Warrior Princess Exchange!

[frayadjacent]

chaila and I recently did a Warrior Princess Exchange: she gave me some Wonder Woman comics to read and I suggested some Xena episodes for her to watch! My Xena suggestions were "One Against an Army" -- an obvious choice, IMO, for the the competence porn and the Xena and Gab being awesome and having an amazing relationship -- and "When Fates Collide". The second one seemed a little counter-intuitive but I still think it was a good choice for chaila, and for showcasing how awesome the characters can be. Also I re-watched the episode for Research and OMG so much fanservice. It was delightful

Chaila gave me The Hiketeia, which I devoured pretty quickly (well, after I figured out how to get Simple Comic to work right). It was a great story with some awesome Wonder Woman action and two great women characters.

I was surprised a little by how Diana claimed she didn't care what Danielle had done, to the point of kinda cutting off the conversation. It was an interesting ethical dilemma where I didn't really agree with anyone. I mean, I am fine with what Danielle did, but only because of the reason why she did it, which Diana claimed to not care about. (Though it seemed like she did care about it, since she was contemplating how she'd have felt if it were her sisters.) But honoring the Hiketeia was the major motivator for her, which I obviously don't identify with but it was pretty interesting nonetheless.

It definitely made me want to read more, and I imagine that if/when I do read more WW, I'll go back to the story and read it with a new level of emotional/intellectual engagement with the characters and stories.

I also thought the art was quite pretty, though I do predictably dislike the way women are drawn. It's not as bad as many comics but the contorted-torso-butt-and-boob poses were definitely there. But I liked how it conveyed the action.

The only thing I really wished was different was that it had spent more time on Diana and Danielle's relationship. I wish I had gotten to see them spending time together, to see how Danielle got good at her job instead of just having Diana tell me. But I wouldn't have wanted that at the expense of anything else, so I'd have wanted the book to be longer. :)

Comments

[frayadjacent]

Anyway, I think hiketeia makes at least as much practical sense as life-in-prison (hella less toxic, without the train-you-to-be-a-better-criminal dynamics of running and maintaining prisons), and I have an easier time with hiketeia than I have with the death penalty.

Yes, for sure. But then I imagine, what if one of the guys that Danielle killed had sought hiketeia (not from Diana, obvs, but from someone who for some reason exists in a modern context and knows what the ritual is). And that guy had followed the rules, and done what he should, and Danielle and the other people he'd hurt would never have had the opportunity to face him. Agreed that this is better than prison or the death penalty, no doubt, but it wouldn't be my first choice system of justice.

(Though if the Furies operate like you say, then hiketeia wouldn't have stopped them from making Danielle go after the guy, only she probably would have failed. Which I guess would have been the same result for her. Hey, sounds like a Greek Tragedy!)

I did think it was surprising that the Furies went after Danielle to avenge her sister's death, and it seemed like Diana was also surprised? I do wish that had been explained. I mean, if the Furies still operate in this world, why haven't they taken out, like, every US president ever? For example.