Answering Questions About "Wonder Woman: Evolution"

Updates from the desk of Stephanie Phillips, including publication news and upcoming projects.

Happy (day after) Wonder Woman Day!

Yesterday marked Diana’s induction into the Comic-Con Character Hall of Fame, and her 80th anniversary (lookin’ good for 80!). DC has some pretty amazing books coming out to celebrate Wonder Woman’s Legacy, and I’m honored to have a small part in that with our upcoming Wonder Woman: Evolution, out November 16. I’ve been talking about this book a lot… I know… but writing Wonder Woman is one of the reasons why I ever started writing comics to begin with. One of my earliest goals was that one day I hoped I would pen Diana, a character that has meant so much to me. Add the amazing creative team of Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto, Jordie Bellaire, Tom Napolitano, and Brittany Holzherr, and this is truly a dream project.

In honor of Wonder Woman’s anniversary and the Final Order Cutoff (Oct. 24) for Wonder Woman: Evolution, I thought I’d take some questions online about the project. I’ve answered most of these on Twitter, but I’m going to answer them in a bit more detail (if I can) in the newsletter for this week. But first… a little artwork to show off from issue 1…

Will we see a bit of the more mythological side of Diana (Olympus, Themyscira, etc)?

Absolutely. This story is really interested in dissecting pieces of Diana’s past to better understand where she’s headed in the future. That means looking at these elements of her history, particularly Themyscira, which will be incredibly important to our story. As a lover of mythology, that also influences how the story is told (Diana taking on personal challenges as our hero and champion), and will also appear in bits of our story.

Does it take place before or after the current WW comic or is it like a separate stand alone story?

Wonder Woman: Evolution is its own thing. There’s no required reading before diving in - this is a self-contained 8 issue story for readers familiar to Wonder Woman, or new! All are welcome!

What is this story all about? What are its premises?

Wonder Woman is taken by a cosmic force to stand trial for all of humanity as their proxy. This cosmic entity believes that humans have overstepped their evolutionary bounds and now threaten the rest of the cosmos. Of course, Diana rises to the challenge as a protector to humankind… but not everything is what it appears.

This is a cosmic story with a large setting, but the focus is on something very personal - exploring WHO Diana is, where she belongs in the universe, and how her role as Earth’s protector might be changing.

Will we see the other amazons?

Yes, there are definitely more Amazons in the book. Maybe not in the way you all might expect… *spoilers*

Will we visit classic characters and locations from the cosmic corner of the DCU in Diana's journey through space? By which I mean stuff like the Vega system, Thanagar, Omega Men, Adam Strange, some lanterns?

There are definitely classic characters and settings, but perhaps not the ones being thought of here. There will definitely be lots of guest appearances that I hope you get as excited about as the team did getting to write/draw/color them!

Is this going to be emotional journey where Di gets to portray her humanity and will there be some kick-ass action on her part as well?

YES. If we’ve done our jobs right as a team, you’ll see why Diana is one of the most kick ass characters in the DCU, but you might also cry. This is going to be an emotional journey for Diana that tests her in ways she wasn’t expecting. Punching things won’t be the only way for her to solve issues in this series, though she certainly does a lot of punching (I promise).

Any chance there will be new villains in the book?

Yes… there definitely is a new villain…

What was the biggest challenge you had with writing this story?

The weight of such an iconic character is always on my mind when writing Diana. I'm standing next to some giant names/talents when it comes to working on this character, and it's something I definitely don't take lightly. It's also really exciting, though, to get to lend my voice to her!

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I appreciate everyone taking the time to throw some questions my way. You’re always welcome to do that on Twitter and I’ll respond as much as I can: @Steph_Smash. DC has also put together a short interview I did about the series if you’d like to check that out below.

The final order cutoff is this Sunday, Oct. 24. Pre-order from your local comic shop today!

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OUT NEXT WEEK

Fear State continues next week with Harley Quinn #8 and Detective Comics #1044.

Harley Quinn 8 features the a Gotham City Sirens reunion that started in the pages of Catwoman #36. We also have the Harley/Ivy reunion that we’ve been excited to bring to the pages of the ongoing comic for months. Kevin also has his first-ever “meet cute” in the middle of a Scarecrow attack (impeccable timing), and Hugo looks for a quick escape from Gotham. Romance, butt-kicking, the imminent destruction of Gotham City. We’ve got it all…

Official Solicit: “Sorry, Harley’s not here right now, but this is her trusted sidekick Kevin, and I’m happy to be keeping watch over the streets of Gotham. The city’s gone a little crazy with the Magistrate’s forces cracking down. I just hope that Harley’s mission to Alley Town with Catwoman and the Gardener is successful in finding the missing piece of Poison Ivy that could be the very key to saving Gotham. In the meantime, I’ll help put fires out around Gotham…literally…and I might get some unexpected help in the process! Fear State part two continues here!”

Detective Comics #1044 features the start of 3 back-up stories from myself, David Lapham, and Trish Mulvihill. As a new Arkham Tower is being constructed in Downtown Gotham, Batman has to consider the troubled past of the institution and its name…

Official Solicit: “Arkham Asylum may have been decimated during A-DAY, but its legacy lives on. Now, Mayor Nakano has given the green light for a brand-new ARKHAM TOWER to be erected in the heart of Gotham City, and some strange and horrific things are going down at the construction site. Don’t miss this epic kick-off to a story arc that will shape the Batman universe for years to come!”

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Thanks as always for reading! I’m feeling like next week might be a good week to show of some new Laura Braga artwork from an upcoming issue of Harley featuring one Poison Ivy… just a thought. ;)

I’ll also have a couple of signings to announce next week. If you’re in Florida and California, I’ll have some Wonder Woman related store signings coming up in November, but more info on that next week with dates, times, and all that jazz! Subscribe below to stay up-to-date on it all!

-Stephanie