Diana and the Underworld Odyssey - The Second of the Wonder Woman Adventures

I have been a fan of the Wonder Woman character ever since I sat in front of the television on Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal watching Super Friends, and later, watching Lynda Carter spin around on the TV and change into that red, blue, and gold spandex costume with the golden lasso.  I have been faithfully reading the comics since around that same time, so it's obvious that I've been following the adventures of Wonder Woman for over four decades.  In that time, I've seen a lot of change and a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of different interpretations of the characters - some good, some bad; some memorable, some I'd like to forget.  Of all the different versions of Wonder Woman that have appeared through the years, there are few that have captured the true essence of the character and beautifully incorporated the Greek mythology into her story.  George Perez is definitely one of the first who springs to mind, as his run on the Wonder Woman comic is probably one of the absolute best ever (second only to the original stories by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter.  But I am going to have to add author Aisha Saeed onto that list of creators who truly know the character of Diana, as this second book in the "Wonder Woman Adventures" proves.

The first novel in this series featured Diana's first trip away from Themyscira and gave her an adventure that helped establish not only her strength and determination, but gave glimpses into her true power and her destiny.  This second novel, Diana and the Underworld Odyssey, further develops Diana's budding powers and drops more hints not only as to her future as Wonder Woman, but also her connection to the gods themselves.  The story opens mere days after the conclusion of the first book, as the Chara festival reaches its conclusions, and Diana must say goodbye for another year to her friend, Sakina.  Diana feels a sense of unease, and she stays on her guard after the events of the last book - but her mother assures her that everything will be fine.  Until, of course, it's not...

First, Sakina disappears before she can get to her ship to leave the island.  Then, Diana is attacked by a mysterious cloaked figure who seems almost intangible - a figure that is intent on kidnapping her.  Then, as if that weren't bad enough, the island comes under attack by a strange ship that should not have been able to locate the island with all of its cloaking spells and other protections - and Diana is the only one that can defeat the ship.  During all of this, however, her mother, Antiope, and the other Amazons want to lock Diana away for safety, something Diana cannot understand.  After all, hadn't she proven her capability of handling herself after she rescued a young boy and escaped the clutches of a demon from another island?

 

So, when the goddess Artemis arrives on the island and agrees to take Diana to the safety of a secret location of the gods, her mother agrees, despite Diana's wishes to stay and help defend the island.  But maybe they are right?  Maybe the island will be safe if Diana is not there, since the demon had told her "he" was after Diana - whoever "he" may be.  The next thing you know, Diana is standing before the gods, telling her story of battling the demon who kidnapped the young boy and tried to kidnap her and Sakina.  Diana learns that a malevolent force is kidnapping a number of children, all of whom have special abilities.  Then, Hades arrives.  And he completely discounts Diana's story and calls her a liar.  Before you know it, the gods are arguing, and Diana is sent outside with another young girl who is at the island.  And, yes, wouldn't you know it, they get attacked, and the girl is kidnapped and taken away before Diana can save her.  Diana knows what she must do, and thus begins her journey across the ocean and to the River Styx so that she can make her way into the underworld, the realm of Hades, where the Sakina and the other girl are currently being held.  And Diana has until midnight to rescue the girls, and that's only a few hours away!

 

Saeed writes a fantastic adventure into the underworld, putting Diana through one challenge after another - battling the sea serpent Hydra; fending off a dangerously deceptive Siren; getting past the vicious three-headed Cerberus; convincing the judges who guard the way into the underworld to allow her in; figuring out how to unlock the cage holding her friends without a key (which she lost before ever making it to the River Styx);   defeating the monsters who keep watch over the captured children; finding the strength to open Doom's Doorway that will lead her and the others back to Themyscira; and ultimately facing off against Hades, the very god of the underworld.  And while this young version of Diana certainly has her doubts and fears, Saeed manages to beautifully portray Princess Diana's true nature as she overcomes those doubts and fears to stand up and face head-on every challenge put in her way, proving without a shadow of a doubt just what a Wonder Woman this young girl really is!

Oh, and let's not forget Diana's new friend, Liara, who helps her on her journey through the underworld.  She is present at the hatching of a young dragon, who immediately has a connection with Diana (being the first thing she sees when she hatches), and so she sticks by Diana's side through thick and thin during the entire adventure.  In some ways, it kind of reminded me of the connection Kitty Pryde had with Lockheed back in the day in the X-Men and New Mutants comics.  I almost wish Liara would stick around, as I'd love to see a fully grown Liara come to the aid of the adult Diana (as Wonder Woman) - what a force of nature these two would make!

The final adventure of this trilogy is coming sometime this year, and it's a shame there are only three books to this series.  I've enjoyed the stories so much, and would love to read more adventures of this young Diana!

RATING:  10 antique Rumzis out of 10 for providing Wonder Woman fans with a look at her past adventures while staying true to her character.