Etta Candy

Etta Candy
Etta Candy in The Legend of Wonder Woman #14 (2016), art by Renae de Liz and Ray Dillon.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Historical: Sensation Comics #2 (Feb. 1942) Modern: Wonder Woman #2
Created by	William Moulton Marston H.G. Peter
In-story information
Full name	Etta Candy
Team affiliations	A.R.G.U.S.
Supporting character of	Wonder Woman

Etta Candy is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as the best friend of the superhero Wonder Woman. A spirited, vivacious young woman with a "can do" attitude, Etta first appeared in Sensation Comics #2 (1942), written by Wonder Woman's creator William Moulton Marston. Enrolled in the fictional Holliday College for Women (and often accompanied by her fellow students, "the Holliday Girls"), Etta would become a constant feature of Wonder Woman's Golden Age adventures, effectively functioning as both the hero's plucky sidekick and her best friend in Man's World. Unapologetically proud of her plus-size figure (and vocal about her love of sweets), "Etta's appearance was a stark contrast to the svelte, wasp-waisted women depicted in most comic books, and Etta was a brave and heroic leader who was always in the thick of the fight beside her friend Wonder Woman." Though appearing less frequently in the Silver and Bronze Age, Etta was a recurring presence in Wonder Woman's supporting cast throughout both periods. She would be re-imagined in March 1987 by comics writer/artist George Pérez as part of his reboot of the Wonder Woman mythos. This version, a former Air Force captain and intelligence officer, appeared consistently throughout Wonder Woman's post-Crisis adventures.

In her 1940s introduction, Etta Candy is a sickly malnourished woman Wonder Woman discovers at a local hospital. [Note, this version is from the Wonder Woman comic strip and written after Etta's first appearance in the comic books.] When next seen, Etta is transformed into a spirited, rotund young woman who has a great love of candy. When Wonder Woman asks her what caused her sudden health and rather large size, Etta tells her that she was rejuvenated by eating lots of sweets. With her newfound confidence, Etta Candy soon after leads the fictional Beeta Lambda sorority at Holiday College and aids Wonder Woman in her adventures, first with a hundred other girls she helps Wonder Woman to take over the Nazi base of Doctor Poison without endangering Steve. Throughout her adventures with Wonder Woman she is known for her moxie, her love of candy, and for her trademark call "Woo! Woo!" (A catch-phrase derived, in part, from exclamations associated with comic actor Hugh Herbert and Curly Howard of The Three Stooges. Other versions of the character have been known to say "Woo! Woo!" and according to at least one version it is a sorority cry at Holiday College.) Other familiar characteristics included her junky car nicknamed Esmerelda, and a variety of sassy interjections, such as: "For the love of chocolate!"