Wonder Woman Wednesday: Sensation Comics #15

Wonder Woman Wednesdays

Sensation Comics #15Sensation Comics #15 is a very convoluted tale. Mostly, it’s a story about how Diana almost reveals her secret identity to Steve Trevor. I feel like Marston read a Superman comic book about Lois almost finding out about Clark-Superman and thought that Wonder Woman needed that kind of story.

And I have to say, no, Wonder Woman did not need this tale. Especially since she’s been seriously considering telling Steve as she realizes that in order to have a real relationship with him, he needs to know. Especially because you know her mother would have to meet the man Diana was dating.

Anywho, there’s an explosion in Diana’s office while Steve’s there; but during the explosion, Diana’s civilian clothes are destroyed, revealing her Wonder Woman costume underneath. Which leaves Steve being like ‘where’s Diana? OMG, is she dead?” Luckily, Wonder Woman finds a rug, rolls it up, and dresses it in her extra Diana clothing. At first, Steve’s a little bit like ‘wow, Diana looks like a limp rug’ and then he’s like ‘holy cow, arms don’t move like that.’ But Steve believes Wonder Woman as she whisks off rug!Diana to the hospital.

Wonder Woman fools Steve with a rug dressed like Diana.
Rugs bend in ways that humans can't.

Of course, then Diana has to pretend to have a broken arm. But don’t worry, she still types one-handed at a superhuman speed. No one is any the wiser.

As Diana investigates all the employees — using a lie detector, which Marston invented, in case you’d forgotten — she longs to use her lasso of truth (and probably her still working arm that’s in a sling for show). She discovers that Tony the shoe shiner has been replaced by a Nazi. (Why you’d have a shoe shiner on base, I don’t know either, especially since I’m pretty sure part of basic training is learning to polish your shoes or so Full Metal Jacket told me.)

Anyway, Diana is kidnapped by “Tony” as she can’t overpower him without giving away her secret identity. She’s shoved in a trunk with her “broken” arm.

Tony stuffs Diana in the trunk.
No one outside army intelligence headquarters noticed any strange activities that afternoon.

Tony drives the car into a lake. When Diana realizes she’s going to drown, she comments that it’s a good thing she wore her Wonder Woman costume underneath her clothing. She changes underwater in a car’s trunk and swims to the surface. Wonder Woman makes a caddy remark about having to undo her hair (only Diana wears an up-do) underwater and now she knows how mermaids feel. A comment I can only assume was inserted by an editor trying to remind Marston he was writing a comic book for little girls. And who doesn’t want to be a mermaid? Except anyone who’s ever read the actual Little Mermaid tale.

Wonder Woman combs her hair underwater.
Yes, good thing she had a mirror. And also a good thing, she didn't have to chop off her own tail in order to grow legs.

Diana has also uncovered an address to the law offices of Slikery, Smelt, and Slinkery. If you couldn’t tell by his name, Simon Slikery is the type of lawyer to have commercials on at 4 a.m. letting you know he’s here to help you with that DUI. But worse, he’s also a Nazi collaborator, and Wonder Woman’s determined to prove it.

Instead of just, reporting her almost drowning to say Steve or calling for back-up, Wonder Woman barges into Simon’s office. And she’s pissed. She wants to make him confess, and she completely backhands him. Seriously. Wonder Woman our champion of peace and love doles out some punishment for insolence.

Wonder Woman slaps Simon
Okay, Simon did add some fake blood to make Wonder Woman look like a monster.

Being obsessed with the truth and justice, Marston is not a fan of lawyers, and here, he plays on the bad stereotype of the sue-happy lawyer. Simon immediately phones the police and has Wonder Woman arrested for theft and attempted murder. Simon then goes to spend his day on his yacht.

Because Wonder Woman is a classy lady, she goes willingly with the police. Only to find out that her special interrogators are all Nazis! They wrap her into a full-body straight jacket and toss her in a cell. But being Wonder Woman, she easily breaks out of both.

Wonder Woman breaks out of her restraints and jail.
Silly people think they can keep Wonder Woman prisoner.

In the meantime, Etta and Holliday girls on pursuing Simon’s yacht, thanks to Wonder Woman’s mental radio message. But word’s gotten out about these crime-solving woman, and Simon is ready for them. He chains all of them together.

The Holliday girls are in a chain gang.
But will Etta learn from her spankings? And really, isn't it Wonder Woman's fault?

When Wonder Woman shows up on the yacht, Simon informs her that all the Holliday girls are chained to the anchor and he’s going to drop it. Wonder Woman, predictably, rushes over to the anchor to hold it so the girls don’t drown in the ocean. But she’s can’t hold it forever!

As Simon waits for the German U-boats to arrive and Steve watches them and frets about what to do, Wonder Woman starts breaking the girls’ chains and having them swim toward the shore. She then overtakes Simon and his Nazi guards, tossing them into the water and leaving them at the mercy of the Holliday girls.

Wonder Woman frees the girls.
Everyone knows regular chains can't hold Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman then dives into the water to stop the U-boats. She does so by swimming against their engines and eventually, stopping their engines all together. (This really doesn’t make any sense.) The U.S. Army then throws her a big event to thank her for single-handedly stopping the invading forces.

Wonder Woman stops the u-boats by swimming against their engines.
I'm still not sure how this works in practicality or why Wonder Woman would choose this as her method.

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2 Replies to “Wonder Woman Wednesday: Sensation Comics #15”

  1. …”Except anyone who’s ever read the actual Little Mermaid tale”

    I love this post! But do be a little sympathetic for William, the man wrote comics in the Golden Age, there was only so much he could do for verisimilitude. I’m quoting this line in particular because I loved it to pieces. That tale is cringe worthy, no way I’m going to tell that to my little sis, no matter how much she loves The Little Mermaid. No, bondage Wonder Woman stories are for her.

    1. Mostly, I do enjoy Marston’s stories. Just like to give him a hard time. 😀

      If you could magically remove the racism and make sure you explain to a kid about WWII, I’d let a child read these original Wonder Woman tales. There’s no way s/he’d get the bondage references. And there are some really fun ones. Overall, Wonder Woman is a good role model.

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