'Wonder Woman' #7.
Harry G. Peter was an American comic artist, who enjoyed a long career, yet did his most famous work when he was already over 60. He was the first artist to draw the iconic superheroine 'Wonder Woman' (1941- ), created and scripted by psychologist William Moulton Marston. Peter designed both Wonder Woman's iconic look as well as several other major protagonists and antagonists in the franchise. He drew in a slightly naïve and stiff style, but was a kindred spirit to Marston's feminist ideals. He helped bring Marston's theories to a wider audience and laid the foundations of the Wonder Woman universe at DC Comics. Peter also illustrated 'Wonder Woman' scripts by Marston's co-writer Joye Hummel and Robert Kanigher. His comics have additionally gained infamy for their unintentionally hilarious and bizarre sexual innuendo.
'Wonder Woman' #29.
Early life and career
Harry George Peter was born in 1880 in San Rafael, California, as the son of a tailor. At the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, he made his first newspaper cartoons for the San Francisco Chronicle. Two of his possible early features can be 'Alkali Bill' (also known as 'Slippery Ike', August-December 1902) and 'Animal Circus (November 1902), both distributed by the San Francisco Bulletin and credited only to "Peter". During this period, he met the female cartoonist Adonica Fulton, who worked for the San Francisco Bulletin. They got married in 1912 and also had a professional relationship. The couple made several illustrations for The New York American and Judge, influenced by the elegant linework of Charles Dana Gibson. Peter was notable for supporting women's rights in a time when this was still contested. He made various illustrations for 'The Modern Woman' (1912-1917), an editorial of Judge magazine which supported the suffragette movement. In addition, he assisted on Bud Fisher's newspaper strip 'Mutt and Jeff'.
'Diamond Smugglers', from Hyper Mystery Comics #2.
Comic book career
Harry G. Peter's earliest comic book credits were the features 'Commodore Ambord' and 'Diamond Smugglers' in the two sole issues of Hyper Mystery Comics, published in 1940 by the obscure imprint Hyper Publications. Through the packager Funnies, Inc., he drew stories with superheroes like 'Fearless Flint' and 'Man O'Metal' for Famous Funnies, Heroic Comics and Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics, titles published by Eastern Color Printing in the 1941-1943 period. He returned to this company in 1949-1950 with several "Heroic True Life Stories" for New Heroic Comics. In 1941, Peter also adapted the life of U.S. general George C. Marshall into a comic book story, published in the fourth issue of True Comics (September 1941).
'Fearless Flint', from Famous Funnies #92.
Wonder Woman
At All-American Publications, one of the companies that later merged into DC Comics, Harry G. Peter did his most important comic book work, visualizing the 'Wonder Woman' character. The artist's role in this superheroine' is often overlooked or downplayed, since writer William Moulton Marston was such a colorful personality who created the franchise's entire mythos. Peter followed his strict orders, particularly regarding the feminist messages and bondage scenes he needed to portray. Howver, he played an equally significant part in the character's succes. Harry Peter designed Wonder Woman and gave her her iconic outfit. Marston had no hand in this and only instructed that she had to look "as powerful as Superman, as sexy as Miss Fury, as scantily clad as Sheena the Jungle Queen, and as patriotic as Captain America." When Peter presented his preliminary sketches, Marston only suggested changing her shoes. The artist also designed several recurring characters, including Wonder Woman's mother Queen Hippolyta (1941) and Wonder Woman's best friends Mala (1941) and Etta Candy (1942), as well as her love interest Steve Trevor (1941). He also came up with recurring villains like the Nazi baroness Paula von Gunther (1942), the god of war Ares (1942), the misogynistic Doctor Psycho (1943), jealous philanthropist Cheetah (1943) and the teleportation expert Angle Man (1953, co-created with Robert Kanigher).
'Wonder Woman' #2. This comic panel depicts Hitler chewing the carpet in anger, a common image in many Allied war-time propaganda comics and cartoons. It stemmed from a misinterpretation of the word 'Teppichfresser', used by William Shirer who claimed Hitler once started "eating the carpet in anger". The English translator at the time took this term literally, while it actually ought to be understood as a proverbial way of saying he started walking up and down over the carpet in a restless mode.
Odd and zany style
For 17 years, Harry Peter was the prime illustrator of 'Wonder Woman', and he is credited with nearly every early story in All Star Comics, Sensation Comics and the character's own comic book. Between 1941 and 1949, he drew every book cover of the series. Numerous scenes feature (female) characters being tied up, bound down, gagged or featured in other submissive poses. These were literal illustrations of Dr. Marston's theories regarding women. He felt women were superior to men and destined to one day rule the world. Yet since they were "submissive by nature", the best way to reach empowerment would be by "acting submissive". Peter obediently drew everything as it pleased the writer. This controversial element of the early 'Wonder Woman' stories nevertheless gave the comic an unintentionally odd and hilarious look. Although Peter had an eye for detail, he drew in a naïve style. Facial expressions are often dead-eyed, anatomic proportions don't always match up and action scenes have a stiff look. Under the pen of actual BDSM artists, scenes in which Wonder Woman engages in bondage might have looked lewd and disturbing. But in Peter's drawings, these scenes have a more happy and innocent feel, giving his work an ironic cult following among fans of unintentional comedy.
Still, not all of Peter's 'Wonder Woman' stories look silly. He also drew the daily 'Wonder Woman' newspaper comic (1944-1945), for which he sometimes redrew panels he created for the earliest 'Wonder Woman' comic books, but with more eye for detail and dynamism. Compared to the original, the newspaper version had less emphasis on zany imagery, particularly regarding bondage scenes. And even taking the BSDM imagery in consideration, it is still impressive how Marston and Peter managed to create a commercially successful comic series geared towards young audiences, despite all the erotic innuendo.
From the 'Wonder Woman' newspaper strip.
Final years and death
In 1947, writer William Moulton Marston died of cancer. Harry G. Peter survived him by 10 years and continued drawing 'Wonder Woman' until he was fired in 1957. Artwork of the series was then handed over to Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Harry G. Peter died a few months later, in early 1958.
Recognition
A Harry G. Peter panel from 'Wonder Woman' inspired Roy Lichtenstein's 'Reflections: Wonder Woman' (1989). In the wake of the success of the first 'Wonder Woman' movie by Patty Jenkins in 2017, Harry Peter was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame that same year. His comics were named an influence by Peter & Maria Hoey.
Secondary literature
For those interested in the history of 'Wonder Woman', Jill Lepore's book 'The Secret History of Wonder Woman' (Knopf, New York, 2014) is a must-read. Another recommendation is Noah Berlatsky's 'Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948' (Rutgers University Press, 2014).
'Wonder Woman' #5.