Diana Prince, heroine of countless good deeds as Wonder Woman, is accused of bringing evil to Man's world. Her relationship with her closest friend, Helena Sandsmark, is turned into a powerful weapon against them both. The most potent ammunition comes from Helena's own daughter, Cassandra, who idolizes Wonder Woman but spreads unspeakable rumors against her. A zealous televangelist leads the movement to destroy Diana, focusing the burning anger of her many followers on the pagan gods to whom Wonder Woman ascribes her very existence. Amid all this disorder, a gentle priest journeys with Wonder Woman to Olympus to discover the reality of religion. But cataclysmic turmoil is evident even in the realm of the gods and goddesses: Themyscira, Diana's birthplace and the home of the Amazons, lies in ruins from a tumultuous battle.Back in the world of mortals, angry crowds are massed. From Chicago to Metropolis to Gateway City, their demand is the same: Wonder Woman must confess to her dark schemes and never again interfere in the affairs of the human race. Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses casts grave doubts on accepted truths and pits Diana Prince against her greatest challenge yet.About the Author John Byrne,the writer and artist for DC Comics' Wonder Woman, is one of the most celebrated and influential figures in modern comic books. Among his many achievements, he brought Superman into the 1990s after helping to make The X-Men the most popular comic in history. He has written two other novels.
John Byrne's Wonder Woman tends to inspire great passions, either pro or con. So did the creative team before Byrne. And those that tended to love the early series of stories tended to hate beyond reason almost everything Byrne did with the character once he took over. For me (and contrary to earlier reviewers here), the earlier run was weak, inconsistent, too slick, and featured too much skin. This present compilation of Byrne's first story arc shows why I greatly prefered his tenure on the comic book. His Wonder Woman was strong, decisive, and had human sized breasts. He showed a willingness to really shake things up... which again I liked but some people felt uncomfortable with. My feeling is that for general, or casual readers who just want to read a good Wonder Woman story, that this should fit the bill. Characters are well developed and there is an epic feeling to the story. Partisans aside, most should enjoy this.
An overlooked gem!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I only found this book by accident. After reading Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses I was shocked. This book is wonderful! I was not a great Wonder Woman fan, but this book changed that. Mr. Byrne's story is very engaging. We learn a lot about the heroine, and about the world as it may be if such a heroine were to exist. The story elements dealing with society's fears and insecurities translate very well to our world. I was always a fan of Mr. Byrne's comics work, but I have learned to love his novel as well. This book ranks with the best books of this genre.
Action, Adventure and Amazons
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Anyone familiar with Byrne's work (mostly super-hero comic books and horror novels) knows what to expect: lots of action illustrating deeper philosopical questions. Here, Byrne tackles whether or not there is a God -- all in a super-hero context. Unconventional? Sure, well that's Byrne. Boring? Nope. And the ending will surprise you...
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