“Apparently, mortals can’t speak all of the languages like Amazons. Maybe that’s why they’re always fighting.”
DC Comics has a brand new graphic novel for fans of one of their most beloved superheroes: Wonder Woman. Released on June 2nd 2020, Laurie Halse Anderson—author of other remarkable works, such as Speak, Shout, and The Seeds of America—lends her beautifully captivating words to this new reimagining of Diana Prince’s first steps towards her bright future as Wonder Woman. Joining forces with Leila del Luca, who has also worked for Marvel’s Scarlet Witch and collaborated on The Wicked + The Divine, the results are nothing but an outstanding YA graphic novel.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is not your typical superhero comic. Anderson’s take on Wonder Woman and her arrival to the human world is real, raw, and extremely relevant. Diana Prince has always been portrayed as an advocate for those people who cannot defend themselves. However, being an Amazon, she has always been kept at a distance from mortals. In this take of Wonder Woman, Diana is just as human as any other.
From the very beginning of the book, Diana is portrayed, first and foremost, as a teenager. She experiences mood swings and changes in her body, which makes the rest of the Amazons underestimate her most of the time. These very human characteristics make her feel alienated in her own world, but also brings her closer to humanity. Thus, when she is trapped outside the protective walls of Themyscira, Diana is able to automatically feel for the new people she meets outside: a group of refugees seeking protection and a new life in Greece.
By making use of a gorgeous blue and orange colour palette, the powerful, captivating illustrations full of small details add extra layers of meaning to the story. Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed becomes a complex tale about finding your place in the world. Anderson establishes a very clear parallelism between Diana, who does not fit among the other Amazons and is stranded from the island of Themyscira, and the reality of refugees. Due to prejudices, both are victims of a constant feeling of alienation and otherness.
Diana is different to the rest of the Amazons, because she was born from clay, instead of being created by the gods like the rest of them, so she is able to understand how it feels to be an outsider looking for their place in the world. Establishing this parallelism, the novel also takes a deep dive into the reality of refugees: wasting away in refugee camps with nothing to do or a way to build a new life, because they don’t get real help. They are just abandoned to waste away. That reality is what jumpstarts Diana’s path towards activism and learning that not all wars are fought with fists, guns, and knives.
In opposition to what someone would expect from a typical superhero comic, there is barely no “physical” action. Instead, Diana demonstrates the importance of fighting “silent” battles. She doesn’t have to physically fight to be a warrior. Invisible battles against poverty and injustice are just as important, even more so than the most traditional idea of a war. That is why Diana puts all her effort into activism and defending the most vulnerable groups of society to make the world a better place. In defending minorities against hunger, homelessness, poverty, and other social injustices—such as child trafficking—Diana finds her driving force and her own strength is reinforced, thus becoming the true Amazon she was always meant to become.
In addition, it is also essential to highlight the thought-provoking exploration of the cultural value of languages and the barriers of communication that refugees and immigrants have to experience time and time again. Diana lacks a lot of prejudices because she is able to understand and speak every language in the world, which turns her into a powerful tool for tolerance and peace. Diana finds her own power, not only in her superhuman strength and abilities as an Amazon, but especially in being able to help people with words.
At the same time, the inclusion of notes specifying which in language each person is talking is a subtle yet powerful touch. Using English as the default language when writing, even when a character is speaking a different language, tends to display a certain sense of erasure. By remarking which language each character speaks, the reader is able to understand the vast diversity of languages the world has to offer and how that should be celebrated, instead of overlooked.
Finally, this is also linked to the importance of cultivating and nurturing cultures. Through a beautiful scene where Diana and her host family attend a polka dance event, Anderson and del Luca show how keeping in touch with one’s roots, helps immigrants find a home away from home, with people who understand their reality. Also portrayed in Diana and Raissa’s blossoming relationship, they illustrate how easy it is to feel isolated and on edge in a strange country, far away from home and surrounded by alien traditions, and so being able to find some sympathy is key to grow and mature.
The sheer number of relevant topics and the luscious array of emotions portrayed in Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is truly outstanding for such a short piece. In just about 208 pages, Laurie Halse Anderson and Leila del Luca are able to create a full-fledged narrative about current social inequality and how minorities tend to be its target. Plus they also emphasise the power teenagers have to change the world through activism and small gestures of compassion, even if, paradoxically, they sometimes feel powerless in a world directed by adults. Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is a beautiful example of how anyone can be a superhero.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 2nd 2020.
Will you be picking up Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Shout) and artist Leila del Duca reimagine Wonder Woman’s origins in this timely story about the refugee experience, teenage activism, and finding the love and strength to create change.
Princess Diana believes that her 16th birthday will be one of new beginnings–namely acceptance into the warrior tribe of Amazons. The celebrations are cut short, however, when rafts of refugees break through the Themysciran barrier. Diana tries to help them, but she is swept away by the sea–and from her home–thus becoming a refugee herself.
Now Diana must survive in the world outside of Themyscira for the first time; the world that is filled with danger and injustice. She must redefine what it means to belong, to be an Amazon, and to make a difference.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is a story about growing into your strength, battling for justice, and the power of friendship.
