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Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman, Vol. 2: Challenge of the Gods
This second volume reprinting Pèrez's remarkable run on WONDER WOMAN collects WONDER WOMAN #7-14, featuring the debut of the deadly Cheetah! CHALLENGE OF THE GODS also features a new cover by Pèrez and a gallery section of rare art!
172 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1988
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314 people want to read
About the author
George Pérez
1,494 books208 followersGeorge Pérez (June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic books artist and writer, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 31, 2017
Likewise first volume, some parts and cheesy dialogues in this second one not aged much well.
But George Pérez is just at his best here, his artworks are real masterworks, and the "Time Passages" illustrate prose opening story was just amazing.
I liked very much the storyline, the character development and the origin story of WW suit: why wearing the American flag if her powers and birthright have roots in Greek Mythology? Wein and Pérez give a good and surprising answer here and the depiction of horny Zeus (the ultimate serial rapist ever!) and Hercules were just perfect.
And a superheroine comic strong "peace-faith-violence against women-forgiveness" themed was really before its time and still unmatched.
September 25, 2010
2.0 to 2.5 stars. Second volume of the Wonder Woman reboot by George Perez. This one features the introduction of the new and improved Cheetah. Not as good as the first volume, but not bad.
August 19, 2012
There's one fairly lengthy storyline here, as well as two individual issues that tie up loose ends left over from the first collection. The first issue was text-heavy, summing up the events of the previous trade and filling in some gaps. It seemed to refer to some events that happened elsewhere (JLA, maybe?). The second issue re-introduced the Cheetah. This kind of felt like a weak issue to me, but it did lead to Diana returning home for the rest of the trade. What happens to an Amazon who rejects Zeus? He sets her off on a grueling series of challenges. Of course. There are a few "Wait... What?" moments in here, and it seems like key elements of the story were settled elsewhere, without any explanation in this trade. I would have taken a page of text summing it up, and I think it might have really helped.
It strikes me that the characterization of Wonder Woman here (still new to Man's World) is what Geoff Johns might be trying to draw from in Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin. It's just done much better here.
It strikes me that the characterization of Wonder Woman here (still new to Man's World) is what Geoff Johns might be trying to draw from in Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin. It's just done much better here.
July 16, 2012
While I used to collect Wonder Woman about 15 years ago, I didn’t collect it for long before I stopped collecting altogether, and I honestly don’t remember much about the series or the stories I read. These collections I got from the library were from that same series, but they were much earlier in its run, originally published between September 1987 and March 1988 (It was well into the 1990s before I ever read a monthly Wonder Woman comic).
This first volume, CHALLENGE OF THE GODS, collects WONDER WOMAN issues 8-14, and is plotted and drawn by comic book creative legend George Perez, with scripts by Len Wein and inks by Bruce Patterson. While I thought the main story was great, I felt this collection, to really hold together as a cohesive whole, should have lost the first two issues.
Issue 8, “Time Passages”, provided mostly background for the series and the Wonder Woman character. Narratives provided by those closest to her detailed how she left Paradise Island and came to “Man’s World”, participated in the “Ares Affair”, defeating the war god, got a publicist and set up camp in Boston. All the while the world’s leaders are wary of this strange and powerful woman, and some countries even mistrust her motives, considering how very very American her costume looks.
Issue 9 is a throwaway, in terms of the collection. Granted, it’s the first post-CRISIS appearance of Wonder Woman’s main arch-enemy The Cheetah, but again, in terms of “Challenge of the Gods”, it doesn’t contribute.
The main storyline deals with Wonder Woman’s return to Paradise Island where, in reward for her great service to the gods of Olympus, Zeus has decided to give Princess Diana something all the girls should, by all rights, be falling over themselves to get a crack at: his seed.
That’s right, Zeus is going to reward Diana with a little “brownchickenbrowncow”. However, Diana’s time in Man’s World has taught her a few things, and one of those things is that “such decisions must be mutual. I cannot surrender that which is mine alone to give without a true feeling of desire and commitment!”
In anger at being turned down, Zeus sets a series of challenges before the Amazon princess. And if she fails, well, he’ll just destroy Paradise Island and all the Amazons living there. Seems a bit extreme, I know, but apparently Zeus was a bit of a dck.
As it turns out, however, Diana’s journey through Paradise Island’s massive underworld, a place that’s been closely guarded for centuries, was not only a trick played by an alien Manhunter disguised as the goat-god Pan, but it also leads Diana to learn everything she ever wanted to know about her destiny and her mission in Man’s World, including learning the origins of her costume. Back in the 1940s a WWII American air plane crashed on Paradise Island, and its pilot, Diana Trevor (mother to longtime Wonder Woman supporting character Steve Trevor) helped the Amazons battle the creatures living in the underworld and, in honor of Diana’s brave sacrifice, not only did the Queen of the Amazons name her own daughter after her, but the Wonder Woman costume is based on symbols and patches displayed on the AF pilot’s flight suit.
This was, for me, the most interesting part of the book, because the “Time Passages” story did introduce that question of how is it Wonder Woman’s costume, considering she’s from Paradise Island where no Man has set foot and where no Amazon has left in hundreds of years, can bear such striking resemblances to our own American flag? It’s no wonder other countries wouldn’t trust her motives, especially if they’re countries that don’t necessarily care for America. That makes perfect sense, and I applaud George Perez for adding that very important bit of background to the Wonder Woman canon.
Once the story got moving, it moved pretty rapidly. There was a ton of action and excitement, and Wonder Woman faced her challenges like a true hero, displaying the courage and the drive expected of a superhero of her legendary status (even though this version of the character was pretty new to the superhero game at this time). This character just wants to fulfill her duties as best she can, but she knows that task will be much easier to carry out if she knows just what those duties are, so she fights through challenge after challenge, desperate to get to the heart of the matter and save her people.
As a relaunch story, “Challenge of the Gods” sets things up well, establishing a very solid and interesting base for a character that for years, while viewed as one of the heavy hitters, is simply not as well-known or understood as Superman or Batman. George Perez really seemed to be working with a definite plan in mind for where he wanted his series to go, and he executed that plan perfectly.
His art, also, was . . . well, there’s not much that can be said of George Perez’s art, he’s George Perez. This man’s forgotten more about comic book art than most professionals will ever learn in their lifetime. He’s untouchable, impeccable and just plain scary good. Not only his panel layout, but his attention to detail, or even the ideas he can convey in a few simple lines, the way he tells his stories, simple yet beautiful and fully-rendered. I’ve always been in awe of Perez, always will. He’s just a legend, that’s all there is to it.
“Challenge of the Gods” was a good story--once the story got moving. But like I said, those first two chapters were unnecessary and obviously only included here for the sake of continuity. Many people don’t collect monthly comics, they just wait for the trade paperback, so of course they would want those standalone issues as well, hence their inclusion here. But as a part of the main storyline of “Challenge of the Gods”, they’re unimportant and, really, were pretty boring and neither issue seemed to want to end, ever.
But once the “Challenge” was under way, I quickly forgot about those first two issues and was finally able to just enjoy the book and lose myself in the story Perez and Wein were telling.
I don’t know if this would have been enough, back in the late 1980s, to keep me collecting Wonder Woman on a monthly basis, but if this didn’t do it then, I don’t know what would have. Wonder Woman’s still not a character I take a ton of interest in, but this at least was a really good story and worth the take-home if you happen across it in your library.
This first volume, CHALLENGE OF THE GODS, collects WONDER WOMAN issues 8-14, and is plotted and drawn by comic book creative legend George Perez, with scripts by Len Wein and inks by Bruce Patterson. While I thought the main story was great, I felt this collection, to really hold together as a cohesive whole, should have lost the first two issues.
Issue 8, “Time Passages”, provided mostly background for the series and the Wonder Woman character. Narratives provided by those closest to her detailed how she left Paradise Island and came to “Man’s World”, participated in the “Ares Affair”, defeating the war god, got a publicist and set up camp in Boston. All the while the world’s leaders are wary of this strange and powerful woman, and some countries even mistrust her motives, considering how very very American her costume looks.
Issue 9 is a throwaway, in terms of the collection. Granted, it’s the first post-CRISIS appearance of Wonder Woman’s main arch-enemy The Cheetah, but again, in terms of “Challenge of the Gods”, it doesn’t contribute.
The main storyline deals with Wonder Woman’s return to Paradise Island where, in reward for her great service to the gods of Olympus, Zeus has decided to give Princess Diana something all the girls should, by all rights, be falling over themselves to get a crack at: his seed.
That’s right, Zeus is going to reward Diana with a little “brownchickenbrowncow”. However, Diana’s time in Man’s World has taught her a few things, and one of those things is that “such decisions must be mutual. I cannot surrender that which is mine alone to give without a true feeling of desire and commitment!”
In anger at being turned down, Zeus sets a series of challenges before the Amazon princess. And if she fails, well, he’ll just destroy Paradise Island and all the Amazons living there. Seems a bit extreme, I know, but apparently Zeus was a bit of a dck.
As it turns out, however, Diana’s journey through Paradise Island’s massive underworld, a place that’s been closely guarded for centuries, was not only a trick played by an alien Manhunter disguised as the goat-god Pan, but it also leads Diana to learn everything she ever wanted to know about her destiny and her mission in Man’s World, including learning the origins of her costume. Back in the 1940s a WWII American air plane crashed on Paradise Island, and its pilot, Diana Trevor (mother to longtime Wonder Woman supporting character Steve Trevor) helped the Amazons battle the creatures living in the underworld and, in honor of Diana’s brave sacrifice, not only did the Queen of the Amazons name her own daughter after her, but the Wonder Woman costume is based on symbols and patches displayed on the AF pilot’s flight suit.
This was, for me, the most interesting part of the book, because the “Time Passages” story did introduce that question of how is it Wonder Woman’s costume, considering she’s from Paradise Island where no Man has set foot and where no Amazon has left in hundreds of years, can bear such striking resemblances to our own American flag? It’s no wonder other countries wouldn’t trust her motives, especially if they’re countries that don’t necessarily care for America. That makes perfect sense, and I applaud George Perez for adding that very important bit of background to the Wonder Woman canon.
Once the story got moving, it moved pretty rapidly. There was a ton of action and excitement, and Wonder Woman faced her challenges like a true hero, displaying the courage and the drive expected of a superhero of her legendary status (even though this version of the character was pretty new to the superhero game at this time). This character just wants to fulfill her duties as best she can, but she knows that task will be much easier to carry out if she knows just what those duties are, so she fights through challenge after challenge, desperate to get to the heart of the matter and save her people.
As a relaunch story, “Challenge of the Gods” sets things up well, establishing a very solid and interesting base for a character that for years, while viewed as one of the heavy hitters, is simply not as well-known or understood as Superman or Batman. George Perez really seemed to be working with a definite plan in mind for where he wanted his series to go, and he executed that plan perfectly.
His art, also, was . . . well, there’s not much that can be said of George Perez’s art, he’s George Perez. This man’s forgotten more about comic book art than most professionals will ever learn in their lifetime. He’s untouchable, impeccable and just plain scary good. Not only his panel layout, but his attention to detail, or even the ideas he can convey in a few simple lines, the way he tells his stories, simple yet beautiful and fully-rendered. I’ve always been in awe of Perez, always will. He’s just a legend, that’s all there is to it.
“Challenge of the Gods” was a good story--once the story got moving. But like I said, those first two chapters were unnecessary and obviously only included here for the sake of continuity. Many people don’t collect monthly comics, they just wait for the trade paperback, so of course they would want those standalone issues as well, hence their inclusion here. But as a part of the main storyline of “Challenge of the Gods”, they’re unimportant and, really, were pretty boring and neither issue seemed to want to end, ever.
But once the “Challenge” was under way, I quickly forgot about those first two issues and was finally able to just enjoy the book and lose myself in the story Perez and Wein were telling.
I don’t know if this would have been enough, back in the late 1980s, to keep me collecting Wonder Woman on a monthly basis, but if this didn’t do it then, I don’t know what would have. Wonder Woman’s still not a character I take a ton of interest in, but this at least was a really good story and worth the take-home if you happen across it in your library.
July 26, 2016
As pumped as I am about the Wonder Woman movie coming up, I think I will always look at the first 14 issues of Perez's WW run as the perfect template for a Wonder Woman trilogy. With just some tweaks to modernize it and pad out the Cheetah story, you could have a really solid franchise here.
Okay, enough fanboy speculation. On with the review. Again, Perez is pulling in his best work on this series. It's interesting to see Patterson's inking evolve over the issues; he gets more subtle with his own style and lets Perez's work really shine. And it's worth mentioning the stellar work that Heroic Age did for the color restoration on this book. I had previously lost my copy of this and only recently bought a new copy. When I first flipped through it, my initial thought was 'Wow, those colors really pop!'
The story is yet another well-structured tale with a profound message. I appreciate the movement of bright promise, to disillusionment, to journey through the dark, and finally back to bright promise that Diana undergoes. It's a fantastic way to follow up the first story arc. And Diana experiences what is essentially the story of all the Amazons on Paradise Island through this character arc. I love the connection to the original Diana that she discovers in this journey, and how it ties into the past of the real-world characters. Steve and Etta's very down-to-earth subplot is a fantastic counterpart to the epicness of the main story. And I cannot talk about the story without mentioning the boldness and creativity of the experimental first issue of this collection. Doing a full comic that is mostly text with pictures to accompany was a great and interesting way to speed through a significant amount of time where the action is more subdued and the focus is much more on understated feelings.
Finally, I want to reemphasize the importance of the message of this comic. Volume 1 was about the power of Peace, and Volume 2 is a testament to the importance of Forgiveness. Seriously, what other superhero story explores these themes? This is what makes Wonder Woman such a great character, that she ultimately believes in the better angels of our nature.
Okay, enough fanboy speculation. On with the review. Again, Perez is pulling in his best work on this series. It's interesting to see Patterson's inking evolve over the issues; he gets more subtle with his own style and lets Perez's work really shine. And it's worth mentioning the stellar work that Heroic Age did for the color restoration on this book. I had previously lost my copy of this and only recently bought a new copy. When I first flipped through it, my initial thought was 'Wow, those colors really pop!'
The story is yet another well-structured tale with a profound message. I appreciate the movement of bright promise, to disillusionment, to journey through the dark, and finally back to bright promise that Diana undergoes. It's a fantastic way to follow up the first story arc. And Diana experiences what is essentially the story of all the Amazons on Paradise Island through this character arc. I love the connection to the original Diana that she discovers in this journey, and how it ties into the past of the real-world characters. Steve and Etta's very down-to-earth subplot is a fantastic counterpart to the epicness of the main story. And I cannot talk about the story without mentioning the boldness and creativity of the experimental first issue of this collection. Doing a full comic that is mostly text with pictures to accompany was a great and interesting way to speed through a significant amount of time where the action is more subdued and the focus is much more on understated feelings.
Finally, I want to reemphasize the importance of the message of this comic. Volume 1 was about the power of Peace, and Volume 2 is a testament to the importance of Forgiveness. Seriously, what other superhero story explores these themes? This is what makes Wonder Woman such a great character, that she ultimately believes in the better angels of our nature.
October 27, 2025
wanted to rate this higher but there are some glaring flaws. this starts out great with the introduction of post crisis cheetah, a spectacular issue that sets up diana’s arch nemesis. i love the parallels between the both of them. however challenge of the gods becomes messy, it starts out really strong then becomes murky because it ties into an event so the story becomes chopped having crucial parts happen off page (probably in the event book but i didn’t bother reading considering challenge of the gods started out as a stand alone story). then there’s the hercules stuff……. i think perez meant well but it comes off as insensitive to the topic of sa. while i think stories of forgiveness are empowering and having hippolyta move on from her pain and resentment through it can be seen as a good message. however the way the story favors hercules and has him praised by the amazons as well as being allowed to be the first man to step on paradise island after the horrors he inflicted on the amazons….. they should have allowed him to go his separate way after hippolyta forgave him and freed him of his pain. we did not need to have a celebration in favor of him. this feels less like forgiveness and moreso overlooking his awful actions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2020
3.5. Unfortunate racism and disturbing rape forgiveness aside it was a pretty good comic if you can look past those major issues. Would be rated higher but points majorly docked for those issues.
August 11, 2016
This next volume of George Pérez's amazing run on Wonder Woman sees her first big interactions with the greater post-Crisis on Infinite Earths' DC Universe outside of Boston. We see the introduction of Diana's long-running antagonist Cheetah and, as the title alludes, she endures a challenge by the Pantheon with the fate of the Amazons themselves hanging in the balance. Though this arc is long and contains a crossover, it is still very good storytelling and art by Pérez who stays fateful to the original spirit of Wonder Woman, while putting in his own original twist and additions to the mythos. The way that he uses Steve Trevor and Etta Candy in particular has stood the test of time and informed many of the subsequent reboots of Wonder Woman. The use of Boston as Diana Prince's home base and the reaction to her by the greater world was done superbly. In conclusion, there is simply no better introduction to Wonder Woman this series under George Pérez.
June 22, 2012
Another top-notch batch of issues fro George's masterful run. The only problem (and it is quite glaring) is a huge gap in the storytelling between the penultimate and last chapter. At the end of #13, WW is charged with killing the Manhunter that has impersonated Pan. Issue #14 begins with her coming back home, with captions saying that the Pan impostor was destroyed. The only inkling we have as to what happened is the small hints of what has been going on in the larger DC universe that have come before. I haven't read the major crossover that was happening at this time (Millennium), but apparently the problems with the false Pan were resolved there. Given the slimness of this volume, I don't think it would have been much trouble to insert whatever issue of Millennium in which these events transpired. At the very least give us a little paragraph between chapters explaining what went down. I was also expecting more from the Cheetah given her prominence on the cover and the way that volume 1 set up her involvement. Oh well, that's comics for ya. Other than these minor complaints, George's run continues to be a ton of fun, gorgeously rendered, and occasionally profound.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2009
When I was little girl I used to love Wonder Woman. I would twirl around real fast in my Wonder Woman Underoos to become her and then fly (jump off the sofa), and lasso evil villains (my siblings) with my golden lariat (My jumprope).
A friend lent me some wonder woman graphic novels to read. I hadn't thought much about wonder woman since I was about 7 or 8, I'd say. I was skeptical that I would like them. I'm not a huge fan of DC style superheroes, but truly I loved her all over again.
A friend lent me some wonder woman graphic novels to read. I hadn't thought much about wonder woman since I was about 7 or 8, I'd say. I was skeptical that I would like them. I'm not a huge fan of DC style superheroes, but truly I loved her all over again.
June 18, 2021
It’s very frustrating to revisit this iconic Wonder Woman moments, at least for me, after watching the bomb WW84. Because, even though I still don’t think Diana is the most engaging protagonist, her background and stories are very interesting . Like this volume she had to go through some tasks created by Gods to test her value with cool fights and on top of that, personal drama. It’d be amazing to see something closer to this in DCEU.
February 8, 2023
Because Zeus is a creep who wants something he shouldn't and was thoroughly rejected, he tasks Diana to undergo trials to ‘prove her worth’ and recover his greatest treasure.
Diana goes underneath Paradise Island, through Doom’s Doorway, where countless Amazons have died to begin her challenges…
I wasn’t sure what to expect. If we’d have the princess interact with the Olympians as they deliver her challenges or if she would sort of pass through different rooms and each challenge would get harder.
Well, Diana definitely didn’t interact with the gods and while she did pass through different sections, it wasn’t as organised as going room by room. Which made it better, more natural and a little chaotic.
Then in between the battling, Diana meets her name-sake, Diana Trevor… Yup, the mother of Steve Trevor!
We learn a little of Diana’s military career then her family life before revealing how she came to be a hero on Themyscira.
After that interaction, we see Hades leading Diana to reunite with her husband as her son is attending his father’s funeral.
This story coincides with the Millennium event which I decided not to read.
The synopsis made it sound like DC’s version of Secret Invasion.
Anyway, Diana is convinced by a false Pan to leave the cave.
In my collection, we don’t get information on what happened during the event.
The next thing we know, Diana is being teleported back into the cave, thinking how she avenged Hermes’ son.
We see all the gods but Hermes celebrates Diana’s success. The goddesses are pleased that their creations have proved their worth.
The Amazons are finally given freedom to forge their own destinies.
Then this bit with Heracles, I found, was a bit strange.
I appreciate and like that he was punished and understood how wrong his past actions were towards the Amazons.
But then, there’s something between him and Hippolyte. That was too much. Like, why was that necessary?
I’m all for forgiveness but that doesn’t wipe away what he’d done specifically to the Queen.
The story moves right along with the Amazons discussing whether they should open their home to the world of men. Some are not keen on the idea.
Hippolyte tasks Diana to return to the mortal’s, to both learn and teach them their way.
There was a sweet reunion between Diana and her friends, Julia and Vanessa.
Also, interesting to note, a romance blooms between Steve and Lt. Etta Candy!
Link to individual status updates:
Issue #8│Issue #9│Issue #10│Issue #11│Issue #12│Issue #13│Issue #14
Diana goes underneath Paradise Island, through Doom’s Doorway, where countless Amazons have died to begin her challenges…
I wasn’t sure what to expect. If we’d have the princess interact with the Olympians as they deliver her challenges or if she would sort of pass through different rooms and each challenge would get harder.
Well, Diana definitely didn’t interact with the gods and while she did pass through different sections, it wasn’t as organised as going room by room. Which made it better, more natural and a little chaotic.
Then in between the battling, Diana meets her name-sake, Diana Trevor… Yup, the mother of Steve Trevor!
We learn a little of Diana’s military career then her family life before revealing how she came to be a hero on Themyscira.
After that interaction, we see Hades leading Diana to reunite with her husband as her son is attending his father’s funeral.
This story coincides with the Millennium event which I decided not to read.
The synopsis made it sound like DC’s version of Secret Invasion.
Anyway, Diana is convinced by a false Pan to leave the cave.
In my collection, we don’t get information on what happened during the event.
The next thing we know, Diana is being teleported back into the cave, thinking how she avenged Hermes’ son.
We see all the gods but Hermes celebrates Diana’s success. The goddesses are pleased that their creations have proved their worth.
The Amazons are finally given freedom to forge their own destinies.
Then this bit with Heracles, I found, was a bit strange.
I appreciate and like that he was punished and understood how wrong his past actions were towards the Amazons.
But then, there’s something between him and Hippolyte. That was too much. Like, why was that necessary?
I’m all for forgiveness but that doesn’t wipe away what he’d done specifically to the Queen.
The story moves right along with the Amazons discussing whether they should open their home to the world of men. Some are not keen on the idea.
Hippolyte tasks Diana to return to the mortal’s, to both learn and teach them their way.
There was a sweet reunion between Diana and her friends, Julia and Vanessa.
Also, interesting to note, a romance blooms between Steve and Lt. Etta Candy!
Link to individual status updates:
Issue #8│Issue #9│Issue #10│Issue #11│Issue #12│Issue #13│Issue #14
March 22, 2018
Wonder Woman is one of those many characters whom I can't say that I ever disliked, but I never gave much thought to or had much interest in for most of my life. Then, one day, I pulled a few Perez issues out of a cheap comics bin and promptly went out and hunted down George's entire 62-issue run.
Finally, DC has done me the courtesy of collecting the first two years of the series - the issues that George drew (plus the Byrne-illustrated lead from Action #600 and the non-Perez all-star jam on Wonder Woman Annual #1) - into four nice trades.
Thankfully, the stories age very well (thankfully, because I actually bought all four before I sat down to start re-reading them). Forgoing traditional super-heroism (for the most part), Perez sells me by focusing intently on the mythology behind Diana - the Olympian gods are huge players in the series, Diana frequently battles minotaurs, hydras, gorgons and more, and the traditional, Greek society of Themyscira has NEVER been better developed than it was in these pages.
Major kudos to scripters Greg Potter and Len Wein for establishing the formal lilt of the series' prose - heavy captions and flowery language re-inforce the ancient, formal and traditional backdrop of the series.
Diana battles Ares the War God, is sent on a classis hero quest, bonds with some extremely well written Bostonians, discovers joy, elation and tragedy (poor Myndi Mayer's final story was a real tearjerker), finds that her gods are fallible and establishes that, yes, Diana will kill when her hand is forced (so why was it such a big deal in Sacrifice? ).
Great art, great writing (Perez doesn't miss a beat when taking over scripting from Wein) and terrific, fun, engaging stories.
Finally, DC has done me the courtesy of collecting the first two years of the series - the issues that George drew (plus the Byrne-illustrated lead from Action #600 and the non-Perez all-star jam on Wonder Woman Annual #1) - into four nice trades.
Thankfully, the stories age very well (thankfully, because I actually bought all four before I sat down to start re-reading them). Forgoing traditional super-heroism (for the most part), Perez sells me by focusing intently on the mythology behind Diana - the Olympian gods are huge players in the series, Diana frequently battles minotaurs, hydras, gorgons and more, and the traditional, Greek society of Themyscira has NEVER been better developed than it was in these pages.
Major kudos to scripters Greg Potter and Len Wein for establishing the formal lilt of the series' prose - heavy captions and flowery language re-inforce the ancient, formal and traditional backdrop of the series.
Diana battles Ares the War God, is sent on a classis hero quest, bonds with some extremely well written Bostonians, discovers joy, elation and tragedy (poor Myndi Mayer's final story was a real tearjerker), finds that her gods are fallible and establishes that, yes, Diana will kill when her hand is forced (so why was it such a big deal in Sacrifice? ).
Great art, great writing (Perez doesn't miss a beat when taking over scripting from Wein) and terrific, fun, engaging stories.
April 3, 2018
I have so many conflicted feelings about this volume. There were a lot of things that I loved but there were also many things that made me feel uncomfortable.
The first chapter was fantastic because it focused on all the women that Diana had befriended: Julia, Vanessa, Etta and Myndi. We got to know more about their characters and learn more about their opinions on Diana and how she changed their lives. The second chapter introduced Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva as the Cheetah. This chapter was the only one that didn't fit in with the rest of the volume because Cheetah wasn't mentioned again so it was a strange place to introduce her.
The Challenge of the Gods arc was pretty entertaining. I loved that that the "unique bond" between Steve and Diana was finally explained. The story of Diana Trevor was amazing and I loved that Diana of Themyscira was named after her and her uniform was a tribute to Diana Trevor's noble sacrifice. It also explained why Wonder Woman's uniform has similarities to the American flag and symbols. We got to see more of Hippolyta in action and it was nice to see more of Diana and Hippolyta's relationship.
I would have loved this arc even more if not for some disturbing aspects of the story. Firstly, when Zeus couldn't take no for an answer after Diana rejected his advances, he decided to punish her (but made it seem like it was a challenge to prove Diana's worth as an Amazon). Zeus lived up to his reputation but still, what a major dick! Secondly, I can't believe that the Amazons, especially Hippolyta, forgave Hercules. He violated her and humiliated the Amazons!!! This is rape culture!!! Like I understood that Perez was trying to show that the Amazons were better people by embracing forgiveness and all but it was awful.
The first chapter was fantastic because it focused on all the women that Diana had befriended: Julia, Vanessa, Etta and Myndi. We got to know more about their characters and learn more about their opinions on Diana and how she changed their lives. The second chapter introduced Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva as the Cheetah. This chapter was the only one that didn't fit in with the rest of the volume because Cheetah wasn't mentioned again so it was a strange place to introduce her.
The Challenge of the Gods arc was pretty entertaining. I loved that that the "unique bond" between Steve and Diana was finally explained. The story of Diana Trevor was amazing and I loved that Diana of Themyscira was named after her and her uniform was a tribute to Diana Trevor's noble sacrifice. It also explained why Wonder Woman's uniform has similarities to the American flag and symbols. We got to see more of Hippolyta in action and it was nice to see more of Diana and Hippolyta's relationship.
I would have loved this arc even more if not for some disturbing aspects of the story. Firstly, when Zeus couldn't take no for an answer after Diana rejected his advances, he decided to punish her (but made it seem like it was a challenge to prove Diana's worth as an Amazon). Zeus lived up to his reputation but still, what a major dick! Secondly, I can't believe that the Amazons, especially Hippolyta, forgave Hercules. He violated her and humiliated the Amazons!!! This is rape culture!!! Like I understood that Perez was trying to show that the Amazons were better people by embracing forgiveness and all but it was awful.
September 23, 2016
It took me a lot longer to finish this volume, but now that I have I can't wait to read the next volume!
So far I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two Wonder Woman volumes by George Perez. I also like how each volume is broken up into chapters. I also like how at the beginning of each volume there's a recap of what transpired in the previous volume so as to lead into the volume you're about to read.
In the first chapter, it's mainly about the perspectives of the characters of Julia Kapatelis, Etta Candy, Vanessa Kapatelis and Myndi Mayer with some interjections about Cheetah coming to Boston. I like in how each personal perspective of the characters the text changes, and the text reflects the person that's "speaking". It helps to make the voice of the character more relate-able.
In Julia K's entry you really get the sense that she's stepped into this mother role for Wonder Woman. Through Julia's eyes you really get to see the humanity of Wonder Woman and how as she learns the ways of Man's World she begins to understand humans in an emotional and psychological capacity.
In Etta Candy's entry you actually get to hear from this character. In the previous volume, Etta Candy's role isn't very prominent. Her role is to protect and defend Steve Trevor as his attache in the USAF. It's really through her entry that you see how her views about Wonder Woman change as well as her opinions about the top brass in the military. I really began to like Etta's character more after this entry and wish she had a bigger role. Maybe she will in the next volume.
In Vanessa K's entry you get to hear from this character as well. She's a young girl who at first didn't take kindly to Wonder Woman for various reasons, but soon bonds quickly with her after she comes home from the hospital. She's Wonder Woman's biggest fan and really shows her love of Wonder Woman. What I also like about Vanessa is that she wasn't afraid to stick up for what she believed in and while she shouldn't have beat up those kids, I found it quite amusing. We all wish at one point in our lives we could beat up that boy/man who made some ill timed and crude jokes. Vanessa just happened to do it. LOL!!!
In Myndi M's entry, you got to understand more about this character. Yes, she's a business woman but she's not cheat or cad. She makes money for herself and for Wonder Woman but she's at least putting money aside for Wonder Woman, for her future. It's nice to see that she's no Dr. Cale or out to exploit Wonder Woman. Publicize and promote? Yes, but not exploit. I'm still trying to make up my mind about Myndi, but for now I don't mind her character so much.
In Chapter 2 Cheetah finally gets her chance to battle it out with Wonder Woman, and boy was the fight not only ferocious but totally epic!
In Chapters 3 and 4, Wonder Woman returns to Paradise Island. Well at first things are pretty kosher and lovely, however, Zeus decides to be the prick he is and try to have his way with Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman knows all to well about Zeus being the horny god he is and says "NO". Well, this pisses Zeus off and so Wonder Woman now has to endure some laborious challenges to prove to the gods, once again that Wonder Woman is the true bad-ass goddess that we all know she is. In the meantime Hippolyte tries to help Wonder Woman out by following in her footsteps through cavern where the Amazons have guarded the evil spirits from coming out and destroying everything.
In Chapter 5, Wonder Woman finally gets to meet her namesake and we learn more about the first Diana and the Trevor family, and how Wonder Woman and Steve are connected. Meanwhile Steve and Etta are in Oklahoma for a funeral.
In Chapters 6 and 7, we learn of Pan's death and how his impostor set Wonder Woman's challenges in motion, at the same time encountering Harmonia (Ares' daughter), battling it out with some crazy monsters and helping to release Heracles from his heavy burden. I'm glad that they picked up with Heracles and that he's a changed man. Finally, Wonder Woman returns to man's world in the arms of Julia Kapatelis.
The only criticism that I can say about this volume is that the text was at times a bit hard to read, especially in chapter 1. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations and the story. And I hope that Etta and Steve's relationship continues to blossom. All I have to say about that is, "Good for them!".
So far I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two Wonder Woman volumes by George Perez. I also like how each volume is broken up into chapters. I also like how at the beginning of each volume there's a recap of what transpired in the previous volume so as to lead into the volume you're about to read.
In the first chapter, it's mainly about the perspectives of the characters of Julia Kapatelis, Etta Candy, Vanessa Kapatelis and Myndi Mayer with some interjections about Cheetah coming to Boston. I like in how each personal perspective of the characters the text changes, and the text reflects the person that's "speaking". It helps to make the voice of the character more relate-able.
In Julia K's entry you really get the sense that she's stepped into this mother role for Wonder Woman. Through Julia's eyes you really get to see the humanity of Wonder Woman and how as she learns the ways of Man's World she begins to understand humans in an emotional and psychological capacity.
In Etta Candy's entry you actually get to hear from this character. In the previous volume, Etta Candy's role isn't very prominent. Her role is to protect and defend Steve Trevor as his attache in the USAF. It's really through her entry that you see how her views about Wonder Woman change as well as her opinions about the top brass in the military. I really began to like Etta's character more after this entry and wish she had a bigger role. Maybe she will in the next volume.
In Vanessa K's entry you get to hear from this character as well. She's a young girl who at first didn't take kindly to Wonder Woman for various reasons, but soon bonds quickly with her after she comes home from the hospital. She's Wonder Woman's biggest fan and really shows her love of Wonder Woman. What I also like about Vanessa is that she wasn't afraid to stick up for what she believed in and while she shouldn't have beat up those kids, I found it quite amusing. We all wish at one point in our lives we could beat up that boy/man who made some ill timed and crude jokes. Vanessa just happened to do it. LOL!!!
In Myndi M's entry, you got to understand more about this character. Yes, she's a business woman but she's not cheat or cad. She makes money for herself and for Wonder Woman but she's at least putting money aside for Wonder Woman, for her future. It's nice to see that she's no Dr. Cale or out to exploit Wonder Woman. Publicize and promote? Yes, but not exploit. I'm still trying to make up my mind about Myndi, but for now I don't mind her character so much.
In Chapter 2 Cheetah finally gets her chance to battle it out with Wonder Woman, and boy was the fight not only ferocious but totally epic!
In Chapters 3 and 4, Wonder Woman returns to Paradise Island. Well at first things are pretty kosher and lovely, however, Zeus decides to be the prick he is and try to have his way with Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman knows all to well about Zeus being the horny god he is and says "NO". Well, this pisses Zeus off and so Wonder Woman now has to endure some laborious challenges to prove to the gods, once again that Wonder Woman is the true bad-ass goddess that we all know she is. In the meantime Hippolyte tries to help Wonder Woman out by following in her footsteps through cavern where the Amazons have guarded the evil spirits from coming out and destroying everything.
In Chapter 5, Wonder Woman finally gets to meet her namesake and we learn more about the first Diana and the Trevor family, and how Wonder Woman and Steve are connected. Meanwhile Steve and Etta are in Oklahoma for a funeral.
In Chapters 6 and 7, we learn of Pan's death and how his impostor set Wonder Woman's challenges in motion, at the same time encountering Harmonia (Ares' daughter), battling it out with some crazy monsters and helping to release Heracles from his heavy burden. I'm glad that they picked up with Heracles and that he's a changed man. Finally, Wonder Woman returns to man's world in the arms of Julia Kapatelis.
The only criticism that I can say about this volume is that the text was at times a bit hard to read, especially in chapter 1. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations and the story. And I hope that Etta and Steve's relationship continues to blossom. All I have to say about that is, "Good for them!".
November 20, 2024
Another fantastic volume by George Perez.
Perez does a lot of work with integrating Diana into man's world and highlights the difficulty of the task. He also does some great character and relationship building with the supporting cast: Julia and Vanessa, Myndi Meyer, Steve Trevor and Etta.
He does a fantastic job of introducing the post-crisis Cheetah, one of Wonder Woman's most iconic villains. After that, Diana is recalled back to Paradise Island where, after rejecting Zeus's advances, she's given the Challenge of the Gods. She has to venture into Doom's Doorway to enter a realm which the Amazon's have been guarding for centuries. Once there, she fights a variety of monsters and discovers some huge revelations about herself.
The writing and art are top-tier, and is far beyond the quality of what you get from DC today. There was a lot of love and thought put into this volume and the last. These 2 volumes together contain probably the most important and defining Wonder Woman stories there are. A must-read.
Perez does a lot of work with integrating Diana into man's world and highlights the difficulty of the task. He also does some great character and relationship building with the supporting cast: Julia and Vanessa, Myndi Meyer, Steve Trevor and Etta.
He does a fantastic job of introducing the post-crisis Cheetah, one of Wonder Woman's most iconic villains. After that, Diana is recalled back to Paradise Island where, after rejecting Zeus's advances, she's given the Challenge of the Gods. She has to venture into Doom's Doorway to enter a realm which the Amazon's have been guarding for centuries. Once there, she fights a variety of monsters and discovers some huge revelations about herself.
The writing and art are top-tier, and is far beyond the quality of what you get from DC today. There was a lot of love and thought put into this volume and the last. These 2 volumes together contain probably the most important and defining Wonder Woman stories there are. A must-read.
July 28, 2024
George Perez is one of my favorite artists, and this is part of his (so far) great run on this title. I have never read these issues before, so bear with me. I wouldn't have dreamed of crossing the "party line" when these issues originally came out in the '80s, but with age comes wisdom, yadda-yadda. I appreciate how much detail Perez puts into each panel, especially when showing the Greek mythology stuff. My only complaint about this package is that DC uses chinsy paper in their trades. It's not like this book sold at a lower price point because of the cheaper paper stock.
June 24, 2018
George Perez's Wonder Woman reboot starts to hit its stride with this nice set of issues that starts off with a fantastic and all-too-brief encounter with the Cheetah, before Diana is put through an elaborate series of challenges by the gods. We also learn some interesting things about her backstory and the nature of her connection with Steve Trevor.
September 11, 2025
I appreciate what George Perez did for Wonder Woman, but this was just taxing to read again because of the constant text blocks, and also because of Heracles. I found the ending with him to be pretty gross and unrealistic given what he did. Because of both of those things, I will not be checking out the rest of this run.
August 22, 2020
So-so storyline. It was just after Crisis, and the plot about Zeus up to his usual philandering tricks with Diana brought on a couple of cringes. The redemption of Heracles and the re-envisioning of Cheetah were not enough to make this a recommendable trade paperback.
June 7, 2017
Uno de los mejores arcos narrativos que ha tenido la mujer maravilla.
June 8, 2017
besides the whole "let's forgive the rapist because he can be a poor misguided soul" thing, this was interesting enough.
April 25, 2018
There is a lot of madness going around.
May 26, 2019
As with the first volume, Perez continues to flesh out Diana's world and supporting cast. If you liked volume 1, you'll like this.
March 22, 2025
horrible conclusion, I get what he was trying to do thematically but it was awful. otherwise stellar volume. loved all the women characters interactions and loved etta and steve together. I'm very fond of perez's wordy prose and detailed drawings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2022
I adore George Pérez's work, that's why I'm giving it a 4-star rating. The story dragged a bit, though. I think the Greek Gods are an interesting kind, but a little background on them would have been a bit helpful. You actually need to know who they are and some of the myths to actually get their motivations, and that kind of behind the scenes is a huge deal considering a big chunk of this book is dedicated to their whims.
Anyway, as I mentioned, the narrative feels a bit heavy, but this is 80's material, that's how stories were told back then. So, I'm taking this into consideration.
Anyway, as I mentioned, the narrative feels a bit heavy, but this is 80's material, that's how stories were told back then. So, I'm taking this into consideration.
February 19, 2017
Legendary artist George Perez is the highlight of this early Wonder Woman collection. Opening with a recap that explores the end results of the DC Legends crossover event, duplicated panels from the event are paired with reflections from cast members Julia Kapatelis, Etta Candy, Vanessa Kapatelis, and Myndi Mayer. The best part of the collection is featured in the following issue, as the modern version of the Cheetah is introduced with deadly intent. A major quest from the gods fills up the next few issues, as Zeus is convinced to send Diana into the Demon Lair beneath Paradise Island. Diana's updated history is highlighted here, with the various Gecian gods, monsters, and beings receiving screen time in the modern era. Wonder Woman's quest ends with the rescue of Hercules, and a return to Boston to continue exploring the world of men. Though George Perez draws beautiful figures, scenic backgrounds, and terrific monsters, his storytelling does not reach his artistic level. The book itself is a long tribute to Greek mythology and an attempt to bring the Wonder Woman saga to a new audience. Challenge of the Gods is a challenge for readers and fans, but one that can be overcome with the turning of each page.
January 10, 2019
The story continues as George Perez's take on Wonder Woman for the Post-Crisis continues into its second collection.
After the first collection, I certainly had my hopes up. Given that this one brings forth a modernized version of Cheetah I guess I was pretty happy to say that my hopes were realized.
However, the story is still pretty flawed despite how impressive it is told. Basically, Cheetah has been a mainstay for Wonder Woman's villains but this one really makes it a new and improved character. Instead of a failed actress becoming a thief, its a rich but weak woman with a desire for power. Truly the opposite of Wonder Woman and can see how she is a great villain.
But prior to seeing Cheetah, the collection sets forward a story that establishes Wonder Woman's impact after her triumph against Ares. It's nice, but also very long and wordy. Read like a newspaper story instead of a comic book.
After Cheetah there is a strange story involving the Greek Gods and the trial that Diana must partake after having refused their advances. Not bad seeing Wonder Woman fight monsters but it doesn't seem as epic as her fight with Cheetah. Though reading up on Steve Trevor's mother was really good especially since it connected with Diana's adventure.
Okay but not that great. C+
After the first collection, I certainly had my hopes up. Given that this one brings forth a modernized version of Cheetah I guess I was pretty happy to say that my hopes were realized.
However, the story is still pretty flawed despite how impressive it is told. Basically, Cheetah has been a mainstay for Wonder Woman's villains but this one really makes it a new and improved character. Instead of a failed actress becoming a thief, its a rich but weak woman with a desire for power. Truly the opposite of Wonder Woman and can see how she is a great villain.
But prior to seeing Cheetah, the collection sets forward a story that establishes Wonder Woman's impact after her triumph against Ares. It's nice, but also very long and wordy. Read like a newspaper story instead of a comic book.
After Cheetah there is a strange story involving the Greek Gods and the trial that Diana must partake after having refused their advances. Not bad seeing Wonder Woman fight monsters but it doesn't seem as epic as her fight with Cheetah. Though reading up on Steve Trevor's mother was really good especially since it connected with Diana's adventure.
Okay but not that great. C+
August 3, 2015
Great story, great artwork. Challenge of the Gods goes from heartfelt origin story to ripping adventure yarn, with plenty of action and drama.
In this collection the reader sees Princess Diana (aka Wonder Woman) at her most personal, and her most epic. Her journey reads like a Greek myth: facing a cyclops, a hydra, and facing powerful gods like Zeus, Ares, and more, all the while fighting to secure peace for her family, friends, and fellow Amazons. Diana's relationships with her Queen mother and mortal companions are as compelling as her battles through the mythical underworld.
The artwork is lively and the panelling and poses fresh and engaging. I found myself turning back to see visual echoes, and lingering on beautiful splash pages.
This volume shows all that Wonder Woman can be. I look forward to reading more of George Perez's work.
In this collection the reader sees Princess Diana (aka Wonder Woman) at her most personal, and her most epic. Her journey reads like a Greek myth: facing a cyclops, a hydra, and facing powerful gods like Zeus, Ares, and more, all the while fighting to secure peace for her family, friends, and fellow Amazons. Diana's relationships with her Queen mother and mortal companions are as compelling as her battles through the mythical underworld.
The artwork is lively and the panelling and poses fresh and engaging. I found myself turning back to see visual echoes, and lingering on beautiful splash pages.
This volume shows all that Wonder Woman can be. I look forward to reading more of George Perez's work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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