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Joye Evelyn Hummel (April 4, 1924April 5, 2021) was an American comic book author. She is noted for ghost-writing more than 70 "
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
" stories between 1944 and 1947. Hummel was 19 years old when she began as a typist for the comic. She went on to write its scripts after
William Moulton Marston William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947), also known by the pen name Charles Moulton (), was an American psychologist who, with his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth Holloway, invented an early prototype of the lie detector ...
fell ill, and stopped authoring the comics in the same year as his death three years later. Her contributions only became well-known in 2014 after she was interviewed for ''The Secret History of Wonder Woman''.


Early life

Hummel was born on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
on April 4, 1924. Her parents were managers of a grocery store chain, and she was their only child. She attended high school in
Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settlemen ...
, before studying at
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
. After one year, she
dropped out Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...
of college, intending to keep her mother company after her parents divorced.


Career

Hummel attended the Katharine Gibbs secretarial school in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, graduating shortly after March 1944. There, she excelled in a psychology course taught by
William Moulton Marston William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947), also known by the pen name Charles Moulton (), was an American psychologist who, with his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth Holloway, invented an early prototype of the lie detector ...
, the co-author of ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
''. He was swayed by the essays she wrote on a take-home exam, giving her the highest grades he had ever awarded to a student. He consequently employed her as his studio assistant after tea at the
Harvard Club Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan cler ...
. At the time, Hummel had never read a comic book, let alone ''Wonder Woman''. She initially worked on typing out the scripts, before going on to writing over 70 of them. She was remunerated with $50 for every script she wrote. When Marston became terminally ill with polio, Hummel took over. Her first story, titled "The Winged Maidens of Venus", appeared in the spring of 1945 in issue 12 of ''Wonder Woman''. Within three years of her in this writing role, the character became a major success. Hummel quit authoring ''Wonder Woman'' in late 1947 after her honeymoon, ostensibly to spend more time at home and care for her stepdaughter. She later revealed that she was aggrieved by how the comic's new writers eliminated much of the feminist themes championed by Marston, who had died earlier that year. She stated: "Even if I had not left because of my new daughter, I would have resigned if I was told I had to make onder Womana masculine thinking and acting superwoman." She subsequently became a
stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...
.


Later recognition

Hummel was the first woman to write stories for ''Wonder Woman''. At the time, she did not receive any recognition, since all of the initial comics were published under the pen name "Charles Moulton". Her contributions started to come to light after she was interviewed by
Jill Lepore Jill Lepore is an American historian and journalist. She is the David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and a staff writer at ''The New Yorker'', where she has contributed since 2005. She writes about American ...
in 2014 for her book ''The Secret History of Wonder Woman''. Hummel was consequently contacted by the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
, who asked her for the two packed binders containing the ''Wonder Woman'' issues she wrote. She also got in touch with
Mark Evanier Mark Stephen Evanier (; born March 2, 1952) is an American comic book and television writer, known for his work on the animated TV series ''Garfield and Friends'' and on the comic book ''Groo the Wanderer''. He is also known for his columns and bl ...
, who wanted to document the early years of comics. Hummel won the 2018
Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing The Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing is an American award for excellence in comic book writing. The awards committee, chaired by Mark Evanier, is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. ...
as a guest of honor at the
San Diego Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
. This was conferred on comic book authors who go under the radar at the
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
s, and is managed by Evanier.


Personal life

Hummel married her first husband, David W. Murchison, in 1947. Together, they had two children: Robb and David Jr.; the latter predeceased her in 2015. Her husband died in 2000, and she married Jack Kelly two years later. They remained married until her death, and resided in Florida during their later years. She adopted the married name of Joye Murchison Kelly. Hummel died on April 5, 2021, one day after her 97th birthday, at her home in
Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making i ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hummel, Joyce 1924 births 2021 deaths American comics writers Bill Finger Award winners Female comics writers Ghostwriters People from Long Island Middlebury College alumni