"The Torches on Science Island": A message within a story?
I didn't catch it at first. This comic has a story of it's own, Wonder Woman is trying to rescue some people she knows, friends i assume, and Etta Candy's job is in peril. But there seems to be some clues as to what's going on. Is it weird that Wonder Woman should be questioning the possibility of some culture being hidden away from civilization for centuries, when she herself is an Amazon, from the secret Paradise Island of Themyscira? Didn't the Amazons separate themselves from "man's world" for almost ever, with the exception of Steve Trevor, before Diana publicly became their ambassador? The difference is in these 2 points; 1) she includes "in a country that has the world's attention" in this quote. Themyscira was hidden away, and it was an island. But it still was close to Greece, and Italy which I consider to be important regions of the world that gets enough attention. 2) During the time they hid themselves, Themyscirans, though independent of the rest of the world, had their own advancements, and this one she's looking at is primitive. But is that a difference at all? What she questions here is how they managed to hide in plain sight. Perhaps pilot Trevor's accidental crash landing was more relevant, but they swore him to an oath of silence before even considering letting him go.
I found it odd. Then, i turned back to the Splash page,
I've noticed that in some of the JSA and All Star Squadron comics, one involving Michigan's riot against Amazing Man, the team's only black member, having a few panels that, when taken apart from the main story, could have been interpreted as a complete and independent other message. Then i looked for whatever stuff might have been recurring themes, within these 20-something pages. Well, it seemed that immigrants might have been a deal,
See, Wonder Woman was treated as an outsider here, by Aztecs. If you consider Wonder Woman a member of the developed world, an American regardless of citizenship, I thought that would be the theme. The second panel definitely identifies her as a threat, and either a woman or an "evil spirit"
After that, the next thing I noticed was the caption
"But the torches on Science Island burn bright"
Followed by a plot to revolt. Was i thinking too much? I was convinced that this was political agenda to throw out the Mexicans. But there wasn't enough stuff to support that. But what I did find enough of was still supported by the panel calling Wonder Woman a troublemaking woman/evil spirit.
2 ranked women, addressed/referred to by their ranks. Etta Candy is Diana's girly girl roommate. What i didn't know about her was that she was a Lieutenant. Even though she was this general dude's secretary. It looks like Etta hasn't been doing her job right by not doing the one thing she was supposed to do, but ironically it wasn't her fault, she was manipulated by Covington's people.
Lt. Haley is... idk who that is. But she's being a little helpless here (when the real victim that died over and over was Lewis, one of the men. If it was all an illusion, the woman still sort of does not have an excuse to be the one acting dizzy) Actually, i just looked, she got hit by a bullet in page 2, and she just discovered the wound. But this sort of thing does re occur. This i toward the end of the comic but at the beginning, we saw panels like these right next to each other. Wonder Woman, standing on her head, asking herself how she was supposed to do anything while being helpless herself, while on another panel, the author's caption calls her a "grim-faced pilot" who is more stable than the average pilot. Why is that? Doesn't it sound contradicting? or is it because the author wants to say "stop feeling sorry for yourself lady, you're strong, you can do this, and the only hero in this story is you"?
So i checked to see who the writer was. Sure enough, Mindy Newell is a woman's name. In fact, 3 of the creative team, writer, colorist and letterer were female, out of the 5 credits on the splash. I guess she had to pass it through the editors to have warned us about well placed tumblers. So i figured, the writer's a woman, the main character's goddamn WONDER WOMAN, so my crackpot theory kinda makes sense right? Women are a community that exists right in front of our.. of everyone's eyes, "a country that has the world's attention", but are somehow not as important as their male counterparts? "something's wrong, There are absolutely no hints of modern technology here". Notice that in the first picture i included, WW is staring at the local WOMEN while saying this. And why do they, a country that has the world's attention, have no hints of modern technology? Because, they're insulating themselves. It's a radical, MalcolmX-esque thought of revolution that is delivered here for women's rights, or correct me if i'm wrong, Even the sub plot at Themyscira, where "Science Island" was brought about, some of the sisters were plotting rebellion. Her speech included some emphasized words, including "Sophia", the Greek word for intelligence. Do they tie in to make a message of their own? i'm not sure.
This dude is barking an order at Lt. haley, who WW was courteous enough to address officially, even if she knew her first name and was probably friends with her. he sounds very patronizing, and so does the main villain.
