Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons (2021-) #1

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Why Hera hasn't joined them and what it all has to do with a female baby that is supposed to be left in the wold because her family can't afford another daughter, we'll find out in the subsequent books, I guess.

So I came in a good ways through William Messner-Loeb’s run (1992-95). He’s one of our more underrated writers, someone who focused on the human element of his stories at all turns. I was buying as much for the Brian Bolland covers as anything else, truth be told, but you probably could have guessed that. And I bought it through the Mike Deodato period at the tail end of Messner-Loeb, because I generally had and have no problem with Deodato’s art. Very dynamic, even then. And then he passed the torch to John Byrne (1995-98) - and I’m not going to lie to you, I enjoyed that run very much. At least the first half. The second half had a surprisingly strong Roy Thomas vibe. Lots of continuity work that not a lot of people ever wanted to deal with. But the first half was a dedicated fight book, where Byrne tried to prove a point: that Wonder Woman is really damn strong and should maybe have a big fistfight once in a while. I don’t think the visuals of this book could ever be adapted faithfully, given how perfectly Historia uses the comic medium. However, I think it could be the inspiration for the creatives behind Paradise Lost to develop their own visually-stunning style that is tailor-made for live-action. I would especially like to see the character designs of the Gods and Goddesses carry over. This is one of the best issues of a comic I have read all year, if not the best. And even if you dont agree with that assessment, after having read this you'll see that its creators have made quite a hearty stake for that claim.

The main draw to Historia is the art. This book looks different from most other titles on the shelves today. Phil Jimenez’s art is intricate, striking and at times feels ethereal. The art is perfect for this format and worth the cover price alone.

I’m glad I gave the book an honest shot. Kelly and Phil have great chemistry and I do not doubt that Historia will be a complete epic by the end of the series.After the unreality of the first volume and the oft-muted twilight of the second, Nicola Scott gives us a climax in the full light of day. Annette Kwok’s colors are vivid and rich, lively and natural in a way that seems to exist in a balance between the first two, very different issues. The gods themselves even make note of the artistic change, as creatures of the aether pulled gradually but implacably into the realm of flesh and blood by the restless affairs of man. The artistic evolution of these three chapters makes literal the descent from myth down through legend and finally history. That process of historical descent was familiar to the Greeks themselves - from ages of gold to silver and bronze, and finally the age of man.