philippos42 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
philippos42) wrote2014-05-30 10:50 pm
philippos42) wrote2014-05-30 10:50 pm
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Artemis called Requiem
I think Artemis called Requiem is my favorite superhero. Artemis, the onetime Wonder Woman with the absurdly long hair.
I used to say my favorite superhero and my favorite supervillain were both Doctor Zero from the Shadowline Saga. Although there may have been a long stretch where if I were honest with myself I would admit I liked Magneto (the Claremont/Bolton version) better. And he's a well-known example of someone who is both.
But no, these days it's Artie. And it is almost totally because of Artemis: Requiem.
This is a character who really came into her own after she died.
(She died when she and her sister Diana--technically they're not biological sisters, but they are consistently called sisters in the text; go with it--had to defeat the thing that used to be Asquith Randolph. Diana was the star of that book, so Artemis was killed off to put Diana back in the Wonder Woman suit.)
Artemis went to Hell; and was taken in marriage (I would've said "concubine," the text says "wife." Marriage.) by a major Devil. Dalkriig-Hath was one of the Thirteen Princes of Hell, we are told. This is backstory for her series, quickly exposited when her sister Diana comes looking for her.
Then she leaves Hell with an unconscious Diana on her back. Surreally crawls out of her own grave, carrying an unconscious Wonder Woman.
A bunch of weirdness happens, I'm gonna skip to the last issue.
Spoilers, if you care:
Blah blah blah, long wacky story short, apparently she was able to get back to the land of the living because "hubby" was manipulating events to weaken the barriers between Hell and Earth. When he comes in with an invasion force, Artemis, who now speaks demonic language and knows demonic magic, is there to stop him.
He breaks her arm. Did I mention she's a combat archer? That's her shtick. So he breaks her arm. So she uses the not-broken arm to hold the bow, pulls back the string with her teeth--and shoots the Prince of Hell dead. Guess who's the new rightful occupant of his throne?
Artie. Requiem. "Miss Wonder Woman." Yep, Artemis.
She makes a deal with one lieutenant of Dalkriig-Hath to rule in her stead, in exchange for the lives of a whole bunch of people that died recently, including herself. Artemis saves the world, series ends.
Later writers haven't always known what to do with Artie.
I think Gail Simone was one of the worst, writing Artie as depressed and suicidal. e_e
Byrne did OK with her, I guess. That's where her relationships with Cassie and Mike Schorr come from. (Not sexual relationships, ficcers! Well, maybe Mike.)
Jimenez sympathized with Artemis, I think. He wrote her as pretty disgusted with the chain of events that led to her getting beaten to death, and I think he was responsible for promoting her to one of the leaders of the Amazons.
Rucka and Johnson cut her hair off, because they hate good things.
I've seen fans refer to her as the evil Wonder Woman or something like that. Way to miss the point.
Artie was cold, sometimes arrogant, and due to her exceedingly weird life experiences, bizarre. But she's driven by a hero's pursuit of justice. And she had that crazy visual design.
And somehow Artemis: Requiem--which I think is generally hated as eye-bleeding 1990's excess, drawn by a young Ed Benes riffing on Mike Deodato riffing on Jim Lee--this crazy throwaway series with superheroes never heard of before or since and a very...particular...view of the afterlife--this little series wormed its way into my heart.
"Are you saying God raised you from the dead?"
"No...I did it myself!" (big smile).
I used to say my favorite superhero and my favorite supervillain were both Doctor Zero from the Shadowline Saga. Although there may have been a long stretch where if I were honest with myself I would admit I liked Magneto (the Claremont/Bolton version) better. And he's a well-known example of someone who is both.
But no, these days it's Artie. And it is almost totally because of Artemis: Requiem.
This is a character who really came into her own after she died.
(She died when she and her sister Diana--technically they're not biological sisters, but they are consistently called sisters in the text; go with it--had to defeat the thing that used to be Asquith Randolph. Diana was the star of that book, so Artemis was killed off to put Diana back in the Wonder Woman suit.)
Artemis went to Hell; and was taken in marriage (I would've said "concubine," the text says "wife." Marriage.) by a major Devil. Dalkriig-Hath was one of the Thirteen Princes of Hell, we are told. This is backstory for her series, quickly exposited when her sister Diana comes looking for her.
Then she leaves Hell with an unconscious Diana on her back. Surreally crawls out of her own grave, carrying an unconscious Wonder Woman.
A bunch of weirdness happens, I'm gonna skip to the last issue.
Spoilers, if you care:
Blah blah blah, long wacky story short, apparently she was able to get back to the land of the living because "hubby" was manipulating events to weaken the barriers between Hell and Earth. When he comes in with an invasion force, Artemis, who now speaks demonic language and knows demonic magic, is there to stop him.
He breaks her arm. Did I mention she's a combat archer? That's her shtick. So he breaks her arm. So she uses the not-broken arm to hold the bow, pulls back the string with her teeth--and shoots the Prince of Hell dead. Guess who's the new rightful occupant of his throne?
Artie. Requiem. "Miss Wonder Woman." Yep, Artemis.
She makes a deal with one lieutenant of Dalkriig-Hath to rule in her stead, in exchange for the lives of a whole bunch of people that died recently, including herself. Artemis saves the world, series ends.
Later writers haven't always known what to do with Artie.
I think Gail Simone was one of the worst, writing Artie as depressed and suicidal. e_e
Byrne did OK with her, I guess. That's where her relationships with Cassie and Mike Schorr come from. (Not sexual relationships, ficcers! Well, maybe Mike.)
Jimenez sympathized with Artemis, I think. He wrote her as pretty disgusted with the chain of events that led to her getting beaten to death, and I think he was responsible for promoting her to one of the leaders of the Amazons.
Rucka and Johnson cut her hair off, because they hate good things.
I've seen fans refer to her as the evil Wonder Woman or something like that. Way to miss the point.
Artie was cold, sometimes arrogant, and due to her exceedingly weird life experiences, bizarre. But she's driven by a hero's pursuit of justice. And she had that crazy visual design.
And somehow Artemis: Requiem--which I think is generally hated as eye-bleeding 1990's excess, drawn by a young Ed Benes riffing on Mike Deodato riffing on Jim Lee--this crazy throwaway series with superheroes never heard of before or since and a very...particular...view of the afterlife--this little series wormed its way into my heart.
"Are you saying God raised you from the dead?"
"No...I did it myself!" (big smile).