Wonder Woman in The Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection (1996)

Short history lesson. The modern comic book industry peaked in 1992, the bubble burst in the spring of '93, and a precipitous decline followed year after year throughout the rest of the decade. Desperate to stop the bleeding, the Big Two North American super-hero comics publishers set aside their differences to unite against this threat to their market. This massive cooperative also happened during a brief period when both companies were being run by fans/creators who could set their egos and rivalries aside to make true a lifelong dream, spearheaded by former co-workers Mike Carlin at DC and Mark Gruenwald at Marvel (probably the latter's last great accomplishment in the field before his untimely death at just 43 years old.)

DC Versus Marvel #1 launched a four issue mini-series in December of 1995, in which two cosmic "brothers" representing the individual publishers' universes become aware of each other, and engage in a proxy war between the super-humans of their respective continuums in an existential conflict. As I recall, there were a total of 10 decisive matches, 5 determined in-house, and 5 voted on by readers. Marvel predictably won, but rather than let the DC Universe "die," three entities within the story worked to merge the two universes into an amalgamated one to "save" both. For one week across twelve one-shot titles, as well as a tie-in card set (two if you count 1995's Fleer DC vs. Marvel Comics,) this (more) fabricated single universe of Amalgam Comics was documented. The seeds were also planted for a means to divide the universes again, and to reach a stalemate between the cosmic "brothers" to allow for continued publication of the lines. There were two additional total universe crossover mini-series, a second slate of one-off Amalgam Comics, and a bunch of isolated inter-company crossovers. Then corporatism and aggressively competitive choads took over the individual companies around the turn of the century, and we waited another couple of decades to get Marvel and DC talking about this sort of thing again.

In another sign that this was as much about unleashing the inner child of the participants as it was corporate synergy, Wonder Woman managed to score two titles in the initial Amalgam Comics wave. In the imaginary history of Amalgam Comics, the property had "54 years of continuous publication", which would mean 1942 at the time. That aligns with the real world release of Sensation Comics, which appears to be Astounding Comics in the Amalgam Comics continuity. Things get quite muddy from there though, as the heroines of the two titles seem too Modern Age inclined to support over a half-century of continuity. I'd guess that the event reflects a new continuity that spun out of a more recent rebooting event, such as Secret Crisis of the Infinity Hour.

What we do know is that Ororo was introduced in 1975's Giant-Size Tales of the Amazons #1, having been rescued from drowning by Queen Hippolyte as an orphaned toddler. From there, the related ongoing series offered bifurcated 12-page stories of Princess Diana of Themyscira and her now-adopted sister Ororo. Diana saw Ororo as an interloper and a non-Amazon outsider whom she fought with throughout childhood (at least from Ororo's perspective, in her first-ever spin-off solo series.) Eventually, a contest was organized to determine which of the Amazons would serve as an ambassador to Man's World. However, Diana refused to follow her mother's rules, and left her island home to explore "Man's World." This took her first to Wakanda, whose ruler Bronze Tiger gifted her Adamantium bracelets from his country's exclusive supply of the unbreakable metal. Also armed with a mystical bow, the Princess ended up in New York City, where she became Diana Prince, Freelance. That seemed to frequently be shortened to just "Prince." She eventually made the acquaintance of the Spider-Boy antagonist sometimes called The Punisher. Marine Captain Trevor "Castle" Castiglione was on leave when his wife and children were murdered by gangsters right in front of him. Going AWOL, Castle sought murderous revenge against the mob, at least until he met Prince during a mutual encounter with the Pelt Man. "Doomed by an ancient ritual to change into the form of a blood-thirsty cheetah, Billy Minerva now takes out his bestial anger on beautiful people- clawing their faces to scar them as horribly as he's been scarred!" Prince and Castle became an item, married, conceived a son (Ryan,) separated, and reunited after their child disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Ororo won the initial contest, and claimed the title of Wonder Woman. She seemed to prefer working solo, refusing overtures from male-led super-teams, presumably a bias from her Amazonian upbringing. I could go a lot deeper into her origin story, especially because wires got crossed and we ended up with numerous cards drawn by Stuart Immonen devoted to her connection to Poseidon (including an especially ridiculous solo card.) However, that's also the focus of Amazon #1, so we'll save those details for later. Following the cancellation of Tales of the Amazons, "Amalgam Comics finally gave the fans what they wanted- the Amazon brawl of the century, where it was plain to see that Ororo's mutant weather-manipulation and Diana Prince's god-given abilities made them perfectly matched combatants." This coming from the text of the 1996 SkyBox Amalgam Classics Power Blast limited edition foil-etched trading card #6 of 9. The image purported to be the cover of Amazons: The Contest #1, dated "June, 1995," and is the Steven Butler image presented in the scan from the Amalgam Age of Comics TPB. Unusually, this was an homage to a cover produced by Mike Deodato Jr. exclusively for the trade paperback collection Wonder Woman: The Contest, rather than a regular comic. Anyway, that card text indicated some sort of draw, but the fake letters to Amazon #1 stated that Ororo was the definitive winner, as was the case in DC Versus Marvel.

The four issues of Amazons: The Contest also featured the teaming of longtime villains Professor Psycho, Panthera, Circe, and Giganta. Wikipedia supposes that they combined Doctor Psycho/Professor Power, Pantha/Feral, Circe/Sersi, and Giganta/Gargantua, while sourcing the obscure and dated internet reference site The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. I strongly question the validity of this citation and its presumptions. For instance, the Pelt Man is pretty clearly Cheetah + Jigsaw, as referenced on Amalgam card #50 (art by Yancy Labat.) Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was apparently key to the resolution of the mini-series.

As mentioned, some of this information was conveyed through mock letters columns that ran through most of the one-shots, including Amazon #1. I couldn't find my copy of Bullets and Bracelets #1 in my shelved comics under the letter "B" or in the Wonder Woman section, in my uncollecting short boxes on top of the shelves, or in the Wonder Woman boxes at the bottom of my closet that were covered in stacks of still-packaged toys that I had to displace throughout the room. The things I do for you people, or more accurately, my obsessive tendencies. There wasn't a letter column for Bullets and Bracelets scanned online, and I don't own The Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection, so hopefully that was one of the ones that got skipped during initial publication. Also, I don't have any other ancillary material that might have been in that trade paperback, which is why I'm relying on the trading cards. What is nice though is seeing the card art mostly unmolested in the tpb reproduction, like Butler's details unobscured by a gimmick, or joining two-card images into a smooth whole.

Spirit of Truth & Justice (2001-2007)

Episode #14

Look for us on iTunes, ShoutEngine or the Internet Archive, where you can also directly download an art-tagged MP3.

JLMay 2017-- The Justice maxi-series Podcast Crossover Event is over, but Frank offers a bitter little pill of an epilogue as he discusses Alex Ross' Wonder Woman work in Kingdom Come along with synopses of Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth (2001) and Justice (2005-2007).

From here follow JLMay 2017 to these fantastic podcasts! Each will cover a different issue of JUSTICE and each will come out in May! And don’t forget to use the hashtag #JLMay when discussing on social media!

1. Aquaman and Firestorm: The Fire and Water Podcast ep. 193
   
2. Super Mates 70: The Husband & Wife Geekcast!
   
3. The Idol Head of Diabolu: A Martian Manhunter Podcast #30
4. Views from the Longbox Episode 263: A somewhat regular podcast about comic books.
5. Pulp 2 Pixel Podcast: Secret Sagas of the Multiverse #26
6. The LanternCast Episode #279: The Foremost Green Lantern Podcast on the Internet!
7. Shazamcast: Earth's Mightiest Captain Marvel Podcast
8. Comic Reflections (Weekly Discussion of Gold, Silver, and Bronze age Comics)
9. Silver and Gold 28: The Booster Gold and Captain Atom Podcast
10. The Power of Fishnets 22: The Black Canary and Zatanna Podcast
11. Waiting for Doom (The Doom Patrol Podcast) Episode 95
12. Justice’s First Dawn: A Classic Justice League of America Podcast

This episode's non-paying advertisers:

• Trekker Talk A fan podcast devoted to the adventures of 23rd century bounty hunter Mercy St. Clair from the pages of Trekker comics by creator, writter, and artist Ron Randall
• Coffee & Comics Podcast with Caffeinated Clinton Robison

We don't have a Magic Sphere, so if you want to communicate with us about the podcast...

• Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or commune with @rolledspine as a group.
• Email Diabolu
• If the main Diana Prince as the New Wonder Woman blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

Justice Volume Three (2007)

• 2006 Wonder Woman: From Bruce Wayne's private files in the Batcomputer
• 2006 Cheetah: From Bruce Wayne's private files in the Batcomputer
• Justice Volume One (2006)
• Justice Volume Two (2007)

"This is a costly and compromised war. You are like me, but must disguise yourself as one of them. It disgusts me to look at you." Giganta was dressing in a black evening gown for a formal celebration of the Legion of Doom's presumed victory, as Gorilla Grodd continued to lecture her. Soon enough, the Hall of Doom was raided by heroes garbed in protective armor against Brainiac's miniature mind-controlling robotic worms. Wonder Woman's was especially hideous amongst a motley collection of fashion faux pas, and further couture demerits for Giganta destroying her elegant wear in favor of growing into her usual leopard print. At least Giganta was in the fight for the duration, whereas Cheetah joined other lesser Legionnaires in being tied up with Plastic Man (literally.)

Outside, possessed teen heroes, including Wonder Girl, fought the Doom Patrol. Donna choked Elasti-Girl with her lasso. Wonder Woman spent some time tangled up in Clayface before he was called away on another matter, and Cheetah managed to evacuate to the city she controlled via transport tube.

This issue demonstrates the difficulty of juggling so many characters and plot elements. Wonder Woman pretty much drops out of the story from here, save two limp moments in as many issues, and Wonder Girl is just trotted out for a cameo.



Metamorpho, Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter all teamed up on Giganta, but she would not fall, and instead took the battle outside with Hawkman and Hawkgirl joining the fray. Green Lantern John Stewart freed everyone from Brainiac's mind controlling bugs, including Wonder Girl. Giganta persevered, until Elasti-Girl sucker punched her.

Wonder Woman didn't visibly contribute to the burly brawl, and it even looked like Superman freed her from some rubble at one point. The Armored Amazon almost tangled with Solomon Grundy, but Green Lantern's destruction of Brainiac's mind-controlling technology removed the need. Wonder Woman was consoled by the rescued Steve Trevor, but did not remove her armor. Per Princess Diana's standard operating procedure, Donna Troy was nowhere near her. Wonder Girl joined the Teen Titans and other heroes in liberating the innocents trapped in Scarecrow's creepy city, instead.

Call Justice what you like (I'd use "stupid, boring, pretentious, ponderous, and overall amateurish" in regards to the storytelling) but at least it respected Wonder Woman's villains. Cheetah was scary in earlier issues, and Giganta took on a whole host of JLA-listers. Too bad the Amazing Amazon herself was butchered in this series, overcompensating for her hawkishness in Kingdom Come through victimization here.



"I head the team that goes to Cheetah's city. Superman should not have put me in charge of this. I don't know how long I have left. How long before the Centaur's Poison undoes the blessing of the gods?" Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Batgirl, the Flash and Plastic Man went with Wonder Woman to the African-style plain, but she sent them away to evacuate. Diana sensed that they were being hunted, and wished to draw out and distract the Cheetah while the others did good.

The former Priscilla Rich lunged at the former Amazing Amazon, tearing her armor. Diana removed her helmet to show the poison's handiwork, giving her cracked obsidian "skin" like molten rock and a wicked case of alopecia. "You can't hurt me anymore, Priscilla... Did you really think I would be patient forever? Did you really think I would let you take away the very people I left Paradise Island to serve? Did you... Cheetah?"

See what she did there? See, Brainiac was going to turn everyone in the cities into Coluan organic robot thingees and Diana had all this compassion for Priscilla's mental breakdown but then the villainess crossed the line and Diana called her by her evil name and ooo sick burn! Also, Diana blocked one swipe of Cheetah's claws with her bracelets, then headbutted her unconscious, implying that Cheetah was a wimp who had only succeeded in the initial poisoning through Diana's misplaced grace. Way to neuter the kitty cat.



The Flash helped Wonder Woman walk across a Plastic Man bridge as they led the exodus from Cheetah's city. "We'll stop this curse, Diana. We always do. We'll figure out a way. You don't have to die."
"They're safe, Flash. Don't worry about me. They're safe."

Nine pages later, Wonder Woman reappeared in a spread located on a Paradise Island beach. Diana had suffered death by reversion to clay #34, so Queen Hippolyte prayed to the gods, who restored Diana as part of a fresh mound of pale clay, leaving a black ol' husk behind. If the subtext is troubling, add to it the fact that Superman had spent the prior two pages reviving a helpless Zatanna through CPR after she nearly died in outer space. Were any male heroes rescued from certain death by heroines? Heck, there weren't even any non-female heroes at the brink of death in the rest of the series. Aquaman had a chunk of his brain carved out and just grew it back while laying on an operating room table. I should also mention that Diana 2 was of course naked, and that neither Steve Trevor nor Donna Troy were present at the revival ceremony, because it's all about maintaining the integrity of the character with these guys.

I guess the moral of the story was that Diana was naive to think Cheetah's soul was salvageable, so once Diana was willing to give Priscilla up to damnation, the princess could herself be saved. All, she's selfless and stuff and things. Gods, what I'd give to re-segregate the DC Universe and allow creator's concepts to remain true to their intent. Praise Hestia I don't have to read any more of this pretty ugly self-important vacancy.

"Justice, Vol. 3," collecting the last four issues of the 2005-2007 mini-series, was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Podcast: Who is Wonder Woman? (2006-2007)

Episode #12

Look for us on iTunes, ShoutEngine or the Internet Archive, where you can also directly download an art-tagged MP3.

This episode we look at the first four issues and only annual from the 2006 volume of Wonder Woman, written by film co-screenwriter Allan Heinberg and drawn by Terry & Rachel Dodson. Introducing Agent Diana Prince of the Department of Metahuman Affairs and featuring every Wonger Girl, as well as a slew of other heroes in cameos. For Martin Gray's Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special #1 review, visit TOO DANGEROUS FOR A GIRL!

Transcripts:
• Wonder Woman #1 (August, 2006)
• Wonder Woman #2 (September, 2006)
• Wonder Woman #3 (October, 2006)
• Wonder Woman #4 (February, 2007)
• Wonder Woman Annual #1 (2007)
• “Backstory” (2007)
• Who is Wonder Woman? TPB review

We don't have a Magic Sphere, so if you want to communicate with us about the podcast...

• Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or commune with @rolledspine as a group.
• Email Diabolu
• If the main Diana Prince as the New Wonder Woman blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

Podcast: DC's Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special (2016)

Episode #9

Look for us on iTunes, ShoutEngine or the Internet Archive, where you can also directly download an art-tagged MP3.

Along his way to covering DC Comics' special issue released to commemorate the Amazing Amazon's three-quarters of a century in action, Diabolu Frank lost his way and stumbled into so many outtakes from the 75 Birthdays-- The Secret Origins of Wonder Woman episode recording sessions that it became a second special its own self.

R.S.V.P. Attendees

• Ryan Daly from Power of Fishnets, Give Me Those Star Wars, Midnight…The Podcasting Hour, & Batman Knightcast
• Dr. Anj from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
• Ruth & Darren Sutherland from RaD Network podcasts Trekker Talk, Xenozoic Xenophiles, & Warlord Worlds
• Matthew from Radio Free Themyscira: A Wonder Woman Podcast
• Angela from Wonder Woman: Warrior for Peace Podcast

We don't have a Magic Sphere, so if you want to communicate with us about the podcast...

• Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or commune with @rolledspine as a group.
• Email Diabolu
• If the main Diana Prince as the New Wonder Woman blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

2014 "Fan-Casting DC's WONDER WOMAN" by Ryan Daly

Ryan "Count Drunkula" Daly of the Black Canary blog Flowers & Fishnets has played casting director for a Warner Brothers Amazing Amazon film! Being a typical nitpicky Wonder Woman fan, I will now pick nits. After all, I've been doing my own glacially paced fancasting on this blog that is above reproach highly dubious.

Admittedly, three years on, my pick of Jessica Biel as Diana Prince would probably be swapped out for the more popular selection Olivia Wilde, who is stunningly similar box office poison who would surely take the same popcult deflation as poor Gal Gadot's bosom. I'm not ready to join Daly on the Bridget Regan wagon, another oft-mentioned option, because I find her as boring as many fans dismissively disregard Diana. Likewise, I've been struggling to deal with the Xenafication of Diana since the '90s, so mentioning Lucy Lawless in any related context sets me off. I'm relieved she aged out of the main role, but I don't welcome her as Hippolyta, either. I haven't picked a viable option of my own, so we'll stick with honorary standby Lynda Carter for now.

Anna Popplewell grew up well, but still strikes me as too much of a toothy, befreckled, girl next door type for the statuesque Donna Troy. While probably a bit too old now, I went with Minka Kelly. I've never heard of Skyler Samuels, and she'd be too hot for the old school tomboy Cassie Sandsmark of Young Justice but seems perfectly suited for the Geoff Johns maturation of the young heroine of the aughts onward.

I'm going to make you visit Daly's heroes page for his choice of Steve Trevor, who he wanted to represent masculinity before the Amazons. I pegged Justin Timberlake (an In Time reunion?), so I was obviously going for a different thing. Fifteen years ago when nobody knew who Melissa McCarthy was, she would have been a perfect Golden Age Etta Candy. Daly chose someone more appropriate for today, but not too much less visible.



On to Villainy Incorporated! Lena Headey would inarguably suit Dr. Barbara Minerva, and would ham it up as the Cheetah. I felt strongly enough about Rhona Mitra to accidentally write her up twice (and have to later consolidate the entries.) She's a might bit Deborah Domaine though, an advantage for Headey. Meanwhile, I can see where Daly was going with Ares, but when a role amounts to voice acting, don't offer a Greek God with a Texan drawl. Conversely, Giganta is about visuals over vocals, so choosing a shapely actress above all isn't a problem.

I'm as big a Twin Peaks fan as the next nerd, but Michael J. Anderson is so far off the mark that it makes me take exception. Besides being a decade long AARP card carrier, Anderson's career has been defined by an essential humanity Dr. Psycho lacks. Peter Dinklage is a great actor who I want to see get some of that sweet comic book movie money, but there's a paucity of options available. Do we really want to waste The Dink on Oberon?

I can't comment on Daly's Circe, Doctor Poison or Silver Swan, since I'm unfamiliar with their work, though it's amusing that two of them are associated with Hannibal Lecter. He's more true to the Golden Age than I was, with my second hand suggestion of Pauley Perrette for Dr. Poison. Good on Ryan for stumping me!

Count Drunkula Casting Department

• Superman Family
• Superman Supporting Cast
• Superman Foes 1
• Superman Foes 2
• Batman Family
• Batman Supporting Cast
• Batman Foes 1
• Batman Foes 2
• Batman Foes 3
• Flash Friends
• Flash Rogues 1
• Flash Rogues 2
• Doom Patrol
• Firestorm Fans
• Firestorm Fiends
• Green Lantern Core
• Green Lantern Corps
• Green Lantern Cretins
• Green Lantern Corpses
• Green Arrow
• Hawkman & the Atom
• Martian Manhunter
• Shazam!
• Teen Titans
• Young Justice
• Titan Terrors
• Justice League
• JLA villains
• JSA 1
• JSA 2
• JSA 3

Justice #11 (June, 2007)

Metamorpho, Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter all teamed up on Giganta, but she would not fall, and instead took the battle outside with Hawkman and Hawkgirl joining the fray. Green Lantern John Stewart freed everyone from Brainiac's mind controlling bugs, including Wonder Girl. Giganta persevered, until Elasti-Girl sucker punched her.

Wonder Woman didn't visibly contribute to the burly brawl, and it even looked like Superman freed her from some rubble at one point. The Armored Amazon almost tangled with Solomon Grundy, but Green Lantern's destruction of Brainiac's mind-controlling technology removed the need. Wonder Woman was consoled by the rescued Steve Trevor, but did not remove her armor. Per Princess Diana's standard operating procedure, Donna Troy was nowhere near her. Wonder Girl joined the Teen Titans and other heroes in liberating the innocents trapped in Scarecrow's creepy city, instead.

"Chapter Eleven" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite. Call Justice what you like (I'd use "stupid, boring, pretentious, ponderous, and overall amateurish" in regards to the storytelling) but at least it respected Wonder Woman's villains. Cheetah was scary in earlier issues, and Giganta took on a whole host of JLA-listers. Too bad the Amazing Amazon herself was butchered in this series, overcompensating for her hawkishness in Kingdom Come through victimization here.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• The Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl & Red Tornado @ PotA
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman, Elongated Man, Zatanna & more @ Justice League Detroit
• Green Lantern, the Doom Patrol, & more @ DC Bloodlines

Justice #10 (April, 2007)

"This is a costly and compromised war. You are like me, but must disguise yourself as one of them. It disgusts me to look at you." Giganta was dressing in a black evening gown for a formal celebration of the Legion of Doom's presumed victory, as Gorilla Grodd continued to lecture her. Soon enough, the Hall of Doom was raided by heroes garbed in protective armor against Brainiac's miniature mind-controlling robotic worms. Wonder Woman's was especially hideous amongst a motley collection of fashion faux pas, and further couture demerits for Giganta destroying her elegant wear in favor of growing into her usual leopard print. At least Giganta was in the fight for the duration, whereas Cheetah joined other lesser Legionnaires in being tied up with Plastic Man (literally.)

Outside, possessed teen heroes, including Wonder Girl, fought the Doom Patrol. Donna choked Elasti-Girl with her lasso. Wonder Woman spent some time tangled up in Clayface before he was called away on another matter, and Cheetah managed to evacuate to the city she controlled via transport tube.

"Chapter Ten" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite. The issue demonstrates the difficulty of juggling so many characters and plot elements. Wonder Woman pretty much drops out of the story from here, save two limp moments in as many issues, and Wonder Girl is just trotted out for a cameo.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• The Atom, Hawkman and Hawkgirl @ PotA
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman, Elongated Man & more @ Justice League Detroit
• Flash, Doom Patrol, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary & more @ DC Bloodlines

Justice Volume Two (2007)

"The first name I ever knew was 'daughter.' I remember my mother holding me in the dawn. I remember the sea. And I remember her telling me that I was a gift. And that I was beautiful." Hippolyta never wanted Diana to compete in the contest to become Wonder Woman-- Amazonian ambassador and champion for the world. Against the queen's wishes, her princess donned a mask and won the contest, but also broke her mother's heart with the deceit and the dangers ahead. "I swore I'd never wear a mask again."

In battle with the Cheetah, Wonder Woman's face had been slashed open in three places by claws dipped in the centaur's poison called "Heracles' Lament." Cheetah had exchanged some of her own blood for it from the goddess of the underworld Persephone. Princess Diana struggled against claws and fangs at her backside, until she reached her Lasso of Truth and ensnared her foe. A tear fell from Priscilla Rich's eye as her humanity was briefly restored, but the cat soon loosed itself from the leash. Wonder Woman had repeatedly reached out to Priscilla, trying to help, but failing that, she kicked the kitty across the alley. The Cheetah fled, but Diana could already feel an unmaking sickness within herself.



Giganta was responsible for two attempts on the Atom's life, before receiving a small comeuppance. The Mighty Mite then contacted Wonder Woman in her invisible jet, who explained the situation and asked that he join her at a secret League meeting place. Diana then landed in a jungle, and used her Lasso of Truth to guide her through an illusory stone wall into a cave. As it turned out, this was the Batcave, now infested by jungle vines and other greenery. The Amazing Amazon found the Dark Knight bound to a tree, and learned this was Poison Ivy's doing.

Attacked by a giant Venus flytrap and thorn-firing roses, Wonder Woman commented, "How much like men with guns you are, Poison Ivy," to no small offense. Creepers crawling on Diana, the villainess warned, "You snap one of those vines, and I'll snap your neck. By the way, I like the new look." The Amazon Princess tore herself loose, and freed her ally besides. Batman unexpectedly began electrocuting Diana with special gauntlets, her fresh facial wounds from the Cheetah glowing orange against the blue arc. The Amazon looped her lasso around the Caped Crusader's neck. Ivy cracked, "Is it too much to hope that you'll kill each other?" It was, as a spiritually freed Batman cold-cocked her. Wonder Woman survived the attack, and everyone was loaded onto the invisible jet.



While flying a lassoed but mentally liberated Batman to the outskirts of the Fortress of Solitude in her invisible jet, Wonder Woman received late word from Doc Magnus and the rebuilt Red Tornado about the Caped Crusader's mischief while mind-controlled.

While the pair waited for Superman's arrival to unlock the door, other heroes began to gather outside. The Flash asked Wonder Woman about the damage dealt to her face. "Cheetah's scars are nothing, Barry. Somehow our enemies discovered who we are..." This led the Flash to be concerned about the welfare of his wife, but the arriving Captain Marvel and Superman warned that mental domination awaited the Scarlet Speedster if he struck out on his own. Instead, the world's greatest heroes stepped into Superman's parlor to plan their response as a team...



Wonder Woman attended a meeting where Batman laid out all the information collected about the Legion of Doom's plot. Afterword, Captain Marvel gave Wonder Woman a hug, and asked what had happened to her. "We are both beings of magic, Bill. That is also where we are most vulnerable. And I've been cursed. I'm going to die from the same poison that killed Hercules."

"The centaur's blood?"

"But where Hercules' death returned him to the glory which was his by right of birth... I am returning to my origins. These scars are baking me from within. I was clay once, formed by my mother's hands. The goddess made me real in answer to my mother's prayer. I am becoming unreal again. I don't have much time left."

Batman was finally freed of the mind-controlling worms, and returned the Lasso of Truth with a thank you. "Of course, Bruce. I'm glad you're back."

Soon after, the League learned their supporting casts, including Steve Trevor, had been kidnapped. Further, they were held captive my mind-controlled teen heroes, including Wonder Girl Donna Troy...

"Justice, Vol. 2," collecting issues #5-8 of the 2005 mini-series, was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

2011 “Vil7: Giganta Cubee” by Joshua Wolf

Click To Enlarge


If I find a deviantARTist I like, I sometimes struggle going through their gallery, trying to find illustrative representations related to the Amazing Amazon that aren't just Wonder Woman posed in different ways. This hasn't been a problem with "The Flying Dachshund," since he's been very generous in covering the Wonder Woman rogues gallery. With so many options to choose from to follow up Vil7: Circe Cubee, I finally decided to spotlight the one most in need of further exploration.

I've passed by the Giganta page several times, wondering where the rest of her was, because all I could see was a head. I finally decided to brave a download, and sure enough, the giantess has two additional cubes to canvas her full form. Right on!

Joshua Wolf's Villains Cubees

• Ambush Bug @ DC Bloodlines
• Doctor Light @ Power of the Atom
• Malefic @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Professor Ivo @ Justice League Detroit

Wonder Woman Annual #1 (2007)

So yeah, Wonder Woman killed a guy, but he needed killing, the World Court backed her up, and it was about time Princess Diana moved on and got back to the good fight. In fact, when you’re in Circe’s temple surrounded by an army of your enemies, whose powers have been enhanced through sorcery, it’s probably a little past due.

I have to applaud artist Terry Dodson for page four, where he overcame a logistical problem with Giganta by having time progress as a series or “stories” down the villainess’ body. For instance, Queen Clea and Gundra the Valkyrie were still trying to follow through with Circe’s plan to talk Diana into joining the collective against Man’s World. Diana took them both out, as well as The Mask, all while encircling Giganta and dodging the caption boxes with one-sentence biographies of each villain.



Kung, Cheetah, the Duke of Deception, Angle Man, Silver Swan, Doctor Cyber, Doctor Poison, Minister Blizzard, Doctor Psycho: an orgasm of Who’s Who information as each took their turn with Wonder Woman. A lesser artist would have folded as the writer tried to reintroduce decades of forgotten super-villains in the span of seven pages. Just when things started to get ridiculous, there was a two page spread of heroes led by Wonder Girl Donna Troy, come to save the day. Included were Green Arrow, Stargirl, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Robin (Tim Drake,) Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark, Supergirl, Starfire, Red Tornado, Black Canary, Power Girl, Zatanna, Nemesis, the Golden Age Flash & Wally West, Liberty Belle, Dr. Mid-Nite, Green Lantern (Alan Scott,) Wildcat, Hawkman, Superman and Batman. Someone (Robin?) made the connection between the vegetation discovered at the scene of Donna’s kidnapping and the moly used to defend against Circe’s magic.

There was lots of fighting, and lots of yapping amidst the melee. Donna confessed that she never felt comfortable as Wonder Woman, hence her regressed costume. Cassie made it clear that old suit or no, the “Wonder Girl” name was taken. Batman somehow wrangled Cheetah. Heat Vision took out Minister Blizzard’s gun. Angle Man < Robin’s Batarang. Meanwhile, Hercules was trying to kill Circe, but Wonder Woman made it clear “If anyone does any killing today… it’ll be me!” Hercules didn’t believe that it was in her nature, so she kicked him in the head. “If only that weren’t true. When I killed Medusa, no one batted an eye. That was my job-- slaying mythological monsters-- putting malevolent gods in their place-- and you’re both.” Um, then it is true that you are a lethal agent, but we’ll forgive the grammar. Hercules then tried to woo Diana, followed by threatening to take her by force, “the same way I took your mother.” Diana bit his lip, head-butted him, and held a sword to his throat. Circe didn’t have faith in Diana to do the deed, so she renewed her attack, although what stopped her for the past four pages eludes me. “For now I’ll bind him with chains stronger than those that bound Prometheus,” for reasons that also elude me. Even though Circe had just finished killing oodles of people as Wonder Woman, while simultaneously getting a lot more done in that role than Diana, the Princess let her go off with Hercules. In the least perceptive line regarding Wonder Woman since she claimed to not really like women back in the ‘70s, “…I’m not even a real person. I’m a golem. A clay statue brought to life. I have no idea who or what I am. All I know is, I’m alone.” Circe punctured Diana’s emo bubble, pointing out all of her buddies fighting for her outside, and offered her a bit of humanity as a present.

Nemesis was given all the credit for the arrests at the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Agent Prince was assigned to catalog all the weapons collected from the scene, and was shocked when she cut herself on Gundra’s sword. Of course, Diana could always bleed, but the writer was so fixated on his Wonder Woman Encyclopedia that he seemed to neglect reading any actual comics. Anyway, Wonder Woman could now really become Diana Prince, a normal human, who still looked exactly like Wonder Woman in glasses. DC supporting casts have 20/120 vision, I guess.

Donna and Cassie had a girl power session with Wonder Woman, pretending that their relationship was like that of Batman, Nightwing and Robin. Okay, so how come Wonder Woman only pays attention to either girl when they finally get developed in best-selling team books so that their guest appearances can help buoy her own sales? Batman offered a final pep talk with a smile (*shudder*) after already giving Wonder Woman her new human identity, a job as a secret agent, an “invisible” plane, and limited use of his teen sidekick. That had to be worth at least a handjob. Can’t this bitch do anything for herself?

Speaking of bitching, I gave an overview of my complaints long ago in a trade paperback review, with a fair amount of axes ground in the previous two issue synopses. To keep this brief, Allan Heinberg, Terry & Rachel Dodson’s answer to the titular question “Who is Wonder Woman?” was “an ingrate.” Beyond the straw man arguments around which the slight plot pivots, it boils down to Diana being incredibly powerful and broadly loved and still pitying herself. Three-quarters of a century in, you don’t decide to take your shot at being Alan Moore by redefining Wonder Woman through the Pinocchio/ “I want to be a real girl” trope. Not only is it hoary as hell, but it is quite simply not what anyone wants from Wonder Woman (especially if they suffered through seven seasons and four motion pictures of Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation.)

Writers, for Gaea’s sake, stop playing the clay card. Diana was a sculpture of a child brought to life by the gods so that she could be born completely outside the influence of man. It’s no different than the bible casting Adam out of earth. Wonder Woman grew up, sprouted tits, and bleeds ever twenty-eight days. What part of “woman” was unclear? It’s in her friggin’ name. What isn’t? “Golem,” a product of Jewish folklore regarding a misshapen manmade creature instilled with a terrifying caricature of life through magic (not unlike a zombie) whose name translates from Hebrew as “dumb/helpless.” You want to humanize Wonder Woman? Address the fact that she was raised as the only child on an island full of rape victims who is so traumatized that she remains a virgin well into adulthood and casts untouchable figures like Superman and Batman in her sexual fantasies. There’s your Alan Moore moment, you cowardly, unimaginative dorks. Alternately, write an inspirational super-heroine without resorting to literal feet of clay and storytelling devices from 1960s Stan Lee scripts that were only considered sophisticated in comparison to Mort Weisinger-edited Superman comics written at a second grade reading level.

Brave New World

• Doom Patrol #5 (February, 2010) @ DC Bloodlines
• Martian Manhunter #5 (February, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 (November, 2006) @ Justice League Detroit
• Breach #5 (July, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
• The All New Atom #5 @ The Tiny Titan

Wonder Woman #4 (February, 2007)

The Bunny Bar. San Jose, California. Home to human trafficking no more. “…In Circe’s first twelve hours as Wonder Woman… she’s liberated over two thousand women on three different continents. And murdered every man who stood in her way.” Unlike the persecution of Princess Diana, Circe’s killings were going unchecked. It would be especially difficult to stop her, with the powers of Diana, Donna Troy, and Cassandra Sandsmark at Circe's disposal.

The JSA were helping the heroines with their power loss, and Stargirl insisted that between the JLA and Zatanna’s contacts in sorcerous spheres, no stone need go unturned. Diana refused all their aid, feeling such a mass assault would be figured into any trap laid by Circe. Cassie felt Diana had given up, but had no right to bundle her own Zeus-bestowed powers with Wonder Woman's stolen identity. The more agreeable Donna also intended to have that discussion with Zatanna.

Diana Prince couldn’t stop them, so instead allowed them to serve as a distraction during her own gambit involving the depowered Hercules and an Invisible Jet. “Not as invisible as the one I had as Wonder Woman, but my friend at Waynetech tells me it’s the latest stealth technology.” Diana admitted to Hercules that she missed being Wonder Woman, but teaching peace was the reason she came to Man’s World. “Actually, it turns out mankind never asked for my instruction. Nor does it believe in my gods, who-- it turns out-- are not all that peaceful themselves.”

Diana Prince and Hercules landed on “The Greek island of Aeaea, Circe’s home for the last few thousand years.” Prince provided a tranq gun for any roaming beastiamorphs, and the moly herb to counteract any attempts to turn Hercules into one of them. Circe was immediately aware of their presence and attacked. After Hercules’ rape of Diana’s mother and enslavement of the Amazons, Circe couldn’t believe Diana with ally with him. Penance and forgiveness were spoken of, and Diana was able to wrangle the Lasso of Truth back, which she used to gain mobility through a winged beastiamorph burning to help undo Circe’s spells.

Diana Prince reached Circe’s temple, and within it her grimoire, before being tied up with Wonder Girl’s Lasso of Lightning. Given the chance, Diana’s own rage might have fueled her agony, but Hercules got the drop on Circe before it could be fully employed. Diana could use her Lasso of Truth to trick Circe into saying the spell necessary to restore everyone’s powers, but Hercules got the drop on Prince before it could be fully employed. Just as Circe had hoped she wouldn’t have to kill a powerless princess, Hercules had hoped to make her his bride, but both had realized Diana was too dangerous to live. “Mankind doesn’t need a godly hero to save it from itself… it needs a god to worship and obey.”

“…When Athena decided to withdraw Olympus from the earthly plane,” Hercules decided to journey to the underworld in search of the God of War, but found Circe instead. The pair decided to team-up and love-up, until Circe managed to betray Hercules before he could do the same to her. Diana pulled her gun on Hercules, who threw Circe’s tiara at her. Diana caught it, and with a well placed throw retrieved the moly and the Lasso of Lightning. Hercules tried to compel Circe to transfer everyone’s powers to him, but Diana understood a new spell couldn’t be cast before the old one was reversed. Restored as Wonder Woman, Diana was prepared for a fight, and one had certainly found her. She was surrounded by the Cheetah, Dr. Psycho, Giganta, and many more…

Part four of “Who is Wonder Woman?” was by Allan Heinberg, Terry & Rachel Dodson. The book was already very late, thanks to the writer, so this would be his last regular issue. The story would finally wrap up months later in an annual, which as I recall was among a very few released that year (not that the industry has exactly been flush with them over the past decade or so.) I liked the idea of Wonder Circe, since it paid off on the influence Diana had over Donna Milton, and the softening of Circe's character ever since. At the same time, Circe's engaging in a feminist crusade seems to go too far the other way, and it's never really addressed why it would be such a bad idea to let it continue a while long. Don't launch a series by having a villain outdo the heroine unless you're going to address the matter with more conviction than "but she was going to lord it over us." I'm fine with that. Let Circe kill a few thousand more pimps (at least) and then defeat her, or else reveal that she gets her powers from inducing spontaneous abortions or something. Otherwise, she remains a better Wonder Woman than Diana, and that's the wrong way to leave things.

I also dig evil scumbag Hercules, since it returns him to the status quo of the Golden Age, and differentiates him from the Marvel Comics version. I have to ask though, if Hercules knew Diana Prince was Princess Diana, why didn’t she just disappear with Donna and Cassie in #3? What's the point of luring her to the island? Little help in backstabbing Circe, I guess?

Brave New World

• Doom Patrol #4 (January, 2010) @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman #4 (February, 2007) @ Diana Prince
• Martian Manhunter #4 (January, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 (September, 2006) @ Justice League Detroit
• Breach #4 (June, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
• The All New Atom #4 @ The Tiny Titan

Wonder Woman #3 (October, 2006)

Hercules caught Giganta by the foot, and then put her on her butt, allowing him to free the Donna Troy necklace. Cheetah leapt at this “…Wonder Man,” while Diana Prince looked after Donna. Dr. Psycho tried to mesmerize the ladies, but was clipped in the head by Hercules’ thrown headband. Hercules was about to stab Psycho, but Prince stopped him, allowing the Doctor to utter a magic word. All the bad guys plus Donna and Wonder Girl disappeared, and it was once again Diana’s fault. Hercules made sure to rub it in, as he had taken over Wonder Woman’s abdicated mission, and browbeat her for shirking her duties. Members of the JSA helped clean up Giganta’s mess.

Diana Prince briefed Nemesis and fellow agents about Hercules, who had raped and wronged the Amazons in the past. Sentenced to literally carry the weight of Themyscira for eternity by Zeus, his sentence was commuted when Princess Diana offered to help shoulder the burden. Hercules briefly acted as the super-hero Champion before being allowed to live among the gods, but was now back to Earth, giving press conferences regarding his new role.

Agent Prince was part of a Department of Metahuman Affairs team sent to investigate Hercules, but they found that he had been transformed into a minotaur. All the males on Prince’s team followed suit, becoming beastiamorphs through the enchantments of Circe. The sorceress had Donna and Cassie dangling from chains. Diana Prince was also effortlessly captured, and Circe figured that if Diana didn’t want to be Wonder Woman anymore, she just might have an app for that.



“When the gods of Olympus left this earthly plane, they entrusted you, Donna Troy and Wonder Girl with the last of their power. Power you squandered… battling cyborg centurions and psychic despots… when every day, thousands of women are beaten, raped, and murdered, because they have no one to fight for them. Because you were too busy being a superhero to be their champion. And now you’re not even a superhero. You’re pretending to be human. Well guess what? You don’t have to pretend anymore.” Suddenly, Circe was a terrifying new vision of a Wonder Woman…

Part three of “Who is Wonder Woman?” was by Allan Heinberg, Terry & Rachel Dodson. This was the last issue to come out on a proper schedule, and also the point at which I began to turn on the book. There were quite simply too many characters running around fighting without accomplishing anything, and the third straight issue where three of Wonder Woman’s biggest foes popped up screaming to find Diana, got in a fight, and then conveniently disappeared. If that wasn’t repetitive enough, we’ve got more heavy-handed Diana bashing without very convincing rationales, more of Diana vacillating on her decisions, and just plain random crap happening to advance a paper thin plot. When will writers learn that there are characters made to be weak/vulnerable/fallible, and characters that are supposed to be above reproach? People don’t want to read stories where Superman or Wonder Woman whine about how tough it is to be beautiful and perfect, but rather to revel in these extraordinary heroes defeating evils to make the world better for us all.



Worse, Heinberg has all the characters speaking subtext as text, resulting in cringe inducing purple prose and self-important screeds about whether friggin’ Hercules or Circe would make better Wonder Persons. Why would Circe want anything to do with that? We’ve had twenty years of Circe as a soulless vamp governed entirely by self-interest and personal pleasure whose motivation to kill Wonder Woman was the prophesy that Diana would someday take Circe’s immortality. Now we’re supposed to buy her as a defender of the molested and downtrodden, clearly in service to Heinberg’s storytelling agenda? Dude, create a new character for that, because Circe isn’t in that line of work. It just makes Diana look stupid for sweating her role and the readers feel cheated by this nonsense. Further, comics are escapist entertainment with a very precarious suspension of disbelief. Outside of “very special episodes,” you have to avoid “relevance” and pointing out the artifice of super-heroes, because the whole concept falls apart under that kind of scrutiny. That’s like sending Foghorn Leghorn through a Kentucky Fried Chicken processing plant. It’s a thing not to be done.

Brave New World

• Doom Patrol #3 (December, 2009) @ DC Bloodlines
• Martian Manhunter #3 (December, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #43 (August, 2006) @ Justice League Detroit
• Breach #3 (May, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
• The All New Atom #3 @ The Tiny Titan

Wonder Woman #2 (September, 2006)

The Past: Dr. Poison, Osira and Dr. Cyber acknowledged that Donna Troy was the new Wonder Woman, as she was fighting them, alongside Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark. Joking about being a “kinder, gentler” model, Donna chopped off Cyber’s arms, tossed the remains at Osira, and deflected bullets fired by Poison back into her shoulders. Garbed in black, Princess Diana secretly observed through binoculars from afar. She was joined by Batman, and explained that while it was best that she stay out of the girls’ lives so that they could move on, Diana hadn’t walked away from them entirely. Diana didn’t feel she could accomplish her mission as either a princess or Wonder Woman, and she didn’t want to saddle her friends with the weight of her killing of Maxwell Lord. Batman offered Diana a new identity as an agent of the reformed Department of Metahuman Affairs, with the side benefit of her being a mole for him when needed. “The glasses had to be Clark’s idea.”

The Present: Nemesis was resistant to taking on a new partner, but Agent Diana Prince’s background included three years in Army Intelligence, a masters in international relations from Hopkins, and prior employment as head of security for Waynecorp. Three Wonder Woman villains had clearly received upgrades, while Princess Diana herself was last sighted working with “an Eastern mystic code-named I Ching.” Nemesis would need all the help he could get.

Agent Prince felt that outside heroes would be needed, and that her former associates would continue to be targeted, so she contacted Wonder Girl. Cassie resented being abandoned by Wonder Woman in her time of most dire need following the Infinite Crisis, and blamed Diana for Donna’s capture. Robin was present during the women’s confrontation, and had to confess he knew about Diana’s decisions without telling Cassie, which only made her angrier.



Giganta began tearing up the city while wearing Donna Troy as a necklace and demanding to know where Wonder Woman was. While Agent Prince rescued an imperiled Nemesis, Wonder Girl began choking Giganta with her lasso. A vision of the deceased Superboy visited and then assaulted Cassie, which was of course Dr. Psycho’s doing, whose illusions were now powerful enough that even onlookers saw them.



Dr. Barbara Minerva managed to grab Agent Prince from the back of the neck, and was put through a store window via martial arts. However, the transformed Cheetah emerged from within, necessitating Prince look for a safe place to transform into Wonder Woman. As she began a TV show twirl, her arm was grabbed by Hercules, halting her progress. “Too many women have tried and failed, Diana. Time for a man, don’t you think?”

Part two of “Who is Wonder Woman?” was by Allan Heinberg, Terry & Rachel Dodson. Again, not a bad issue, if a bit busy. I was happy to see old Diana Prince continuity threaded into the “One Year Later” tapestry, and the government agent angle was promising, even if I did wonder why they couldn’t have just used the Department of Extranormal Operations instead. Cassie’s anger was valid, and I liked how it contrasted with Donna’s fountain of forgiveness. Diana’s rogues were also being treated with respect. Such potential…

Brave New World

• Doom Patrol #2 (November, 2009) @ DC Bloodlines
• Breach #2 (April, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
• Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42 (July, 2006) @ Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter #2 (November, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• The All New Atom #2 @ The Tiny Titan

Wonder Woman #1 (August, 2006)

Washington, D.C. The Museum of Natural History’s exhibit on Themyscira, where artifacts that had been held at a defunct embassy for a lost island had been relocated. Terrorists held Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Trevor hostage, demanding Princess Diana come out of hiding. Instead, they would get the new Wonder Woman, Donna Troy. Raised in the shadow of her sister, Troy would eventually follow Wonder Woman to Patriarch’s World to become a heroine herself. Following the killing of Maxwell Lord, Princess Diana passed her mantle to Donna and disappeared from public life. “But I keep thinking… if she couldn’t do it… what chance do I have?”

In the museum, Donna freed Steve Trevor, but was set upon by a cheetah. The Cheetah had regained her humanity, and was intent on keeping it, but still held reign over three of her namesake. Dr. Barbara Minerva wrapped Donna’s lasso around her neck, but learned nothing about Diana’s current whereabouts. “…Diana didn’t even trust her own sister enough to let her know where she was going? Then you’re of no use to me.” Minerva ordered Troy and Trevor dead, but Dr. Doris Zeul disagreed, believing Wonder Woman was bound to show sooner or later with them as hostages. In the grip of Giganta, Donna stabbed her finger with a star-shaped earring. As far as Troy was concerned, Wonder Woman was right there. Released from Giganta’s grip, Donna flew Steve to safety at a nearby park.



Minerva still held the lasso, and caught Wonder Woman at the ankle, hoping she could compel Troy to do her will. “The only thing that lasso compels me to do is tell the truth, Minerva. And the truth is… you and Giganta… are going down.” Wonder Woman tied Zeul’s legs with the lasso, but was brought down with the giantess. Minerva took Donna’s sword as she had her lasso, and prepared to chop her when a second lasso caught her wrists. Princess Diana fought Minerva, and was prepared to kill her as she had Maxwell Lord, prompting a conflict between the Wonder Women. “You’re not killing anyone-- ever again.” Diana was stronger, faster, and skewered Donna with her sword. “You-- you’re not Wonder Woman…” Lying in the grass with a bloodless “wound,” Donna watched the sword and the sister evaporate into the diminutive form of Dr. Psycho. “With all due respect… neither are you.”

Steve Trevor reported to Sarge Steel outside the museum, which had been surrounded by agents of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. So too was “Trevor,” who proved to in fact be the master of disguise dubbed Nemesis. Tom Tresser had lost Donna Troy, but was set to get her back with his new partner, Agent Diana Prince.

Part one of “Who is Wonder Woman?” was by Allan Heinberg, Terry & Rachel Dodson. This was not a bad debut issue. The major points of history were explained to new readers, the altered status quo was established, the pictures were pretty, the story fast-paced, and the villains all got nice new costumes. I was pretty excited about the return of Diana Prince in her cool white threads. Ah, how the good will would get washed away…

Brave New World

• Doom Patrol #1 (October, 2009) @ DC Bloodlines
• Martian Manhunter #1 (October, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #41 (June, 2006) @ Justice League Detroit
• Breach #1 (March, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
• The All New Atom #1 @ The Tiny Titan

Justice #6 (August, 2006)

Giganta was responsible for two attempts on the Atom's life, before receiving a small comeuppance. The Mighty Mite then contacted Wonder Woman in her invisible jet, who explained the situation and asked that he join her at a secret League meeting place. Diana then landed in a jungle, and used her Lasso of Truth to guide her through an illusory stone wall into a cave. As it turned out, this was the Batcave, now infested by jungle vines and other greenery. The Amazing Amazon found the Dark Knight bound to a tree, and learned this was Poison Ivy's doing.

Attacked by a giant Venus flytrap and thorn-firing roses, Wonder Woman commented, "How much like men with guns you are, Poison Ivy," to no small offense. Creepers crawling on Diana, the villainess warned, "You snap one of those vines, and I'll snap your neck. By the way, I like the new look." The Amazon Princess tore herself loose, and freed her ally besides. Batman unexpectedly began electrocuting Diana with special gauntlets, her fresh facial wounds from the Cheetah glowing orange against the blue arc. The Amazon looped her lasso around the Caped Crusader's neck. Ivy cracked, "Is it too much to hope that you'll kill each other?" It was, as a spiritually freed Batman cold-cocked her. Wonder Woman survived the attack, and everyone was loaded onto the invisible jet.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• Batman & more at Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter at The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• The Atom, Hawks and Red Tornado at Power of the Atom
• Captain Marvel, Superman & Green Lantern at DC Bloodlines

"Chapter Six" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

The Top Five Giganta Covers

A well remembered but not terribly prolific villainess, Giganta is better known through her animated adventures than the comics. Doris Zuel has come back in a big way in recent years, often as part of a mismatched romantic pairing with a super-hero.

5) The All New Atom #4 (December, 2006)

It's important to establish scale, and this is clever besides.

4) Wonder Woman #2 (September, 2006)

Sometimes, it's what you don't see...

3) Salvation Run #5 (May, 2008)

Not the finest selection of villains, but Giganta dominates the mutant beefcake.

2) Justice League Unlimited #38 (December, 2007)

Whether you find it adorable or sad, this one sticks with you.

1) Justice League of America #13 (November, 2007)

A massive army of super-villains, and Giganta towers over them all!

Honorable Mentions:
The All New Atom #5 (2006)
Blue Beetle #19 (2006)
Wonder Woman #180 (1986)

DC Comics 75th Anniversary Iconic Cover Suggestions

• Aquaman
• Ares/Mars: God of War
• Artemis
• Golden Age Atom Al Pratt
• All New Atom Ryan Choi
• Atom Smasher
• Bloodwynd
• Bronze Tiger
• Captain Comet
• The Cheetah
• Chronos
• Circe
• Damage
• Despero  
• Dr. Psycho
• Elongated Man
• Giganta
• Gorilla Grodd
• Gypsy
• The Huntress
• Jemm, Son of Saturn
• King Faraday
• Malefic/Ma'alefa'ak  
• Martian Manhunter
• Martian Manhunter Related Characters  
• Mongul
• Steel (Heywood Family)
• Steel (John Henry Irons)
• Vibe
• Vixen
• Zatanna