The year was 1994, Superman had recently died at the hands of Doomsday, and been replaced with four new characters, all claiming to be the Man of Steel. Batman had his back broken by Bane, and a psychotic had taken over the mantle of the Dark Knight. Green Lantern had fallen from grace, and a successor was soon chosen in his place. The next obvious idea: Replace Wonder Woman!
Artemis of the Bana-Migdall.
Artwork by Mike Deodato Jr.
Writer William Messner-Loebs and then breakout star Mike Deodato Jr. created one of the most successful eras in the history of the character, which strangely enough was also one of the lowest points in her life. Her worst enemy turned out not to be a monstrous alien, or a criminally insane, venom-pumping villain; it was her own mother, the Queen Hippolyta!
"And her mother! She can see Hippolyta!"
The matriarch of the amazons decreed that Diana was no longer worthy of her title as Wonder Woman, and called for a contest to choose a new representative of Themyscira in the world of man. Enter the amazon Artemis. After dealing with her mother's intrigues, the indifference of her sister amazons, and avoiding endless dangers such as whirlpools, harpies, and even Medusa, Diana and Artemis were the two front runners in the last leg of the deadly contest; but then, the unthinkable happened... Diana lost the contest, and Artemis won.
Diana loses the contest.
Much to the pleasure of Hippolyta, Diana lost the contest and the title of Wonder Woman to the Bana-Mighdall Artemis, who received from her Queen not only the fabled magic lasso of truth, tiara, and bracelets, but also the gauntlet of Atlas and the sandals of Hermes. This, however, did not stop Diana from being a hero, and she continued delivering justice, if not in the name of the amazons, in her own.
Colors by Trish Mulvihill
This saga not only introduced Artemis to the DC Universe, but also gave Queen Hippolyta a boost in popularity among readers, to the point that years later she would become Wonder Woman herself -but that's a different story. "The Contest" and "The Challenge of Artemis" delivered beautiful art, and stories full of emotion and drama, plus one of the most violent deaths in comics. Whose you say? Go and read these great arcs to find out!
Great Moment-o-Meter: 10
Comments
Post a Comment