Wonder Woman’s Comic is Reclaiming the Details WW 1984 Didn’t Dare Use

Some details about the Amazons in DC Comics that weren’t included in the Wonder Woman film adaptation, WW84, are reappearing in the comics. The island of Themyscira is steeped in mythology. It’s the place where Wonder Woman, a.k.a., Princess Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, grew up. But that alone isn’t enough to make the place feel like a living, breathing part of the world populated by a society of super-strong women.

Since Diana is really the only one who really leaves, in following her and her exploits there’s often little room to see more of how other Amazons conduct their day-to-day lives. Sure, they spend their time training for the ever-present possibility of war, but that doesn’t do a whole lot to characterize these women as people living together on a secreted island. Superhuman or not, they have inner lives worth exploring. As a matter of fact, it’s just as interesting to see Diana being herself when she isn’t forced into the pressures of being Wonder Woman.

In Wonderwoman #770, the backup story Birthday Blues by writer Jordie Bellaire and artist Paul Ganucheau gives readers an opportunity to see Diana going through the growing pains of adolescence, giving a closer glimpse into her upbringing and secrets about her past. In the films, particularly in the opening sequence of WW84, there’s ample footage of her as a child competing with other adult Amazons in a superhuman-scale obstacle course that spans the island, including a challenge that involves extensive horseback riding. But what readers get in Birthday Blues is a chance to see some of the other Amazons and their relationship not just to Diana but to each other as well, something that humanizes their society a little more. There’s also a very adorable reintroduction to Diana’s Kanga friend, Jumpa, a member of an alien kangaroo-like race that resides on Themyscira and can fly.

The Kangas were originally featured in Wonder Woman’s canon during the Golden Age, but after a trend of phasing out elements in superhero comics that not everyone could take as seriously, like the image of Amazons riding kangaroos rather than just horses, Jumpa and the other Kangas petered out as well. But with Birthday Blues, they have resurfaced, and while it might not have fit in with the tone of WW84, it’s nice to see them again here. It offers a moment of fun for Diana as a growing girl who experiences the familiar urges of wanting to explore new parts of the island with an adorable animal companion.

The scenes of Diana and Jumpa frolicking through the marketplace allow readers to see a different side of the Amazons not seen in the films, as they grumble about the princess and how she gets away with everything. They also come together to organize a timely birthday surprise for the young Princess of Themyscira. It’s a lighthearted scenario that offers some levity not really seen during the Themyscira segments in the films. It offers a glimpse of the Amazons just having a good time with each other, something that brings them closer as a sisterhood. And while it is not focused on, some of the women in the background of these scenes appear to be couples, an element of life on Themyscira that is also not really addressed on film.

In not just the Wonder Woman movies, but in Justice League too, the only glimpses viewers get of the Amazons are either them fighting or them training, with just the faintest impression of how they relate to the Princess of Themyscira. These scenes in Birthday Blues are a nice break from the weightiness usually found in Wonder Woman’s exploits, in both the film adaptations and in the comics. They provide a new perspective on Themyscira, and add fun elements like the Kangas, which would have stuck out in WW84. It’s just an example of the kind of freedom and creativity available in comics that you just can’t get from the movies.

About The Author