“So we’re investigating the society on Themyscira, but the thing is there are other Amazons in the world.” And those “rogue Amazons” are set to be key to Trial of the Amazons. “And whenever we diverge, things get very interesting,” Javins says. Occasionally, however, creators diverge from that. As Javins notes, there have been many interpretations but they’ve often been homogeneous and simplistic they’re beautiful, they’re pacifists. “But also I see them as a chance to really talk amongst ourselves about some of our own pitfalls… because just as the patriarchy can be upheld by men, it can also be upheld by women and people in general.”Īdapting and evolving the Amazons is key to the future of both Wonder Woman and Nubia. “I see them as a community of women who get to thrive in a way that we unfortunately cannot in the real world without being hindered,” Williams says. And this allows for a lot of writers to be able to do that.”Īccording to Williams, the Amazons also represent a chance to explore ourselves as well as the fantastical world of Themyscira. “Comics are strongest when people can pick up the pieces and keep the story moving. It also kicks down the doors for future creators. “It was really exciting to me as a writer to be on the other side of the issue and see people pick up on that,” Williams shares. “The Cavern of Souls was always a very interesting concept to me.” “Shoutout to George Pérez!” Williams exclaims. With that, the first issue changes everything we know about Themyscira with the introduction of the Well of Souls.
The series establishes Nubia as the Queen of Themyscira, while giving readers insight to her new origin. This talent roster is as powerful as the world it represents. Nubia & the Amazons boasts an all-star creative team, with Williams writing alongside Vita Ayala, and stunning visuals from veteran superhero artists Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, Emilio Lopez, and Becca Carey. Together, Javins, Holzherr, and Williams are changing that. I thought, ‘There must be a ton of history for her, right?’ I quickly discovered that was not the case.” “I found out that she was originally Diana’s sister and had been around since the 1970s. “I first heard about Nubia on the playground,” Williams recalls. That’s a feeling that Nubia & the Amazons writer Stephanie Williams could relate to. It felt like it went on forever!” But as Javins realized later on, Nubia was only in a few issues. “Diana had a sister! I followed that one really closely, I bought every issue. Though the arc was relatively short it made a huge impact on Javins, who was drawn to the superhero story about sisterhood.
The tale introduced Nubia, the sister of Diana, who at the time was also created from clay by Hippolyta. Nubia and Diana’s story in Robert Kanigher and Don Heck’s 1970s Wonder Woman series hooked Javins as a young comic book reader. One common approach people have is to reinvent.
But for Javins it’s all about expanding what came before. That deep passion for Nubia and Diana is shared by the pair, and is shaping the future of the publisher. But I can’t take the credit for that because Brittany Holzherr was already all over that,” Javins laughs. It’s a huge moment for one of DC’s earliest Black superheroes and for the Wonder Woman family in general. The core Wonder Woman title reintroduces Diana after her inter-dimensional adventures and brush with death in Dark Nights: Death Metal, while Nubia and the Amazonstakes readers back to Themyscira where Diana’s sister Nubia has taken the throne. Leading into 2022’s Trial of the Amazons-the first Wonder Woman crossover event in decades-DC Comics is ramping up a series of new stories centered on the all-female race of warriors. When Marie Javins was announced as Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics in 2020, the quote that accompanied her hiring stated, “As a young girl devouring comics of Wonder Woman, Nubia, and Supergirl, I never dreamed that decades later, I’d be at the helm of the mighty DC Comics.” A year later, on Wonder Woman’s 80th anniversary, the publisher is heading into an epic new age for Diana, Nubia, and the Amazons.