Every character in this timeline is different from who they are in the main DC Universe. Wonder Woman is no different. Diana is like Moana and she is obsessed with seeing what is beyond the Island. She grabs a boat one day to sail beyond the mist shielding their home. A kraken attacks and this brings Wonder Woman face to face with the first man she has ever met in Aquaman. They remain friends for years going forward and even plan on getting married. When tragedy strikes at the wedding Diana's mother is struck down by an Atlantian spear thrown by Artemis and Garth is framed for it. This is truly a Game of Thrones styled story. Diana sacrifices her homeland and destroys Themyscira in hopes of killing all of the Atlantians along with Arthur. Because they are a people without a home the invade England take it over as New Themyscira. Meanwhile Arthur and Atlantis come up with a plan to get revenge and showcase their power. They sink mainland Europe but the Amazons raise the British Isles up high. Mera discovers where Diana is going to be and set out on her own to end this war. But Wonder Woman beheads Mera and and keeps the helmet as a trophy. This drives Aquaman mad leading these two to the final showdown in battle. It was revealed that Artemis did not act alone in creating this conflict but that she and Orm have been manipulating one another's sides to bring us to the point of madness. By the time Wonder Woman and Aquaman find out the damage is already done.
This volume also showcases the origin of Aquaman in this new reality. It starts off with how the Atlanteans came into the possession of power that can sink and entire continent. We have seen the death of Mera from multiple points of view in this story and it truly reminds me of Game of Thrones as a mentioned earlier because we are shown the emotions and motives from both sides of the conflict; the drama is high here. Aquaman's origin is different in that he is not raised entirely on land like in the main DC Universe but instead as soon as he becomes a teenager Atlanteans barge into his home and kill his father and take him away. This reinforces that a lot of what made Aquaman the hero we know and love today needed that influence from his father. The Aquaman and Wonder Woman stories are mirror images of each other and work quite well together painting a complete picture.
The next story is titled Lois Lane and the Resistance. Lois Lane is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and in this case nothing has changed. Lois and Jimmy are in Europe when the disaster strikes and Jimmy is washed away. The Amazons arrive to rescue female and child survivors if you are male you are S.O.L. Great Britain has been turned into an occupied fortress by the Amazons. The refugees are taken to detention camps and brainwashing centers assimilate the refugees. Right away Lois sees that there is something wrong with this and goes looking for answers. She comes into to possession of a piece of tech that she thought was from Jimmy but was really from Jimmy but was really from Cyborg. This leads her to the resistance in Britain. The resistance is a group misfits that is lead by Grifter. This group and Lois Lanes story is quite intense and interesting. In the end one of England's greatest heroes returns in Britannia. Britannia has her showdown with Wonder Woman while Lois Lane puts out a call to all of the heroes for the final showdown.
The final story in this volume is about the Outsider. This book gives us the origin of the Outsider This is an interesting story because of who the Outsider is, he is a villain. Seeing how the Terrifics are portrayed in this story and how the DC Universe is twisted is just amazing. Black Adam plays a prominent role in this story as the Outsider is going on a quest to see who has set him up and is playing him. At every turn you expect one of the other characters to take down the Outsider because of the prior knowledge. But at every turn he comes away unscathed even when he goes up against Martian Manhunter. All of this takes place between the call that Cyborg made to the heroes at the beginning of Flashpoint and the final showdown.
Wonder Woman is an amazing character for all of comics & this addition to DC Comics Earth One line is a breathe of fresh air in many respects. Now Wonder Woman has had countless origins since she was created her New 52 origin being the most memorable to date. With a Wonder Woman movie just on the horizon which has an awesome trailer released over the summer. This volume again explores Wonder Woman's origin but its not just the retelling of the origin that is amazing its everything else in the book. The inclusion of the tale of Hercules & the Amazons, the re-imagining of Steve Trevor as an African American Pilot on a recon mission even the artistic style that is used to portray Diana is echoes the origin as a warrior woman instead of busty female form that people associate with women in comics. All of this adds to the tale that master storyteller Grant Morrison has crafted. Grant Morrison is known for delving into a characters rich history & mining it for everything it is worth. Wonder Woman is no different & she has a very rich history in this instance I think that Morrison has not only researched her past but the life of her creator. There is a lot of symbolism in this book many of which can be taken in a negative light when taken out of the context of the story especially when viewing Wonder Woman in chains. If you are at all interested in Wonder Woman pick up this book, after reading this I am interested in what inspired her creation in the first place.
It took me awhile to return to this character but I finally made room for it in my reading schedule. The volume was a quicker read than the previous one & I am really beginning to like where everything is leading. Wonder Woman & company head to hell, again the re-imagined gods of the Greek Myths are a real selling point for this title. Azzarello's writing is only improving with each issue. The cliffhanger at the end of this volume make the previous one seem like a drop in the center of pond instead of glass of water.
For someone that is unfamiliar with Wonder Woman beyond that fact that
she is an amazon & has magic bracelets. This is one of the titles
of the DC's New 52 that it is a perfect jumping on point. This title reads a lot like a Greek myth set in modern times, similar to Fables; mixed with just a few God of War
story elements. The re-imagined gods look & work well within this
artistic style & Brian Azzarello’s writing is the best its been
since 100 Bullets. The cliff hanger at the end is a really a nice set up for next volume.
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