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The first story features the three of the most famous classic Golden Age Wonder Woman villains.
Wonder Woman – Volume 1 – 168
General Info
Issue No:
168
On Sale Date:
December 1966
Cover Date:
February-March 1967
Era:
Silver Age
Story Title:
Three Hands on the Magic Lasso! Never in a Million Years!
Creative Team
Cover Artist:
Ross Andru, Mike Esposito
Writer:
Robert Kanigher
Penciller:
Ross Andru
Inker:
Mike Esposito
Letterer:
N/A
Colourist:
N/A
Editor:
Robert Kanigher
Characters
Main:
Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), Steve Trevor
Heroes:
N/A
Villains:
The Collector, Giganta, Paula von Gunta, Doctor Psycho
Olympians:
N/A
Amazons:
Hippolyta, Seena
Other:
N/A
Synopsis - First Story
At Holliday College, Wonder Woman is giving a Benefit Performance with her magic lasso for the Scholarship Fund, while Steve Trevor performs the role of M.C. The Amazing Amazon wows the crowd as she twirls the golden rope beneath her to levitate herself above the stage. To close the act Wonder Woman hurls the lasso out into the audience and grabs for Holliday girls, demonstrating that the rope can stretch to corral as many people as she wishes. She then uses its unique power to compel the girls to do as she commands.
After the fantastic performance, one of the members of the audience approaches Wonder Woman with an offer. He introduces himself as a multi-millionaire known as The Collector and offers $50,000 for the lasso. The Amazon Princess replies that the golden rope is not hers to give away and she has sworn to let no one else have it because it could be used to harm others.
As the Collector leaves he plots to relieve the golden rope from Wonder Woman with the assistance of three villains he has hired. Shortly later at his Estate he tells the gathering of Paula Von Gunta, Giganta and Dr. Psycho that he has hired them for the simple reason that they all hate the Amazon. He is giving them the chance of revenge against her and make a profit out of it at the same time. He will give $100,000 to the villain who is successful in stealing the lasso. He adds that he does not care which one of them it is as long as he gets his hands on that golden rope.
Soon, Giganta finds Diana Prince’s address in the phone book intent on forcing the Amazon’s friend to reveal her whereabouts. A few minutes later she arrives at Diana’s apartment and Giganta demands to know where the Amazon is. Diana tells the villainess that she is up on the roof sunning herself.
As Giganta makes her way up the stairwell, Diana rushes back inside and transforms into her Wonder Woman costume. She leaps up onto the roof ahead of the huge girl and pretends to be lying asleep on a sun lounger. Seeing her opportunity, Giganta reaches for the lasso hanging from the Amazon’s belt and Wonder Woman’s eyes open instantly once she realises what her foe is after. The powerful girl clouts the Amazon sending her sprawling before lifting her up and spinning her one handed faster and faster. But the ingenious Wonder Woman wrenches herself free and turning herself into a human propeller she smashes Giganta to the ground.
She then removes her lasso and ensnares the gigantic girl as she lies on the floor, stunned. Wonder Woman orders the girl to report to the police and she is forced to obey. As Giganta is lead away by the police under the watchful eye of the Amazon Princess, Dr. Psycho observes the events from an alleyway. He thinks to himself that Giganta had failed because she relied only on brute force. He will succeed because he will trick Wonder Woman by appealing to her womanly virtue.
Shortly he approaches Wonder Woman and tells her he is hopelessly in love with her and he will not blame her for laughing at him just as the rest of the world does. She replies that she is not laughing and that she thinks what he said is very sweet. She asks him about his normal villainous behaviour and he says that it is only because he feels his case is hopeless. He would reform in a minute if he thought he had a chance with her. The Amazon’s womanly feelings are stirred and she thinks to herself that she cannot let this chance of helping Psycho to reform slip by.
And so a strange courtship begins as Wonder Woman and Dr. Psycho see each other. Walking through the park he asks whether he can hold her hand. She willingly offers it and her touch makes him almost forget about the lasso. For her part, Wonder Woman looks at his contented expression and smiles. He really is reforming just because she is being friendly with him!
He then suggests they go to a Dance Hall so he can show his friends he has not been lying about his relationship with her. She agrees and they dance away happily on the dance floor. Wonder Woman is so happy that just her good will is turning the villain away from a life of crime. Meanwhile, members of Psycho’s gang seated at a table watch the dancing Amazon…
At that moment Steve Trevor appears and says that he has heard about her and Dr. Psycho but needed to see it with his own eyes. She tells him he is seeing what a little bit of friendship can do. Dr. Psycho is reforming. But on hearing this, the villain suddenly rages that she has been tricking him all along and that she was taking advantage of his weakness. He lunges for the lasso hanging at her hip but Steve casually pushes him to the floor. Wonder Woman cannot believe Psycho had been after the lasso all along and prepares for action as Psycho orders his henchmen to stop her.
Steve moves to protect the Amazon and clouts two of them as they advance but is soon overwhelmed by the others. Wonder Woman wades in and bats the men across the room in all directions. Dazed, they produce guns and open fire on her. She deflects their bullets sending them back at the gang knocking the weapons from their hands. Finally, she unhooks her lasso and ensnares Dr. Psycho forcing him and the gang to surrender to the police.
A short while later Wonder Woman and Steve watch as the villains are loaded into the prison van. She tells Steve she really had hoped Dr. Psycho had reformed and looks sadly down at her lasso. She hopes this is the last attempt against it.
Not long afterwards as Wonder Woman strolls through the park she comes across a Nanny holding a baby. The nanny asks her to hold the baby for a minute while she fetches its bottle of milk. The Amazon obliges and smiles as the baby reaches down, apparently intrigued by the glowing rope at her side. Suddenly, it whips the lasso from her belt and throws it into the waiting arms of the Nanny who reveals herself to be none other than Paula Von Gunta! Quickly, the villainess loops the rope around the surprised Amazon and tells her that she and her midget friend who had been posing as a baby have the lasso at last! Paula then orders Wonder Woman to carry her and the midget to the home of the Collector.
Soon, the still bound Wonder Woman is standing before the multi-millionaire along with Paula and her gang. The villainess demands her fee be increased from $100,000 to $500,000 and the Collector agrees, eager to get his hands on the golden rope. But as Paula steps forward Wonder Woman picks up a hand mirror lying on a nearby table and uses it to reflect sunlight directly into her opponent’s eyes! Momentarily blinded, Paula drops the lasso freeing Wonder Woman from its compulsion. As the gang open fire she deflects the barrage of bullets with her bracelets and wastes no time tying Paula, her gang and the Collector to a chair to await the arrival of the police.
Synopsis - Second Story
Colonel Steve Trevor sits in Captain Diana Prince’s office yet again recounting how he was rescued by Wonder Woman when he had crashed off the shores of Paradise Island. She had nursed him back to health and after winning a competition to decide who was going to go back to America with him, had become the love of his life. As he walks out of the office he adds that no sweethearts have ever met like that – not in a million years!
No sooner has he left then Diana receives a message from her mother via her Amazon communicator unit. Hippolyta orders her to fly to Paradise Island at once as there is an emergency. Instantly, Diana whirls into Wonder Woman and leaps aboard her waiting plane. At flashing speed she arrives at her homeland a few moments later where her mother is waiting outside the palace to greet her.
The Amazon Queen exclaims that she had not thought it possible in a million years but Seena, one of the other Amazons, had discovered another pilot from a wrecked plane floating in the sea. She is nursing him back to health on the same little island that Diana had used for Steve. The Princess immediately races to the islet and is greeted by a stern faced Seena, who tells her she hopes Diana has not been sent by the queen to try and dissuade her from going back to Man’s World with the man she loves – just as the Princess had done before. Wonder Woman replies that she had won the right in a competition for otherwise it would have been forbidden by Aphrodite herself for any Amazon to leave the island.
Jealously, the smitten Seena guards her patient and pushes Wonder Woman back. As Seena removes the bandages from the pilot’s eyes fate steps in and as soon as he sees Diana’s beautiful face he says an “angel’s standing over there”. Enraged, Seena punches Wonder Woman, accusing her of working some black magic on the pilot. The Amazon Princess decides to leave the envious Amazon to her patient and inform Hippolyta that Seena is no longer responsible for her actions. Jealousy has blinded her!
Shortly later at the palace, Diana tells her mother that Seena is head over heels in love with the pilot she had rescued. Hippolyta replies that they must save Seena despite herself. If she leaves the island with him she will immediately grow old and die! Suddenly, they hear the royal gong being struck and see that Seena has summoned the other Amazons. She states that Diana has wronged her and demands the right to meet her in single combat as is her right under Amazon law.
Soon Wonder Woman and Seena face each other astride Kangas in the centre of the Arena. Diana tells her opponent that the last thing she wants is to fight her fellow sister. Seena seethes that all the pilot ever talks about is how Diana has bewitched him. She is going to ensure the Amazon Princess pays for that!
Imbued by jealous rage, Seena seeks to batter Wonder Woman down from her mount as their swords clash. The fight continues with Wonder Woman now on foot ducking the wild swings of Seena’s weapon. With incredible speed the Amazon Princess seizes her opponent’s sword and drags her off her own mount. With both combatants now on their feet they follow the code and knot a scarf around their wrists to ensure they duel at close quarters. Face to face, the two women whirl their swords at each other and Diana asks if Seena has had enough yet. With an adroit blow, Wonder Woman then disarms her opponent and advises that as per Aphrodite’s Law, this part of the duel is over. Only one challenge remains – Bullets and Bracelets!
The audience is hushed as the deadly game begins. With incredible aim, Wonder Woman fires first at Seena, who uses her bracelets to protect herself before returning fire. Wonder Woman duly defends herself with her own bracelets intending to keep it up until Seena runs out of bullets. But one of the bullets ricochets wildly and clips Seena’s helmet, knocking her down.
Hippolyta announces that by Aphrodite’s Law the contest is over and the combatants can now embrace as a sign of their good faith. But Seena turns her back on Diana and walks away. She spits that the Amazon Princess has caused her the greatest loss of her life. The pilot would have fallen in love with her if Diana had not been standing there when she had removed his bandages!
That evening Wonder Woman tries to soothe Seena, explaining that it is for the jealous Amazon’s best that Diana will take the pilot back to Man’s World tonight. For a moment, Seena seems to agree but suddenly makes a move for Wonder Woman’s lasso and ensnares the startled Princess. She orders Wonder Woman to take both her and the pilot back to Man’s World. Compelled to obey, the Amazon Princess summons her plane and they climb onboard.
Diana pleads with Seen to reconsider as she must know what will happen but the jealous Amazon is determined. As the robot plane lifts off from Paradise Island the pilot and Wonder Woman watch in horror as Seena quickly ages, becoming a withered old hag. Desperately, Wonder Woman reverses direction and prays to Aphrodite to take pity on the poor girl.
As she touches back down on the Amazon Homeland Seena is restored back to her youthful self and tearfully waves good bye as Wonder Woman lifts off again with the pilot. She tells the Amazon Princess that she has learned her lesson that there is a difference between real love and love tainted by jealousy. She thanks Diana for bringing her back home to safety and tells the pilot she will never forget him.
