Wonder Woman: Mythos

I bought this book because I'm a fan of Carol Lay's Story Minute strip. Even though I'm new to JLA, I thought, why not? C'mon, the book was [a great price] (been a long time since I paid so little for such a great read) so not much to lose.What a surpise! I'm hooked. Let me tell you, I loved this book. Who knew Wonder Woman and the JLA would be so compelling (well, lots of people, I'm sure, and now I'm one of them).Lay's rendition is action packed with well-drawn (written), believable characters (I especially loved Ana, the human, and the super heros' mortal characteristics, elegantly and often comically revealed. The plot is of the can't-stop-reading, what-will-happen-next variety, with beautiful scenery (the dive scenes took this non-diver deep into the sea).I was on the edge of my seat, I loved the mythology, and now I want to read so much more JLA, and, most of all, I want more by Carol Lay. This is intelligent, intense, and sometimes laugh out loud funny story telling. Amazing!! Read it.

This book gets off to a fine start and keeps on going. After the introductions and set-up, Lay keeps the plot moving, juggling characters with a deft hand. It is written not like a comic book, but like a novel, with plain language, a light touch, and good characterizations. The JLA works as a team, although the focus is definitely on WW. She is strong, but falls short of perfection, a hero we can relate to in that her human side shines through.True, Lay doesn't locate JLA HQ on the moon like Grant did in the Stone King, but she doesn't resort to dumb formula, nor are there glaring plot holes, as there are in Stone King. I got so caught up in it I stayed up far too late to finish it - this novel is a lot of fun.

A lot of people have written Wonder Woman over the years, most of them men.I picked up this book to see how a woman would handle the star-spangled iconof kitschy feminism and was NOT disappointed. From page one I was drawn inwith vivid visual descriptions (Lay's scuba diving passages made me feellike I was underwater), caped crusaders with more than the usual twodimensions, and a plot that, while certainly comic-booky, nevertheless hadme glued to my chair, turning the pages.Lay crosscuts between team members to weave tension and build toward aclimax that has every one of the JLA working for a solution, with WW actingboth alone and as a member of a team. The human protagonist, Ana, iswonderfully drawn - spirited, courageous, and resourceful - a positive andstrong feminine voice who complements and reinforces WW's own powers.Psychological horror spices the story as several JLA members are seduced andcontrolled by the evil entity in Mythos. One passage in particular gave methe willies; another charmed me completely until Lay threw in a dash ofcreepiness, sending a shiver down my spine. Other bits are amusing, such aswhen WW contemplates how the Greek Gods could benefit from counseling from agood therapist, or when Hippolyta chides her daughter for using the vulgarword "TV."Because so many revisionists have trampled over WW, it's refreshing to seeher portrayed as a warm and human woman, not some feminized version of astandard-issue super hero. She probably most resembles George Perez'sversion of the character, a refined and strong individual who can stillreact like a typical daughter when hanging around Mom.Another gratifying aspect of the novel is Lay's treatment of ParadiseIsland. Her description of Themyscira makes sense - a Greek city-stateoperating communally, with a good explanation for why these women haven'tslit their immortal throats out of boredom for having been stuck there for3000 years. Lay pulls off this novel with a splash of fins and a pirouette in the air.Highly recommended. MUCH better than the Batman book in the same series.

This novel is a fast-paced and interesting adventure with no boring passages that you have to plow through. Wonder Woman is the strong, nurturing, yet human superhero that William Moulton Marston created her to be. The nonsuper-human couple who are the focal point of the story show that maybe there is a little bit of superhero in all of us. I especially liked the part where Green Lantern points out that Batman has class. I hope Carol Lay writes more novels like this one.