“AMAZONS.” Countless photographs and stories recounted from Diana’s visit to Themyscira. “THE DIVING BIRD.” Julia and Vanessa witness the Dive of the Nereids! “DUST.” While the Kapatelises amuse themselves with Themyscira's horses, Queen Hippolyte recounts to Diana the story of Hypsipyle. Plus, “INTO THE WORLD GO FORTH” and “FLIGHT OF THE ICARUS.”
Prologue
Diana, Julia and Vanessa prepare to go to Themyscira. Diana flies them through the Air of Chaos and arrive at the Royal Palace where Vanessa and Julia meet Queen Hippolyta for the first time. Julia thinks she recognizes one of the Amazons.
Chapter 1: The Divine Bird
The Kapatelis' and the Amazons gather at the Cliffs of Poseidon. Vanessa takes pictures as the Amazons perform the Dive of the Nereids. After Venilia performs her dive, Vanessa reluctantly agrees to go next. Euboea gives Vanessa some instructions and Vanessa cannonballs into the water. Diana is up next and Euboea tells the story of the Princess' first dive when she was a child.
After jumping off of the cliff Diana flies and never hits the water. Later that night Euboea prays to Athena for a way to make Diana see the importance of the diving ritual. The next day Euboea makes a clumsy dive and the young Princess laughs. When Euboea doesn't surface Diana frantically dives in after her. Diana doesn't find her but instead meets the Nereids, Goddesses of the sea and attendants of Lord Poseidon. She finds Euboea after swimming ashore. Present Diana takes her place at the top of the cliff and dives off.
Chapter 2: Dust
Diana notices her Mother seems melancholy and Hippolyta tells a story that she was reminded of after seeing Vanessa and Julia on a horse. When leading a squadron of soldiers back to the Capital City they met a man, a young girl and her mother. The woman was Queen of Lemnos and was badly scarred. Hypsipyle, the Lemnos Queen, tells the tale of how the women in her city killed all of the men except for the Queen's father.
The Captain of the Argo, Jason, arrived and his men and the women of Lemnos had many children. The Queen and Jason, had a boy and a girl, Phythia. Jason refused to give up his quest and without explanation left Lemnos. The Queen was blamed and all of the men were slaughtered including her father and her son. She was cursed with aged and rotting flesh and banished from Lemnos along with her daughter, Phythia.
Hypsipyle begged Hippolyta's sister, Antiope, to escort them back to Lemnos where she may be rid of the curse. Antiope agrees and Hippolyta stays behind to Govern Themyscira. The former Queen Hipsipyle leads them up to the city of her youth. A Harpy attacks the women and Antiope orders it killed.
Reaching the city they discover it in ruins. Skeletons litter the ground. The women of Lemnos had killed each other. Hipsipyle's chest tightened and she dies. Antiope takes in Phythia as her own. Hippolyta learns that any society based on prejudice and violence will surely crumble.
Chapter 3: The First Statue
Diana soars over the city and lands near the Temple of Hades. A shrine honoring the Amazon dead. Vanessa wonders about the first statue, Egeria, Themyscira's first Captain of the guards. Diana translates for Phillipus as she tells Vanessa the story.
Egeria with Phillipus as her Lieutenant were charged with gathering lumber. Phillipus hears something and takes off on her horse after noticing black smoke coming out of Doom's Doorway. The Island rested on a dungeon of demons and the boulder covering the cave wasn't enough.
Her horse inhales the black smoke and becomes evil. The evil horse bucks Phillipus off and starts to trample her. Egeria orders the Amazons to block the entrance as she deals with the trampling horse. She slices it's head off with her ax and drags Phillipus away from the now cracking boulder called "the Great Stone". Egeria braces her powerful body against the stone as it burns her. She orders the lumber released and her sisters reluctantly agree. Tons of giant logs tumble and smash into her killing her and blocking the entrance. Phillipus became the new guard after an elimination tournament and her first duty was to build a permanent seal to Doom's Doorway.
They honored Egeria with a warriors funeral and a memorial statue. Philipus explains that through the years they've had to erect other statues. They come to Diana Trevor's statue, the only outworlder to be so glorified.
Chapter 4: Into the World Go Forth
Mnemosyne calls Julia into the library. She wants to learn about her and what inspired her to become a teacher and scientist. Julia narrates a series of flashbacks detailing her life. She was fascinated with history and earned a scholarship to a college in Athens where she met David Kapatelis. David was an Archaeology major and they spent hours studying together.
They married and her parents hoped she would settle down. Instead they explored the world together. Julia says she began to write down her feelings which is how she developed a second career as an author. Investigating a Scottish legend, their daughter was conceived. Being a punster, David wanted to name her Nessie and they compromised on Vanessa. David died six years later excavating in Egypt. Julia finally settled in Boston where she became the Dean of History and Geology at Harvard University. Pythia, the Amazon Julia thought she recognized comes in and tells Julia she feels it too. Mnemosyne has Julia take Pythia's hands as she unlocks lost memories.
Julia is a baby and on her father's boat with her parents and her brother. They are caught in a storm on the Ionian Sea during a storm when Julia falls overboard. Pythia rescues her and brings her to Themyscira. A kiss from Pythia sparks inspiration. She returns to the spot where she was lost after being placed on the beach and taken in by the ocean.
Pythia explains the sea deity, Thetis, would save drowning infants from sea disasters caused by Zeus' rage. The male children were taken elsewhere and the females were brought to the royal chamber. An Amazon is then selected as her Guardian of Inspiration so when she is sent back the subliminal teachings of peace and equality are hopefully spread.
Chapter 5: Flight of the Icarus
Sitting around a fire on the last night of the Kapatelis' visit, Hippolyta wonders why Steve Trevor didn't come. Diana tells her Steve is busy with his new job as a safety inspector for military aircrafts. Diana tells a story of when Steve was called to investigate a recent crash that his girlfriend Etta told him about. Steve concluded it was sabotage.
The man who hired Steve needs a new plane tested but all the pilots were reluctant. One of the pilots, Gordon Hall, was the main protester. The plane's name was Icarus and Diana recalled Mnemnosyne telling her the story of Icarus. Steve volunteers undeterred by Etta's protests. He meets with Wonder Woman, who accompanied them, later that night and asks for her help.
The next morning Steve takes off with Etta watching in the tower. Then Gordon Hall is seen with another man named Corbin, rigging the plane and Steve loses control. Wonder Woman comes in and lassos Corbin. Hall tries to escape and Etta is there and knocks him out with her shoe. Forced to tell the truth, Corbin tells them it's impossible to get the controls back.
Steve radios them and tells them he can't eject. Diana goes out to help him while Etta works on getting the controls back. Steve asks Diana if she remembers what he taught her even though he isn't sure if she can hear him. She grabs the plane's metal nose and spins turning herself into a propeller. Etta then radios that Steve should have the controls back. Diana lets go and Steve lands the plane. Vanessa gathers Diana, Hippolyta, her mom and a few other Amazons for one last group picture.
Epilogue
Diana, Julia and Vanessa say their goodbyes and fly back home.
"Private Lives" Testament
Diana attends Myndi Mayer's will reading as she has been named as a beneficiary. At the reading we see a video will and meet Myndi's jealous sister. Myndi's secretary gets left the business. We meet Myndi's brother, Kevin, who gets left nothing. He's ok with it and says Myndi knew how he felt about that. In the video Myndi asks Diana to spread her ashes around Paradise Island and the last few panels Wonder Wonder is doing just that.
Notes
- Splash page penciled by Brian Bolland and inked by Mark Farmer.
- Prologue penciled by Chris Marrinan and inked by Willie Blyberg.
- Chapter 1 "The Diving Bird" penciled and inked by Arthur Adams.
- Chapter 2 "Dust" penciled and inked by John Bolton.
- Chapter 3 "The First Statue" penciled and inked by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.
- Chapter Four "Into the World Go Forth" penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Bob McLeod.
- Chapter 5 "Flight of the Icarus" penciled by Ross Andru and inked by George Perez.
- Epilogue penciled by Brian Bolland and inked by Mark Farmer.
- "Private Lives" "Testament" written, penciled and inked by George Perez, lettered by Todd Klein and Typeset and colored by Carl Gafford.
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