Who WAS Nubia? "War of the Wonder Women" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Heroines...

Note: Nubia does not wear the outfit shown on this kool Nick Cardy-illustrated cover in the actual story!

...the secret origin of Nubia (aka Wonder Woman of the Floating Island) is revealed...she's Princess Diana's sister, created from clay at the same time as Diana!

Now, the long-term plan of Mars, God of War against the Amazons, utilizing Nubia as his pawn, has been implemented, so...

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

You'd think after making Nubia the lynchpin of Wonder Woman's return to being a super-powered heroine (with a lot of attendant publicity) she would've become an integral part of the DC Universe, right!

Instead...well, just be here next week for the conclusion of the Bronze Age Saga of Nubia!

Here's what you'll see...

(Yes, that's REAL!)

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Nubia:

Real One

Graphic novel featuring one of the current versions of the character

(There are several)

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Who WAS Nubia? "War of the Wonder Women" Part 1

We met Nubia HERE and learned a little about her HERE...

...but now, previously-unrevealed secrets come to light!

It all begins after Wonder Woman breaks up a protest involving women vs. men...

(Hey, it was the early '70s, the heyday of Women's Lib!)

Note: for a brief time, Diana Prince worked as a translator at the UN, rooming with two other translators...whose names were never revealed to readers!

Here's where a major retcon (alteration of past history) occurs...

So what did the God of War want with Hippolyte's other daughter?

Like most villains, he loves to review his plans...

(although you really have to ask "why didn't he wait until Nubia had also been given all the "Gifts of the Gods?")

Now...

LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR!

Well, dear reader, you already know, but Princess Diana will have to wait until

NEXT WEDNESDAY

to find out!

But we can tell you this...

DC had major plans for Nubia!

When this book...

...Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes, was published in 1976, this story was included!

The book ran both the first-published "origin" story of each character, but also a later (usually expanded) version!
For Wonder Woman, they included her origin from DC's Wonder Woman #1 (1942) and this story from DC's Wonder Woman #206 (1973)!
Considering they had just retold Diana's "classic" origin two issues earlier in #204, why not run that instead of this story, which really features Nubia's origin, if they didn't intend to "play up" the character?
We'll explore this further next week!

One hint...ACTION FIGURES!

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80 Years of the Amazon Warrior

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Who WAS Nubia? "Mystery of Nubia!"

We Have Already Seen...

...when Amazon Princess Diana returned to Paradise Island after a long period operating in "Man's World" without her powers and abilities, she encountered a contender for the title of "Wonder Woman", Nubia!

Their competition to decide who deserved the name ended in a draw and the powerful woman warriors respectfully-agreed to a rematch in the near future.

Note: In pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, under Aphrodite's Law, men could never be allowed to step foot on Paradise Island!

Nubia's aides are standing on a pier/dock, not on the island itself!

Written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Don Heck and inked by Dick Giordano, this backup story from DC's Wonder Woman #205 (1973), is a teaser to the book-length story in the next issue which  explains a things like the reference to the "Mars' Law of Conquest" and exactly what the "Floating Island" is...and why it had never been previously-mentioned!

You'll see that tale...

NEXT WEDNESDAY!

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Through the Years

(The only place this Nubia story has ever been reprinted!)
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Who WAS Nubia? "Second Life of Wonder Woman"

In 1973, Wonder Woman reverted from her recent non super-powered martial artist persona...

...to her previous costumed superheroine incarnation.

Despite losing her memory due to trauma, she instinctively manages to return to Paradise Island...

...where Amazon science restored her memories, albeit with a few edits!

But when Diana is presented to the assembled Amazons who cheer her return...

"...if it's possible Nubia is really--?"

In DC's Wonder Woman #204 (1973), writer Robert Kanigher, penciler Don Heck, and inker Dick Giordano reversed the decision made as of Wonder Woman #178 (1968)...

...by editor/writer/penciler Mike Sekowsky to "update" the character by turning her into a non-powered, socially-relevant, activist fighting for justice for the oppressed!

A number of other DC characters went this route in the late 1960s-early 1970s including the Teen Titans, Metal Men, and Green Lantern (joined by Green Arrow).

All of them (except for Wonder Woman), were cancelled as a result of poor sales!
When WW changed direction, a new element was retconned into the series...the never-before seen Nubia, with a mysterious backstory!

The Tale of Nubia Continues...

Next Wednesday

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Diana Prince: Wonder Woman

Volume 4

(which includes the complete tale we've excerpted)

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Heroine Holidays PUSSYCAT "'Twas the Night Before Xmas..."

We presented this heroine's politically-incorrect premiere adventure HERE...

...but this tale never appeared in any Marvel publication!

(We'll explain later!)

Marvel Comics' first publisher, Martin Goodman, also owned several other magazines including For Men Only, Male and Stag (predecessors to present day "laddie magazines" like Maxim, and Smooth).

One of the ongoing features appearing in them was Pussycat's strip, a non-nude clone of Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder's Playboy strip Little Annie Fanny with a secret agent theme (It was the 1960s, when James Bond, Man from UNCLE, et al, were phenomenally-popular).

In 1968, at the same time Curtis and Marvel tried a b/w Spectacular Spider-Man magazine, they issued a Pussycat one-shot featuring a number of the lady's already-published adventures!
Though the spy fad faded, the Pussycat strip kept going, with her now a ditzy working girl in PG-13 adventures such as this one from Curtis' FunHouse V2N11 (1980), written by Larry Lieber and illustrated by penciler Bill Ward and inker Jim Mooney.
(It had appeared several times before in the Curtis mens' magazine line, but this was the copy I managed to find.)