G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American television network, originally geared primarily toward young male adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games. Currently the channel has a male oriented focus, although video games are still represented by the channel.

Launched on April 24, 2002,^[1] G4 is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States, and owned by G4 Media, which is owned by NBCUniversal, whom Comcast acquired 51% of in early 2011.

History[link]

Early days[link]

G4 was initially created by Comcast.^[2] The initial concept was to create a service similar to TechTV but "geared more toward MTV's demographics". The network was launched with thirteen original series.

The launch shows consisted of:^[3]

• Arena: a multi-player game competition between two teams of four players.
• Filter: a top-ten countdown voted by viewers.
• Blister: focused on action/adventure game news.
• Cinematech: described as a showcase for the best high-end digital art.
• Game On: two hosts competed in video game action come to life with dire consequences for the loser.
• Sweat: focused on sports game news.
• Cheat!: tips on games.
• Portal: focused on multiplayer online games.
• Pulse: news on the video-game industry.
• Judgment Day: currently known as Reviews on the Run, "two video-game gurus will opine on the latest entries."
• G4tv.com: an interactive talk show on video games.

G4 was created and originally led by Charles Hirschhorn, a former president of Walt Disney Television and Television Animation.^[4] He expected video game creators themselves to eventually produce programming for the network. He envisioned that G4 could follow in the footsteps of MTV which in his opinion provided music video producers with a venue for non-traditional television programming.^[5] Hirschhorn intended G4 to become a vehicle for unconventional advertising. In 2002, G4 offered advertisers wide latitude to place their products on G4's programs, and even allowing their commercials to appear as if they're a part of the program.^[6] G4 also offered what was called a "2 minute unit" which was an advertising package played as if it were part of a G4 program that was long enough to run an entire movie trailer. G4 also offered to sell the right to have a game showcased on the show Pulse.^[6]

TechTV acquisition[link]

As early as 2002, Comcast, the parent company of G4 dropped TechTV from its channel lineups, giving preference to its G4 network and reducing the value of TechTV in the hopes of a possible merger of the two networks. On March 25, 2004, Vulcan Inc. confirmed that they sold TechTV to G4 Media which merged both channels to become G4techTV.^[7] Days before the announced sale, Comcast made plans to close the original TechTV production facilities and workforce located in San Francisco, and offered new network headquarters in Los Angeles with openings for 80-100 of the TechTV employees available if they were willing to relocate. Hirschhorn headed the combined entity. Networks carrying both channels shut down the TechTV channel post-merger, while G4 enjoyed expansion onto systems carrying only TechTV and not G4 as a result of the merger.

On February 15, 2005, less than a year after the merger, the letters, "TechTV", were officially dropped from the channel's name in the U.S. and the channel became known again as G4.^[8] However, on the network's affiliate in Canada, the "TechTV" letters remained a part of the name until mid-2009, when the channel was renamed G4 Canada. The only remaining TechTV originated show on G4 is X-Play, which also featured Adam Sessler, who was part of TechTV since its creation in 1998 as ZDTV. Adam Sessler left on April 25, 2012.^[9]

Change in format[link]

G4 recording an interview at ROFLCon II in 2010

In September 2005, Neal Tiles replaced Hirschhorn as the channel's president.^[10] Tiles had previously been a senior marketing executive at DirecTV, Fox Sports and ESPN.^[11]

On May 6, 2006, Variety, the entertainment-trade magazine, reported,

"Now, under the aegis of Comcast and new president Neal Tiles, G4 is evolving into a lifestyle channel, peppered with videogame culture, as opposed to wall-to-wall games." 'We're going through a change. Guys like to play games, but not necessarily watch a bunch of shows with games on the screen,' Tiles says. 'So what we're doing now is expanding G4 from a network solely defined by videogames to one inspired by them.'"^[12]

In 2007, G4, in association with Earth911,^[13] launched an electronic- waste-recycling campaign called Gcycle.^[14] As Comcast acquired NBCUniversal in 2011 (thus making G4 a part of NBCUniversal), Gcycle is one of NBC's Green is Universal's initiatives.

Logo used from May 2005 to March 2007. This logo is now used for G4 Canada.

In June 2008, G4 launched G4 Rewind. This block showed older episodes of X-Play, Judgment Day, Cheat, G4tv.com, Arena, Portal, G4's Training Camp and GameMakers. G4 Rewind left the schedule when the summer was over and returned for Daytime reruns for older episodes of X-Play in June 2009 until January 2010. In May 2009, G4's website was completely redesigned with a more prominent role of gaming as the intended purpose.^[15] Since the redesign of the website, G4's blog, TheFeed, has been overhauled as well.^[16] On July 31 a new web video game discussion series, TheFeed: Nightcap debuted.^[17] On August 28, 2009 TheFeed Nightcap was renamed Feedback.^[18] It was announced during Comic-Con 2010 that G4 would be the exclusive broadcaster of Marvel Anime which is scheduled to air in 2011.^[19] During the week of July 26, 2010 - August 1, 2010 G4 changed its logo to 4G as a promotion for Sprint Nextel's next generation wireless internet service.^[20] On the week of April 17–23, 2011; as G4 is now part of the NBCUniversal family of networks, G4 has recolored its logo to solid green for the company's "Green is Universal" initiative, and will switch to their green logo for future "Green is Universal" weeks in November and the coming years. On January 5, 2012, Neal Tiles stepped down as CEO.^[21] He was replaced by Adam Stotsky.^[22]

Consolidation[link]

Comcast, the parent company of both G4 and E! television channels, announced on October 12, 2006, that it would consolidate its west coast entertainment operations, including G4, E! and Style into a new group headed by Ted Harbert, who had formerly run the E! channel. It was announced that the upper management of the G4 channel would relocate to the E! channel's Los Angeles office.^[23] On March 4, 2007, it was announced that the G4 Studios in Santa Monica, California, would close on April 15. Production of G4 programs was relocated to the studios of the E! channel elsewhere in the Los Angeles area (G4's original facility remains in use as an E! studio and office facility, mainly for that network's Chelsea Lately). As a consequence, many G4 employees involved in production were terminated. The sets of G4's original programs were also redesigned to fit within the new smaller spaces allocated to them.

Harbert gave his opinion at the time that the focus of the channel on "gaming has been demonstrated as being too narrow." He also gave assurances that while G4 might change, it would not become extinct.^[24][25] Design Studios Onesize and yU+Co teamed up to rebrand the G4 network as part of the transition.^[26]

Layoffs and cut-backs[link]

On February 17, 2009, it was reported that G4 intended to cut back its original content programming. X-Play would be reduced to three nights a week while Attack of the Show! would be cut to four nights a week. Consequently, a number of the staff and production crew involved in the shows would be laid off. Neal Tiles announced that Layla Kayleigh's contract will not be renewed and in April, she left G4.^[27][28]

Controversy[link]

The numerous changes to the network's programming brought on a storm of criticism from TechTV/G4 fans. Many claim that the channel has strayed too far from its gaming and technology roots, and have accused the channel of solely relying on shows like X-Play and Attack of the Show!. With most of the remaining G4 original shows having been severely altered, many saw this as G4's ongoing attempt to be a competitor to other male-oriented networks such as Spike.

DirecTV drops G4[link]

DirecTV announced that they were removing G4 from its channel lineup on November 1, 2010.^[29] DirecTV cites low interest in their subscriber base and Nielsen ratings as the primary reason for dropping of the channel.^[30][31] DirecTV commented that they were "...unable to reach an agreement to continue carrying the G4 channel and it has been removed from the DirecTV channel lineup."^[32]

On October 30, 2010, Attack of the Show! host Kevin Pereira echoed Comcast's sentiments about the decision, "G4 has tried to make this same deal for over 3 years but DirecTV has rejected this [time], claiming that they do not see the value in G4."

The dispute was never resolved, and G4 remains absent from the DirecTV lineup.

Reported sale[link]

It was reported that the UFC and WWE were in separate talks to buy G4.^[33] However, there have been no further reports on this since then.

G4 HD[link]

G4 HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of G4 that launched on December 8, 2008. It is carried nationally on Dish Network and regionally on AT&T U-verse,^[34] Cablevision,^[35] among other providers in select areas.

[edit] Relationship with international G4 channels

A Canadian channel called G4 Canada was launched in 2001 as TechTV Canada by Rogers Media (33.34%), Shaw Communications (33.33%) and TechTV US (33.33%). It uses the G4 trademark under license from NBCUniversal, and initially both channels shared a focus on technology and video game-related programming. However, both channels, since the renaming to G4, deviated considerably from their original roots, although there is still connection between the two channels since many of G4's current programs, including newer series such as That's Tough (although no longer airs since April 2012), Bomb Patrol Afghanistan, Web Soup, Campus PD, and Proving Ground, do air on G4 Canada. Some of their programming blocks parallel each other, such as the Anime Unleashed block paralleling G4 Canada's Anime Current block, and the Midnight Spank block paralleling the ADd block.

In terms of the Canadian channel's license to maintain a focus on computing, technology, and the internet, it does not broadcast COPS, Cheaters, and American Ninja Warrior.

G4 hosts[link]

• Kristin Adams, host of Cheat!, formerly a G4 series now only a segment on X-Play
• Candace Bailey, co-host of Attack of the Show!
• Blair Butler, comic book correspondent for "Fresh Ink" on Attack of the Show!
• Jessica Chobot, correspondent for X-Play and Attack of the Show!
• Chris Gore, movie correspondent for "DVDuesday" on Attack of the Show!
• Grace Helbig, correspondent for Attack of the Show!
• Blair Herter, co-host of X-Play and correspondent for Attack of the Show!
• Matt Iseman, co-host of American Ninja Warrior
• Matt Mira, correspondent for "Gadget Pr0n" on Attack of the Show!
• Jonny Moseley, co-host of American Ninja Warrior
• Casey Schreiner, host of the MMO Report on X-Play, writer on Attack of the Show!
• Weston Scott, military correspondent of "Lethal Defense" on Attack of the Show!
• Alex Sim-Wise, correspondent for X-Play and Attack of the Show!
• Angela Sun, correspondent for American Ninja Warrior
• Sara Underwood, host of Women of Ninja Warrior, and anchor of "The Feed" on Attack of the Show!
• Morgan Webb, co-host of X-Play

See also[link]

TechTV G4techTV G4 Canada List of programs broadcast by G4

References[link]

1. ^ G4 Aims Originals at Video Game Fans, Multichannel New 4/14/2002
2. ^ Sieberg, Daniel (2002-04-22). "24-Hour Video Game Channel Set to Launch — Some Analysts Wonder if G4 Will Find an Audience", CNN Accessed 2009-10-18.
3. ^ G4 Network Announces All-Original Programming Slate; Thirteen Original Weekly Series Featuring Everything for Gamers., Goliath 09-APR-02
4. ^ Charles Hirschhorn, Forbes.com
5. ^ Pressing Buttons 10.17.06: The Rise and Fall of G4 (PART 1), 411mania.com 0.17.2006
6. ^ ^{a b} G4TV Launch Advertising Age 6.10.2002
7. ^ Comcast buys TechTV, San Francisco Chronicle March 26, 2004.
8. ^ G4 Drops TechTV Handle, Broadcasting & Cable 1/10/2005.
9. ^ "Adam Sessler Out at G4". April 25, 2012. http://kotaku.com/5905119/adam-sessler-out-at-g4. Retrieved April 25, 2012. 
10. ^ G4 - About - Management - Neal Tiles - President
11. ^ Neal Tiles bio
12. ^ Martin, Denise (2006-05-08). "Cablers Make Play for Gamer Demos — G4 Evolving into a Lifestyle Channel, Peppered with Vidgame Culture". Variety. Accessed 2009-10-18.
13. ^ [1]
14. ^ Wilson, Mark (2007-94-22). "Earth Day Roundup: Not Lame, We Promise",Gizmodo. Accessed 2009-10-18.
15. ^ Open Source - May 2009
16. ^ Welcome To An All-New, All-Different Version Of G4tv.com's TheFeed! TheFeed Posted July 9, 2009 - By Raymond Padilla
17. ^ TheFeed Nightcap, July 31st -- The Pilot Episode! TheFeed Posted July 31, 2009 - By Andrew Pfister
18. ^ G4 Video - G4tv.com's Feedback
19. ^ Four Marvel Animated Series Coming To G4 In 2011 The Feed
20. ^ G4 Channel to Become 4G in a Week of Sprint Promotion New York Times
21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 5, 2012). "G4 President Neal Tiles Steps Down". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/g4-president-neal-tiles-steps-down. Retrieved January 6, 2012. 
22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 5, 2012). "Former NBC Marketing Chief Adam Stotsky Named General Manager Of G4". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/former-nbc-marketing-chief-adam-stotsky-named-general-manager-of-g4. Retrieved January 6, 2012. 
23. ^ Comcast Broadens Harbert's Role, Broadcasting & Cable, 10/12/2006
24. ^ E! pwns G4, Boing Boing OCTOBER 12, 2006
25. ^ G4 Not Getting Axed, Voodoo Extreme, Oct 16, 2006
26. ^ Design Studios Onesize and yU+Co Team Up To Rebrand G4 Network, Broadcast Newsroom, June 20, 2007
27. ^ G4's "Open Source", March 2, 2009
28. ^ G4's "X-Play", "Attack of the Show" Cut Back, Variety, February 17, 2009
29. ^ DirecTV Pulls G4 from Lineup - Move Comes After Failed Carriage Negotiations with Comcast, Variety, October 31, 2010
30. ^ DirecTV drops G4 Entertainment Weekly November 1, 2010
31. ^ DirecTV Drops Comcast's G4 The Hollywood Reporter November 1, 2010
32. ^ DirecTV G4 statement
33. ^
    • "UFC Looking to Buy G4 Cable Channel, Spike Execs Prepare to Move On". MMA Fighting. June 8, 2011. http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/06/08/ufc-looking-to-buy-g4-cable-channel-spike-execs-prepare-to-move. 
    • "WWE: Is the G4 Channel the Answer to WWE's Proposed TV Network?". Bleacher Report. June 9, 2011. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/728965-wwe-news-latest-news-and-rumors-from-wwe/entry/95769-wwe-is-the-g4-channel-the-answer-to-wwes-proposed-tv-network. 
34. ^ AT&T U-verse HD Channels
35. ^ "HDTV channels". http://optimum.com/io/hdtv/hdtv_channels.jsp. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• G4TV Canada
• Gcycle (G4's electronic waste recycling campaign)
• G4TV Wikia
• G4 Rewind

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Olivia Munn
Munn at the 2009 Attack of the Show panel
Born	Lisa Olivia Munn (1980-07-03) July 3, 1980 (age 31) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, model, presenter
Years active	2004–present
Website
www.oliviamunn.com

Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980^[1][2]) is an American comedic actress, model, television personality and author. She began her career being credited as Lisa Munn. Since 2006, she has been using the name Olivia Munn personally and professionally.^[3]

Early life[link]

Lisa Olivia Munn was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is of Chinese descent on her mother's side (though her mother was raised in Vietnam)^[4] and of German and Irish descent on her father's.^[5] When Munn was two, her mother re-married, this time to a man in the United States Air Force. Although the family relocated many times, Munn was predominantly raised in Tokyo, Japan,^[3][6] where the military stationed her stepfather. During this time, she had appeared in a number of local theater productions, and later became a model within the Japanese fashion industry.^[7] Her parents divorced and she moved back to Oklahoma, where she attended Putnam City North High School for her junior and senior years and where she was a contemporary of Hinder bassist Mike Rodden, future Oklahoma state senator David Holt and author Aaron Goldfarb.^[8][9] She also attended the University of Oklahoma, majoring in journalism and minoring in Japanese and dramatic arts.^[3]

Munn moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 2004, she interned at Fox Sports Net and worked as a sideline reporter for college football and women's basketball. She has gone on to say that she disliked the experience, explaining "I was trying to be something I wasn't, and that made me really uncomfortable on live TV."^[6]

Career[link]

Olivia cosplaying as Princess Leia Organa.

Soon after her move to Los Angeles, Munn was cast in a small role in the straight to video horror film Scarecrow Gone Wild. She appeared in rock band Zebrahead's video for their song "Hello Tomorrow" as the love interest of the lead singer Justin Mauriello.^[10]

In late 2005, Munn began her portrayal of Mily Acuna, a teen surfer, over two seasons of the TV drama Beyond the Break^[11] on The N network. She enjoys surfing and continues to practice the sport.^[12] She originally auditioned for the part of Kai, but the producers wanted a "local girl."^[13] She also appeared in the film The Road to Canyon Lake.

In 2006, Munn moved on to the G4 network, where she began co-hosting Attack of the Show! with Kevin Pereira on April 10. She replaced departing host Sarah Lane. The network, devoted to the world of video games and the video game lifestyle, was at first hesitant to hire Munn. Although she admits video games were her "weak point," she was confident in her technical knowledge.^[14] On the show, Munn was featured with journalist Anna David in a segment called "In Your Pants," which deals with sex and relationship questions from viewers. While working on Attack of the Show!, Munn hosted Formula D, a now defunct program about American drift racing, and an online podcast called Around the Net (formerly known as The Daily Nut), for G4. Munn left Attack of the Show! in December 2010 and was replaced by Candace Bailey.

Munn appeared in the Rob Schneider movie Big Stan. She played Schneider's character's receptionist Maria.^[6] Munn also had a significant role in the 2008 horror film Insanitarium, in which she played a nurse at an insane asylum. She had roles in the 2010 movies Date Night and Iron Man 2. Robert Downey, Jr. praised Munn for her improvisation skills and led the crew in a round of applause.^[15]

Munn hosted Microsoft's Bing-a-thon, an advertisement on Hulu for the Microsoft search-engine Bing^[16] on June 8, 2009, alongside Jason Sudeikis.

Munn appeared in ABC Family's Greek, portraying Cappie's love interest, Lana.

In May 2010, NBC announced that Munn would star in the upcoming television series Perfect Couples. The half-hour romantic comedy premiered at on January 20, 2011.^[17] The show was cancelled before it completed its first season run.^[18]

On June 3, 2010, Munn debuted in her new role as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.^[19] Her hiring prompted criticism from Irin Carmon of Jezebel, who questioned Munn's credentials and accused the show's production of sexism in hiring Munn, whom Carmon characterized as a sex symbol.^[20] Carmon saw Munn's hiring as a perpetuation of the show production office's history as a male-dominated atmosphere marginalizing and alienating to women.^[21] A group of thirty-two female Daily Show production staff members condemned Carmon's piece as inaccurate and misinformed, as did Munn herself in an interview, in which she stated that Carmon's assertion was an insult both to her and to the rest of the Daily Show staff.^[22][23]

In 2010 Munn guest-starred in NBC's Chuck as a CIA agent.^[24]

In print[link]

Munn has booked modeling campaigns for Nike, Pepsi and Neutrogena. She appeared on the Fall 2006 cover of Foam magazine in September, in Men's Edge magazine in August, and was featured in a pictorial in Complex in November 2006, where she later became a columnist.^[25] In February 2007, she appeared as "Babe of the Month" in a non-nude pictorial in Playboy magazine.^[26] She discusses this shoot in her book, Suck it, Wonder Woman.^[27]

Munn also appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of Men's Health. In September 2007, she was featured in the Italian Vanity Fair for their "Hot Young Hollywood" Issue. Munn appeared in the Winter/Spring 2009 issue of Men's Health Living.^[28] She was featured as the cover girl for the July/August 2009 issue of Playboy, and later on the cover of the January 2010 and February 2011 U.S.Maxim. Munn appears on the cover of FHM Magazine's January 2012 issue. ^[29]

Munn's book, Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek (ISBN 0-312-59105-5), was released on July 6, 2010. One critic said it offers glimpses into Munn's life but does not go into depth.^[30]

Charity work[link]

In 2011, Munn teamed up with Dosomething.org's Green Your School Challenge. She was a spokesperson for the campaign by filming a PSA regarding the challenge, and sat on the panel of judges that evaluated the entries.^[31]

Munn helped PETA with a campaign that ultimately freed a sick elephant from a touring circus. Her blog for The Huffington Post^[32] was credited with encouraging fans to contact the USDA on the elephant's behalf.^[33]

Munn posed for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign in April 2010,^[34][35] and again in January 2012.^[36]

Filmography[link]

Magazine appearances[link]

• Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2008 (#99)
• Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2009 (#96)
• Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2010 (#8)
• Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2011 (#2)
• Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2012 (#2)
• FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2008 (#85)
• FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2009 (#85)
• FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010 (#52)

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Olivia Munn on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons

• Official website
• Olivia Munn on Twitter
• Olivia Munn on Facebook
• Olivia Munn on Myspace
• Olivia Munn at the Internet Movie Database

It has been suggested that Diana Prince be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2011.

Wonder Woman is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941). The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986.^[1]

Wonder Woman is a warrior Princess of the Amazons (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and was created by Marston, an American, as a "distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men." ^[2] Known in her homeland as Diana of Themyscira, her powers include superhuman strength, flight (even though the original Wonder Woman did not have this ability), super-speed, super-stamina, and super-agility. She is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat and in the art of tactical warfare. She also possesses animal-like cunning skills and a natural rapport with animals, which has been presented as an actual ability to communicate with the animal kingdom. She uses her Lasso of Truth, which forces those bound by it to tell the truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in some stories, an invisible airplane.

Created during World War II, the character was initially depicted fighting the Axis military forces, as well as an assortment of supervillains. In later decades, some writers maintained the World War II setting, with many of its themes and story arcs, while others updated the series to reflect the present day. Wonder Woman has also regularly appeared in comic books featuring the superhero teams Justice Society (from 1941) and Justice League (from 1960). Arguably the most popular and iconic female superhero in comics, Wonder Woman is also considered a feminist icon.^[2] She was named the 20th greatest comic book character by Empire magazine.^[3] She was ranked sixth in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.^[4]

In addition to the comics, the character has appeared in other media; most notably, the 1975–1979 Wonder Woman TV series starring Lynda Carter, as well as animated series such as the Super Friends and Justice League. Although a number of attempts have been made to adapt the character to live-action film, none has yet emerged from development hell. An animated film was released in 2009, with Keri Russell voicing the title role. In 2011, Adrianne Palicki starred in a failed pilot for a would-be series about the character.

In May 2011, Wonder Woman placed fifth on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.^[5]

Publication history[link]

Creation[link]

In an October 25, 1940 interview published in Family Circle titled "Don't Laugh at the Comics", William Moulton Marston described what he saw as the great educational potential of comic books.^[6] This article caught the attention of comics publisher Max Gaines, who hired Marston as an educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications, two of the companies that would merge to form DC Comics. At that time, Marston decided to develop a new superhero. Family Circle published a follow-up article two years later from issue of the Boston University alumni magazine, it was Marston's wife Elizabeth's idea to create a female superheroine:

William Moulton Marston, a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph (forerunner to the magic lasso), struck upon an idea for a new kind of superhero, one who would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love. "Fine," said Elizabeth. "But make her a woman."^[7]

Marston introduced the idea to Gaines, co-founder of All-American Publications. Given the go-ahead, Marston developed Wonder Woman with Elizabeth, whom Marston believed to be a model of that era's unconventional, liberated woman.^[7] Marston was also inspired by Olive Byrne, who lived with the couple in a polygamous/polyamorous relationship.^[8] Both women served as exemplars for the character and greatly influenced the character's creation.^[7] Wonder Woman debuted in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941), scripted by Marston and with art by Harry G. Peter.

Marston was the creator of a systolic-blood-pressure-measuring apparatus, which was crucial to the development of the polygraph (lie detector). Marston's experience with polygraphs convinced him that women were more honest and reliable than men and could work more efficiently.^[9]

"Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world," Marston wrote.^[1] Although Gloria Steinem placed Wonder Woman on the first standalone cover of Ms. in 1972, Marston, writing in an earlier time, designed Wonder Woman to represent a particular form of female empowerment. Feminism argues that women are equal to men and should be treated as such; Marston's representative of femininity is a 6-foot-tall Amazon wielding a golden lasso that forces obedience on those it encircles.^{[neutrality is disputed]} In Marston's mind, women not only held the potential to be as good as men but to be superior to men.^{[original research?]}

In a 1943 issue of The American Scholar, Marston wrote:

Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.

During this period, Wonder Woman joined the Justice Society of America as the female member,^[10] albeit as the group's secretary, since the custom was that characters who had their own comic books would hold only honorary membership.

Evolution of the character[link]

Initially, Wonder Woman was an Amazon champion who wins the right to return Steve Trevor — a United States intelligence officer whose plane had crashed on the Amazons' isolated island homeland — to "Man's World" and to fight crime and the evil of the Nazis.

During the Silver Age, Wonder Woman's origin was revamped,^[11] along with other characters'. The new origin story increased the character's Hellenic and mythological roots: receiving the blessing of each deity in her crib, Diana is destined to become "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules, and swifter than Mercury."^[12]

At the end of the 1960s, under the guidance of Mike Sekowsky, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers in order to remain in Man's World rather than accompany her fellow Amazons to another dimension. Becoming a mod boutique owner, the powerless Diana Prince acquired a Chinese mentor named I Ching. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana learned martial arts and weapons skills and engaged in adventures that encompassed a variety of genres, from espionage to mythology.

Due in part to popular demand -- including Gloria Steinem choosing to feature the original super-powered version of Wonder Woman on the cover of the first issue of her Ms. Magazine -- in the early 1970s the character returned to her superhero roots in Justice League of America and to the World War II era in her own title.

Following the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths series, George Pérez, Len Wein, and Greg Potter relaunched the character, writing Wonder Woman as an emissary and ambassador from Themyscira to Patriarch's World, charged with the mission of bringing peace to the outside world.

In August 2010 (issue #600), DC Comics replaced the character's iconic stars-and-stripes singlet with a blue jacket (later discarded), red and gold top and dark pants, retaining only her tiara and lasso.^[13]

In 2011, DC Comics relaunched its entire line of publications to attract a new generation of readers. In this new continuity, Wonder Woman wears a costume similar to her original costume. Also, her origin is significantly changed and she is no longer a clay figure brought to life by the magic of the gods. Instead, she is a demigod, the natural-born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus.

Powers and abilities[link]

Pre-Crisis[link]

Originally, Wonder Woman owed her abilities to the goddess Aphrodite creating Amazons superior to men, with Diana being the best of their kind.

The Golden Age Wonder Woman was later updated by Marston to be able to will a tremendous amount of brain energy into her muscles and limbs because of her Amazon training, endowing her with extraordinary strength and speed. According to her first appearance, she is stronger and more agile than a hundred of the best human athletes. In Sensation Comics #6 (June 1942), she is able to tear a steel door off its hinges. In one of her earliest appearances, she is shown running easily at 60 mph.^[14] In the same comic, she jumps from a building and lands on the balls of her feet. She can even type at a rate of over 160 words a minute during a test given to her. It was implied, and ultimately confirmed, that any woman who underwent Amazon training would gain superhuman strength.^[15] The TV series took up this notion,^[16] and in the first episode of Super Friends, Diana states to Aquaman, "...the only thing that can surpass super strength is the power of the brain." In early Wonder Woman stories,^[17] Amazon training involves strengthening this ability using pure mental energy.

Her powers would be removed in accordance with "Aphrodite's Law" if she allowed herself to be bound or chained by a male. However the effects of this varied.^[18]