Wonder Woman: Earth One Volume 3

[Gaius]

Is Morrison using Prerez's take that the Amazons are women who died to ignorance of man and were resurrected in new bodies by Artemis? If so there is room to say that some of the Amazons were untransitioned transwomen and they were reborn in the bodies of the gender they identify as.

I haven't finished the first one Earth One GN. Does it get better? I like how Amazonian culture is depicted but I didn't like how Diana ran away from Themyscira with Steve and knowing about the reveal that her father is Hercules kind of put me off the book.

Yeah, I was actually kind of put off more by Hercules being the father than I was when Azz made Zeus her father in the New 52. While still a bad idea, it at least from what we saw there it seemed more consensual on Hippolyta's part there where as the circumstances in EO left kind of a poor taste in my mouth.

I've been lukewarm/cold on both books but like what SiegePerilous said, there's some ups and downs in both volumes.

[SiegePerilous02]

I think it being its own weird little side thing and not the main canon version makes it easier for me to accept the good and shrug off the bad. Not as easy to do with Azz's run at the time it came out.

Also helps IMO that these volumes always come out when there is a lull in the main comics, so they can't help but look better. Volume 1 came out during Finch (off of Azzarello) and volume 2 came out during Wilson, both were snoozers.

Yeah, I was actually kind of put off more by Hercules being the father than I was when Azz made Zeus her father in the New 52. While still a bad idea, it at least from what we saw there it seemed more consensual on Hippolyta's part there where as the circumstances in EO left kind of a poor taste in my mouth.

I've been lukewarm/cold on both books but like what SiegePerilous said, there's some ups and downs in both volumes.

Well in the Earth One books, Hippolyta did consent in a way, because the fathering of Diana wasn't done through sex/rape. Whether Hercules had already raped her, or if he just had planned on doing it before she killed him, either way it wasn't what resulted in Diana. The actual way is still needlessly weird and I wouldn't have done it (if it must be done, why not just have them have consensual sex before he betrays her? I picture a scenario like Xena's affair with Caesar before that went south), but some summaries out there that say Diana is the product of her mother being raped, which isn't true. These pages seem to offer some further clarification.

Also interesting that Hippolyta is confirmed to be Ares's daughter here, but Aphrodite in volume 1 implies that Hercules's son of Zeus reputation is a load of BS. So either Diana gets her divine strength from both parents or only from Hippolyta, so that at least gives us a bit of a leg up on the Daughter of Zeus stuff.

[Gaius]

I think it being its own weird little side thing and not the main canon version makes it easier for me to accept the good and shrug off the bad. Not as easy to do with Azz's run at the time it came out.

Also helps IMO that these volumes always come out when there is a lull in the main comics, so they can't help but look better. Volume 1 came out during Finch (off of Azzarello) and volume 2 came out during Wilson, both were snoozers.

Oh yes, on that last part we're in full agreement.

Well in the Earth One books, Hippolyta did consent in a way, because the fathering of Diana wasn't done through sex/rape. Whether Hercules had already raped her, or if he just had planned on doing it before she killed him, either way it wasn't what resulted in Diana. The actual way is still needlessly weird and I wouldn't have done it (if it must be done, why not just have them have consensual sex before he betrays her? I picture a scenario like Xena's affair with Caesar before that went south), but some summaries out there that say Diana is the product of her mother being raped, which isn't true. These pages seem to offer some further clarification.

Also interesting that Hippolyta is confirmed to be Ares's daughter here, but Aphrodite in volume 1 implies that Hercules's son of Zeus reputation is a load of BS. So either Diana gets her divine strength from both parents or only from Hippolyta, so that at least gives us a bit of a leg up on the Daughter of Zeus stuff.

Yeah, I don't think it'd be fair to call it rape (which I've admittedly made the mistake of in the past) but like you said it's rather needlessly weird/controversial which is what mostly put a poor taste in my mouth.

[I'm a Fish]

I could see Cheetah being snuck in as a reaction to Diana on all those magazines, like classic Pricilla getting jealous at Wonder Woman's fame and beauty and such.

[SiegePerilous02]

Yeah, I don't think it'd be fair to call it rape (which I've admittedly made the mistake of in the past) but like you said it's rather needlessly weird/controversial which is what mostly put a poor taste in my mouth.

Yeah, maybe it was a way to give homage to the clay birth (by shaping "clay of a sort") while also providing a biological father? Hippolyta conceiving Diana as a revenge against Hercules is lame, though at least she abandoned the plan very quickly by how it never even registered on Diana's end. Hippolyta was just the overprotective mother she usually is.

I could see Cheetah being snuck in as a reaction to Diana on all those magazines, like classic Pricilla getting jealous at Wonder Woman's fame and beauty and such.

Major missed opportunity if something like this doesn't happen. I can't see how they'd squeeze her in and Paquette responded to some fan at one point and said there were no plans for Cheetah.

I've rather see Morrison and Paquette do their take on Priscilla than Max

[chachi]

Book will end with some nugget, that hints at possible future volumes, just not with Morrison. Superman was the only other EO (so far) to reach volume 3 and there was enough there at the end to continue. I expect a Joker tease in Batman volume 3.

[Patrick_C]

Considering the first page is set years in the future, depicting an utopian global Amazon culture, I find that unlikely.

[Frank]

IGN has a lettered preview.

Thanks for the link! I like the challenge scene, but the rest has some awkward dialogue, with only Artemis sounding fairly natural.

[Vordan]

Considering the first page is set years in the future, depicting an utopian global Amazon culture, I find that unlikely.

Hah yeah spoilers:

This ends pretty definitively with Diana establishing a utopian matriarchy and spreading the Amazon Way. This book basically cements that all the Earth One books take place in their own separate continuities. Diana also gets a daughter who (if I understand things correctly) is a reborn Hippolyta? Very Donner esque “son becomes father and father becomes son” type take. Very Morrison in that the cyclical nature of storytelling is up front and present. It’s interesting to compare the happy endings he gives Superman and WW with the dark ending he gave Batman. Overall I think I enjoyed this volume the most. Maxwell Lord is Ares and the classic Marston villains are the final bosses. This ending definitely feels very Marstonian, warts and all.

end of spoilers

[SiegePerilous02]

Hah yeah spoilers:

This ends pretty definitively with Diana establishing a utopian matriarchy and spreading the Amazon Way. This book basically cements that all the Earth One books take place in their own separate continuities. Diana also gets a daughter who (if I understand things correctly) is a reborn Hippolyta? Very Donner esque “son becomes father and father becomes son” type take. Very Morrison in that the cyclical nature of storytelling is up front and present. It’s interesting to compare the happy endings he gives Superman and WW with the dark ending he gave Batman. Overall I think I enjoyed this volume the most. Maxwell Lord is Ares and the classic Marston villains are the final bosses. This ending definitely feels very Marstonian, warts and all.

end of spoilers

My thoughts as well. It was a mess, but it was a fun/pretty mess. It had too much crammed into it, but at the same time that "everything and the kitchen sink" vibe was part of the fun. I definitely feel like this is the best of the books with the least amount of caveats preventing it from feeling "Wonder Woman" enough.

Overall, there definitely isn't the same reverence here that they had for Superman or Batman in their runs, but I think there is still a lot of genuine affection for Wonder Woman in Morrison's story. Even if some of their ideas are under developed (the parallels of Amazon mind control vs. Psycho's) or outright misfires (daddy Hercules), there are highs to go along with the lows.

Some highlights for me

spoilers:

- If we have to put up with Max Lord, making him Ares and providing him with his own versions of Greed, Conquest and Deception makes it tolerable - The cameos from all the obscure Golden Age characters (including some minor villains) were delightful - Artemis is awesome, and I think this is the first kiss we get between her and Diana in a published DC comic - Loved Desira's world. Reinventing the other planets from the Golden Age as alternate Amazons who evolved differently and changed their respective Earths is a neat idea - Psycho's continued well deserved humiliation, even if Diana takes pity on him. Glad she didn't vibe with Desira's methods. - The entire future segment is being a tribute to the original Wonder Woman #7, and Steve leading the Love Police. And the ridiculous Manly. - A minotaur makes a cameo, and it maybe it's Ferdinand? - Donna/Troia is mentioned as Hippolyta's second daughter - Etta continues to be the best, and trolls Trump on Twitter - The Holliday Girls plan the future of the world, and that is amazing - "Lysistrata" - I don't really understand the journey to the Underworld or what Diana learned there to resurrect (??) her mother, but damn do Hades and Persephone have neat designs

end of spoilers

[Vordan]

Also Paquette is now a definitive WW artist for me. His art on this series has been gorgeous and innovative in a way I haven’t seen since George Perez. There’s so much worldbuilding in what he draws and the way he plays with panel layouts is great.

[SiegePerilous02]

Also Paquette is now a definitive WW artist for me. His art on this series has been gorgeous and innovative in a way I haven’t seen since George Perez. There’s so much worldbuilding in what he draws and the way he plays with panel layouts is great.

Yeah, he's joined the definitive artists for me along with Peters, Perez, Jimenez, Scott and Sharp.

[Vordan]

Yeah, he's joined the definitive artists for me along with Peters, Perez, Jimenez, Scott and Sharp.

For me I almost want to say he’s to WW what Quietly is to Superman: The artist

[king81992]

This was the best comic in the trilogy.

[Gaius]

I've tended to be more lukewarm on Paquette. It's good, not really arguing against that, but he's not really who I think of when I'm asked to envision Diana (Perez, Jimenez, Scott, Sharp, Cooke for reference).

Similar to other artists like the Dodsons and Chiang.