THEM! (comics)

THEM! is a fictional gang of hippies created by Mike Sekowsky, and artist Dick Giordano for DC Comics. They are based in New York City and are one of the antagonists of Wonder Woman. The main members of the gang were Top Hat, Moose Momma and Pinto. They first appeared in Wonder Woman #185 (November 1969).

History
In the issue of their first appearance, Wonder Woman owned a mod boutique operating under the alias Diana Prince. One night when she returned, she found a young blonde girl, Cathy Perkins, who screamed, "Oh, dear GOD -- I thought you were THEM!"

This gang had offered Cathy a room in their apartment after she had run away from her family. She began to notice belongings of hers disappear and was eventually was told to wear a dog collar, was beaten, and was made to do their housekeeping tasks.

Eventually, she escaped when only one of the members was present and had fallen asleep; and then she hid in Wonder Woman's store. The gang continued to try to reclaim Cathy on several occasions, and vandalized Wonder Woman's store and merchandise.

One night, as Wonder Woman was contacting the Missing Persons Bureau (hoping to reunite Cathy with her parents), THEY set fire to Wonder Woman's boutique, and Wonder Woman and Cathy escaped

Afterward, Cathy is reunited with her parents, and becomes Wonder Woman's assistant. The gang does not appear again.

Members
The gang has other various unnamed members throughout their territory, as well as a male ally named Mingo who attacks Diana and Cathy on the streets.
 * Top Hat - The leader of the gang wears a costume resembling that of a pimp, circus ringleader, and Victorian opera goer. It is a green suit paired with a frilly yellow top and contrasted by a purple cape and top hat. She runs the gang and traps her slaves in collars.
 * Moose Momma - A large, strong woman who wears biker's clothing accented with gold costume jewelry.
 * Pinto - The third main member of the gang, who dresses like a cowboy from the Old West.

Creation
Wonder Woman editor/writer/penciler Mike Sekowsky once stated that he fully intended for these characters to be perceived as disturbingly kinky homosexual women. He also revealed that he came up with this lesbian-less cover design to avoid attracting the undue attention of the Comics Code Authority.

Wonder Woman: Black and Gold
THEM! appears in the anthology series Wonder Woman: Black & Gold. In the story "Whatever Happened to Cathy Perkins?" by Sina Grace, Top Hat, Moose Momma and Pinto briefly fight Wonder Woman after being summoned to the Mod-ly Modern boutique by a magical artifact.