Wonder Woman #240 is an issue of the series Wonder Woman (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1978.
Synopsis for "Wanted: One Amazon -- Dead or Alive!"
Wonder Woman becomes a fugitive after the Duke of Deception causes her to attack some American sailors, and a U.S.Army detachment confronts her at the Navy Pier on the Jersey Shore. While she is demolishing a tank, one infantryman gets behind her and head-konks her unconscious with a rifle butt. Meanwhile on the surface of the Hudson River, the Flash is fighting an illusory sea monster, using his vacuum vortex technique, then races to aid Wonder Woman. He instead meets General Blankenship, who tells him his version of the evening's events. Flash is not seen again for several hours. Overnight the newspapers put out the story of Diana's alleged treason.
In the Bowery, the disguised Duke of Deception recruits Napoleon Jones, a bum, and promises him the destiny he deserves.
The next morning Diana wakes up manacled, in a Navy brig, and is extremely indignant about it. Etta Candy is assigned to assist her in seeking legal counsel, and the two of them figure out that this is a frame-up, and Wonder Woman devises a plan, and tells it to Etta. Then she is perp-walked, thru a hostile New York crowd, to her arraignment at the Federal Court Building. The arraignment hearing also serves as an indictment, as agreed by some deal between the defense and prosecution. Wonder Woman has her Magic Lasso with her in the courtroom. This all drones on for an hour, and then the Flash, disguised as a Nazi super villain, charges into the courtroom and wreaks havoc. Steve Trevor unmanacles Wonder Woman and she steps in and fights with "Siegfried the Speedster". The whole courtroom falls for this stunt, and Wonder Woman's reputation is saved.
The Duke of Deception is attending the trial, and on seeing this, tries to salvage the situation by calling in his new henchling Napoleon Jones, and his new gang. Jones has been equipped by the Duke with an illusion-casting device, and he turns his small gang or ordinary thugs into a large gang of German infantry. It's not large enough to last very long against Wonder Woman however, so Napoleon Jones tries a new tactic. The illusion-casting device seemingly creates a giant golem out of sidewalk concrete, and sets it to fighting Wonder Woman. Diana quickly deduces that it's only an illusion, and it begins to disintegrate, then crumbles completely. Then she spots Napoleon Jones, lining her up for a Tommy-gun burst, and lassos him, compelling him to blurt out what little he knows. Jones does not know who or where the Duke of Deception is.
Mars knows these things, and Mars is enraged by the Duke's failure; he exacts a harsh punishment, by stripping away the Duke's deceptive good looks, revealing him as a toothless bald old chinless runt of a god. Deception of course blames Wonder Woman for his disfigurement, and vows to get revenge on her.
Appearing in "Wanted: One Amazon -- Dead or Alive!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mars
- Siegfried the Speedster
- Napoleon Jones
- his boys
Other Characters:
- Colonel Hammond Belushi
- Lt. Pierre Marchand
- New York City Police Department
Locations:
Items:
- Bracelets of Submission
- Lasso of Truth
- Jones' hand-held "illusion lens"
Notes
- Per page 1, caption 2, this story is set in June, 1942. In Wonder Woman #239, conflicting dates (1942 and 1943) were given for this continuing story; in this issue only the 1942 date is mentioned.
- Wonder Woman gets knocked unconscious with a rifle butt.
- The Duke of Deception believes (correctly) that the Flash's speed makes him immune to the Duke's illusions.
- The Duke's "Illusion Lens" ends up in NYPD custody, seemingly.
See Also