Warning: the actual books contain violence and gore.
Okay, okay, so Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons isn’t exactly an ancient Roman comic (if anything, it’s ancient Greek), but with the new release of Wonder Woman Dawn of DC series just recently, I thought I’d revisit this magnificent book.
Kelly Sue DeConnick wrote an absolutely thrilling and fresh take on the birth of the Amazons leading up to the birth of one Amazon in particular (we also learned a different take on the origin of Diana’s name).
There are two instances that make (or made) this book particularly relevant. When it was released, Queen Hippolyta was “murdered” and Historia being told partially from her point of view gave me all the feels. It was a respectful sendoff to a character that’s so rich yet underused.
The second one was the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Thanks to the corrupt US Supreme Court, the bodily autonomy of millions of Americans was taken away that day and there’s this charged conversation between Athena and Hera about women and injustice in the second book of Historia.
Hera: Do you really think your band of warriors will go unnoticed? That defiance of Zeus will go unpunished?
Athena: No. But I would like to forestall that inevitability long enough for women to see justice.
Hera: There will be no justice for women. Not now. Not a hundred years from now. Not a thousand!
(Emphasis are from the book)
The second book with this interchange came out around the same time Roe v. Wade was overturned.
However, since it’s a DC book, it doesn’t contain dicks. Well, there are dicks depicted on the pottery (including one hard one which you’ll see later), but the illustrators made sure the gods stay sexy in their togas and thongs.
Blurb for Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons:
The wait is over, and the entire story of the Amazons can finally be told! Millennia ago, Queen Hera and the goddesses of the Olympian pantheon grew greatly dissatisfied with their male counterparts… and far from their sight, they put a plan into action. A new society was born, one never before seen on Earth, capable of wondrous and terrible things… but their existence could not stay secret for long. When a despairing woman named Hippolyta crossed the Amazons’ path, a series of events was set in motion that would lead to an outright war in heaven – and the creation of the Earth’s greatest guardian! Legendary talents Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott unleash one of the most unforgettable DC tales of all time!
All the artists are in top form as the book offers one of the most lush illustrations in a comic from a mainstream American publisher I’ve seen in a long time.
As a matter of fact, we featured Nicola Scott’s Black Magic in one of our nerdcore posts a while back!
Some sources say this won’t be the last Wonder Woman Historia book and I sure hope they’re right!
Original title: Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artists: Phil Jimenez (book 1); Gene Ha (book 2); Nicola Scott (book 3)
Colorist: Hi-Fi, Arif Prianto, Romulo Fajardo Jr. (book 1); Wesley Wong (book 2); Annette Kwok (book 3)
Variant cover artists: Olivier Coipel, Alex Sinclair (book 1); Becky Cloonan (book 2); Yannick Paquette (book 3)
Letterers: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics Black Label (2022)
Dollsexposed showcases queer erotica, kink, fetish, and activism through twelve-inch doll photography. Their adventures in the doll world began in 2011 before establishing a home on dollsexposed.com eleven years later.
Dollsexposed's works have been displayed at Seattle Erotic Art Festival and Los Angeles Leather Getaway.