Wonder Woman #98 (1958, Silver Age New Origin)

Wonder Woman #98, published by DC Comics in May 1958, marks the transition of the Amazon Princess from the Golden Age to the Silver Age. It is recognized as the first Silver Age Wonder Woman, featuring a completely retold origin story and the introduction of the new art team that would define the character's visual identity for years to come. For collectors, it occupies an important position in the Silver Age key issue hierarchy.

What Makes This Issue a Key

Wonder Woman #98 carries several significant firsts that define its key issue status:

• First Silver Age origin of Wonder Woman: Writer Robert Kanigher completely revised and retold Wonder Woman's origin for the modern era, introducing continuity that would carry forward through the late Silver Age

• First Ross Andru and Mike Esposito art team in Wonder Woman: This creative duo's work defined the visual style of Wonder Woman throughout the late 1950s and 1960s

• Transition from Golden Age numbering: This issue bridges the two eras of the character in a single title that had been running since 1942

For collectors pursuing Silver Age DC keys, Wonder Woman #98 is in a similar category to other "first Silver Age" issues: it represents the moment when a Golden Age character was reimagined for a new readership and a new era.

The Creative Team

Robert Kanigher was one of DC's most prolific writers and editors of the Silver Age, responsible for shepherding Wonder Woman's transition. He rewrote the origin to emphasize Paradise Island, Queen Hippolyta, and the contest that sent Diana to Man's World, establishing the template that writers would use for decades.

Ross Andru and Mike Esposito became the signature art team for Wonder Woman, their clean, dynamic style perfectly suited to the character's combination of mythological grandeur and superhero action. Their collaboration on this title lasted well into the 1960s.

Condition and Rarity

As a 1958 DC comic, Wonder Woman #98 faces the full range of Silver Age condition challenges. The CGC census from the early 2010s showed only a single copy in VF 8.0, with none higher, making this one of the genuinely difficult Silver Age DC keys in high grade.

Condition factors for this issue:

• Cover staple holes: Silver Age DC comics often show oxidation around the staple holes, which bleeds into the cover

• Spine wear: The standard wear along the spine and spine staples affects grade significantly

• Page quality: Off-white to cream pages are typical for this era; brittle, browned pages indicate poor storage history

• Cover gloss: Original gloss on Silver Age DC books fades with handling; high-gloss copies are premium examples

Value Guide

Heritage Auctions noted that buyers should expect to bid near four times Overstreet guide value for attractive copies, reflecting the genuine scarcity of the book in any condition above well-worn.

Wonder Woman's Silver Age Significance

Wonder Woman #98 is important because Wonder Woman herself is important. She is one of the three foundational DC heroes alongside Superman and Batman, and her Silver Age transition book carries that same weight as the Silver Age origins of her counterparts. Collectors who build Silver Age DC key sets inevitably encounter this issue as a significant and often difficult acquisition.

The book also carries the appeal of being genuinely hard to find in high grades, a characteristic that drives sustained demand among quality-focused collectors.

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