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Marc Andreyko offers lighthearted thrills in 'Wonder Woman '77'

In this graphic novel collection, DC Comics turns back the clock to the disco days of 1977 and the Wonder Woman TV show.

Wonder Woman '77: Volume 1 By Marc Andreyko and others DC Comics 168 pp.
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In 1977 the US was dancing to disco, deeply entrenched in the Cold War, and enthralled by Lynda Carter – perfectly cast – playing Wonder Woman on TV.

Airing on CBS, that year the show was "modernizing" Wonder Woman by having her adventures take place in the present (1977), as opposed to previous seasons which had been set in World War II. So Carter, in her Diana Prince secret identity, was adorned in hip '70s fashion. Wonder Woman wore special motorcycle, skateboarding, and swimming variations of her star-spangled costume to battle more "timely" threats such as Russian spies, aliens, and robots.

It's with this vibe that writer Marc Andreyko and a roster of DC talent revisit Wonder Woman's adventures, cleverly melding the 1970s TV show with the Amazon Princess's comic book villains in Wonder Woman '77. Here we have Wonder Woman battling her classic foe the Cheetah, monstrous Solomon Grundy, the vocal threat of Silver Swan (in the aptly titled "Disco Inferno"), and my favorite, the mindbending Dr. Psycho who has Diana battle another Wonder Woman who looks a bit like a different TV Wonder Woman: Cathy Lee Crosby.

The art by Drew Johnson, Matt Haley, Richard Ortiz, Jason Badower, and Cat Staggs does a great job of telling the story and manages to do a good job of capturing the beauty of Lynda Carter and her co-star Lyle Waggoner (playing Steve Trevor Jr., his dad, played by Waggoner too, having fought alongside Princess Diana in World War II).

The book features five fun and entertaining tales, easily enjoyed by longtime comic readers, fans of the TV show, or any casual reader. They retain the lighthearted air of the show but also offer plenty of thrills as our favorite Amazon battles her foes armed with her wisdom, strength, magic bracelets, and lasso. 

The series is also a huge love letter to Carter, who dazzled TV viewers as she did her famous spin and transformed into the amazing Amazon. She was the perfect choice and she left huge shoes to fill for any future Wonder Women, including current Wonder Woman Israeli actress Gal Godot who debuted as Diana in the recent "Batman v Superman," just finished filming the first solo Wonder Woman movie due in 2017, and is currently filming "Justice League," again as Wonder Woman.

So with all the new Wonder Woman live action appearances on the horizon and the resurgence of the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman, it's a great time to be a fan of Princes Diana. Now more than ever (to quote her catchy TV jingle): "You're a wonder, Wonder Woman!"

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