The Legend of Wonder Woman #1 Review!
Jondee here on Themysicra,
The Legend of Wonder Woman is written and drawn by Renae De Liz, one of the minds behind Womanthology and provided art for Peter S. Beagle’s fantasy novel, The Last Unicorn, for IDW. Here she promises nine issues covering her origin and using a title from a 1986 series by Kurt Busiek and Trina Robbins. The cover by De Liz has the soft lines, but molded into the warrior expression on Wonder Woman while having her girl self on Themyscira, the total looks like a book cover more than a comic book. The nine issues allow De Liz to gradually tell the story rather than peek at some back story before jumping into the super hero outfit. The comic begins with a cosmic perspective, a telling of the Greek myth that I’ve heard before, about the void and how love came to our world. It recounts how Hippolyta and her sisters forged a nation of women warriors. Then, Zeus in cloudy form with blazing eyes grants them immortality. This may be a nod to the Azzarrello version since the original Marston had only the goddesses responsible for the Amazons. Hera had the orchard of apples that granted immortality. The curse of immortality was that the Amazons could not give birth to children. Again, a departure with a raid by Hercules and Theseus with Hippolyta falling for Theseus.
Her betrayal of her people by their offer to be queen. After an attack on a Titan (ha!), Zeus builds an island and keeps Themysicra safe. Also, the Amazons are given the souls of chosen Amazons every ten years (this explains the ethnic diversity in the Amazons), this is something introduced in the George Perez run. Hippolyta, without her own child, runs away and collapses on a beach. Some other force besides the gods grants her a child made from the clay of the beach. This points to her original origin. A splash page shows a priestess calling up altar smoke to show her charges the dangers of the island outside of the palace walls. They all wait to be chosen at sixteen to priestesses of the twelve gods (including Troia, later Donna Troy, Wonder Girl!). The young girls are excited, except the restless girl, Diana. The others run off to play Centaur Invasion as Diana walks away into the hall shadows. Storm clouds gather around the palace as Hippolyta tends to her daughter’s hair. Diana is learning Saytr, Atlantean (she has a connection to Aquaman pre-New 52), Centaurian, and Gorgon as her language lessons, but has also learned Mandarin and English! The queen refuses to have her daughter learn to fight, again from the Marston telling. Her headstrong daughter tells her she doesn’t want immortality and the lessons are over.
Diana sees a golden feather fall at the palace wall and then sees the Amazon warriors in the arena taken down by the powerful Alcippe. Two of the warriors ride the giant kangaroos from the Marston Paradise Island. It looks like the strongest warrior is the model for Wonder Woman. Diana, like her mother, runs off into the woods. She sees a golden hind, another Greek myth figure, and follows it to the end of the island. There Diana sees a Hyperborean giant fishing, hippogriffs flying, and is blinded by Olympus. Pegasus lands, but is frightened off by the black mist that envelops Diana. She sees a pale head that resolves into another mythological beastie, a manticore! It is bashed by a mace wielded by Alcippe. She fights it off and Diana commands her to teach her how to fight. Alcippe walks away. Diana explains that she sensed something is wrong with the island. Alcippe gives her a dagger and then begins her training the next day. This is an incredible merging of different versions of Wonder Woman into whole cloth with beautiful artwork. De Liz captures the diversity of the Amazons from the George Perez time and also the look of lil’ Diana. Four loops of the Lasso of Truth out of Five!
