As we are introduced to the other main characters that appear in the TV show it is noticeable that their likenesses are very similar to the actual actors who play them. Note that although Wonder Woman has her now famous white stripes depicted on the cover art, she still sported red stripes within the interior artwork itself.
Enjoy another exclusive re-imagined cover from the late great Al Rio in the gallery section.
The story continues with Wonder Woman out cold on the floor, while the Red Panzer ties her up with her own magic lasso. He looks down on his captive with satisfaction and considers using the lasso to compel her into service for the Fatherland. But he wonders if the Führer would really accept the service of so powerful a woman, especially a former enemy of the master race? He decides that his own glory would be served better if he killed the so called Wonder Woman!
With that, he lifts his boot over her neck, preparing to crush the breath from her. Suddenly, she springs into life and plants a double footed kick into his stomach! Although winded by the blow to her back, she has been playing possum for the last couple of minutes. She follows her initial blow with a double fisted punch sending the Panzer flying. As she quickly uncoils herself from the lasso which he still holds, he removes his uniform to reveal a control panel fitted into his metal armour. With the flick of a switch he activates an anti gravity power unit built into the suit, allowing him to fly out of the lab, and taking her lasso with him.
She in turn leaps into the docked time ship and takes off after the Panzer. Having caught up with him, she climbs onto the fuselage and leaps at her opponent, who opens fire on her using his gauntlet. He tells her that her aggression and ferocity excite him, as she attempts to grab the lasso from him. But he throws her back against the cruising time ship and then begins to unscrew one of his hands. To her amazement, he reveals that one arm is actually a howitzer which he proceeds to aim at her. As he fires it, he mocks whether she can manage to “play bullets and bracelets with a 75mm shell?”!
She does not know for sure whether she will be able to stop the shell but being the Wonder Woman that she is, she tries. With her arms held up in front of her, she takes the full explosion of the shell on her bracelets….and survives! However, her victory is short lived as she realises that the shell has caught between her bracelets, fusing them together.
As per Aphrodite’s law, when an Amazon’s bracelets are bound together by the actions of a man, she loses her powers. And so Wonder Woman instantly feels weak as a kitten as she desperately tries to pull her bracelets apart!
Unfortunately, the sudden rush of power sapped from once strong limbs proves too much, even for the Amazing Amazon and a wave of nausea washes over her. As her vision blurs she finally falls from the time ship and plummets earthwards!
Hurtling at speed, she crashes down through the canvas canopy of a hotel entranceway before hitting the floor. The Red Panzer watches her fall and although he discovers he has dropped the lasso in the scuffle, smiles to himself that although he may have lost the lasso, Wonder Woman has lost something greater…her life! He boards his time ship and speeds off back to his lab. Free to concentrate on the task ahead, he prepares for his mission at Camp Halsey later that night, followed in the morning by his second attempt to alter the future outcome of the war…
Meanwhile, a small crowd gathers around the unconscious Wonder Woman lying on a Washington street. As they debate whether they should call an ambulance or not, a figure dressed in a US military uniform pushes his way through the crowd. The onlookers recognise him as being the war hero, Major Steve Trevor and also Wonder Woman’s boyfriend! He had been on his way to General Blankenship’s office when he had seen the Amazon Princess plunge from the sky.
As she begins to stir, he comforts her with the words “Easy Angel…I’m here” and helps her to her feet. He asks her if she is hurt and she replies that she’s fine, except that she still feels incredibly weak. She picks up her lasso lying nearby and over the next few minutes, she recounts the previous events. He tells her that he has some tools in the glove compartment of his car that may help in prising the bracelets apart.
At the same time in the War Department Headquarters, General Blankenship is asking his secretary, Etta Candy, where Steve has got to as he already fifteen minutes late for their meeting. She replies that he is probably trying to win the war single handedly and the General responds that Trevor has not been the same since the arrival of “that Wonder Woman”. The Amazon has saved Trevor’s life so many times that it may not be good for the war hero’s ego!
Back at Steve’s car, his tools have done the trick and he has managed to prise the bracelets apart. Wonder Woman leaps out of the car and asks how she can possibly thank him. He replies that there is one way and puckers his lips, but she smiles and says that she does not have time for that! Quickly, she orders her robot plane to land and jumping on board, prepares to catch up on all her overdue appointments. But she soon receives a message from her mother to return to Paradise Island, which she does.
Soon she has touched down on her homeland and is greeted by Hippolyta. The queen tells her daughter that she has been watching her battle with the Red Panzer on the Magic Sphere and has become greatly disturbed. Diana has learned from her contact with the Nazi that America is destined to win the war it now fights. Hippolyta then tells Diana that this is why she was defeated, because she has lost her sense of purpose and urgency as far as her mission to man’s world is concerned. She knows that the Panzer will eventually lose and is therefore not trying as hard in fighting him.
With that, her mother takes her lasso and wrapping her daughter in its coils, commands her to forget her knowledge of the future…
Some time later, Diana (in her Yeoman Prince guise) arrives for work at the War Office. She is greeted by a sobbing Etta who tells her that she has done something awful. She had been typing up some top secret memos when Steve had eventually arrived for his meeting with General Blankenship. However, by then the General had gone home and when Steve asked Etta what the old man had wanted, she let it slip that in fact it had been a ruse to prevent Steve getting wind of a sabotage attempt taking place later that night at Camp Halsey! Steve had then rushed off to join the action. Diana tells Etta not to worry and diving into her office, she spins round and transforms into Wonder Woman…
Meanwhile, a few hours earlier, Helmut (the Red Panzer) had been reading a Washington newspaper headline about how Wonder Woman had survived her skydive the day before. He curses the fact that he has not been able to kill her yet and turns to his Nazi colleagues who are waiting to be briefed on their forthcoming mission. He tells them that he knows a way to defeat her for sure and shows them a small device called a Brainwave Neutraliser. He tells them that this will knock out every soldier in Camp Halsey. No doubt the soldiers will wake up feeling like they need a San Diego DUI lawyer after a big night on the town!
Suddenly, a skylight smashes above them and Steve Trevor jumps down onto the surprised Nazis, having heard enough of their conversation to know that they are the saboteurs. He begins to lay into them but finds himself outnumbered and is soon knocked out by a clout to the head…
And so, back to the present, and Wonder Woman arrives at the Panzer’s HQ which is close to Camp Halsey. She can hear his voice through the broken skylight and leaps through, but it appears the Panzer has been expecting her. He greets her cordially and points to Major Trevor who is chained to a nearby chair.
Immediately, she races over and begins to snap the chains holding her beloved Steve. However, she soon finds out to her surprise that she has walked into a trap, as the holographic image of Steve disappears and the chains suddenly become electro magnetic and loop around her metal bracelets. Once more, Wonder Woman finds herself bound by the Red Panzer!
A few moments later, Panzer and his Nazi cronies escort the helpless Amazon to Camp Halsey where some more of Panzer’s men have already neutralised the entire base. Having set the explosives as instructed, they lead the Amazon Princess into a hangar like building.
The Red Panzer enters a control room which looks down onto the floor of the hangar and informs her that here at Camp Halsey the army tests various missile guidance systems. She is currently standing in a maze designed for that very purpose! With that, he launches a missile which begins to streak through the maze, homing in on its target – Wonder Woman!
As the Amazon begins to run for her life, he gloats over the tannoy how he has given her a “sporting chance” and that if she can escape the maze before the missile catches her, she will live. The Amazon Princess desperately ducks down this corridor and that but she eventually finds herself at a dead end. She turns to see that it is too late to back track as the deadly missile rockets towards her. With her bracelets still bound, she knows she cannot hope to survive a direct hit. But just then, she realises that she has one chance, although it will be very close. Suppressing the panic rising within her, she waits to the last possible moment before kneeling down and holding her hands above her head. The missile strikes her bracelets and detonates!
When the smoke eventually clears the Amazing Amazon is overjoyed to find that she has survived although covered in a few bruises and scratches. What is more, she has managed to get her bracelets unstuck using the force of the blast. However, a second missile automatically launches through the maze and she realises that they will keep coming until she has been destroyed. As it approaches, she reasons that as it is a guided missile, it must be homing in on something specific. Taking a chance, she removes one of her bracelets and throws it off to one side. As she had hoped, the missile follows after it.
Having confirmed her hypothesis, she knows the only way she is going to get out alive is to remove the other bracelet, which she does, regardless of the risk. This is because she knows what the consequence of this action will be- for as per Aphrodite’s law, when an Amazon removes her symbolic bracelets, she loses all control and goes berserk! And so, an enraged Wonder Woman begins to smash her way through the maze wall screaming”Must kill Panzer!!!” and as with a sudden surge of adrenaline, her strength increases tenfold!
Meanwhile, back at Panzer’s lab, the Nazi genius watches his men place Trevor into the cockpit of his time ship. He reasons that Wonder Woman must have told the Major what she knew of the Red Panzer, and Trevor had then made the connection with the counter intelligence report of a sabotage attempt. Now, Panzer plans to send Trevor into the future where he will be instantly wiped from existence because no one can coexists with themselves except Panzer, due to the unique properties of his armour. Then, when his grapple ray has clawed the ship back, he will detonate the explosives at Camp Halsey!
Suddenly though, a red, blue and gold blur streaks into the lab and whisks Steve out of the cockpit, just in time before the ship launches into the air. Red Panzer cries out in despair as he sees the craft disappear and realises that he has not yet been able to set the grapple beam to bring it back. But he is soon silenced by a powerful blow from the Amazon. As the other Nazis try to move in on Wonder Woman, she hefts a large piece of lab equipment at them, flooring the lot of them. She then turns her attention back to Panzer and begins reigning blow upon blow onto the fallen Nazi genius. It takes Steve’s intervention to stop her killing him.
Major Trevor quickly clamps one of her bracelets back on (which she had brought with her) and immediately pacifies the raging Amazon Princess. But no sooner has he done so, then another missile roars through the skylight and into the lab, homing in on the bracelet once more. Taking the opportunity to escape, Red Panzer lifts up a nearby hatch door leading into an escape route but Wonder Woman sees his intention and quickly throws her other bracelet towards the Nazi. The missile follows it and strikes, exploding into flames.
When the dust settles his prone form lies halfway out of the hatchway and Steve presumes that she has killed him. But she reassures him that the Panzer’s armour was designed to withstand such an impact and that he is merely stunned.
The following day, after Panzer has been dropped off with the authorities, General Blankenship reads the morning paper in his office which describes how the Nazi spy ring had been smashed. He tells the watching Yeoman Prince, Etta Candy and Major Trevor that although everything turned out well, he could be a real stick in the mud if he wanted to and put Etta up on charges for leaking the intelligence in the first place!! Thankfully, they know that he is only joking!
