There have been many retellings of Wonder Woman's origin; this one stands out with some good plot and character twist -- meshing older elements with newer ones -- and nice art. ( )

Just found out that DC cancelled the next part of this story and I'm devasted because this book was stunning and I really want to know where the characters are going from here. I'm glad I read the other origin series first because while good, it doesn't hold a candle to this one. This is the Diana I know and love and treated like the source of love in the world that she is. Also happy with how Steve Trevor comes out as I've always loved his character and a lot has been done to him over the years.

Dammit, I want more! ( )

If I rated this volume on artwork alone, it would easily be 5 stars. Some of the panels are truly stunning and rich in detail. But, when Diana leaves the island of Themyscira and encounters Etta in the U.S., it loses a ton of momentum and charm. ( )

While I appreciate the attempt to bring back some of the original elements of Wonder Woman's origin story (kangas, the Holliday Girls, World War II), I really really really do not need yet another Wonder Woman origin story. I especially don't need one with turgid and tedious prose and a plot that made me want to bang my head against the wall. It took me three days to push through this mind-numbing tome. Not a good use of my time. ( )

If I had ever known the origin story for Wonder Woman as a child, I had completely forgotten it in adulthood. It is a marvelous story and one that is well told in this beautiful rendering by Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon. I love that Diana (Wonder Woman) is the daughter of the immortal god, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, given life out of clay by Gaea. She is born on Themyscira, a planet for the immortals, where her mother hopes she can live an immortal peaceful life. However, Diana senses she has another purpose in life and begins warrior training in secret with Alcippe. A mortal, a fighter pilot named Steve Trevor, lands on Themyscira as part of a plot by Ares to overthrow Hippolyta. His plan is foiled when Diana wins the tournament and is named champion. Diana accompanies Steve Trevor by boat to the boundary between Themyscira and Earth, but ends up being pushed out of Themyscira to Earth herself by Poseiden.

On Earth, Diana is befriended by singer, Etta Candy, who takes Diana under her wing acclimating her to life on Earth. Etta follows Diana to France to aid in the war effort during WW2, where Etta will sing and Diana will work as a nurse. Diana goes there in pursuit of an evildoer that is raising the dead Axis forces that are told to destroy the remaining Allied forces. The man in command of the destruction wears the baetylus, which Diana immediately recognizes as a sacred item of her mother’s.

Diana becomes a WW2 heroine as both a civilian and Wonder Woman. She is a fighter for truth, more often than not, impairing her enemies by showing them the truth with her lasso than actual physical harm. She is willing to give up a normal life to protect life on Earth. This is a coming of age story for the young Diana Prince, who must discover who she is, where she came from, and what her purpose must be.

This is not my usual genre, so I thank Book Riot Read Harder 2017 Challenge for pushing me outside of my usual comfort zone. This was a stunning book, one I had a hard time putting down. I have renewed respect and love for the heroine, Wonder Woman, and am so glad I was able to get to know her better through this graphic novel. I highly recommend this everyone! The combination of Greek God background and WW2 hero made this entirely compelling.

The movie Wonder Woman was released in the United States on June 2, 2017. Did you see it? I have not yet seen the movie, but I plan to watch it and write a follow-up post in reaction to it. An interesting fun fact is that, in October 2016, the United Nations named Wonder Woman a “UN Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.” Two months later she was dropped from her role, following a petition. ( )