Publisher's Weekly Review
Thompson's (Sandman) retelling of the origin of Wonder Woman settles the story squarely in Greek mythology. The Amazon women, led by Queen Hippolyta, are driven from their home in a bloody war with Herakles. With the establishment of a peaceful, paradisiacal nation on the island of Themyscira, Hippolyta longs only for one thing, a child. The gods grant her wish and provide a daughter, who is doted on and loved by every woman on the island. Diana grows up strong, brave, beautiful, and spoiled rotten. When her recklessness leads to a terrible accident, Diana learns to face consequences for the first time. The pages are painted in gorgeous, detailed watercolors. The racially diverse Amazons live in palaces of white marble and dance in gardens overflowing with flowers and fruit. Though the narration often tells exactly what the artwork shows, giving some pages a repetitive feel, this is a solid introduction to Wonder Woman and her world that will appeal to all ages. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* With Wonder Woman bringing her bulletproof bracelets to the silver screen in summer 2017, DC is offering a bounty of material featuring the character, who turns a vigorous 75 this year. Thompson's effort, however, will stand unique in this pantheon, for she spins a story both lyrical and thrilling and weaves it together with passionate, characterful illustrations. Always honoring the humanity within her fantasies, Thompson renders Wonder Woman's body in realistic though athletically impressive proportions and grants her an exquisitely expressive face, exalting the heat and depth of her feelings. Remolding the Amazon's origin as fairy tale, Thompson draws from Greek myth to create a recognizable aesthetic and culture and imbue the allegory with grandeur and ferocity. Princess Diana is born from her mother's longing and the sympathetic tears of the Olympian gods. As she grows, so do her incomparable skills, her unrivaled courage, and her overbearing arrogance until, in the midst of the great Amazonian contest of skill and strength, she impetuously unleashes horrific calamity. Providing Diana with this poignant motivation for her superheroic deeds affords her complexity and accessibility heretofore mainly absent. Wonder Woman's story has always had epic scope, but Thompson manages to transform the tale, as she did Spider-Man's, from simple heroism into heroic tragedy.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In this work by Eisner Award winner Thompson (Scary Godmother), we learn of the life-altering events that force Princess Diana, who would later become Wonder Woman, to leave the Amazon island paradise of Themyscira. Growing into a self-indulgent and shallow leader, she causes a tragedy that brings suffering and an end to her sister's life, forever changing the course of her own. Rather than sentence Diana to death, Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta banishes her daughter as punishment for her crimes. During Diana's exile and quest for atonement, she discovers that she can be a hero not only for herself but also for her Amazon siblings, ultimately finding her strength as Wonder Woman. Thompson's art is soft and magical, atypical of superhero comics. In her capable hands, this work provides insight into the early years of the heroine and is a solid addition to the stand-alone stories of her character, a callback to DC's refreshing "New 52" series originally spearheaded by writer Brian Azzarello and artists Tony Akins and Cliff Chiang. Verdict A riveting take on Wonder Woman's origin story, this True Amazon will please fans of both the superhero and writer/illustrator Thompson.-Teresa Potter-Reyes, Helen Hall Lib., League City, TX © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
