She wants to be the very best, like no one ever was.
We've seen a number of revisionist takes on Wonder Woman's origin story in recent years, whether it's the digital-first series The Legend of Wonder Woman, Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott's flashback storyline "Year One," or Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette's graphic novel Wonder Woman: Earth One. At this point, you might think that there's no new spin left to put on such a familiar, well-trodden tale. But with Wonder Woman: The True Amazon, writer/artist Jill Thompson proves how wrong that assumption is.
In many ways, Thompson doesn't dramatically rock the boat with this graphic novel. Many of the basics are in place as she explores the early history of the Amazons (their wars with men, their flight to Paradise Island) and the birth of Diana Prince. However, there are two major and crucial changes here. The first is that Steve Trevor is completely absent from the narrative. He makes no appearance in the story and doesn't factor into Diana's eventual decision to venture into the world of men. That plays into the other, even more significant alternation to the mythos. Thompson breaks from tradition by portraying Wonder Woman as a heavily flawed character.
Essentially, Thompson's story rejects the notion that Diana is inherently the most noble, selfless and heroic member of the Amazons. She instead posts that a girl born of divine intervention and raised as the only daughter of Queen Hippolyta would be spoiled and pampered, growing from an unruly child to a princess accustomed to getting her way in all things. For much of this book, Diana is written as kind of a jerk. So the question becomes, how does Diana cast aside her selfish ways and become the true embodiment of the Amazonian ideals?
It's a terrific wrinkle to a familiar mythology, one that's more than a little reminiscent of Marvel's version of Thor. The idea is the same. Diana is born with incredible powers, but she lacks the humility that makes a true hero. This book traces her journey as she slowly comes to terms with that hole in her life. That slow, sometimes painful evolution is highlighted through Diana's friendship with a quiet, obscure stable girl named Alethea. That Alethea's name is taken from the Greek word for "truth" or "disclosure" is no coincidence. Alethea is the one woman on Paradise Island who isn't impressed by Diana's background or valiant deeds, and that compels Diana to strive to impress her humble friend. So even as the story focuses on immortal warriors battling ancient monsters, it also offers a very down-to-earth story of one headstrong young woman trying to become a better person.
This is a really clever, and maybe even necessary addition to the Wonder Woman mythos. Diana has always served as an ideal to aspire towards, but she isn't necessarily the most relatable hero in DC's lineup. This revamped approach to her origin makes her a more flawed character. She's prone to making mistakes and ignoring the consequences of her actions as any teenager is. It also lends a strong dose of tragedy to her origin story. Honestly, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see The Last Amazon influence future Wonder Woman stories down the line.
The Last Amazon also succeeds on the strength of its sweet, innocent charm. There's a very fairy tale/storybook quality to this graphic novel, right down to the fact that it opens with the line "Once upon a time..." It also boasts a playful, whimsical tone that isn't dissimilar to Thompson's work on the Little Endless Storybook graphic novels. I don't know if I would go so far as to describe this book as family-friendly (there is some violence and a couple allusions to rape early on), but there's definitely a wholesome charm you won't find in something like Wonder Woman: Earth One.
Thompson's art certainly furthers that storybook quality. Her figure work is elegant and very expressive. Never is Thompson's emotional range more evident than when a young Diana cycles through her mood swings and shifts from giddiness to sadness to spite at the drop of a hat. The character designs are striking, particular the revamped take on Wonder Woman's costume (which also inspired a nifty statue from DC Collectibles). Thompson's action scenes also pack quite a punch. There's a strong sense of energy to her pages and a very clear, easy flow from one panel to the next. But the real highlight is her use of watercolors. The watercolors give the book a distinctive, sentimental feel and real sense of weight and texture.
The only job Thompson didn't tackle on this book is the lettering, but Jason Arthur more than carries his end of the bargain. Arthur relies on several different fonts and balloon styles over the course of the issue. The narration boasts an archaic font and faded yellow caption boxes, while the dialogue is more plain and straightforward. That is, until a character launches into a drunken rant and her dialogue lettering becomes off-kilter to reflect her physical state. As with every aspect of the book, the lettering is impeccably crafted.
Pacing tends to be the big, recurring problem with superhero graphic novels. Too often these projects feel cramped and compressed without the serialized format of monthly comics to let the story breathe. The True Amazon is better than most in that regard, but the ending is still abrupt and slightly underwhelming, especially considering how great the story is until the very end. I wish Thompson had devoted at least a few more pages to exploring Diana's first journey into the outside world and the better, more noble hero she becomes. But, hey, that's more justification for a sequel.
The Verdict
The True Amazon proves that it's always possible to put a fresh new spin on a familiar story. This graphic novel adds some significant new wrinkles to Wonder Woman's origin, wrinkles that emphasize the human side of this Amazon warrior. And it's all wrapped up in an attractive, elegant package that showcases a creator working at the top of her game. Wonder Woman fans need to add this book to their collection.
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