Classic Wonder Woman: Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #1

(Copyright-DC Comics)

Welcome back once more friends of Themyscira, to another instalment of  Classic Wonder Woman, Precinct1313’s weekly comic cover countdown to the 75th anniversary of the amazing Amazon. The tantalising tale hidden behind this weeks captivating cover is titled “The Princess And The Power” released in February 1987, written by George Perez and Greg Potter, with cover and interior art by George Perez and Bruce Patterson.

It’s been a year since the last publication of a Wonder Woman solo comic, ending her titanic run on volume one and following on from the major reboot of the DC Universe in the “Crisis On Infinite Earths” saga, Diana returns once more in volume two. 

This classic comic sports an awesome George Perez wraparound cover that depicts the defeat and subjugation of the Amazon warrior race by Zeus’ son Heracles, who is aided and abetted by God of War, Ares.

With a brand new first issue comes a reworking of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazon’s backstory. A convocation of Greek Gods form in Zeus’ palace on Mount Olympus, where Artemis, Goddess of the hunt petitions Zeus to create a race of warrior women to lead mankind back once again, to the faithful worship of the Greek Gods. Zeus rejects the idea, and Artemis approaches Zeus’ wife Hera in private to get her blessing for the venture. With Hera’s support, Artemis gathers together Gods who are sensitive to her cause which include, Hermes, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena and Hestia.

Together these gregarious Greek Gods cross the famed River Styx and enter the Cavern of Souls (also known as the Womb of Gaea, the Earth Mother) and extract the souls of women who have died at the hands of man throughout the generations, and reincarnate them as Amazon warriors. One soul however is left in the cavern, and Athena professes that this one has a special destiny, but her time is yet to come. This soul will eventually become Diana, moulded out of clay on the shores of Themyscira by her mother Queen Hippolyta, and given life, once more by the pantheon of Greek Gods.

Join us again next week for another classic WW cover, my astute Amazonian associates!