Covergirl: The juxtaposition of Wonder Woman bathed in firelight and grey ghostly Siracca hovering, a dark specter behind, the smoke from WW’s torch becoming Siracca’s hair becoming a skull – the image conveys a lot about the narrative, which isn’t always the case with a cover.
Take my favorite Cliff Chiang cover of all time, Diana pulling an Old West, firing away. The image is strong, and bears little relationship to the narrative other than figuratively describing Diana’s modus operandi in the book (blazing in with all guns firing).
This cover nicely references the narrative: With Diana leading the way, the sisters push out of the dark/toward truth together.
Ramble: The poolside scene at Apollo’s cheesy Hollywood Mt. Olympus continues to delight. The eternal mad bickering of the gods, their simultaneously lofty and mundanely ridiculous discussions, are for me one of the greatest joys of this book. Every time a new deity appears, my brain skips a happy little skip.
The last few books have introduced several new gods, all unique: Dionysus, foxy and hip in the manner of a nightclubbing city boy; the child Siracca, at once eerie and pitiable; Zeus’ mysterious firstborn, a god with boulders for muscles, stomping around Antarctica in the altogether.
I’ve loved the crazy Olympians since they first appeared, but it’s taken me 13 to understand what about Diana makes her strong. I’ve always grasped that she stands apart: The recipe for superheroes includes a solitary existence, and the Joy of Cooking Superheroes’ appendix offers up no substitutions for this ingredient.
But Diana also possesses a fierce and stable sanity, lacking in most of the Bedlam-worthy characters surrounding her. Her physical strength, moral superiority, lack of vanity, and focus each are heightened by the fact of her rational mind.
I’ve read 5 female superheroes for more than a year, seeking a superheroine worthy of my daughter’s emulation. At this point, how could I not want my daughter to be Wonder Woman? We’d go to Athleta and splurge on some snazzy yoga pants that would allow her to move while also negating the need to fret about the bikini line, and also I’d like to see some reassuring straps affixed to the top of the bodysuit.
Apart from the sartorial details, Wonder Woman’s near flawless, and while that might not make her a super best friend (can anyone thrive standing next to perfect?), it makes for a superior superhero.