Superman vs. Wonder Woman — a clash for the ages on all of the pages!

 DC Comics has found my nostalgic sweet spot with its tabloid-sized treasury reprints. First, it was Superman vs. Muhammad Ali in August, and now it's Superman vs. Wonder Woman. 

I missed both books when they were released in the 1970s. The distribution of tabloid-sized comics was hit-and-miss in my area.  Even when I found them, the price tag scared my parents—and me. For two dollars, I could buy five or six regular-sized comics. Since I relied on the charity of others for my four-color fix, I had to be strategic in my acquisitions. 

So I'm grateful to see these stories reprinted, in their correct size, at a price that—while considerably more than two dollars—is still far less than decent copies of the originals would set me back today. 

And Superman vs. Wonder Woman is worth every dime. Writer Gerry Conway and artists Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dan Adkins take full advantage of the bigger size and page count to deliver an epic story. 

The plot is streamlined and simple. In 1942, the two heroes discover information about the top-secret Manhattan Project, three years before the historic atomic bomb test detonation in New Mexico. Their investigations lead them first to fight and then to collaborate to foil a plot by Baron Blitzkrieg and Sumo (the "last true samurai of Japan!"),  who are intent on stealing components of the project. 

Conway wisely leaves plenty of room for epic-sized artwork, and Garcia-Lopez and Adkins respond with breathtaking double-page spreads (like the one below) every few pages. Garcia-Lopez is a master of figure work; his Superman and Wonder Woman crackle with energy. Even in the story's quieter moments, the art shines. A two-page image of Blitzkrieg, standing on the coast of Mexico and staring out at a waiting submarine, provides a stunning view of the horizon, a distant fort, and swooping gulls. 

Some of the panels remind me of the work of Joe Kubert, filled with movement and emotion. The page below has a distinct Alex Toth vibe, especially the second panel of Diana Prince striding toward the elevator. Since both Kubert and Toth were master draftsmen, I have no complaints! 

For a story published in 1977, when many mainstream comics struggled with presenting strong, independent female characters, Conway's script is filled with empowering moments for Wonder Woman. In the page above, Diana muses, "Much as I love America, it is a country ruled by men ... and men are sometimes foolish ... blind to their humane responsibilities." Decades before the term "toxic masculinity" came into vogue, Conway appears to be describing it here. And in a nation moving decisively and tragically in that direction once again, the words struck a chord. 

Atomic dangers, fisticuffs galore, a sprinkling of social commentary, even a cameo by Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Superman vs. Wonder Woman has it all, wrapped in the conceit of a secret government dossier being made public for the first time. It's fun!  

And it occurs to me that the forty-eight years between the book's publication and today is greater than the thirty-five years between the story's setting and 1977. Not sure why that makes me pause, but it does.