I just saw some scans from Adventure Comics #397, where Supergirl teams up with Wonder Woman. However, of interest is that a couple of times during the story, Supergirl uses super-telepathy to get information from people. Was this some power she had temporarily, or was it simple an editorial mistake?
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Never knew she could do that. Of course Diana could send mental messages through her tiara couldn't she?
That was the Mike Sekowsky Era of Supergirl. It was very wonky!
It was one of the frequent editorial mistakes that cropped up in DC comics in the post-Silver Age, and particularly in the early '70's, when the Young Turk writers didn't bother to reference the old material because they "remembered" the comics they read.
Giving Supergirl telepathy was one of the most egregious. In that same company were having gold kryptonite take away her super-powers only temporarily (Adventure Comics # 400 [Dec., 1970]) and making the Phantom Zone a planetary location that could be reached by rocket ship (ditto).
Other errors: Superboy communicating with Krypto by telepathy (Superboy # 163 [Mar., 1970]), Guy Gardner being a back-up Green Lantern (Green Lantern # 87 [Dec., 1970-Jan., 1971]), and Doctor Mid-Nite possessing no sight at all, but instead, remaining hyper-senses á la Daredevil (Wonder Woman # 235 [Sep., 1977]).
There were many others, but those were the first ones to jump to mind. DC had some lazy writers and editors in the '70's.
That was part of the mind-blowing Sekowsky run, in which he took the concept of not following continuity if it hurt the story to its extreme. He did not feel bound by anything that went before.
A few issues later, in #400, he had the villain fly to the Phantom Zone planet, where criminals from all over the galaxy are kept, overcome the guards and release three prisoners, including a magical leprechaun. They later captured Supergirl by covering her in gold kryptonite dust, which took away her powers until she got away from it, at which time they returned.
Issue #400 won one of the first Mopee Awards, in which I mentioned that super-telepathy thing in #397. It's reprinted in the legendary Baby Boomer Comics, so you can pull out your copy and read all about it.
I think Diana contacted her invisible plane through her tiara so it knew when to pick her up. In the GA, she stored the plane in a barn near Washington. I don't remember if they ever got around to saying where she kept it on Earth-1. I think she also used it to send JLA emergency signals. I don't think she could use it to mentally talk with people.
-- MSA
In the Golden Age, Wonder Woman could contact Paradise Island by mental radio. She contacted the Holliday Girls that way a few times, too. I don't know exactly what the "mental radio" was, or what limitations it had, any more than I know what a "purple ray" is.
I don't think Mental Radio was ever defined, but I always loved the concept. If I were ever asked to write Wonder Woman comics, I'd include mental radio. I always assumed it was simply a magical way of sending specific thoughts to specific people--they couldnt read your thoughts, only what you actually transmitted.
In a world where one of her major villains was a giant egg, Mental Radio makes perfect sense.
Captain Comics said:
I'm pretty sure Bela Lugosi used a purple ray in one of his 30s films. Phantom Creeps possibly.
He starred in "The Invisible Ray" in 1936. It was in b&w so the ray could have been purple when it wasn't invisible.
True fact: WW actually *created* the purple ray to heal Steve, then turned it over to Paula. So without Steve and WW's amazing array of skills, Paula would've been just another reformed Nazi and Donna Troy would be just another orphan.
-- MSA
After checking Michael Fleisher's Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes: Volume 2 Wonder Woman, it seems that anyone can send a "telepathic message" but you need the mental radio to receive it!
And the only people who had a mental radio in America were Wonder Woman, Etta Candy, Steve Trevor and, *ahem* Diana Prince!
Forget Supergirl and Wonder Woman. Black Canary also had telepathy...for one issue. Written by Robert Kanigher, of course.
Hoy
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