Writers: Jordie Bellaire, Stephanie Williams, Vita Ayala, Joëlle Jones, Michael W. Conrad, Becky Cloonan / Pencillers: Paulina Ganucheau, Laura Braga, Skylar Partridge, Joëlle Jones, Elena Casagrande, Alitha Martinez, Rosi Kämpe, Adriana Melo / Inkers: Mark Morales, Alitha Martinez / Colour Artists: Kendall Goode, Jordie Bellaire, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tamra Bonvillain, Marissa Louise / Letterers: Becca Carey, Pat Brosseau / Editors: Brittany Holzherr, Chris Rosa, Paul Kaminski, Jillian Grant / HC / DC Comics
Collects: Trial of The Amazons #1-#2; Nubia and The Amazons #6; Wonder Woman #785-#786; Trial of The Amazons: Wonder Girl#1-2.
The Pitch: After the events of Nubia & the Amazons, the dangers of Doom’s Doorway have found their way to Man’s World and garnered the attention of not one, but all three Amazonian tribes. The Bana-Mighdall consider it to be a weakness in the current regime and have decided to return to the shores of Themyscira to stake their claim over the island. Little do they know, the Esquecida are not far behind, but instead looking for help to combat the evil unleashed. Tempers rise and swords are brandished as the women argue about the best course of action. Now, Queen Nubia must show them all the way to peace by calling for one of the most famous Amazon traditions…the Contest. Who among them is worthy of leading them into the future? Find out as the bravest, wisest, and fiercest warriors compete to be champion of all the Amazons! DC Comics proudly presents the first Wonder Woman crossover of its kind, brought to you by the writers behind Wonder Woman, Nubia, and the Amazons, and Wonder Girl and some of the best and brightest artists in the industry. this monumental story brings together all the Wonder Woman titles and characters and will change the future of the Amazons forever!
I'm probably not reading enough Wonder Woman. Don't get me wrong, I buy plenty of it. But the last WW book I read was Historia #1, after I interviewed Kelly Sue Deconnick. I like the character, but somehow, don't always find the time. Trial of the Amazons does somewhat bring home the fact that there is a rich history in WW books and I should probably make some time to dive into it. It's a fairly simple setup: the three Amazonian tribes, Themiscyrian, Bana-Mighdall, and the recently discovered Esquedarians, must compete in a quest set by the gods for the honour of guarding Doom's Doorway, the entrance to a dark place where Amazonians banish their monsters. In the history of crap jobs heroes do, because no one in their right mind would do them otherwise, it must rank pretty highly, since the creatures behind the door are malevolent and whisper to the guards, desperately trying to escape. And shortly before the trial begins, one of them does...
But the plot isn't content with just one layer of problems: add to the above the death of a long-standing character, bringing in a murder–mystery element that I wasn't expecting and setting the stage for a dual 'trial' to take place. It's one of the many deft hands the book plays in the game of entertaining you. TotA also brings home one of the great themes of Wonder Woman: Empowering women by offering a stable home and environment. The Esquecidans are reminiscent of the outcast teenage girls at the lunch table in high school in early scenes but find themselves gradually accepted into Themyscirian society as the story moves on. But the book doesn't shy away from showing the dangers of the Themiscyrian viewpoint - that the singular, combative nature of being an Island unto oneself can be given dangerous form, such as the angry hornet's nest that is Faruka, Queen of the Bana-Mighdall. But of course, it could become too plot-led, but it avoids this pitfall with crowd-pleasing moments of joy and you'd have to be a hard-hearted fan not to give at least a metaphysical fist-pump when Diana states: "I intend to use the Lasso of Truth to get answers now."
A lot of pleasure in Wonder Woman stories is derived from seeing Diana be a fish out of water in 'man's world. It made the first movie tick along quite well and on a more specific scale, it made works like 'Once and Future' (the domestic abuse one-shot from a while back), sing. It can work in reverse too, with Batman meeting the mythological, competitive nature of Themyscira in 'The Hiketeia' and voyaging to the realms of the Tir Na Og in 'Brave & The Bold'. And here with Yara Flor bringing her fresh viewpoint to the ancient world and its traditions. Interestingly, the one character we don't seem to hear a ton from in the story is Diana. She is somewhat sidelined but I suspect this is by design since Nubia is now being moved to the fore (as is Yara).
Consistency is usually a problem in events. How can a steady overall vision be managed when there are so many talents on a book? Well, the writers and artists here seem to complement each other very nicely. Conrad and Cloonan's writing in the main book along with Stephanie Williams and Joëlle Jones... There are, in fact, far too many good creators on this to praise. But they do a fantastic job of maintaining the overall story and look. Yes, there are standouts: Jones is still one of the best artists working today for my money and needs her turn at bat for more major characters, but everyone is on their A-game here. As such, ToTA becomes a textbook example of how events should be done: Don't overload the schedule with too many comics, put it out in order, and collect quickly and cheaply in a good-looking form that people like (in this case, a handsome HC). And of course, most importantly, hire good creators to craft the book as they see fit and great editors like Holzherr and Rosa to steer the ship. My hope is that we'll see more contained events like this from the big two and that their stories have consequences and weight for the future as this no doubt will.
