Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana

by Jordie Bellaire, Paulina Gaunucheau (illustrator)

Eisner Award-winner Jordie Bellaire and rising star Paulina Ganucheau provide a refreshing look into Wonder Woman's upbringing and dangerous secrets of her past you'll never forget!

The world may know her as Wonder Woman, but once upon a time she was Diana, the young princess of Themyscira. Back then, she struggled to find her place on an island deemed paradise by many, but which was, to her, a prison. Trapped in her role as a royal and shielded from the harsh realities of Man's World, Diana yearned for adventure, or at least a purpose. So when ancient texts portraying her home's history go missing, she gets both. How far will our hero go to find the texts and the truths they're hiding? Find out in this exciting story that promises to be a classic for years to come!

Collected together for the first time, these backup stories from WONDER WOMAN by Eisner Award-winner Jordie Bellaire and rising star Paulina Ganucheau provide a refreshing look into Wonder Woman's upbringing and dangerous secrets of her past you'll never forget!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Dc Comics, Young Adult, Superheroes, Fantasy

192 pages, Paperback

Published August 13, 2024

About the author

Jordie Bellaire is an American comic book colorist and writter who lives in Ireland and works for DC, Marvel, Valiant, and Image comic book publishers. She has colored Pretty Deadly, The Manhattan Projects, Moon Knight, The Vision, Magneto, Nowhere Men, Hawkeye, Batman, among other titles. As a writer, her most famous works are Redlands and the reboot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Bellaire is credited with starting the "Comics are for everybody" initiative to make the comic book community more inclusive and compassionate.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was charming, but the story is mostly made up of talking scenes. Perhaps this would work better as a short novel?

[shana (travelersguidetobooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Diana was absolutely adorable and I loved how this story was able to capture her teenage angst and curiosity of the world so beautifully. I’m such a fan of Wonder Woman and I think it’s always so nice getting to see how she grew up because you can see all of the early elements of what will make for an incredible superhero. Also, I loved the art style of this graphic novel so much and I thought it was so pretty and really brought this story to life.

[D.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Beautiful artwork and Diana’s narrative voice here is stellar. I love how emotions are shown in the eyes simply with white dots. Diana is a young teenager here, learning her mother isn’t infallible but a complex person. She also reckons with everyone’s pressure for her to become a great queen when she’s still finding herself. What if she doesn’t want to rule? What if she wants to explore?

The author sets the foundation and seedlings of how Diana will become Wonder Woman; her core beliefs and need for freedom are established here. There are also good nuggets about leadership qualities that any reader can learn from.

One thing the story acknowledges is not sweeping under a dark past/history. We must tell the full story. If things were done wrongly in the past or shameful things happened, then we must correct and acknowledge it in the present.

The sister relationship between Hippolyta and Antiope was so good. They are constantly at a contrast in lifestyles and personalities, but they care for each other at the core.

I was never well-versed in Diana/Wonder Woman’s story, Amazonian woman, or how it connects with the Greek gods, but I enjoyed this portrayal and could keep up. I would read more Wonder Woman stories from this duo.

[Saja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this comic book I think it’s great for young readers and it was even better that I watched the movie before I read the book and everything clicked and I also loved how they made the story around the Greek gods I love the art style and I love how adventures Diana is I would rate this a 7 i liked it but I just think it was made for a bit younger readers than me 🤪😎🤟😁

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great artwork! The character designs are stunning. In particular I love the number of different outfits for everyone!

I enjoyed the story, although it felt a little disjointed at times. People unfamiliar with Diana/Wonder Woman may be a bit confused, BUT I think the story is strong enough to power through that and if not... it sets readers up to grab more WW stories!

[mad mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence, including slavery and implied sexual assault.)

The world might know her as Wonder Woman, but Diana used to be a kid, just like the rest of us. Well, maybe not just like us: fourteen-year-old Diana's days are spent exploring the magical shores of Themyscira, swimming with megaladons and flying through the skies with her trusty Kanga, Jumpa; sparring with her Amazon sisters; and learning about diplomacy and leadership from her mother, Queen Hippolyta, so that she may one day assume the role herself. That's a lot of pressure, even for an Amazon! It's no wonder that Diana sometimes feels as though the walls of Themyscira are closing in around her.

THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG DIANA features several story lines that loosely tie together. In the first, Hippolyta apprentices Diana to Clio, Themyscira's scribe. What initially seems like a boring internship in a dusty old library (ahem!) quickly promises adventure, as Clio enlists Diana's help in hunting down some missing texts that may or may not chronicle the darker events in Themyscira's past. Segueing from Diana's discovery, the unexpected return of Antiope - Hippolyta's estranged sister, and a pivotal character in the previous story - brings tempers to a boiling point, as Hippolyta worries that she's a bad influence on Diana. (Also, Diana saves a magical creature and makes her first visit to Mount Olympus.) Finally, during the annual remembrance of lost Amazons, the Emerald Flame goes missing. When Diana tracks down the culprit - none other than Persephone, Queen of the Underworld - Diana must reckon with the realization that she cannot set right every injustice in the world.

THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG DIANA is a really fun and thoughtful exploration of Diana's teenage years. The story telling is captivating and the art, simply adorable (the magical creatures are *chef's kiss*). I loved getting to meet some of the other Amazons, and we even get a brief glimpse of Nubia, doing her duty as the guardian of Doom's Doorway.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5* You can tell these stories were not conceptualized for a graphic novel, but I’m not about to hold that against it. The art is beautiful and the tone is light, taking us through important lessons Diana learns in her teen years, and becoming the person we know her to be as a result. I think this is a case of the art style matching up so perfectly with the story being told, but beyond that, it’s just an art style that’s really personally appealing to me. I don’t always understand the appeal to teens of some of the books DC puts out under its YA graphic novel line, but I can absolutely understand what they saw in this one for its potential to appeal to girls and young women. The only other thing I was skeptical about, beyond the obviously episodic nature of the story, is the depiction of the male gods (Zeus and Hades). Zeus tells Diana not to bow to him or any man (which seems quite optimistic and idealistic for any Zeus depiction I’ve ever seen) while condemning Hades an adventure or two later. It just seemed a little contradictory in that way, to take such a lighthearted tone with Zeus but not Hades. That made the Persephone story a bit of a tonal curveball at the end.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Wonder Woman (aka Diana Prince) will enjoy this look back to Diana’s younger years, as she yearns for far more adventures than her mother Hippolyta is willing to allow. A teenage Diana roams the island of Themyscira looking for opportunities to sharpen her heroic skills, whether it’s swimming with megalodons to find lost ancient texts, reuniting with a long-lost aunt, or making her first visit to Mount Olympus.

Students will likely enjoy this more if they already have some familiarity with Wonder Woman, but even if they don’t, the graphic novel tells fun adventure stories with nods to Greek mythology and strong female characters.

Thank you NetGalley and DC Entertainment for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's important to be aware that this wasn't originally published as a graphic novel. This is a collection of backup stories from the main Wonder Woman ongoing series. It explains how choppy, episodic, and unfinished this book feels, despite everything being connected. The stories are generally pretty good, though Hippolyta felt out of character to me. I also think that it's written expecting readers to have a certain level of knowledge about Wonder Woman lore, including the Bana-Mighdal and the Well of Souls. That's reasonable for backup stories, but less so for a middle grade graphic novel.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoopla Digital Library copy

This was a great new retelling, and I'm always glad to read a Wonder Woman book. Sadly, my students don't pick up the Hales' Diana: Princess of the Amazons, Yee's Wonder Woman at Super Hero High, or Saeed's great trilogy that starts with Diana and the Island of No Return. Might they pick ups graphic novel? Possible. I would definitely consider purchasing this if I get a lot of readers who are interested in this classic comic book character.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly cute and fun look at Diana before she became Wonder Woman as the backup stories are all collected together here. This would be the perfect kind of book to introduce Wonder Woman with. I know I'm not the target demographic, but it was a lot of fun.

Special Thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to take notes as I read cause it’s always hard for me to keep the Amazons straight (HA! Hard for them too! 😘). The stories were a bit too neatly wrapped and cobbled together but it was originally a series of minisodes so I don’t fault the format for that. I want to know more about Themyscira but every comic has its own continuity and I never know where to start! Maybe one day…

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read with beautiful artwork. It is an interesting backstory for Wonder Woman.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story and loved the illustrations.

[Stronglysalty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

the art is SO PRETTYYY

[Phillip Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been enjoying these YA books from DC Comics, so I was excited when I got the opportunity to check out Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana from Jordie Bellaire and Paulina Ganucheau.

The book follows a “teenage” Diana on some adventures in Themyscira. She’s questioning whether or not the crown is even what she truly wants in life, and her mother Hippolyta is none too pleased.

Diana finds her proposed internship with Clio to be a boring one; however, adventure awaits for Diana to discover missing knowledge of a darker part of Themyscira’s past. What has Hippolyta and the other elder Amazons been hiding for all of these years? What is this dark past? (CW: implied sexual assault) Also, what happens when Diana runs into Persephone, Hades’ wife?

The subtle references throughout make me feel in this version of the DC universe, Hippolyta and Philippus are a couple which always makes me happy.

I really liked Ganucheau’s artwork throughout the book. She managed to catch the whisky and mythic aspects of Themyscira while simultaneously making the characters full of expressions at all times. It’s fantastic.

This was a fun book, and it’s wholly appropriate for all ages while not feeling like only a book for kids. (However, I will reiterate that there’s nothing wrong with that.) I think I might get this for my stepdaughter.

Thank you Netgalley and DC Comics for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am used to seeing Jordie Beliaire as a colorist. I am a HUGE fan of her work on the Spurrier Constantine run. So when I saw that she would be writing a Wonder Woman story I had to get my hands on it. The art is by Paulina Ganucheau and this the first time I have read one of her books and I look forward to finding more. The art is cute, the story is fun. Love the inclusion of Jumpa. The colors fit really well and the letters never got in the way of the art.

4 stars