WONDER WOMAN: HISTORIA – THE AMAZONS
Gods of war
★★★★★
RELEASED OUT NOW! Publisher DC Comics/black Label
Writer Kelly Sue Deconnick
Artists Phil Jiminez, Gene Ha,
Nicola Scott
DC’S Black Label imprint has always put heavy emphasis on the visuals of its comics – especially those with “Prestige Format” oversized pages – but few of their series have pulled off the kind of impact that Wonder Woman: Historia – The Amazons delivers.
A sweeping saga from writer Kelly Sue Deconnick, this three-volume series is a dazzlingly crafted and thrillingly weird tale of gods, monsters and mythic heroines. It’s a story that takes us back to ancient Greece, and a confrontation between the goddesses and gods of Olympus. When Zeus refuses to alter man’s dominance over women, Hera and her compatriots rebel, secretly creating the Amazons – a race of female warriors – to correct this imbalance of power.
This decision has massive consequences, and results in a bloody conflict between the Olympian gods and the Amazons. While these three volumes eventually tie in with DC continuity, Historia has more in common with sagas like The Odyssey or The Iliad than traditional superhero action.
It’s no surprise that Deconnick is viewing history and myth through an explicitly feminist lens here, but what’s truly impressive is the emotional weight she brings to the story. It’s an often brutal portrait of the era, told with intelligence and sensitivity, and the mix of gritty detail, bloody violence and mythic wonder is frequently reminiscent of the best issues of The Sandman.
This is helped by the incredible visuals, with a different artist handling each 60-page volume.
The level of collaboration between Deconnick and each artist is clearly huge, with results that are never less than sensational. Gene Ha gives volume two plenty of atmosphere, and Nicola Scott crafts a strong emotional climax in volume three – but neither of them can quite top the energy and vibrancy of Historia’s first volume. Here, artist Phil Jiminez goes for broke on every level.
Only time (and sales figures) will tell whether Deconnick gets the opportunity to finish this saga – she has a further six volumes planned – but for now, Historia stands as a bold example of the level of ambition that more mainstream superhero comics should be aiming for. Saxon Bullock
Deconnick uses her middle name Sue for comics so that it’s always clear her work was written by a woman.
A thrillingly weird tale of gods, monsters and mythic heroines