Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons

[Gaius]

American Born Chinese & 9 Other Eisner Winners That Need Adaptations



https://www.cbr.com/american-born-ch...ia-the-amazons

Influencing future WW content would be nice but for a direct adaptation I once bring up I think an animated film with each "book"/section all done in different art styles would work and capture the spirit of Jimenez, Ha, and Scott all bring their own styles to the books.

Also just got my shipping notice for my pre-order.

[Vordan]

KSD has a Reddit AMA planned on June 6th

[bardkeep]

Influencing future WW content would be nice but for a direct adaptation I once bring up I think an animated film with each "book"/section all done in different art styles would work and capture the spirit of Jimenez, Ha, and Scott all bring their own styles to the books.

Also just got my shipping notice for my pre-order.

I saw the new Spiderverse movie this past weekend (which was INCREDIBLE) and was thinking about how Historia absolutely lends itself to the "multiple art styles" approach. I don't think it'd need to be done sequentially though - I think the biggest thing would just be that Olympus, the original Amazons, and the 7th tribe Amazons all have unique styles, and you could use the Greek vase style for parts of it. Maybe you could even do each of the gods/goddesses was done in a unique style (e.g. Hera as sort of Art Nouveau glam, Hecate as kind of surrealistic/abstract, Athena as very statue-like, etc).

[Gaius]

I saw the new Spiderverse movie this past weekend (which was INCREDIBLE) and was thinking about how Historia absolutely lends itself to the "multiple art styles" approach. I don't think it'd need to be done sequentially though - I think the biggest thing would just be that Olympus, the original Amazons, and the 7th tribe Amazons all have unique styles, and you could use the Greek vase style for parts of it. Maybe you could even do each of the gods/goddesses was done in a unique style (e.g. Hera as sort of Art Nouveau glam, Hecate as kind of surrealistic/abstract, Athena as very statue-like, etc).

Yeah, the first Spiderverse movie where what I was thinking of whenever I bring the idea up and when I was reading Ha's BTS stuff on how he hid Artemis in the foliage I think would also work nicely in animation.

[WonderScott]

I have Historia in digital form, but am really looking forward to my hard copy tomorrow.

I moved to digital a few years ago, because it was getting difficult to store all my issues, but some things you just need a physical copy of.

[HotBoy]

Historia fan art:

https://twitter.com/ElvinChing/statu...16353279946752

[WonderScott]

Historia fan art:

https://twitter.com/ElvinChing/statu...16353279946752

Wow - really, really beautiful!

[HotBoy]

Kelly Sue DeConnick is currently live on Reddit answer your Historia/Wonder Woman questions!

https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/co...abel/?sort=new

[Gaius]

Kelly Sue DeConnick is currently live on Reddit answer your Historia/Wonder Woman questions!

https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/co...abel/?sort=new

Some answers of interest;

Hi Kelly Sue, thank you for taking the time to do this!

Historia notably draws from lots of sources, both classical and from Wonder Woman past in terms of content and structure. How do you balance respecting these influences and breaking away from them to tell your own unique story? Were there any moments while writing Historia that proved difficult to write?

I also just want to thank you for Wonder Woman Historia, it's an absolutely astounding book. Each issue brought me to tears at least once. It's the book I've always wanted for Wonder Woman's mythos, and in my opinion the most fully realized modernization of the feminist themes behind her creation yet. I hope we get to see the rest of the series!

You're so kind, thank you.

Different bits were hard to write for different reasons, but Hippolyta's run at the end of Book One was probably the hardest. I was up all night trying to get it right -- and I am not a late-night person. That sequence was just painful to sit with; I think I wanted to escape it as much as she did.

It's interesting -- I'm prepping to teach a Writing for Dancers class and so I've been thinking a lot about thinking with the body. That sequence was a very physical, visceral experience.

I’m a big, if fairly recent, fan of your work so I was thrilled to see you were doing this AMA! Historia is possibly my favourite WW book (and I’m a huge WW fan), and I love the rest of your work like Bitch Planet and Aquaman as well.

My first questions is simply, do you have any plans for a follow up to Wonder Woman Historia?

On a related note, I was wondering if there were any unused ideas for Bitch Planet that you ended up working their way into Historia given that the two have (very loosely) similar concepts?

Lastly, I remember an afterword in Bitch Planet where you discuss the tricky place of violence, how it can have catharsis in fiction, but is also a poor solution in the real world and yet it proves to be historically crucial in making the world better (for lack of a better word). I personally went through these thoughts when reading Historia. The initial violence of the Amazons while ‘justified’ left me unsettled if it was a notion of ’endorsement’, but as the story goes on the acts of violence become ones of uncertainty and necessity rather than absolute justice. I guess that ended up more praise than an actual question, but I’d be interested if you had anything more to say on the matter.

I love that you're interrogating those ideas! Yeah, it's complicated, isn't it?

I mean, comics -- superhero comics specifically -- externalize conflict as violence. Fights and action sequences are a vital part of the genre.

And you know, Phil and I talked a lot about this -- he initially (and I hope he comes here to correct me if I'm putting words in his mouth) was uncomfortable with the Amazons as violent agents. My argument was two-fold -- 1) they're defined and identified as warriors. Yes, violence should be the last resort, but when it comes time, that is expressly the role of the warriors; and 2) This is fantasy. I am a five foot tall woman who has always kind of looked like a child. I can teach any man in any room about violent fantasy, I promise you. The notion that women are somehow above rage or violent fantasy is dehumanizing. A pedestal is just another kind of box.

I've seen comparisons to Historia & the legendary run from George Perez.
Was there inspiration used to pull from that run ?

Oh absolutely. A million times yes....The Well of Souls is directly from Perez.

Who is your favorite DC character and what work are you proud of most.

Already answered the DC characters question upthread (though... does Hera count as a DC character now? Because if that's the case then HERA).

Picking a book I'm most proud of is impossible, alas. I'm incredibly proud of the work we all did on Historia -- but am I more or less proud of it than I am of Bitch Planet? Or Pretty Deadly? Or Captain Marvel? Or Aquaman? No... I mean, in every one of those projects there are highs and lows and places where I think we did something special. And I tend to focus on the effort over the outcome, so as long as we had a point of view and took big swings I'm happy; the results are for someone else to evaluate.

I could pick some I'm bits *not* proud of -- or some choices I'm not pleased with in retrospect, I guess, but I learned from them, so I suppose they were necessary.

Hey Kelly Sue thanks for swinging by,

I have two questions. Was this segment Historia always meant to end with the birth of Diana? I had a thrill seeing the gods bless her from the clay once more and was always curious how that endpoint influenced the rest of the work.

Also, best Aquaman look?

Yes. Book Nine, if we get to go that far, ends with Steve Trevor landing on the beach. It ends with the inciting incident that is where Wonder Woman's story traditionally begins.

What was the first Wonder Woman Story you experienced? So comic, animated or live action

The Linda Carter TV series, I think? I'm 52, and I'm pretty sure I watched the TV show before I read the comics. My mom started buying me comics at the base Stars & Stripes bookstore in Germany, but that would have been when I was about 9, so yeah, probably the TV show first, then maybe the Super Friends cartoon, then the comics.

Hey! Thank for you doing this AMA! My question is are the other volumes of Historia which were initially discussed set to be continued or has the series ended?

I think they're still on the table? Last I heard there was interest, but I haven't been given a greenlight. I suspect sales of the HC will determine whether we move forward or not, but I don't know for sure.

Never hurts to tell DC you want them if you do!

Thanks for doing this. What "Hero" characters from Marvel/DC would you not ever want to write for and why?

I'm fairly notorious for not wanting to write Batman, but when I was given the opportunity to work with JRJR and Klaus Janson on Batman, I took it BECAUSE JRJR AND KLAUS. So maybe it's all about the collaborators.

The why is that I just don't like Batman and it's not fair to the characters or the fans to write something you're not into. Get out of the way and leave it to someone who has the proper respect.

wait what holy ****. hi

First of all, Historia fucking rips. It's the first Wonder Woman title in a while that really grabbed me.

Questions-wise, how different is the process of working on a long-haul book like Historia compared to your standard monthly title?

Holy **** and hi to you too!

Very different -- being able to take the time to really collaborate and think things through is just bliss. And the 64-page issues give us the space to really make a meal of the story. Suits my natural pacing instincts much better than 22 pages, unfortunately. (Or fortunately?)

What does Wonder Woman mean to you, and how has she influenced or impacted your life?

She's the most important feminist icon of the 20th century, so she means a lot ot me. I'm not sure I know how to answer the second part. The first comics I read were Wonder Woman comics and I've made my career in comics, so I guess she's impacted my life pretty profoundly.

Hey Kelly Sue, we spoke over e-mail. Thank you so much for coming out here to join us!

When developing the background and story for Wonder Woman Historia, what kind of research did you do? What sources, both historical and fictional, influenced your work?

[SiegePerilous02]

Got my hardcover today. Looks gorgeous. We unfortunately did not get the uncut versions of Phil's design notes, and I was really hoping we would. It's just a re-print of the back matter from the first issue.

Some notes and minor spoilers from DeConnick's pitch document:

spoilers:

- Hippolyta was originally part of the Amazons the goddesses created - Hera doesn't interfere out of fear of Zeus, it's not clear if she has a long term plan against him. She still gets punished by Zeus anyway, and it seems she creates Diana in reaction to that. - The goddesses are forced by Zeus to join in the battle against the Amazons - In the redacted info for Book 2, it sounds like Hippolyta will be able to free the Amazons from being under the Gods' thumbs, and Antiope plays a role - In Book 3, Hippolyta strikes a deal with somebody and the Mothers do something

end of spoilers

[bardkeep]

Still waiting for my copy to arrive at my LCS, can't wait!

Looks like the HC is killing it on the Amazon sales charts at the moment though. #1 new DC release, #2 DC book overall (behind only Watchmen), #5 fantasy GN across all publishers (including manga). Fingers crossed.

[Sebastianne]

Some answers of interest;

thank you Gaius, your transcripts are always welcome!

Glad to concur with some Kelly Sue reading.
I have read (in my language) and recommend Circe, Song of Achilles, A thousand ships, Silence of the girls and The Amazons by Adrianne Mayor.

[Gaius]

thank you Gaius, your transcripts are always welcome!

Glad to concur with some Kelly Sue reading.
I have read (in my language) and recommend Circe, Song of Achilles, A thousand ships, Silence of the girls and The Amazons by Adrianne Mayor.

Thanks!

Yeah, I have a few of those also (Gates of Fire).

[Gaius]

Very interesting reading the early pitch, sounds like it started much closer to the traditional WW backstory; no Hera, Hippolyta was part of the founding generation of Amazons,

[SiegePerilous02]

Once they determined Hippolyta was going to be a midwife, it seems they re-purposed her original introduction and gave it to Penthesilea. The pitch mentions Hippolyta was the first to emerge.

Would this mean she was the Demeter queen?