Wonder Woman '77 Special #3

Issue Details

Synopsis

CLAYMATES While Wonder Woman prepares to fly a collection of Amazon artifacts back to Paradise Island, Clayface finds his body deteriorating from unknown causes. On advice from the Cheetah, Clayface stows away on Wonder Woman's invisible plane. As the plane lands, Wonder Woman discovers Clayface, but too late - the supervillain is able to reach Paradise Island, and absorb the enchanted clay on its beaches.  The enchanted clay multiplies Clayface's power, allowing him to fend off not just Wonder Woman but an entire company of Amazon warriors. The overconfident Clayface transforms into a colossus and swallows Wonder Woman whole, but this inadvertently gives his foe the upper hand: since Wonder Woman was born from the same enchanted clay, Clayface is now technically part of her body.   By concentrating, Wonder Woman takes control of Clayface and forces him to fly into a nearby volcano, then the ocean. The cooling magma hardens Clayface into an immobile lump of stone, which is promptly shipped back into Man's World and incarceration. ORION THE HUNTER Wonder Woman foils a gang of ivory smugglers, but is warned by Steve that the gang's overseas masterminds stand outside American jurisdiction. Unwilling to accept this, Wonder Woman travels to Africa to deliver a series of anti-poaching speeches, and collaborates with ISF agent Grace Mbesi to shut down the smuggling ring.   According to Grace, Africa's ivory smugglers have been consolidated under a single leader, who styles himself Orion the Hunter. She and Wonder Woman visit the estate of millionaire philanthropist Arthur Okadigbo for clues, only be held at gunpoint by Okadigbo's security forces; Okadigbo, in reality, is Orion.   Before Okadigbo's men can fire, Wonder Woman uses her Animal Empathy to summon a herd of nearby elephants, who violently attack the estate. In the confusion, Wonder Woman and Grace destroy all of Okadigbo's weaponry and subdue his men. Though the entire gang is arrested, both women admit the world still has no shortage of elephant poachers; before leaving, Wonder Woman delivers one final speech, urging all viewers to support the international ivory ban. REVEREND MIKE LOVES YOU Congressman Walter O'Brian, Diana Prince, and two aides are sent to investigate the Church of Mankind, a South American religious commune that several hundred have renounced their citizenship to join. Both the Church's members and its head Reverend Mike Brown insist that no-one had been coerced to join, but Diana's party remains unconvinced. In truth, the Church's members are under mind-control; Reverend Mike, along with the rest of the Church's staff, are extraterrestrials who intend to conquer the Earth and eat its inhabitants.   To allay the American government's suspicions, the Reverend tries to abduct and indoctrinate O'Brian, but is foiled by Wonder Woman, who throws him to his death after a lengthy battle. The Reverend's death breaks the mind-control, restoring the Church's members to normal. Wonder Woman then apprehends the Reverend's underlings, while one of O'Brian's aides confesses her love for him.