators, a literal truth-seeker who perpetrated fraud, and a highly credentialed man of letters who dove headfirst into some questionable ventures. Said collaborators Holloway (a lawyer and psychologist in her own right) and Byrne are implied to have been hugely influential in Wonder Woman’s creation (Byrne, for instance, wore bracelets that WW fans would find familiar), but Lepore shies away from giving them the lion’s share of the credit. And while Lepore does explore the cultural context that birthed Wonder Woman (namely, first-wave feminism), Diana Prince herself is treated almost like a minor character in her own supposed history. Only the last third of the book directly discusses Wonder Woman in comics, and her post-Marston years are treated briefly and disdainfully (somewhat understandable given Gardner Fox’s and Robert Kanigher’s treatment of the character). While The Secret History of Wonder Woman offers a detailed look at a mad genius, it does not fully do its supposed subject justice.
Weldon’s take on Batman’s history is a leaner, snarkier, less scholarly (though still credibly researched) affair that hews more closely to its proclaimed purpose. Weldon traces The Caped Crusader’s origins (confirming the open secret that credit-hogging artist Bob Kane stole recognition from co-creator/writer Bill Finger) and various iterations over the years, from noirish gun-wielding (!) vigilante to science fiction superhero to camp icon to grim, hypercompetent foe of criminals everywhere. Along the way, he notes how reactions to these differing takes resulted in a rabid and impossible to please fanbase split along tribal lines. To some, a dark and brooding Batman is the only true Batman and Adam West/Joel Schumacher silliness is an abomination; but to others (such as Weldon himself), the camp version is the more interesting take. Just as Lepore played up Wonder Woman’s feminist bonafides, Weldon places a lot of emphasis on Batman’s status as a gay icon (ironic, given his denunciation of comic book critic Frederick Wertham’s homophobic fearmongering). However, Weldon also reminds readers that Batman is an inkblot: fans see in The Dark Knight what they want to see. This view is affirmed by showing how different filmmakers, writers, and artists have all approached the character over the years. Overall, the book is a balanced blend of history, behind-the-scenes trivia, and cultural criticism.
The Secret History of Wonder Woman: 7.5/10
The Caped Crusade: 8/10
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