Customer Reviews

Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This "deluxe" hardbound book has some obvious similarities to Christopher Moeller's "A League Of One," also offered from DC Comics a year or so back. Lavishly illustrated and thoughtfully written, they both follow Wonder Woman in 'extra-curricular' (that is, outside the continuity of her monthly comic) adventures, and feature supporting heroes from DC's pantheon. Both books are fairly quick reads, and both deserve the occasional re-read. Unfortunately, both books have a somewhat hefty list price...one good reason to buy them at Amazon's discount.

"The Hiketeia," though it shares some of "League"'s artfully dark style of illustration, isn't written in the same epic manner. At times gloomy and drear, "Hiketeia" is more of a modern Greek tragedy, and has a predictably sad ending. In brief, this story follows a young woman named Danielle, whose sister has come to an untimely end at the hands of drug dealing lowlifes. Though Danielle has always emulated Wonder Woman's heroic ideals, to the point of teaching herself ancient Greek and studying Greek history, her life is changed by a visit from the Furies, a trio of Greek goddesses who thrive on vengeance. Also known as the Erinyes, these hellish goddesses convince Danielle it is her blood obligation to exact revenge upon her sister's tormentors and killers.

Danielle runs afoul of Batman, but escapes him to seek sanctuary with Wonder Woman. She is 'bound' to Diana by performing the ancient ritual of "hiketeia," and Wonder Woman agrees to protect Danielle and provide for her. Eventually Batman tracks the girl to her hideout (the Themysciran embassy), but WW prevents him from taking Danielle into custody. In doing so, Diana honors the sanctity of hiketeia, but defies the laws of modern society. There's much more to this story, but I don't want to spoil it for fellow readers.

Greg Rucka's story is at times riveting, and his characterization of Batman and The Furies is commendable. Longtime Wonder Woman readers may object to the way Diana subverts her sense of reason, in order to honor a ritual that puts her at odds with modern/cultural justice. But there's no questioning her resolve, or her faith. The Furies, despite their blood-thirsty nature, are portrayed as slightly whimsical deities, a nice touch. Batman's importance in this story is belied by his prominence on the book's cover. Though he is a potent reminder of the magnitude of Danielle's crimes, there isn't a single page in this book devoted to his search for the girl, or his reaction to Diana's "interference."

Drawn by J.G. Jones and inked (somewhat heavily) by Wade Von Grawbadger, "Hiketeia"'s visuals are an excellent complement to
Rucka's tale. The style is clean and reasonably realistic in comic book terms, and all the main players are depicted in fine form. Story colors are generally good, though emphasis is given to moody blue-greys and amber lights. The cumulative effect is modern enough to please the average comics fan, and also respectful of classical illustration...a nod to "serious" readers. My only quibble with artwork is the cover, which takes WW and Bat's battle way out of context. It's a powerful image that could easily be misinterpreted as political commentary or a gender statement.

I'd call this a "five star" book if characterization for Wonder Woman was more consistant with her comics "norms". But that's a highly subjective view, so I can still recommend this book to fellow WW fans with few reservations. Fans of the Big Bat may be disappointed to see just how small his part is, but I don't think anyone will find him out of character here. Given the shortage of hardbound WW books, I'd say this one is a must for collectors.

Well ... I just had to write a review and give it five stars, despite being tired and sleepy (almost midnight as I write this). Only two persons had reviewed this book, and one of them gave it only one star, grossly skewing the average rating and possibly affecting what unsuspecting potential buyers might think of this GREAT book. The Hiketeia is a dark and depressing story, very much in the vein of classic Greek tragedies. Wonder Woman grants sanctuary to a young woman, Danielle Wellys, and becomes bound to give Danielle protection without realising that Batman is after Danielle for having murdered several people who caused her younger sister's death. The story resonates with Aeschylus's Oresteia, with its theme of duty and vengeance and their consequences - Orestes was commanded by the Gods, through Apollo's oracle at Delphi, to avenge the murder of his father, Agamemnon, by killing the murderer, his mother Clytemnestra. He duly performed this horrendous duty, bringing the wrath of the Furies, ancient goddesses who hound murderers of blood kinsmen, upon his head in the bargain. Orestes was in a no-win situation - had he failed to kill his mother, the Furies' wrath would have also descended upon his head for failing to avenge the murder of his father. While the Oresteia ended on a happy note - Athena absolved Orestes of any misdeeds and placated the Furies by appealing to their egos - Greg Rucka goes one step further by giving The Hiketeia a bleak ending without any deus ex machina plot devices often used by the ancient Greeks. While the characterisation of the Furies as scheming witches plotting Wonder Woman's downfall is contrary to what the ancient Greeks themselves would have thought of them, I greatly enjoyed this story for being true to Wonder Woman's roots in Greek mythology. The colours used are muted to reflect the darkness of the story, but the art-work is gorgeous. Go beyond the S&M cover of Wonder Woman's heel on Batman's face and you will discover a modern Greek tragedy well worth reading and re-reading several times.

If the purpose of The Hiketeia was to give us a closer look at Diana and what makes her tick, it did so in grand fashion. I love action and I'm happy I didn't know beforehand that this story is mainly devoid of it. There is tension, to be sure, but very little in the way of combat. Rather, this is a study of Diana of Themyscira and her motivations.

She is a character steeped in tradition and religion. With the Bam! Pow! action of super-hero comics in general, there haven't been great opportunities to explore her motivations in depth. That's not to gloss over what Perez and other excellent writers (excluding Byrne) have done in her series. By and large they've done well in presenting the origin and life that shaped and defined Wonder Woman. The elements that make her unique among her peers. However, sometimes, a quiet moment is needed for that really close look.

The Hiketeia is full of quiet moments. Diana sipping coffee from a mug with the Superman logo, making sandwiches for Danielle, signing autographs. We also see the Themyscira embassy, beautifully illustrated. None of this is boring as these quiet moments happen within the context of a powerful dillemma. Diana respects and obeys the modern laws of the United States. She also respects and honors the ancient laws of her religion.

She is clearly unhappy with the demands of her bonded duty. She doesn't want to fight Batman. She doesn't want to harbor criminals. So she grimly stays the course, honoring the Hiketeia and waiting for what will be.

She doesn't have an optimistic, "I'm sure it will all work out." approach. She feels that this will be tragic in one way or another. But, so be it.

I understand the negative reaction of some readers to her stubborn acceptance of the Hiketeia, willing to allow it to affect one of the closest friendships she has. But, this is what makes her tick. This is Diana. She was raised in the environment of the Greek gods. She does not view her religion or traditions as something pliable. These things are not negotiable, and tragic fates are often the norm. She is an ambassador to our culture, not of our culture.

And really, Batman is the same. The story illustrated that he is just as bound to the personal religion of justice he has formed for himself.

Diana could have tried to give a little and hand over the girl as long as she accompanied her. Batman could have given a little and worked with Diana through the Hiketeia angle.

Neither did. Because both are absolutely bound to their beliefs.

The story would not have worked with, say, Black Canary and Superman. Because each of those characters, while steadfast in their pursuit of justice, are open to compromise. Their origins were not forged in the same severe fires as Wonder Woman and Batman.

So, I enjoyed this story as a look at two implacable heroes, each on the opposite side of a problem.

I had high hopes for this GN because it features two of my favorite characters: Wonder Woman and Batman, and because I admire Greg Rucka as a writer and usually enjoy his work. I was disappointed.

The idea is a good one, and the writing and illustration are very good. The problem is that the story is underdeveloped. The narrative barely begins before it ends, rather abruptly, 90 pages later.
The Supplicant says at one point that she had studied ancient Greece so that she could learn to be like Wonder Woman, but she doesn't really say why, or how (or even where). She tells a sad story that explains her earlier actions, but doesn't adequately outline how it came about. In a graphic format, you have to show everything--it is not enough to throw out a sentence in passing and leave the rest to the reader's imagination.
Diana's motivation is never really explained, either, unless you can accept the worn-out premise that Diana does everything out of goodness and duty. That's fine as far as it goes, but a good story these days requires a bit more. Although I think the parallel we are supposed to make is to political asylum, but that doesn't really suffice since Diana takes the trouble to point out (and later demonstrate) that she was under NO obligation to accept the petition. The explanation of why she feels it is her duty to accept THIS supplicant without question is feeble, particularly in light of the enormity of the supplicant's crime. Diana should have known better than to make such a pledge without getting a few facts first.

That, I suppose, is one of the weaknesses of the Wonder Woman character. She (along with her buddy Superman) is a person of action, and frequently does things without thinking them through first. Batman is a thinker and a researcher and always has a plan A and B. This is probably why most Wonder Woman/Batman team-ups consist largely of them beating the tar out of one another. The Hiketeia is no different. Most of the 90 pages are devoted to Wonder Woman and Batman knocking their equally stubborn foreheads together.

The story is wrapped up very quickly and very conveniently, yet without a sense of closure. It's as if the writer and artists didn't really have their hearts in it, and handed over to DC the bare minimum for publication. When I closed The Hiketeia, I felt cheated out of $14.99 and the 20 minutes I spent reading. Nobody likes a tease, and that's all this is.

The best thing about this book, aside from the art, is its very simple premise. "What happens when ideologies clash?"

Greg Rucka did a fantastic job of picking two DC characters that are very opinionated in their ideologies. And its just a matter of telling the right story to see which one of them will you believe in.

Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia is a bit of a rarity these days as it is not a collection of previously published comics but an original graphic novel. Written by Greg Rucka and penciled by J.G. Jones, this book was certainly created by A-list talent and features stars to match in Wonder Woman and Batman. The story features a fugitive from justice (and Batman) who seeks a form of sanctuary from Wonder Woman invoking a ritual known as the Hiketeia. The ritual offers Wonder Woman no decision to refuse, she has to accept as long as the supplicant obeys the strictures of the ritual. This inevitably brings Batman and Wonder Woman into conflict and sets up an interesting situation of the ethics and responsibilities of all the involved parties.

I am not a big fan of Wonder Woman and am definitely not a fan of Greg Rucka's writing but this story is an exception. It's well paced and the characterizations are very well portrayed. Rucka manages to create a fairly unique situation for the characters that allows us to see how they react in a situation neither is really comfortable with. Jones is an excellent artist probably best known at the moment for the covers he painted for 52. All in all, there's a lot to like here and not much to criticize really. It's easy to recommend for anyone looking for a good story.

This trade surpassed my expectations. A modern story of a girl running from her past, running to Wonder Woman for aid, shrouding herself in Greek tradition, and binding Wonder Woman between a rock and a hard place (Batman). The artwork is grand, the story is fast-paced yet gripping, and the ending will break your heart. I don't read a lot of Wonder Woman books, but this tale is a masterpiece.

I am a huge Greg Rucka fan and have always liked his portrayal of Diana. Here, I thought the story of a young woman who comes to Wonder Woman for aid is a little lacking. Maybe if this was part of her monthly series and could be fleshed out many times over it would have meant more. Here, you're not left with much and care about those involved very lightly. The art however, is beautiful. I J.G. Jones could do a monthly book, no matter what book, I would buy it. Fantastic stuff. Overall, pretty to look at but not doing much.

This is a great concept for a story, pitting two unstoppable forces against each other, and all-in-all, it's an entertaining story. However, for a book that retails at $24.95, it's only 90 pages of story, and a quick read at that. I enjoyed it for having borrowed it from the library, but would have been feeling some buyers remorse if I had shelled out anywhere near the cover price for it.

Very good looking book with a great story. This is how Wonder Woman should always be written.