Review by Ian Keogh

Diana has escaped from Hell to save Gateway City, the attack point for some fearsome mythological creatures. As seen in The Last Amazon, this Wonder Woman differs enough from her familiar counterpart to intrigue and captivate, not least because she’s been raised by the witch Circe and uses magic. Kelly Thompson also introduced counterparts to the known Wonder Woman supporting cast in a bravura first effort that’s going to take some living up to.

The mess of the ancient gods spurred the previous volume, but Kelly Thompson switches her approach by beginning with a science-based threat. In contrast to so many current superhero writers Thompson is admirably compact with her storytelling. There’s no need to know how a villain escaped as we’ve seen why they’re on the loose, and it’s not difficult to join the dots. As before, Thompson switches between past and present, the lessons Diana learned as a child informing her current situations, and that backstory is both fascinating and foreboding as the gods have a definite long term purpose.

While most comic artists tell stories in square or rectangular panels, Hayden Sherman’s signature technique is is to avoid that wherever possible. He’ll use rounded, diamond and triangular panels and you’ll find they work equally well while opening up the possibilities for page design. The colouring of Jordie Bellaire makes the art look even more spectacular, imaginatively applied to a variety of different environments. It’s stressed throughout how Diana’s strength is her unpredictability, and the same applies to Bellaire’s colours.

Science and an intriguing twist on an old villain form the appetiser, but the legends return as Diana visits a maze to rescue captives from a tyrant. It’s cleverly plotted over five chapters from start to finish, uses mythology well and ends by underlining how Area 41 will be a continuing threat. Better still is that Diana’s inherent compassion and humanity enables solutions. It’s always been part of Wonder Woman’s make-up, but all too often in the form of lip service via dialogue. Thompson and Sherman show it.

Two final chapters supply a more ethereal threat. It allows for some fine abstracts of destruction from artist Matías Bergara, but the first chapter of two is the least captivating in the book as Diana rushes from threat to threat. The cause is aligned with someone known to regular DC readers, introduced here for a future return. The solution is neat, again with consequences to come, and while the points made about balance initially seem strained, the getout clause is well handled.

A weaker second story means As My Mothers Made Me doesn’t quite match the heights of The Last Amazon, but it’s still thoughtful and thrilling superhero entertainment.