365 Days of Defiance, Day 220: In which Cloris Leachman kicks ass

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Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman

Today's episode of "Let's Kick Some Nazi Butt" highlights one of my favorite retcons of the Modern Comics Age. Trust me, it's much better than "the Beyonder was an Inhuman" or "the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are Inhumans", or "everyone loves reading about the Inhumans." Nope: it's all tied up (with a golden lasso, I assume) in this:


Panels from Wonder Woman (1987 series) #184 (October 2002), script and pencils by Phil Jimenez, inks by Andy Lanning, colors by Trish Mulvihill, color separations by WildStorm FX, letters by Comicraft
To get you up to speed, Wally West-style, on what's happenin' here: Princess Diana (aka Wonder Woman) has (unknowingly) travelled back in time (doncha hate when that happens?) and has stumbled across Nazi soldiers (boo!) working in partnership with...Clea!


Cover of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #13 (January 1990), pencils and inks by Butch Guice
No, no, not that Clea! This Clea...


Cover of Wonder Woman (1987 series) #182 (January 1990), pencils and inks by Phil Jimenez, colors by José Villarrubia
...who's a classic Golden Age villain created by Marston and Peters as the jerk ruler of Atlantis (sound familiar, Marvel?) and charter member of "Villany, Inc.," which I think is some sort of licensed limited company. She's a go-getter gal in today's World War II's modern age of feminism and she's teaming up with Nazis, so hiss to her. She's in cahoots to trade a mystic Atlantean translation horn (the Rosetta Horn?) for an armored German submarine, presumably so she can finish filming her visionary film "Das U-Boot."


When what should appear to their Nazi sights but


WONDER WOMAN IN HER SATIN TIGHTS!

To explain: that's actually Hippolyta, Wondy's mom, who, the Post-Crisis Universe told us, was the Golden Age World War II Wonder Woman! I've always loved this relatively new retcon. (It leads to some neat character stuff over in the JSA comic, too.) I'm pretty sure this retcon doesn't exist in today's comics, which only makes me hate you more, New 52/Rebirth Universe.


Wonder Woman (Diana) needs to aid Wonder Woman (Hippolyta), but rushing into battle in her Wonder Woman (Diana) costume will surely wreck the timeline and confuse Wonder Woman (Hippo). So here's a plan: why not Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) herself into the costume of another, '40s contemporary Wonder Woman (Miss America), Miss America!



Of course, two Wonders make no blunders and easily beat a pack o'Nazis and a Clea. But the adventure isn't over yet! Tune in tomorrow, same Wonder time, same Woman station, to see the continued team-up of Wonder and Wonder in a tale we had to title...ah, but I'll make you wait for that one.