Superman vs. Wonder Woman

All New Collectors' Edition #C-54

by Gerry Conway, José Luis García-López (Illustrator)

All-New Collectors' Edition: Superman vs. Wonder Woman. Story by Gerry Conway. Front and back cover pencils by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Inks by Dan Adkins. It is 1942. In separate incidents, Superman and Wonder Woman each hear the term, "The Manhattan Project". Both set off to find out what it is, and both end up doing so. Superman is assured by government officials that the bomb will never be used as a weapon. Wonder Woman finds out what the bomb is on her own and decides no one should have it. This brings the two into conflict when Wonder Woman attempts to disrupt the project. Their battle is halted when Baron Blitzkrieg and the samurai Sumo each steal a component of the bomb. Can Superman and Wonder Woman recover the prototype, or will the Axis powers gain control of the atom bomb? Inside back cover includes information on the story's creators. 72 pages. Full color. Size is 10 x 13-1/2" (about the size of a Life magazine).

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels

72 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Gerard Francis Conway (Gerard F. Conway) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics' vigilante the Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. At DC Comics, he is known for co-creating the superhero Firestorm and others, and for writing the Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always regretted missing this when I was a kid, so four-and-a-half decades later....the story was a little thin, but the ART! Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez takes full advantage of the massive tabloid size, with huge two-page spreads and powerful splash pages, and the thick paper is just wonderful. Well worth the wait.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outstanding artwork by Garcia-Lopez. The story is ... lacking. I mean, the titular conflict is nonsense. Diana is rightly concerned, so she ... smashes an entire college campus? Instead of explaining, she wails on Superman when he asks what she's doing, so he immediately starts wailing back. It's one of those superhero conceits that always sits very poorly with me. And the rest of the plot can only be described as threadbare.

But I promise you, the illustrations are to die for, and the over-large pages showcase it beautifully.

[Steven "Steve" · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun oversized comic depicting Superman and Wonder Woman coming head to head during WWII. The art is more enjoyable at this large size and made the issue feel more epic. Read it just after seeing Oppenheimer so it felt timely.

[Tony Calder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty obvious pairing for a superhero battle, but it maybe wasn't quite the match up that fans wanted to see, as this was set in World War II, so it was Superman and Wonder Woman from Earth 2, not the primary characters from Earth 1 (although the monthly Wonder Woman comic of the period was telling stories of Wonder Woman from Earth 2 during World War 2). For those not familiar with the distinction, Superman of Earth 2 was the original Superman, and he wasn't as powerful as the later version (although in this story he was about half way between the two).

Gerry Conway's story felt slightly forced to me, and his reasons for the two battling before they talked didn't feel quite right to me - he was writing a lot for DC at the time, and generally his work was better. Heroes battling each other is pretty much a staple of the comics industry, and it's always difficult to come up with stories that don't make it seem forced, so I'm happy to cut Conway some slack here. Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Dan Adkins did a great job with the art and visually, the book is excellent.

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pastel de manzana. Una excusa argumental pobre, donde destaca el cuestionamiento que la heroína hace respecto al desarrollo de armamento nuclear por el gobierno estadounidense (que la lleva a enfrentar al campeón que se aliena con el sistema). El dibujo de José Luis García López es tema aparte, con esa precisión y estilo que son rúbrica de una época.

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia es entre chorra e incoherente (Wonder Woman atacando un campus universitario porque allí se están haciendo investigaciones relacionadas con el proyecto Manhattan), pero el dibujo de García López es canelita fina. Una continua demostración de su domino de la figura humana aplicada al mundo de los superhéroes (ese guantazo de WW a Superman en la Luna) y una puesta en página que se beneficia del formato tabloide. La pena en este apartado está en el entintado de Dan Adkins que en muchas viñetas simplifica demasiado los gestos de las caras, los contornos de las figuras... algo que no habría ocurrido si el propio García López hubiera tenido tiempo para entintarse a sí mismo.

[cauldronofevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now here’s a movie they could’ve made that might not suck.

”Report One” starts with Superman flying over the Island of Midway in 1942 in the middle of a war.

”He’ll show those Japs a thing or three! ”

While taking bullets from Japanese fighter planes his x-ray vision notices that the planes are being flown by ‘calculating machines’ (because computers were unknown in 1942).

After trashing the airplanes his super-hearing picks up a Japanese submarine. Superman flies through the hull in the submarine. The sub surfaces and Superman hands over his prisoners.

Superman flies the commander of the submarine to Admiral Nimitz who is with Lois Lane, who is complaining about Clark Kent disappearing on her.

Superman tells the admiral that the commander has confessed that the planes and his sub were a distraction. Spies are on their way to something called the Manhattan Project.

Superman is summoned to Washington.

”Report Two” has Wonder Woman flying over the White House lawn when five men in Nazi shirts attack a car with two men. She drops down to help.

”Sometimes I wonder if they all have a masculine death wish!”

In the fight she finds that all the Nazi’s are wearing explosives. She throws the car at them to explode them all.

After that she sees a sedan watching them drive away through the front gates. The FBI agent she’s rescued asks her to help fill out a report on the incident. Wonder Woman leaves to follow the sedan.

Wonder Woman telepathically guides to Robot Plant to follow the car to Washington Airport. On the way she stops and calls Steve Trevor to say that Yeoman Prince wont be able to make a budget meeting.

Later in her navy clothes Diana is at Grand Central Station in New York where she has followed the men. She sees them in a fight with an old man and changes to Wonder Woman and jumps in. She rescues Albert Einstein.

Later Steve Trevor tells Diana that the FBI has no record of the attempted kidnapping. She decides to investigate.

”For a woman with super powers, rifling a top secret file is as challenging as unscrewing the lid from a jelly jar…”

Batman has Alfred unscrew the jelly jars!

She finds the FBI agent’s file that refers to the Manhattan Project. She calls her friend in the Secretary’s office, but when she mentions the Manhattan Project her friend froze up. She decides she must learn what’s up!

”The Baron and the Samurai!” starts with Baron Blitzkrieg meeting a Japanese submarine off the coast of Mexico.

Then we get one page of the Baron’s origin story. Baron then heads to the shore to meet Sumo, the Samurai. Who is not fat. They head to the mansion to interrogate a prisoner. But the prisoner is trying to escape. The Baron stops him.

Sumo interrogates the prisoner with hypnosis. He learns the location of the Manhattan Project!

”Report Four” starts in the lowest level of the war department building, where every element of top secret information is collected and analyzed. Diana Prince has her security pass from when Steve brought her here in May. She sneaks around, turns out the lights and cracks the combination lock on the files for the Manhattan Project. She karate chops a soldier on her way out. She’s has a bad feeling about this project.

”Much as I love America, it is a country ruled by men…”

Climbing down an elevator shaft she finally gets away and reads the files. She is shocked. What should she do?

She flies (in her invisible prop plane) to Paradise Island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle to ask her mother for advice. Wonder Woman explains that once Americans have the bomb, they may use it, unleashing demons more terrible than those freed by Pandora.

Superman drops to the roof of the Daily Planet to change clothes and we Clark Kent gets inside, Lois Lane chews him out ditching her. She was afraid he would try to scoop her.

I had to look up Horace Greeley!

”Report Five” starts with Wonder Woman attacking Chicago.

Superman pleads with her in the name of the Justice Society. Wonder Woman bats him with a lamp post.

Placing this story firmly on Earth-2, which I suspected because of the WW time, but wasn’t sure.

”Even if she is a woman— no one treats me that way —-”

They fight. She explains that she is here to destroy a nuclear reactor so that atomic bombs won’t be built. She believes in American morality and desperately wants to believe they wouldn’t use such a bomb, but she’s going to remove the temptation.

When was the last time anyone believed in American morality?

Of course, Superman trusts his country.

Dumbass.

After collapsing some abandoned buildings Superman proposes they take their fight somewhere else so no one gets hurt.

Not a talker, this guy.

Superman and Wonder Woman head to the moon to fight. They come across a ruined city on the moon. Wonder Woman thinks this discovery is important. Superman sucker punches her.

So Wonder Woman’s invisible robot prop-plane can fly to the moon?!

She punches back so Superman rips up a column from the ancient city to hit her with. Wonder Woman notices the column is glowing so she tries to tell him that the people in this city died from an atomic war, but he doesn’t listen.

Science Fact: All radiation glows.

Meanwhile Baron Blitzkrieg and Sumo the Samurai prepare to attack two different areas of the Manhattan Project. Both successfully grab models of the atomic bomb for their respective countries.

“Report Six“ has the military deciding to look for Superman to help after both of the Manhattan Project labs have been ransacked but no one can find him. Until an observatory tells them that he is on the moon, wrestling with Wonder Woman.

So they interrupt the fight be having every light along the coast of America blink S.O.S. In Morse code. Superman and Wonder Woman notice. They both agree to go try to find the two halves of the atomic bomb model.

”I know she’s flying in a plane…. but I’ll never understand why I can barely see it!”

Wonder Woman uses a Geiger counter to track half the model to Japan where airplanes attack her. She destroys them.

Superman - notably not the world’s greatest detective - follows his Geiger counter to go to New Orleans where he then questions a drunken homeless man if he’s seen anything unusual. Luckily, he has.

Wonder Woman lands in Japan and meets Sumo. She tells him no man can defeat an Amazon. He tells her his origin story. And that she will die. They fight.

It’s a heckuva fight too!

Meanwhile Superman attacks Germans having breakfast, easily beating them. Until Baron Blitzkrieg shows up. They fight.

Blitzkrieg actually has a pretty cool costume, except that it’s yellow, orange and pink! Superman’s fight is more of a punching festival.

Superman and Wonder Woman meet at a ‘pre-arranged’ island in the middle of the pacific with their foes and the atomic models. They argue over whether they should give the model to American forces when the model is suddenly activated by the forgotten mental powers of Blitzkrieg who has been playing possum.

But Sumo will not let Germany have this weapon so he attacks Blitzkrieg.

Superman uses X-Ray vision on the model. Wonder Woman tells him that her studies of nuclear technology on Paradise island teachers her that this will set off the bomb.

Superman and Wonder Woman escape the island as it goes up in a mushroom cloud. Leaving the Baron and Sumo to die.

The next morning Superman and Wonder Woman meet President Roosevelt who promises never to use the bomb to kill.

Well, despite some strangeness this was actually a pretty cool story with some very worth villains. The art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez was a stand out here and both heroes showed their personalities well. 4 stars

[Andy Wisely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book way back in 1982. But it was translated in Indonesian, in black and white, in standard comic size. I was in awe reading this beauty. Now I read this in its original English language, in color, and in treasury sized. It was awesome.

This earlier 'Elseworlds' DC comic puts Superman and Wonder Woman in the middle of World War II. Wonder Woman finds out that America is planning to build nuclear bombs. It doesn't sit well with her, so she goes nuts trying to prevent it from happening. That's where Superman comes in.

There's nothing bad that I can find about this book. As a big fan of Mr. Garcia Lopez, I find the art spectacular as always. Highest recommendation possible!

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 72-page comic novel with many double-page layouts by Garcia-Lopez and Dan Adkins, the tale is set in WW II in which our protagonists disagree over the use of the bomb by the United States, so Wonder Woman tries to prevent everyone from having it. President Roosevelt promises never to use the bomb against enemies near the end of the tale. I think this idea could have been explored a lot more. Along the way, Superman gets involved with the Battle of Midway as well. While this ends in a draw (as most do between heroes), comics history shows that in fact, Wonder Woman holds an advantage over Supes of 6 wins, 4 losses and 5 draws (as compiled in 2017 by Comic Book Resources).

[Domenico Auriemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storia che poteva essere strutturata molto meglio, alcune cose non hanno molto senso imo. Il formato gigante valorizza tantissimo i disegni di López che sono stupendi❤
4 stelle grazie ai disegni

[Ángel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Guion? ¿Alguien habló de guion? Pero, ¿a quién le puede importar el guion de esta maravilla gráfica, de este trabajo absolutamente impecable del grandísimo dibujante gallego José Luis García López? Y es que García López está increíble, tremendo, en cada una de las viñetas y, sobre todo, en las splash pages que ornan este cómic formato gigante. Y Dan Adkins, entintador de lujo, tampoco se queda atrás, dotando a los lápices de López de un delicado acabado. Bueno, y que conste que la historia también me ha gustado. Gerry Conway está bastante fino en este alegato antimilitarista en el que Wonder Woman es la voz de la razón y actúa como portavoz de todo ser humano con dos dedos de frente, mientras que Superman, en principio inquebrantablemente leal a América, acaba convencido de que la amazona no está equivocada. La analogía final entre armas atómicas y la caja de Pandora resulta especialmente inspirada, y uno no puede evitar pensar que, lamentablemente, con toda probabilidad, la nefasta profecía de la princesa acabará cumpliéndose. Un cómic excelente.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first got ths back around when it came out. I never actually read it until now. As Michael reviewed, this is a bad story by Conway carrying his political views on his shoulder. As usually happens in such a case, plot is secondary to emotional views and the entirely fails.

What really makes this story stupid is portraying Wonder Woman as a hippy activist against nuclear weapons. Wonder Woman was created as an amazon warrior. The creation is the definition of what the atomic bomb can do. Conway actually muddles his story as he has both Wonder Woman and Superman drawn as destruct bombs destroying various locations. Conway undermines his message.

The bad guys are poorly thought out characters that seem a Conway afterthought to work his message in.

The Lopez illustrations are outstanding, though Adkins' inks dull the art a bit.

Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 3 out of ten points.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superman and Wonder Woman clash over the Manhattan Project, a secret US operation to construct the first atomic bomb. Fending off villains like Baron Blitzkrieg and Sumo the Samurai, the two superheros find themselves at odds with one another over the use of atomic weapons as the Second World War rages on. It's a bit of a preachy tale that isn't all that interesting on its own, but the artwork of José Luis García-López alone is what makes this worth checking out. García-López utilizes the giant treasury sized pages to full effect, making this an absolute delight to flip through. Full splash pages are when this comic really shines and García-López was not shy with it since there are plenty.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

That time in the 70s and 80s where all we cared about was, 'can my favorite superhero beat YOUR superhero?'...

This time around it's Superman and Wonder Woman right in the middle of World War II. They haven't known of each other for long and this is the first time they come to blows over, of all things, the A-bomb. Wonder Woman is worried that whoever uses it first will make it worse for everyone...and then....SUPERHERO fighting. TaDa!

(as always, heroes never hurt other heroes and it's ALL a big misunderstanding)
----------------
Bonus: Baron Blitzkrieg has, arguably, the most gaudy super villain outfit...

[Elducho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Wonder Woman portrait and nice view of the Manhattan project. The bad? Sexist, as most comics of that time :\

And Superman was a Je*k, as he used to be until the 90's.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still own the original tabloid size comic edition of this (as well as Roy Thomas's 90s Young All-Stars retcon of how the story played out in a continuity in which there was no Superman or Wonder Woman during World War II), but it had been over a decade since I'd last read it, and I'm a sucker for nice hardcover re-issues.

The brighter colors and more pristine paper makes the action pop, and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's pencils are always a joy.

The story holds up well enough. The requirement that Supes and Wonder Woman had to fight first always felt a bit forced to me and still does ... but it gives us that great set piece on the Moon that introduced a "lost city" I'm not sure anyone ever followed up on. Baron Blitzkreig has been one of my favorite villains since his first appearance (this was his second), and Sumo the Samurai intrigued me. I forgot just how little Lois Lane and Steve Trevor are given to do, though.

The small continuity mistakes also stood out to me: the Earth-2 Clark and Lois would have been working at the Daily Star (not the Daily Planet) under editor George Taylor (not Perry White). Not a huge deal, but still.

Regardless, this was a fun trip down nostalgia lane. Still love the story and the art as much as I did when I read the original comic.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this as a young boy when it originally came out in the late 1970s.
I had fond memories of it, and was a little nervous to read it again, as I was afraid the actual story wouldn't hold up to my memory of it.
But enjoy it again I did. The art and Story hold up very well, and the fight scenes between the two, though brief are well done.
Basically, Supetman and Wonder Woman have drastically different opinions on the idea of the United States having an atomic bomb.
The story works, as does the resolution.
Great fun!

[Jutapatr Q]

Great Book although the I can of like superman better than Wonder Woman