Wonder Woman: The Contest (Artemis) [Paperback]

William Messner-Loebs (Author), Mike Deodato (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

/William Messner-Loebs /Mike Deodato, Jr. illustrator After losing the title of Wonder Woman to her rival, Artemis, Princess Diana continues to battle evil in a dark new costume. While Artemis, now wearing the familiar Wonder Woman cost.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563891948
• ISBN-13: 978-1563891946
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Artemis: The New Wonder Woman, July 13, 2001

By 

Peter Saenz "Artemisboy" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wonder Woman: The Contest (Artemis) (Paperback)

For those of you not overly familiar with the comic book, this is a great jumping on book to purchase. In it Diana goes back to her native island of Themyscira (Paradise Island) and finds everything in a shambles. A new tribe of Amazons have invaded the island in order to call it their own. Although unsuccessful, they still remain on the island living in a very uneasy alliance with Diana's Amazons. Enter Artemis, a member of the new tribe who has a very big chip on her shoulder, but is very fair and seeks to find peace between the two tribes. Diana and Artemis soon form a bond and Diana's life will never be the same. This a book that is very well written so that new readers of the comic can understand what is happening, as well as find lots of interesting story pieces to keep their attention. The art is beautiful as well. I highly recommend you consider this book as it is one of my favorite story arcs of the current comic.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vicious battle to the very end!, December 3, 2000

By 

J. M. Yarbrough (Hesperia, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wonder Woman: The Contest (Artemis) (Paperback)

Believe it or not, the issues in this tradepaperback (and the Challenge of Artemis) is what got me into collecting Wonder Woman!

From the start, Princess Diana earned the right to be THE Wonder Woman by winning a contest on Paradise Island. It's a role she's kept for years until she returns home and finds that the queen of Paradise Island is displeased with her progress to bring total "world peace." The queen decrees a new contest to be held for the title of Wonder Woman. Cue Artemis, a member of an opposing tribe, who sees winning the title as a way of gaining respect back for her outcast tribe. Not only are Diana and Artemis on opposite tribes, their personalities couldn't be any further apart! Diana believes in compassion, kindness, and prefers reason to force. Artemis, a fiery redhead whose upbringing is a far cry from the "paradise" Diana is accustomed to, is a skilled warrior with an arrogant attitude and a quick tongue. As unpleasantries are exchanged, Diana and Artemis have a daunting - and perilous - task ahead of them. It's a fight to very end for the ultimate prize - the mantle of Wonder Woman!

The art is visually stunning as the women are breathtaking as one could imagine on "Paradise Island." The layouts are presented in a riveting way to the eye such as scary music adds to the atmosphere of a horror movie. To the average person, the background of the tribes may prove to be a bit confusing, but don't let that detract from the main storyline of the rivalry between Diana and Artemis. It's sure to be an intriguing read!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read., February 7, 2003

By 

Caleb Boyd (Centreville, al United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wonder Woman: The Contest (Artemis) (Paperback)

This trade paperback collects Wonder Woman #90-93 and #0.

Diana returns to Themyscira and it seems that her mother, Hippolyta (queen of the Amazons), thinks she is no longer fit to serve the role of Wonder Woman. Hippolyta says Diana has failed to positively act upon the most important role of Wonder Woman, fighting to end all acts of hate on Earth. As a result, a contest is held in which every Amazon is invited to compete to become the new Wonder Woman.

The story is very well-written by William Messner-Loebs. Here, he has given the characters of Diana and the Amazons a little depth. They have believable emotions, and not once does the story escape into camp. The only downside is that once the contest ends nothing seems to make sense. If you are not an avid reader of Wonder Woman and know nothing of her supporting characters, then the last ten pages of this book will be confusing. Hawkman appears, too, out of nowhere; I guess, his point was supposed to be revealed in later issues.

The art is absolutely incredible. The panels are fast and exciting, and the Amazons are depicted as strong but delicate, sexy but independent ... except for the many panels of "rears-in-the-air." These are just a little too blatantly sexual. They are unnecessary because the Amazons are just as sexy without having to be drawn in such a manner. But, I'm sure most fanboys won't mind.

Buy the book if you are looking for a great Wonder Woman story with the perfect balance of story and art, but don't expect an intro that explains what has happened up to this point.