After so many iterations of Wonder Woman.
The arrival of the 2017 DCEU film Wonder Woman has kicked off a great moment for the character as fans can see her become the very first female superhero to headline a solo live-action movie. The film also opens the doors for children and adults who were unfamiliar with Wonder Woman to look back at some of her greatest stories in the comics and discover what makes this character so special not only to DC fans, but to the comic book landscape overall.
While it is safe to say that there is no unanimous "best" version of Wonder Woman, she has been taken in many great different directions in the comics since she was first introduced in 1941, giving the character a wide range of possibilities and stories for every type of fan to enjoy.
It is time to look back at the 18 Most Essential Wonder Woman Comics and dive into all the adventures, changes, and origins of this DC Comics superhero.
18. WONDER WOMAN: BLOOD
Wonder Woman: Blood is an incredible comic book series written by Brian Azzarello for DC Comics’ The New 52 continuity reboot. It was masterfully illustrated by Cliff Chiang (and later Tony Akins, who unfortunately didn’t do as great of a job).
The premise of the Blood storyline and the Wonder Woman movie are very close, perhaps being the material that filmmakers were inspired by the most during the film’s production. In both the comic and the DCEU movie, Diana is lied to about her origins, about who she really is besides an Amazonian, and eventually she leaves Paradise Island for London.
Unlike the film, however, Diana is driven out to the world because she feels completely betrayed by her own mother, Queen Hippolyta, for having lied about her past. The comic book’s main villains are Hera – who Hippolyta was trying to protect Wonder Woman from – Hades, and Apollo.
17. THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN
Even though 2016’s The Legend of Wonder Woman was halted by DC Comics before a second part could be released, many fans deem this comic book as a great starting point for newcomers to get into Wonder Woman’s mythos.
This critically-acclaimed comic is definitely a fan favorite, and there is even a petition to push DC Comics into releasing a follow-up. The Legend of Wonder Woman focuses on explaining the Amazons and their internal conflicts, which is something the Wonder Woman film also explores, and retells the origins of Diana as a strong and mighty superhero. Author Raene De Liz also conceptualized a much less sexualized Wonder Woman in this storyline, which comes as a major highlight and a welcome change for the character and her fans.
16. WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE
It is fair to say that, through the years, the character of Wonder Woman has been heavily sexualized in several of her different incarnations. While this is not deemed as awful by many, it felt very important for the Wonder Woman: Earth One graphic novel to come out in 2016, attempting to reconcile Diana’s image as a feminist character above all else.
The novel, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn, already kicks off by showing Queen Hippolyta defeating Hercules and freeing the Amazons from his detention. Like the Wonder Woman film, there are references to the wars started by “men” (gender-specific) in the world.
While Diana remains true to her Golden Age and Silver Age iterations, she is a much more empowered and feminist character in Earth One, setting the tone for several other stories that came after it.
15. WONDER WOMAN: YEAR ONE
Keeping pace with the 21st century rebranding of Wonder Woman that began in Earth One, 2017’s Wonder Woman: Year One makes yet another bold move.
In the storyline’s conclusion with issue #14, fans were led to expect a violent battle as Wonder Woman faced Ares, the main villain of the comic. While the ending definitely features some great action, author Greg Rucka also presented a much more diplomatic side to Diana, showing that she’s a hero who can also fight using her intelligence and honorable beliefs.
This is in line with DC Comics’ marketing strategy to brand Wonder Woman as the ultimate comic book role model for women of all ages around the world, and it felt important to watch Diana use a different strength within her to defeat an old enemy.
14. WONDER WOMAN: THE TRUE AMAZON
Every great character also happens to have flaws, which is precisely what 2016’s Wonder Woman: The True Amazon explores.
Written and illustrated by Jill Thompson, The True Amazon completely dismisses Steve Trevor from Diana’s story and presents Wonder Woman as a powerful yet selfish character who is not essentially caught up with Amazonian standards such as humility and honorability; reintroducing her as flawed, imperfect, and real character.
This graphic novel discusses what happens when an immortal and extremely strong warrior also happens to be kind of a brat. Diana is a work-in-progress, to say the least, and she is forced to come to grips with her own shortcomings as a person. It’s a compelling narrative, featuring gorgeous artwork, and completely reimagines the early years of Wonder Woman.
13. WONDER WOMAN: SPIRIT OF TRUTH
Author Paul Dini’s Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth is ed as a very compelling take on Diana’s existence in the modern world. She acts as an ambassador, stops terrorists, and even evaluates her place as an agent in favor of women’s rights around Earth. Because the world outside of Themyscira is so new to Diana, her naivetée plays a big role in this storyline, which is part aggravating, part captivating.
Spirit of Truth doesn’t spend too much time on Wonder Woman’s origins. It is ed as a beautifully illustrated (by Alex Ross) graphic novel that places Diana in modern society and tries to define her importance in it. In a way, it resembles what Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice did, as it introduces Wonder Woman to a contemporary world.
12. WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA
Before 2017’s Year One, there was 2002’s Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia – author Greg Rucka’s incredible first run writing for Wonder Woman.
The Hiketeia features a less nuanced version of Diana that focuses more on the observation of her character than on the psychology inside her head. In the tragic graphic novel, Wonder Woman is sworn to protect a girl called Danielle who, later in life, goes on to murder the drug dealers who killed her sister.
As Batman is in pursuit to capture Danielle, who he sees as a murderous criminal, Diana has to keep her oath and protect the girl, even if it means that she will have to face the Dark Knight himself. It’s another case of “how can Batman really match up to a nearly indestructible character?”
11. WONDER WOMAN: EYES OF THE GORGON
Another Wonder Woman story by Greg Rucka, 2005’s Wonder Woman: Eyes of the Gorgon pits Diana against one of the most fascinating and well-known characters of all time: Medusa.
The premise of Eyes of the Gorgon is that Themyscira has moved its location – it is now situated near the United States. While numerous political and diplomatic issues come up to keep Diana busy, some of her villains decide to get together and forge a plan to defeat the Wonder Woman.
Besides emotional intelligence and strategic thinking, Diana’s greatest weapon in Eyes of the Gorgon is a mirror since, according to Greek mythology, she can’t face Medusa directly without being turned into stone. Their fight is one of epic proportions, and it even features a summoning of Ares.
10. SUPERMAN: SACRIFICE
As Maxwell Lord mind-controls Superman into believing his friends are actually his enemies, there is only one hero out there who can realistically stop him.
Even though Superman: Sacrifice is technically not a Wonder Woman story, this comic book is in many ways more about her capabilities than Superman’s. Any time heroes are pitted against one another, you can count on controversial opinions among fans, and Sacrifice is no different. Unlike The Hiketeia’s Wonder Woman vs. Batman conflict, however, Wonder Woman vs. Superman doesn’t last for as long as one would assume in the storyline.
Superman: Sacrifice leads up to DC Comics’ Infinite Crisis and is an extension of 2005’s The OMAC Project. It had quite a number of authors, including Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Mark Verheiden.
9. JUSTICE LEAGUE: A LEAGUE OF ONE
Want to see an even better story about how Wonder Woman matches up to the rest of the Justice League ? Christopher Moeller’s Justice League: A League of One, published in 2000, is the absolute best comic for it.
The premise of A League of One is simple: a menacing ancient dragon named Drakul Karfang is waking up, putting at risk the entire JLA team, and only Wonder Woman is aware of that prophecy. As she is urged to run for cover and leave the Justice League team altogether, Diana does the exact opposite – she locks her teammates into rocket-like capsules and launches them into space for protection.
The selfless and mighty Wonder Woman faces Drakul Karfang on her own, hence the title of this storyline. It is a great read for those who still doubt Diana’s powers in comparison to other DC Comics heroes.