This issue sees an appearance by members of the Justice Society of America (the wartime version of the JLA).
Another great re-imagined cover by the late Al Rio can be found in the gallery. Long time Wonder Woman fan Jim McCloskey kindly agreed to share one of his own personal Al Rio art commissions with a wider audience via this site. Huge thanks to Jim for sharing such a beautiful cover – depicting a quintessential Al Rio version of Diana.
A tank battle looms in the deserts of Egypt during 1942. A lone Allied tank and a solitary Nazi Panzer tank, both separated from their respective divisions, face each other nearby to a Pyramid. One of the allied crewmen remarks that they are too far from the Nile for there to be a Pyramid here, but his commander instructs him to focus on the job in hand – to shake the Panzer on their tail!
As the Panzer opens fire, it narrowly misses the allied tank but succeeds in blowing a hole in the side of the Pyramid. Suddenly, there is a flash of unearthly brilliance and a wave of intense heat emanates from the strange structure, reducing the two machines of war to a pile of smoldering ash…
Months later we find ourselves at the Pentagon, in the headquarters of the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department. Major Steve Trevor is talking to Yeoman First Class Diana Prince, telling her that his next assignment sounds like it will be pretty routine – but little does he know that he will soon find himself the heir to the kingdom of Earth!
On the other side of the world, it has taken several months for air to finally reach the inner recesses of the damaged Pyramid. As the fresh breeze curls through the musty corridors it finally reaches a mummified female form, long dead…or is she?
Suddenly, the form rises up, struggling against the gauzelike wrappings that enshroud her until at last she bursts free. Osira lives again! Instantly she is borne aloft by a field of crackling energy in the shape of a Pyramid and she begins to survey the landscape around the tomb, trying to determine how long she has been entombed. Looking at the stars in the sky, she deduces that she has slept for almost three thousand years. In a rage, she unleashes a beam of energy from her hands, destroying the Pyramid prison.
She is keen to find out how different the world is, now that the ones who had opposed her are long dead. Osira, now free to complete her peacemaking mission, flies off across the desert.
As she leaves behind the smoking ruins of the Pyramid, a bust is visible in the rubble that had been carved centuries before. The face – Steve Trevor’s!
Back in Washington, Diana’s typing is interrupted by screams from outside. As she and Steve rush to the window, they stare in amazement at the incredible sight before them. Steve rushes out, saying that it must be some kind of Nazi plot and leaving Diana alone to transform into Wonder Woman.
As she boards her invisible plane, she flies towards the Capitol Building, whose famous domed roof has now been transformed into a gleaming marble Pyramid! The Amazon Princess guesses that its sudden appearance can only be possible by magic and she doubts the Nazis are capable of such powers.
Inside however, the magical effects on the Senate are instant. To the cries of “hear hear!”, they decide that Pearl Harbor was simply a minor misunderstanding and that there should be an immediate cessation of hostilities against the Axis powers. Monitoring the Senate, Wonder Woman realises that they have taken leave of their senses and knows that she must remove the Pyramid. Using her lasso, she ensnares the marble structure and yanks it off the Capitol Building. Instantly, the Senate return to their senses.
A few minutes later after landing her plane, Wonder Woman meets up with Steve who informs her that according to reports on the radio, there has been a sudden worldwide outbreak of peace. Apparently, Hitler made a speech about an hour ago calling for an end to all Nazi aggression and requesting peace talks. At the same time, warring ships, tanks, submarines etc. were being disintegrated by some unknown force, all over the world.
Wonder Woman tells him that although she has no idea what is causing all of this, she believes that a good place to start is Egypt and they therefore set off to the land of the Pharaohs. As they fly, Steve tells her that he is a little confused because while he knows that her mission is to bring peace to the world, she does not seem to be very happy about what is happening. She replies that forcing peace onto the world is no good – in fact she could do that herself by using the compelling nature of the magic lasso. But in reality, she would never try to force people to stop hating against their will. Her mission is to make them see the folly of their ways for themselves.
Suddenly, a German Messerschmidt and a British Spitfire swoop down and open fire on the approaching invisible jet. Steve cannot believe his eyes, and wonders how they can see Wonder Woman’s jet. She tells him that while her plane is invisible, they are not and she climbs out onto the wing. The Amazing Amazon leaps onto the nose of the Spitfire and the pilot opens the canopy, draws his pistol and opens fire on her. She deflects the bullets with her bracelets and then lassos the pilot, ordering him to radio the other pilot and break off the attack.
A few minutes later, all three planes have landed and once more using her lasso, Wonder Woman questions the two pilots. When they reveal that they have been following the orders of someone called Osira, she compels them to take her and Steve to this Osira’s hideout.
The pilots lead them over miles of sun bleached sand until finally they reach a single Pyramid, miles from any others. As they approach the entrance however, two guards attack Steve and Wonder Woman realises that they have been led into a trap. Steve tells her that he can handle his attackers, allowing the Amazon to race inside the Pyramid.
Just as she turns a corner, she runs into Osira inside her floating Pyramid of energy. Immediately, Osira unleashes an energy bolt which Wonder Woman manages to avoid. In turn, the Amazon Princess throws a powerful punch but finds her blow does not even dent the force field around Osira. Her surprise is quickly interrupted by another blast from Osira which she only just manages to deflect with her bracelet in time. However, the force of the blast sends her flying into another chamber.
As she struggles to her feet, Osira appears again, declaring that Wonder Woman is evil in opposing her efforts to bring peace and must therefore die. The Amazing Amazon thinks quickly, knowing that she must penetrate the force field. Realising that she has ended up in a throne room, she races towards the heavy granite looking throne, constantly having to dodge Osira’s energy blasts. Finally, she manages to reach her quest and hefts the huge rock chair over over head. Using all her might she brings it crashing down onto Osira’s Pyramid force field but to her amazement once again fails to make any impact on it.
Osira uses the opportunity to deliver a punch of her own, sending the surprised Amazon Princess flying backwards. She quickly unleashes another energy blast which this time completely encloses Wonder Woman in an identical force field to her own. Wonder Woman’s body stiffens as the Pyramid forms around her until, her mind blanks out…
When consciousness returns, a confused Amazon finds herself imprisoned inside the force field and Osira takes the opportunity to explain things…
Osira is in fact from another world, another galaxy , another dimension. A fleet of starships had set off from her world nine thousand years ago and during the voyage, some of the vessels had been struck by meteorites and hurled into other dimensional planes. Osira and her husband found themselves in our dimension and landing in Egypt, had conquered its people. However, they did not use war to do so, but instead were revered as Gods. Her husband, Hefnakhti brought the art of irrigation to the people and together with Osira, directed the building of great Pyramids, not only as testaments to humankind’s abilities, but as temples for Hefnakhti and Osira.
They loved their people and would have made Earth the finest world in the galaxy were it not for an old high priest called Anankh. He believed that Hefnakhti and Osira would ruin mankind because they did not allow people to think for themselves. He and his followers had therefore tricked the two ‘Gods’ and managed to imprison them in one of their own Pyramids. The priest had guessed that the Pyramid was the source of their power and that the shape created a field of force within it, amplifying the natural energies of the universe.
Osira and Hefnakhti soon broke free but played into Anankh’s hands by depleting their own energies in the effort to break free. The two ‘Gods’ were unable to resist Anankh and his followers, who proceeded to mummify them alive…
Meanwhile, as Osira finishes her story, Steve is finally overcome by the guards outside and having beaten him unconscious, they bring him into the throne room. Wonder Woman gasps when she sees the helpless Trevor, and Osira informs her that just as she had done before, she and her mate would bring peace to the Earth once more.
Wonder Woman tells Osira that she must be mad or otherwise she would realise the harm that she is doing. She tells the Egyptian that she will be stopped – if not by Wonder Woman then by the Justice Society.
Osira smiles and waving her hand, causes a nearby wall to rise, revealing members of the Justice Society – Sandman, the Atom, Starman, Mr. Terrific and Johnny Thunder – all trapped in the same force field as Wonder Woman! Osira tells the shocked Amazon that the other members have also been encased and have been banished to the moon! This proves her invincibility! No one can stand in her way now!
She beckons to Steve, telling him that it is time for him to fulfill the ancient destiny and rule with her as king of the Earth!.
And as a horrified Wonder Woman looks on helplessly, Osira and Steve kiss passionately!
