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Wonder Woman (2016)
Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Afterworlds
The warriors here spend their days fighting and their nights drinking, but why is no one surprised to see Wonder Woman? It s up to Diana to find out what is going wrong in the Sphere of the Gods and how it landed her in the Norse afterlife. Now she must face warriors and beasts of mythic proportions can our Amazon Princess survive? This volume collects Wonder Woman #770-779!
264 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2021
17 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Becky Cloonan
521 books396 followersBecky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
February 4, 2022
Spinning out of Dark Nights: Death Metal, Wonder Woman finds herself in the afterlife - though not in Olympus as she expects but Asgard for some reason! Yggdrasil the World Tree is dying and a mysterious villain has laid waste to Olympus. Teaming up with a generic hunk and a talking squirrel, Diana’s gotta save the blah blah blah.
Becky Cloonan’s written some fine comics, which is the only reason I picked this one up, however, like her other Big 2 books, Wonder Woman, Volume 1: Afterworlds is not good at all - in fact, I’d say it’s her worst work-for-hire yet. That’s probably in part because her co-writer is Michael Conrad, the author of the godawful Comixology Originals Tremor Dose and Double Walker - anything with the Comixology Originals stamp on it is utter drek.
Worse still, this book is ten issues long, about twice as long as the average collection, and you really feel its length here. It is so, so boring. All that happens is that Wonder Woman travels across the Multiverse fighting a dark version of herself with a giant sickle until she doesn’t. The story and baddie are so childishly written that I wasn’t the least bit engaged with the book. I don’t think they even resolved the Yggdrasil storyline, despite the page count - it’s that shoddy a story.
I’m also not a big fan of mythology retellings, or maybe it’s the case that the ones doing the retellings just aren’t very good at doing so, so delving into Norse (obviously this isn’t Marvel’s Thor/Asgard but the more traditional version) and Greek mythology didn’t do anything for me.
But nothing about this book was the least bit compelling. It’s a rambling, arbitrary journey through the Multiverse, the changing scenery being the only thing to make it seem like the story is progressing when really it’s only going round in circles. They’re in Earth-11, then the Phantom Zone, then Gemworld, etc. etc. - any point to all this? Nope! Just filling time. Oh look, a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice parody with Bat-Mite and Mr Mxyzptlk aka more filler!
Wonder Woman, Volume 1: Afterworlds is a very long, unsatisfying and tedious comic with a badly-told and never interesting story that only bores. Pointless rubbish, don’t bother.
Becky Cloonan’s written some fine comics, which is the only reason I picked this one up, however, like her other Big 2 books, Wonder Woman, Volume 1: Afterworlds is not good at all - in fact, I’d say it’s her worst work-for-hire yet. That’s probably in part because her co-writer is Michael Conrad, the author of the godawful Comixology Originals Tremor Dose and Double Walker - anything with the Comixology Originals stamp on it is utter drek.
Worse still, this book is ten issues long, about twice as long as the average collection, and you really feel its length here. It is so, so boring. All that happens is that Wonder Woman travels across the Multiverse fighting a dark version of herself with a giant sickle until she doesn’t. The story and baddie are so childishly written that I wasn’t the least bit engaged with the book. I don’t think they even resolved the Yggdrasil storyline, despite the page count - it’s that shoddy a story.
I’m also not a big fan of mythology retellings, or maybe it’s the case that the ones doing the retellings just aren’t very good at doing so, so delving into Norse (obviously this isn’t Marvel’s Thor/Asgard but the more traditional version) and Greek mythology didn’t do anything for me.
But nothing about this book was the least bit compelling. It’s a rambling, arbitrary journey through the Multiverse, the changing scenery being the only thing to make it seem like the story is progressing when really it’s only going round in circles. They’re in Earth-11, then the Phantom Zone, then Gemworld, etc. etc. - any point to all this? Nope! Just filling time. Oh look, a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice parody with Bat-Mite and Mr Mxyzptlk aka more filler!
Wonder Woman, Volume 1: Afterworlds is a very long, unsatisfying and tedious comic with a badly-told and never interesting story that only bores. Pointless rubbish, don’t bother.
January 11, 2022
After Dark Nights: Death Metal, Wonder Woman wakes up in Asgard with no memory of who she is. She makes friends with the squirrel Ratatoskr and Siegfried while stopping Ragnarok. Eventually she finds out who is behind her misplacement into the Norse pantheon and goes on a pan-dimension quest to stop them. It's all fine but never great. I don't think Conrad and Cloonan have quite captured Diana's voice yet. At ten issues the story goes on way too long too.
Travis Moore handles the majority of the book and it looks pretty great. There are some very good fill in artists like Jill Thompson and Emanuela Lupacchino too.
Travis Moore handles the majority of the book and it looks pretty great. There are some very good fill in artists like Jill Thompson and Emanuela Lupacchino too.
September 28, 2022
I tried. I really tried, but I just couldn’t get into Dark Nights: Metal or the follow-up Dark Nights: Death Metal. So I resorted to skipping it altogether and reading the synopsis of both events via the DC Fanbase wiki instead, so I could have the foundation of what occurred previously in order to prepare myself for reading this collected concluding event “Afterworlds” featuring Wonder Woman. Not how I usually operate, but with my reading momentum completely stalled, I decided to let go of my neurotic “completist” tendencies, and just move on. With my expectations being low, I dived in and ended up really enjoying this collection. I thought it was a very fantastical and a non-traditional Wonder Woman tale. I have yet to dive into Wonder Woman & Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour but so far, I really enjoyed seeing Diana in a more magical-type story interacting with magical/supernatural characters. I really think it works for her character since she is a highly magical being herself.
If you like Wonder Woman and magical story lines, you just might enjoy this collection too.
If you like Wonder Woman and magical story lines, you just might enjoy this collection too.
February 14, 2023
I really enjoyed how this used a different art style for each realm. It made things so much more interesting!
I haven't read the Dark Knights Metal series yet (I seem to work my way backwards for some reason), but this was an easy jumping on point - basically Wonder Woman is supposed to be in Olympia after her death but instead ends up in Asgard, where things seem to be going awry.
For me, it was refreshing to jump into a completely new tale. This takes WW out of the usual Earth so we get a contained story where there's no need to have years worth of cross-overs to keep track of for this to make sense. So as a jumping on point, this worked really well. I am grateful.
As mentioned, I really enjoyed the artwork. Not all the styles were quite to my taste, but overall I enjoyed the way they suited the different worlds. I particularly enjoyed the costume changes. It just seemed like this story would have been a lot of fun to plan out.
The story itself wasn't particularly strong, and I wasn't really convinced by the bad guy. It could have been far more chaotic - I never really felt the threat. That was a little disappointing, as the overall idea was really cool and with the right kind of villain this could really have blown me away.
The pacing was a little off, with long adventures in the worlds becoming a brief appearance by the end. I did really enjoy the first story arc in Asgard, but the rest of the adventures certainly mellowed a lot.
A fun adventure, though the artwork is the real selling point here. Still, a decent place to start if you're a bit of a newbie like me.
I haven't read the Dark Knights Metal series yet (I seem to work my way backwards for some reason), but this was an easy jumping on point - basically Wonder Woman is supposed to be in Olympia after her death but instead ends up in Asgard, where things seem to be going awry.
For me, it was refreshing to jump into a completely new tale. This takes WW out of the usual Earth so we get a contained story where there's no need to have years worth of cross-overs to keep track of for this to make sense. So as a jumping on point, this worked really well. I am grateful.
As mentioned, I really enjoyed the artwork. Not all the styles were quite to my taste, but overall I enjoyed the way they suited the different worlds. I particularly enjoyed the costume changes. It just seemed like this story would have been a lot of fun to plan out.
The story itself wasn't particularly strong, and I wasn't really convinced by the bad guy. It could have been far more chaotic - I never really felt the threat. That was a little disappointing, as the overall idea was really cool and with the right kind of villain this could really have blown me away.
The pacing was a little off, with long adventures in the worlds becoming a brief appearance by the end. I did really enjoy the first story arc in Asgard, but the rest of the adventures certainly mellowed a lot.
A fun adventure, though the artwork is the real selling point here. Still, a decent place to start if you're a bit of a newbie like me.
January 28, 2023
I dropped out of the Wonder Woman series a few volumes back out of boredom and have skipped ahead to see if Becky Cloonan can bring some new energy to the title.
Soooooo . . . Wonder Woman has gotten herself dead or she's ascending to godhood or something at the end of Dark Knights: Dark Metal (not to be confused with her subsequent death for Dark Crisis mind you) -- and now finds herself in the afterlife. But not the afterlife of Greek mythology; no, no, she's in Valhalla. Turns out some rogue god is causing problems across the pantheons, so Wonder Woman has to set aside the rest and relaxation of death and get back to work tracking this big bad villain across the multiverse, with stops in . Fortunately she's helped by a cute squirrel (!).
It's a kinda cheesy, kinda fun road trip, and it all becomes a metaphor for healing the rift between the extremism of MAGA blindered nostalgia and Antifa anarchist revolution. Y'know, the kind of big, hopeful gesture WW is known for.
It's good enough, I'm going to keep on and check out some of the spin-off titles with Nubia and the new Wonder Girl.
Soooooo . . . Wonder Woman has gotten herself dead or she's ascending to godhood or something at the end of Dark Knights: Dark Metal (not to be confused with her subsequent death for Dark Crisis mind you) -- and now finds herself in the afterlife. But not the afterlife of Greek mythology; no, no, she's in Valhalla. Turns out some rogue god is causing problems across the pantheons, so Wonder Woman has to set aside the rest and relaxation of death and get back to work tracking this big bad villain across the multiverse, with stops in . Fortunately she's helped by a cute squirrel (!).
It's a kinda cheesy, kinda fun road trip, and it all becomes a metaphor for healing the rift between the extremism of MAGA blindered nostalgia and Antifa anarchist revolution. Y'know, the kind of big, hopeful gesture WW is known for.
It's good enough, I'm going to keep on and check out some of the spin-off titles with Nubia and the new Wonder Girl.
February 1, 2022
A good book. I did enjoy the first four chapters/issues more especially as they highlighted Diana's warrior side. I do enjoy the mythology and in one case a fairytale style story.
I fo lije the way the artwork and character design change everytime Diana travels to another realm. Hamburg different artists for almost every issue works well in yhis case.
The ending was a bit anticlimactic for me is seemed almost as if the threat could have been stopped at anytime really. I the action stayed as is did at the beginning this would have been an easy five stars. The book finishes with a full page cover gallery of the varient covers and a sketch book of character designs.
I fo lije the way the artwork and character design change everytime Diana travels to another realm. Hamburg different artists for almost every issue works well in yhis case.
The ending was a bit anticlimactic for me is seemed almost as if the threat could have been stopped at anytime really. I the action stayed as is did at the beginning this would have been an easy five stars. The book finishes with a full page cover gallery of the varient covers and a sketch book of character designs.
September 4, 2024
Something smells squirrelly.
Strongest aspect of this comic is the art. Coloring and backgrounds are pleasant (Specifically that pink, dark twilit sky). There’s more than one topless man with chiseled physique. The style changes slightly here and there but not for the worse. Plenty to write home about for the art.
The story is rather lousy. I take it to be a larger what-if kinda thing. Episodic. In that sense it’s more enjoyable. If I skim in a comic you lost my attention. Maybe that’s on me…Still. I feel like this could have been any DC character thrown in here for that first half. It’s like someone played the new God of War and felt inspired to write about Norse mythology. I liked it more than the rest, so there’s that lol. Ratatosk is cute.
Strongest aspect of this comic is the art. Coloring and backgrounds are pleasant (Specifically that pink, dark twilit sky). There’s more than one topless man with chiseled physique. The style changes slightly here and there but not for the worse. Plenty to write home about for the art.
The story is rather lousy. I take it to be a larger what-if kinda thing. Episodic. In that sense it’s more enjoyable. If I skim in a comic you lost my attention. Maybe that’s on me…Still. I feel like this could have been any DC character thrown in here for that first half. It’s like someone played the new God of War and felt inspired to write about Norse mythology. I liked it more than the rest, so there’s that lol. Ratatosk is cute.
August 25, 2023
This is a really well done Fantasy Quest thru the Multiverse story. The dialogue is witty and the story fast-paced. Loved that the art style shifted depending on where in the multiverse the questing party found themselves.
With the divine out of the way, hopefully Cloonan got the chance to explore Wonder Woman's human side in the next volume.
With the divine out of the way, hopefully Cloonan got the chance to explore Wonder Woman's human side in the next volume.
May 3, 2024
An odd one, this: the first half of it is strong, with Diana, dead after some crossover event, waking up in the wrong afterlife. Why is she in Valhalla, who’s pulling her strings, and can the talking squirrel be trusted? Fun, intriguing, well-plotted mythological adventure with a good hook and even a romance of sorts with likeable himbo Siegfried. If this was a 4 or 5 issue storyline, it would be a very pleasant diversion.
Unfortunately, it’s a 10 issue story, and the back half is one of those tours de multiverse which modern comics fall into sometimes. The true threat is revealed (and the truer threat behind that) - both are feeble, and the comic devolves into a mess of exposition set in a white void, which kills any remaining visual dynamism in the story. (As with the Mariko Takaki run, a revolving door of artists makes this a mixed bag visually, but Travis Moore on the early issues is very good) At its best, Becky Cloonan’s writing has a crisp, refreshing pace: things happen, quickly and dramatically. A 10 issue saga really wastes that quality.
Unfortunately, it’s a 10 issue story, and the back half is one of those tours de multiverse which modern comics fall into sometimes. The true threat is revealed (and the truer threat behind that) - both are feeble, and the comic devolves into a mess of exposition set in a white void, which kills any remaining visual dynamism in the story. (As with the Mariko Takaki run, a revolving door of artists makes this a mixed bag visually, but Travis Moore on the early issues is very good) At its best, Becky Cloonan’s writing has a crisp, refreshing pace: things happen, quickly and dramatically. A 10 issue saga really wastes that quality.
May 23, 2025
diana wakes up an amnesiac in asgard after dying; who is she and why is she here? the first half of this book focuses on this very basic mystery and is really gorgeous, moore’s art is like an aurora borealis put to page. it’s all very sparkly, ethereal, and pink; a strange man with deep eyes appears, diana is done-up scandi style in furs, an itty bitty squirrel blabs away. honestly, i liked it so much bc it was a refreshing change-of-pace to get her out of earthly monotony and back into myth, that too in a setting not grecian. the back-end of this book is comparatively awful. genuinely bad artists, dull treks through different worlds, and a villain that doesn’t provide any stakes. i feel like if you’re going to put diana through the paces and make her flounce about in gemworld, the phantom zone, &c., you should at least make it worthwhile. three stars, but would’ve been four if it’d at least maintained the whimsy of that nordic arc. one of those stars is for diana’s new man, who should always always always replace the blandest flyboy in the universe in every ww comic going forward.
November 20, 2021
Art 10/10 but this is a 10-issue story about Wonder Woman being dead and working her way back to the world. It feels every bit of a 10-issue story.
December 9, 2021
I think the premise of this book kind of hurt the enjoyment I managed to get out of it. The idea of Wonder Woman travelling across mythological afterlives was neat, but she goes to something like two across 10 issues, when there were so many others she could have gone to. She does end up going to other places, but they're not afterlives, but now we're veering into spoiler territory.
The actual plot's pretty good, aside from that? There's some nice plot seeds dropped for later in the run, and the banter with the Asgardian warriors and Wonder Woman's new friend Ratatoskr made me smile. There's something strange about the dialogue though; I know Wonder Woman's been around for a while now, but whenever she speaks she sounds like a teenager, rather than the usual manner of speaking we're used to.
Can't fault the artwork though - most of it's by Travis Moore, who can do no wrong in my eyes. His visuals are always absolutely gorgeous, and the guy draws dudes in a way that very few other artists can.
Afterworlds looks pretty, does well enough, but kind of forgets its own mission statement, which gives it this feeling of unfulfilled potential.
The actual plot's pretty good, aside from that? There's some nice plot seeds dropped for later in the run, and the banter with the Asgardian warriors and Wonder Woman's new friend Ratatoskr made me smile. There's something strange about the dialogue though; I know Wonder Woman's been around for a while now, but whenever she speaks she sounds like a teenager, rather than the usual manner of speaking we're used to.
Can't fault the artwork though - most of it's by Travis Moore, who can do no wrong in my eyes. His visuals are always absolutely gorgeous, and the guy draws dudes in a way that very few other artists can.
Afterworlds looks pretty, does well enough, but kind of forgets its own mission statement, which gives it this feeling of unfulfilled potential.
January 28, 2023
The more I’ve read from the Cloonan/Conrad Wonder Woman era, the more special it seemed. We’re in the thick, in the comics anyway, of a wider era where superheroes are being tossed into epic stories that span years and immerse them into worlds that have greatly diverged from the superhero narrative as it first emerged in comic books. Which is to say, it’s not really about saving humans but rather deep dives into their mythologies. Jason Aaron’s Thor, for instance. That’s generally an example of doing it right. Aquaman got lost in the attempt. Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad are doing it the right way. Afterworlds is the start of this era.
In the old myths, quests into the afterlife were common. After all, in those tales Hades was not only a god but a realm someone could literally walk into. Sometimes the journey was perilous, and risked eternal entrapment. Sometimes it was doable.
I don’t know how Wonder Woman ended up in the afterlife this time. Ten issues in this collection didn’t really get to that, either, just a breakneck sequence of events as she scrambled to figure out what was going on, and then of course put a stop to it. But not really the point. It was an epic quest. That’s all you really need to know.
And all you really need to know about that is thank goodness! Good Wonder Woman stories have been told long enough now that there’s a solid tradition, a foundation upon which to grow. And this is what it looks like getting her to that next level. At some point (even though all this is being accomplished to no real acclaim), things like “Trial of the Amazons” is going to finally get Wonder Woman to the point where it’s no longer pushing uphill to be truly accepted at the same level as Superman and Batman. I mean, she’s even got a cinematic legacy now!
And material like this could very easily be adapted to add to that. There really hasn’t been a lot of material that could say that. That’s what I mean. That’s what’s happening now.
The classical era of Wonder Woman has begun.
In the old myths, quests into the afterlife were common. After all, in those tales Hades was not only a god but a realm someone could literally walk into. Sometimes the journey was perilous, and risked eternal entrapment. Sometimes it was doable.
I don’t know how Wonder Woman ended up in the afterlife this time. Ten issues in this collection didn’t really get to that, either, just a breakneck sequence of events as she scrambled to figure out what was going on, and then of course put a stop to it. But not really the point. It was an epic quest. That’s all you really need to know.
And all you really need to know about that is thank goodness! Good Wonder Woman stories have been told long enough now that there’s a solid tradition, a foundation upon which to grow. And this is what it looks like getting her to that next level. At some point (even though all this is being accomplished to no real acclaim), things like “Trial of the Amazons” is going to finally get Wonder Woman to the point where it’s no longer pushing uphill to be truly accepted at the same level as Superman and Batman. I mean, she’s even got a cinematic legacy now!
And material like this could very easily be adapted to add to that. There really hasn’t been a lot of material that could say that. That’s what I mean. That’s what’s happening now.
The classical era of Wonder Woman has begun.
February 3, 2022
This comic was recommended to me by my local comic book store. I went in on an off day wanting something new to read. I never read or was eager to read anything Wonder Woman, but for some reason, I was like, why not. This recommendation was not let down. Wonder Woman ends up in Asgard, Olympus, Elfhame, and many other Earth's. I love Ratatosk acting like her familiar guiding her through realms, Deadman like a fairy godmother watching over, helping, guiding her, and Siegfried being her best friend ( I hope they end up as a couple). The significant part of this comic book is that the art and costume changes in every realm. Wonder Woman goes on this massive journey to catch Janus and the extent struggles. My favourite section of the story was Part 7; Wonder Woman ends up at Elfhame. I was in love with the story and artwork. The ending was terrific did not expect it whatsoever. Overall, I think I finally found a comic I can call "My Favourite ."I spent three days reading it, trying to savour each story and art; I was sad it ended and am hoping for a second volume. I do not know why people are not talking about this! It is not something to pass up!
April 24, 2025
So, Diana has died between issues, which seems rude, and gone to Valhalla by mistake which eventually leads to a portal hopping villain hunt with her new dead Viking boyfriend through various locations that already existed in the DC Universe in stories with alive characters, including Olympus which isn't the Greek afterlife. She does pretty much the same thing everywhere she goes and befriends a talking squirrel. Actually, maybe I just dreamed this collection...
October 9, 2025
I have passing knowledge of the Metal series prior to this and perhaps that helped because I was able to enjoy this story without that baggage.
What I didn’t love was the 1-D of Janus and, as much as I fell for him, Siggy. Elfhame could’ve been expanded a bit as well. The art made up for it where the story faltered
What I didn’t love was the 1-D of Janus and, as much as I fell for him, Siggy. Elfhame could’ve been expanded a bit as well. The art made up for it where the story faltered
April 28, 2024
Starts really strong with the Asgard arc, but then loses steam when it becomes a looong chase with punches. It's cool to get to different earths, but not so fun that we don't care about the story. We'll see how it continues...
February 15, 2022
C'était SI BIEN ! J'adore la façon dont différents artistes sont amenés dès qu'elle change d'univers et dimensions, c'est un tome super riche, passionnant et très très beau !! J'ai adoré de bout en bout. Je l'ai emprunté au boulot avant mes vacances mais je pense l'acheter dès que possible.
July 20, 2022
more like 2.5 but yeah this was another cheap shot filled with tired characters
February 29, 2024
Some good art but the story never really caught.
February 13, 2024
pretty mid but art was stunning
December 9, 2025
Started off promising with Diana in Asgard but then got completely lost in the multiverse for no reason. I mean, when you've introduced BatMite you've lost the plot. spotty art but great in some areas
September 4, 2022
A major disappointment. Wonder Woman is a character I've been trying to read more of since DC Rebirth, but it seems like no one other than Rucka takes her seriously.
I've used the DC Universe App to read the first couple of issues of every new writer to take over her title, and each time I lost interest fast and gave up. But after "Death Metal" I wanted to see what was next for Diana, so I gave her another shot. The first 2 issues honestly had me interested. An amnesiac Wonder Woman in the wrong Sphere of the Gods afterlife with a budding mystery; seemed refreshing and interesting. But it quickly devolved into what most Wonder Woman stories have been for me.
It seems DC is hell bent on making Wonder Woman a PG cartoon princess character, whose friends with everybody, and solves all her problems with love. The scripts are corny, the plots are often nonsensical, and everything is either sappy or melodramatic. Wonder Woman is a warrior who fights to protect the innocent and avenge justice. But instead of leading with a serious tone, DC focuses more on how Diana is kind. So she needs a funny talking animal side kick and a cute boy that follows her around.
I've used the DC Universe App to read the first couple of issues of every new writer to take over her title, and each time I lost interest fast and gave up. But after "Death Metal" I wanted to see what was next for Diana, so I gave her another shot. The first 2 issues honestly had me interested. An amnesiac Wonder Woman in the wrong Sphere of the Gods afterlife with a budding mystery; seemed refreshing and interesting. But it quickly devolved into what most Wonder Woman stories have been for me.
It seems DC is hell bent on making Wonder Woman a PG cartoon princess character, whose friends with everybody, and solves all her problems with love. The scripts are corny, the plots are often nonsensical, and everything is either sappy or melodramatic. Wonder Woman is a warrior who fights to protect the innocent and avenge justice. But instead of leading with a serious tone, DC focuses more on how Diana is kind. So she needs a funny talking animal side kick and a cute boy that follows her around.
February 22, 2022
Absolutely awful.
When comic writers run out of ideas, they either make a hero into a villain, or rip off mythology - well, only Greek or Norse mythology of course, since apparently those are the only two ever if you look at pop culture. This one does both!
After the wretched Dark Knights multiverse nonsense, Diana wakes up in Asgard because Marvel made a bunch of money off of reinterpreting Norse myth so DC will dutifully chug along a few years behind the game like usual. Ratatosk teams up with Diana (got to add a cute animal somewhere because those kids love Pokemon says marketing) to stop a big baddie who ends up being an evil version of Diana for basically no reason despite Norse mythology being chock full of potential baddies.
This compilation is 10 agonizing issues long and could have been done in 4. And even then it would have been bad. The artwork isn't very good and I honestly just wanted it to end.
Avoid.
When comic writers run out of ideas, they either make a hero into a villain, or rip off mythology - well, only Greek or Norse mythology of course, since apparently those are the only two ever if you look at pop culture. This one does both!
After the wretched Dark Knights multiverse nonsense, Diana wakes up in Asgard because Marvel made a bunch of money off of reinterpreting Norse myth so DC will dutifully chug along a few years behind the game like usual. Ratatosk teams up with Diana (got to add a cute animal somewhere because those kids love Pokemon says marketing) to stop a big baddie who ends up being an evil version of Diana for basically no reason despite Norse mythology being chock full of potential baddies.
This compilation is 10 agonizing issues long and could have been done in 4. And even then it would have been bad. The artwork isn't very good and I honestly just wanted it to end.
Avoid.
September 17, 2021
This story arc grew on me slowly, and upon thinking about the slow build was a good idea by Cloonan. The start of every arc does not to be bombastic. Building the story and characters, especially as this was a mild Dianna re-set post the Death Metal event, works.
Dianna has to re-discover herself, her memory, and her purpose. when she wakes up she has memory issues and appears to be in a slightly off version of Ragnarok + Wagner's Ring operas. I mean she meets Siegfried (Wagner reference there, and I'm far from a Wagner expert and I got it). After a series of battles Dianna makes her way to multiple other realms and discovers who is behind her travails.
I'm looking forward to see where Clooan takes these characters next.
Dianna has to re-discover herself, her memory, and her purpose. when she wakes up she has memory issues and appears to be in a slightly off version of Ragnarok + Wagner's Ring operas. I mean she meets Siegfried (Wagner reference there, and I'm far from a Wagner expert and I got it). After a series of battles Dianna makes her way to multiple other realms and discovers who is behind her travails.
I'm looking forward to see where Clooan takes these characters next.
February 23, 2022
This is the most fun Wonder Woman story I’ve read in a while and the best one since Rucka left the title! There is so much adventure and action in this arc and so much mythology which I love since I love mythology! After Rucka left, the WW stories were boring and disappointing, so I just stuck to reading stories that were not a part of the current main title like The Hiketeia by Greg Rucka, The Once and Future Story by Trina Robbins, and Wonder Woman/Conon by Gail Simone. I also reread The Legend of Wonder Woman. All those made up for the atrocious stories after Rucka left the title and so does this!
Afterworlds is everything I have been wanting in a Wonder Woman story! It’s got action, adventure, suspense, emotion, and embraces the mythology and fantasy genres that are at the core of Diana and her mythos. Some writers hate that mythology is such a large part of her character, but that was always one of my favorite thing’s about her character because I love mythology and in my opinion, the best Wonder Woman stories are steeped in mythology: Eyes of the Gorgon, Godwar, Gods and Mortals, to name a few and every Wonder Woman story Gail Simone ever wrote.
When Wonder Woman first woke up in Asgard, she wasn’t completely herself since she had no memory, but the art was gorgeous and her core trait of being compassionate and having a strong sense of justice were there. Also Siggy was hot, but after the first issues of Afterworlds, he’s not very interesting. Just nice to look at. Wonder Woman’s best love interest will always be Rama from the Godwar story arc by Eric Luke and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. Anyway, the writers throw the readers into a fantastical world and eventually sent Wonder Woman on a mission to save her new friend, save Asgard, and get her memory back. Soon her mission changes to saving the entire Afterlife/Godsphere and the Universe itself, but the way her mission evolved with every discovery was organic and the story was fun to follow especially if you live mythology. My favorite new character was Ratashok the most adorable squirrel and messenger god ever! I loved his character and his dynamic with Diana.
I also love how we get to see Diana is Asgard, Elfhame, Olympus, and we get to see what happens to Gods when they die. It was also fun to see Wonder Woman travel to other universes with her companions, especially the prehistoric universe and the fifth dimension with Bat-Mite. Bat Mite and Wonder Tot were adorable! Those issues were so much fun! Deadman as a character was also a great addition to the story and I really enjoyed the villains and character designs.
I love how the art took so much risks and how each story was true to the mythology of different cultures and the parallel universes in DC. The story really highlighted Wonder Woman’s place as a hero. She’s not an alien like Superman or a street crime fighting detective like Batman, she’s a Demigod who fights monsters and powerful beings from mythology and she doesn’t just protect earth, but the Universe and the Gods. While it took a while for the writers to adjust to writing Diana, I think they eventually got her personality down. They understand that she is compassionate, non-judgemental, full of life, and wise, yet risk-taking, with a strong sense of justice, a thirst for knowledge and that she will always do the right thing no matter how tricky it is. She will go her own way when she has to! It was just so delightful to see Wonder Woman on an actual quest and to see her in fantasy worlds and interact with characters from mythology and in the DC Universe. We need more fun Wonder Woman stories like this! It made me feel as satisfied as when I read the crossover with Conan and Justice Riders, two books which I highly recommend!
Afterworlds is everything I have been wanting in a Wonder Woman story! It’s got action, adventure, suspense, emotion, and embraces the mythology and fantasy genres that are at the core of Diana and her mythos. Some writers hate that mythology is such a large part of her character, but that was always one of my favorite thing’s about her character because I love mythology and in my opinion, the best Wonder Woman stories are steeped in mythology: Eyes of the Gorgon, Godwar, Gods and Mortals, to name a few and every Wonder Woman story Gail Simone ever wrote.
When Wonder Woman first woke up in Asgard, she wasn’t completely herself since she had no memory, but the art was gorgeous and her core trait of being compassionate and having a strong sense of justice were there. Also Siggy was hot, but after the first issues of Afterworlds, he’s not very interesting. Just nice to look at. Wonder Woman’s best love interest will always be Rama from the Godwar story arc by Eric Luke and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. Anyway, the writers throw the readers into a fantastical world and eventually sent Wonder Woman on a mission to save her new friend, save Asgard, and get her memory back. Soon her mission changes to saving the entire Afterlife/Godsphere and the Universe itself, but the way her mission evolved with every discovery was organic and the story was fun to follow especially if you live mythology. My favorite new character was Ratashok the most adorable squirrel and messenger god ever! I loved his character and his dynamic with Diana.
I also love how we get to see Diana is Asgard, Elfhame, Olympus, and we get to see what happens to Gods when they die. It was also fun to see Wonder Woman travel to other universes with her companions, especially the prehistoric universe and the fifth dimension with Bat-Mite. Bat Mite and Wonder Tot were adorable! Those issues were so much fun! Deadman as a character was also a great addition to the story and I really enjoyed the villains and character designs.
I love how the art took so much risks and how each story was true to the mythology of different cultures and the parallel universes in DC. The story really highlighted Wonder Woman’s place as a hero. She’s not an alien like Superman or a street crime fighting detective like Batman, she’s a Demigod who fights monsters and powerful beings from mythology and she doesn’t just protect earth, but the Universe and the Gods. While it took a while for the writers to adjust to writing Diana, I think they eventually got her personality down. They understand that she is compassionate, non-judgemental, full of life, and wise, yet risk-taking, with a strong sense of justice, a thirst for knowledge and that she will always do the right thing no matter how tricky it is. She will go her own way when she has to! It was just so delightful to see Wonder Woman on an actual quest and to see her in fantasy worlds and interact with characters from mythology and in the DC Universe. We need more fun Wonder Woman stories like this! It made me feel as satisfied as when I read the crossover with Conan and Justice Riders, two books which I highly recommend!
May 2, 2024
Diana Prince has died and finds herself in the afterlife…of sorts. This is a collection of comics that deals with Wonder Woman coming to grips with the oddity that is life after death. Her memory is initially gone and she’s baffled to find herself among a group of other deceased warriors who seem to live for the thrill of battle and little else.
It’s Valhalla and their endless repetitive lifestyle (deathstyle?) makes Diana wonder if they ever get bored of it. That’s occurred to me often whenever I consider the ancient Norse idea of an afterlife for those who died in battle. But this is a deathworld specifically crafted for warriors, so they don’t seem to mind it.
Diana gets into the swing of things too. She doesn’t remember who she really was, so her warrior princess attitude is very much at the forefront. That is what sours me somewhat towards this anthology. My favorite character trait of the Amazonian princess is that she is compassionate above all else. She fights but mainly in defense and the protection of others, as a true hero should.
This version of Wonder Woman always has her sword at the ready and is determined to fight her way through the various worlds in which she finds herself. She tries talking to her foes but it’s tough to come off as sensitive to other people’s needs when you’re slashing at them with a sharp blade.
There are moments when she brings her brilliant mind and tender heart to bear. But they’re too far and few between for my liking.
The stories, however, are quite good. She’s traipsing from one realm to another and the denizens of these various dimensions are as colorful and as bizarre as you might expect. Earth-11 is particularly intriguing since it seems to feature reverse genders of all the JLA members she knows from her version. (Her Wonder Man counterpart seems like an ill-tempered Hercules with a misogynistic attitude; no wonder the ladies locked him away in a cage.)
The illustrators change as the comics veer from one world to another. (My favorite is Jill Thompson, whose work I admired from Wonder Woman: The True Amazon.) So this is a comic with a smorgasbord of images and stories for the WW fan.
In the end, kindness wins out over brute force so Wonder Woman returns to the DC creation I prefer. So this is one anthology I give a cautious three-star review.
It’s Valhalla and their endless repetitive lifestyle (deathstyle?) makes Diana wonder if they ever get bored of it. That’s occurred to me often whenever I consider the ancient Norse idea of an afterlife for those who died in battle. But this is a deathworld specifically crafted for warriors, so they don’t seem to mind it.
Diana gets into the swing of things too. She doesn’t remember who she really was, so her warrior princess attitude is very much at the forefront. That is what sours me somewhat towards this anthology. My favorite character trait of the Amazonian princess is that she is compassionate above all else. She fights but mainly in defense and the protection of others, as a true hero should.
This version of Wonder Woman always has her sword at the ready and is determined to fight her way through the various worlds in which she finds herself. She tries talking to her foes but it’s tough to come off as sensitive to other people’s needs when you’re slashing at them with a sharp blade.
There are moments when she brings her brilliant mind and tender heart to bear. But they’re too far and few between for my liking.
The stories, however, are quite good. She’s traipsing from one realm to another and the denizens of these various dimensions are as colorful and as bizarre as you might expect. Earth-11 is particularly intriguing since it seems to feature reverse genders of all the JLA members she knows from her version. (Her Wonder Man counterpart seems like an ill-tempered Hercules with a misogynistic attitude; no wonder the ladies locked him away in a cage.)
The illustrators change as the comics veer from one world to another. (My favorite is Jill Thompson, whose work I admired from Wonder Woman: The True Amazon.) So this is a comic with a smorgasbord of images and stories for the WW fan.
In the end, kindness wins out over brute force so Wonder Woman returns to the DC creation I prefer. So this is one anthology I give a cautious three-star review.
April 10, 2023
Basic Plot: Wonder Woman ends up in Asgard instead of Olympus and must discover why, leading to a multiversal, multi-pantheon adventure.
This was a phenomenal arc. 10 full issues of good, consistent storytelling with solid art that changed styles based on location of story (and there were a bunch). The pacing was consistent as well, making me want to keep going and find out what was coming next. I loved Ratatosk and Siegfried. Deadman was also a fun addition to the story. There was just so much here that made me happy.
It was also a good Wonder Woman story that ended with hope instead of just a beat down and a message. There were plenty of fights, don't get me wrong. I mean, she was in Valhalla for a while. But fighting is only one part of Diana's character, and everything came together well in the end. The secondary story tied into the overall message as well, with young Diana learning about the history of the Amazons. The message of needing the past to meet the future, telling the truth about our past and facing its darkness is a message I can get 100% behind. As we look at the world around us and see ongoing injustices, we recognize how the past contributed to those and we seek to correct our mistakes so our future can be brighter. That's the goal, after all, isn't it? If we don't strive for that goal, if we try to live in the past alone, then there can be no future. If we try to push for the future and ignore the past, we lose what makes us who we are, and the future has no meaning.
This was a phenomenal arc. 10 full issues of good, consistent storytelling with solid art that changed styles based on location of story (and there were a bunch). The pacing was consistent as well, making me want to keep going and find out what was coming next. I loved Ratatosk and Siegfried. Deadman was also a fun addition to the story. There was just so much here that made me happy.
It was also a good Wonder Woman story that ended with hope instead of just a beat down and a message. There were plenty of fights, don't get me wrong. I mean, she was in Valhalla for a while. But fighting is only one part of Diana's character, and everything came together well in the end. The secondary story tied into the overall message as well, with young Diana learning about the history of the Amazons. The message of needing the past to meet the future, telling the truth about our past and facing its darkness is a message I can get 100% behind. As we look at the world around us and see ongoing injustices, we recognize how the past contributed to those and we seek to correct our mistakes so our future can be brighter. That's the goal, after all, isn't it? If we don't strive for that goal, if we try to live in the past alone, then there can be no future. If we try to push for the future and ignore the past, we lose what makes us who we are, and the future has no meaning.
August 28, 2023
….apparently Diana died after one of the big crossover events? Or something? Whatever, this is her comeback story. She wakes up in Asgard as one of the warriors in Valhalla, and finds that she has to go on an adventure through multiple worlds, both from mythology and comics, to get back home and stop this evil goddess thing from breaking all of reality.
It isn’t a brilliant story–it feels a little too goofy to be a memorable Wonder Woman story. I realize that after reading “Historia Amazons,” I have really high standards for Wonder Woman stories in comics, and ones involving mythology, but it just seems pretty tame compared to a lot of the other stories that featured Diana. Some of the things that happen make me think that the story should be much darker and more complex than it is, compared to similar storylines, and it’s just… not that?
The canon of everything is also pretty fuzzy? Janus even asks Diana if she’s made from clay or Zeus’s daughter, the two current competing origins for her.
But you know, it IS a fun story. Diana gets different outfits through different realms (Nordic, fairy tale, superhero), if you’re into that kind of thing. The characters introduced here (Siegfried and Ratatoskr) and returning (Deadman) are likable, supportive, and cool, so I can’t say I mind spending time with them.
So if you’re looking for a lighter Wonder Woman story, with cool shout-outs to comics history, this will probably do it for you. Maybe it’s a nice breather if you’ve been keeping up with her storyline thus far.
It isn’t a brilliant story–it feels a little too goofy to be a memorable Wonder Woman story. I realize that after reading “Historia Amazons,” I have really high standards for Wonder Woman stories in comics, and ones involving mythology, but it just seems pretty tame compared to a lot of the other stories that featured Diana. Some of the things that happen make me think that the story should be much darker and more complex than it is, compared to similar storylines, and it’s just… not that?
The canon of everything is also pretty fuzzy? Janus even asks Diana if she’s made from clay or Zeus’s daughter, the two current competing origins for her.
But you know, it IS a fun story. Diana gets different outfits through different realms (Nordic, fairy tale, superhero), if you’re into that kind of thing. The characters introduced here (Siegfried and Ratatoskr) and returning (Deadman) are likable, supportive, and cool, so I can’t say I mind spending time with them.
So if you’re looking for a lighter Wonder Woman story, with cool shout-outs to comics history, this will probably do it for you. Maybe it’s a nice breather if you’ve been keeping up with her storyline thus far.
February 10, 2022
3.5 Stars. (only because it seemed to sort of drag out the story a bit, and it was very wordy and long, in an unnecessary length)
Diana made a heroic sacrifice at the end of Death Metal and it was able to restore the universe (multiverse? omniverse? somethingverse? I don't know what DC is calling it now...). She wakes from that in Valhalla, joining the warriors in an afterlife she doesn't belong. Ratatosk diverted her there to help heal Yggdrasil. She is then able to move on to Olympus.... but all the gods are gone! Finding one Roman god, Janus, she is informed that the Gods are dead, killed by the "evil half" of Janus, who has a weapon called the God Scraper. Joined by Siegfried and Ratatosk, Diana dives through the realms on an adventure to stop Janus from returning to Earth.
Lots of ups and downs and cool stops along the way... but ultimately, she is able to restore the gods to Olympus, and is able to return to our Earth and Realm to once again defend on her own and with the Justice League. Eager to see how her return is handled.
Recommend... but you were forewarned about the length.
Diana made a heroic sacrifice at the end of Death Metal and it was able to restore the universe (multiverse? omniverse? somethingverse? I don't know what DC is calling it now...). She wakes from that in Valhalla, joining the warriors in an afterlife she doesn't belong. Ratatosk diverted her there to help heal Yggdrasil. She is then able to move on to Olympus.... but all the gods are gone! Finding one Roman god, Janus, she is informed that the Gods are dead, killed by the "evil half" of Janus, who has a weapon called the God Scraper. Joined by Siegfried and Ratatosk, Diana dives through the realms on an adventure to stop Janus from returning to Earth.
Lots of ups and downs and cool stops along the way... but ultimately, she is able to restore the gods to Olympus, and is able to return to our Earth and Realm to once again defend on her own and with the Justice League. Eager to see how her return is handled.
Recommend... but you were forewarned about the length.
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