So, you want to read some Wonder Woman comics? Whether you’re completely new to comic books, a Marvel fan, or just haven’t given the Princess of Themyscira a chance yet, there’s a Wonder Woman comic out there for you. In fact, there’s a Wonder Woman comic for everyone! Still, with over 80 years of stories, reboots, and alternate timelines, getting started can feel overwhelming.
So, where should you start? There’s no single right or wrong answer. The old, good, and proven method used by long-time fans was to simply pick a comic, just like that! But we’re here to offer a little bit more, as there are several ways to discover the world of Diana and the Amazons, depending on your tastes. Whether you’re a fan of comic book history, prefer modern stories, or want to discover her modern adventures, there’s a perfect first story for you.
To celebrate Wonder Woman Day, here’s a curated beginner’s guide with several routes to help find the perfect place to start reading about the Amazing Amazon.
Previously on where to start with:
1. The Vintage Route: Introducing Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman was created by psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston, who was inspired by his wife, Elizabeth Marston, and their partner, Olive Byrne. The character was brought to life by artist Harry G. Peter and made her first appearance in All-Star Comics #8 on 21 October 1941. From here, you’ve got two options:
- Go All In! DC Comics has released DC Finest: Wonder Woman – Introducing Wonder Woman, reprinting the first Wonder Woman comics ever! You can also explore his Golden Age adventures through the Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus series for the full vintage experience. While Wonder Woman’s Golden Age stories are the ones that hold up the best at DC Comics, it’s still recommended mostly for history aficionados.
- Take a historical tour through the eras. If you don’t feel like going full on the vintage comics, but would like a broader look at Wonder Woman’s evolution, you can find anthologies like Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years or Wonder Woman Through the Years that will give you an overview of the many colorful eras of Warrior Princess.
2. The Modern Era Route: The Olympian Goddess
You may have heard: DC Comics’ Modern Era began after a famous Crisis that rebooted its universe. Many characters were reimagined, including Wonder Woman. It’s in this era that the Diana we mostly know today took shape, thanks to two major runs that also serve as perfect starting points for new readers:
- Wonder Woman by George Pérez (1987-1992) – Pérez joined the Wonder Woman franchise to help them reshape the Warrior Princess for a new era. What started as a six-month assignment turned into a five-year run that completely redefined the Amazing Amazon for generations to come! He redefined Cheetah, rebooted Donna Troy, reintroduced Nubia, and tied Diana more closely to the Greek gods, making them integral to her stories, as friends, allies, or enemies. If you want to read only one story, you can read the first arc, Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals, created with Greg Potter and Len Wein.
George Pérez’s run is the most important for the character and a great starting point, although still a product of the eighties. So for those who would like another (and more recent) modern introduction…
- Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka (2003-2006) – The most celebrated run on Wonder Woman after Pérez. Rucka started on the character with the celebrated stand-alone graphic novel The Hiketeia before becoming the main writer for Diana, placing her as both diplomat and philosopher, the writer of The Book of Truth, sparking debates about religion, politics, and power. Also! Rucka came back on Wonder Woman in the Rebirth era for a second popular run.
Less impactful but still considered worthy of attention by Wonder Woman fans are the two following runs, also part of the modern era and quite accessible for new readers, delivering more action-packed stories for the occasion:
- Wonder Woman by Phil Jimenez (2001-2003) – Jimenez’s run is often considered a tribute to George Pérez. The writer and artist worked hard to respect Diana and her past history, while delivering some new ideas and good action-packed stories.
- Wonder Woman by Gail Simone (2007-2010) – Gail Simone’s run is celebrated for her great character-driven stories and fun adventures, making it really accessible for new readers. Her run is also known for bringing back the fun in Etta Candy. And it’s easily available, as DC Comics just started to release it in their DC Finest Collection.
3. The Team-Up Route: Wonder Woman and the Justice League (Dark)
Wonder Woman is one of the World’s Finest Trinity, with Batman and Superman. She has been working with other DC Superheroes for many years, as a member of the Justice League, some occasional team-ups and during many big events. Reading stories featuring Diana alongside other heroes (or anti-heroes) is also a good way to discover other sides of her personality and have a better grasp of her place in the DC Universe.
- JLA: A League of One – Don’t let the JLA part of the title fool you: this is a Wonder Woman story. Technically out of continuity, the story by Christopher Moeller is often recommended for new readers as it is stand-alone and accessible, perfectly highlighting Diana’s essence and showing how she relates to her teammates. When she discovers a prophecy that the Justice League will die fighting a dragon, she decides to face the threat alone.
- Justice League Dark: Rebirth (2016-2017) – While one of the most important members of the Justice League, one of her most noticeable roles in recent years was actually not among the traditional Justice League. In the Rebirth era, Diana became the leader of James Tynion’s Justice League Dark, working alongside Zatanna, Constantine, Swamp Thing and others, showing her more mystical side.
4. The Current Era Route: Wonder Woman is Absolute!
Sometimes, the best way to discover a character is to jump straight into the action and follow their current adventures. Following the events of Absolute Power, a new era has begun at DC with DC All In Special #1, introducing both the new status quo in the main continuity and the Absolute Universe. You can discover two versions of Diana right now:
- Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Outlaw kicks off Tom King’s run on Wonder Woman in the main DC Universe that started in the previous era. Wonder Woman #14 is the first issue fully set in the DC All In era.
- Absolute Wonder Woman is a reimagining by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman, set in the new Absolute Universe. This version of Diana didn’t grow up on Themyscira, but was raised in Hell by Circe, becoming Wonder Woman, Diana, Princess of the Underworld.
5. The Stand-Alone Route: Iconic Out-of-Continuity Stories
As we saw with League of One and Absolute Wonder Woman, not all worthy Wonder Woman stories are part of DC’s main continuity. Throughout the years, many iconic Wonder Woman tales were released, celebrating the Amazing Amazon in all her glory in different contexts — exploring her legacy, her values, and the impact she has on the world through alternate realities, standalone adventures, and timeless reinterpretations. These stories require no background knowledge and offer complete experiences that showcase the world, origins and core of Wonder Woman:
- Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons – Part of Black Label. This is an exploration of the mythology and history of the Amazons and their gods, from their inception to the creation of Earth’s greatest guardian.
- Wonder Woman: Earth One – Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette revisit Diana’s origins in this divisive comic, which takes a look at the Golden Age subtext through a modern lens.
- Legends of Wonder Woman: Origins – From Renae De Liz is another modern retelling of Wonder Woman’s Golden Age origin.
- Wonder Woman: Dead Earth – Part of Black Label. Follows Princess Diana of Themyscira as she awakens from a centuries-long sleep to discover the Earth reduced to a nuclear wasteland. Now she must protect the last human city from titanic monsters while uncovering the secret of this dead Earth-and how she may be responsible for it.
- Wonder Woman: Black and Gold – An anthology series celebrating Wonder Woman’s 80th anniversary with stories by Mariko Tamaki, Tillie Walden, Jamie McKelvie, Marguerite Sauvage, and more.