Changes

In 1938 the most famous of the comic characters - [[Superman]] - debuted, marking the beginning of the Golden Age of comics. This was followed up a year later by another massive success, [[Batman]].  Rivals Fawcett Publications and Timely Comics would follow with their own successes, [[Shazam|Captain Marvel]] and [[Captain America]], respectively.  Created with the superheroes were titles devoted to graphic horror, sex, true crime, and so on, and the biggest group of readers were kids, particularly young boys.  Naturally, critics would enter into the fray, with newspapers less than two years following Superman's creation calling them a "national disgrace." "Ten million copies of these sex-horror serials are sold every month,” wrote an editor at the ''Chicago Daily News'', who called for a ban on them all.<ref>http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/origin-story-wonder-woman-180952710/#CBIuJkzetIBymJRm.99</ref>

In 1938 the most famous of the comic characters - [[Superman]] - debuted, marking the beginning of the Golden Age of comics. This was followed up a year later by another massive success, [[Batman]].  Rivals Fawcett Publications and Timely Comics would follow with their own successes, [[Shazam|Captain Marvel]] and [[Captain America]], respectively.  Created with the superheroes were titles devoted to graphic horror, sex, true crime, and so on, and the biggest group of readers were kids, particularly young boys.  Naturally, critics would enter into the fray, with newspapers less than two years following Superman's creation calling them a "national disgrace." "Ten million copies of these sex-horror serials are sold every month,” wrote an editor at the ''Chicago Daily News'', who called for a ban on them all.<ref>http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/origin-story-wonder-woman-180952710/#CBIuJkzetIBymJRm.99</ref>

Maxwell Charles Gaines was the co-publisher of All-American Publications, a small company with a number of successful titles, in part due to the financial backing of Henry Donenfeld, CEO of National Allied Publications and Detective Comics; all three would eventually combine into DC Comics.  To counter the critics in 1940, Gaines brought in a psychologist of some repute to act as a consultant, Dr. William Moulton Marston, the inventer of the [[polygraph]].  That summer a staff writer for ''Family Circle'' Magazine, Olive Richard, visited Marston at his home and asked him his expert opinion about comic book controversy, specifically the torture, sadism and other cruelties sometimes found in the books.  "Unfortunately, that is true," Marston stated, "but when a lovely heroine is bound to the stake, comics followers are sure that the rescue will arrive in the nick of time. The reader’s wish is to save the girl, not to see her suffer.”<ref>http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/origin-story-wonder-woman-180952710/#CBIuJkzetIBymJRm.99</ref>

Maxwell Charles Gaines was the co-publisher of All-American Publications, a small company with a number of successful titles, in part due to the financial backing of Henry Donenfeld, CEO of National Allied Publications and Detective Comics; all three would eventually combine into DC Comics.  To counter the critics in 1940, Gaines brought in a psychologist of some repute to act as a consultant, Dr. William Moulton Marston, the inventor of the [[polygraph]].  That summer a staff writer for ''Family Circle'' Magazine, Olive Richard, visited Marston at his home and asked him his expert opinion about comic book controversy, specifically the torture, sadism and other cruelties sometimes found in the books.  "Unfortunately, that is true," Marston stated, "but when a lovely heroine is bound to the stake, comics followers are sure that the rescue will arrive in the nick of time. The reader’s wish is to save the girl, not to see her suffer.”<ref>http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/origin-story-wonder-woman-180952710/#CBIuJkzetIBymJRm.99</ref>

Marston then suggested to Gaines that a female character be created, because he wanted to make sure there was a female alternative to male superheroes, who he didn't think served as the proper role models for girl readers.   

Marston then suggested to Gaines that a female character be created, because he wanted to make sure there was a female alternative to male superheroes, who he didn't think served as the proper role models for girl readers.