Interview: Steve Orlando talks Wonder Woman #52

Wonder Woman #52 features Diana Prince, Aztek and Artemis in a fight against Tezcatlipoca. Writer Steve Orlando breaks down the story and what’s coming up next.

Steve Orlando kicked off his five issue run on Wonder Woman with a deep dive into Diana Prince’s psyche in Wonder Woman #51. Now, in Wonder Woman #52, Orlando brings together a team of powerful women – Wonder Woman, Aztek and Artemis – who will have to work together to fight renegade god Tezcatlipoca.

Out August 8, Wonder Woman #52 combines all of the action, drama and wonder you can possibly muster in a 32-page issue, setting the stage for what will no doubt be a thrilling four-part journey that will put these heroes to the test and push them to their limits.

We had a chance to talk with Orlando about his work on Wonder Woman #52 and the experience of writing this trio of incredibly powerful women.

Minor Spoilers for Wonder Woman #51 and #51

Her Cape: Thanks for talking to us again Steve! Your excitement about this Aztec and Artemis story arc was palpable when we talked at SDCC. When you found out you had five issues to tell a Wonder Woman story, how did you go about planning for it? Were there things you’d always wanted to do in a Wonder Woman story, or did you come up with something after getting the assignment?

More from Bam Smack Pow

Steve Orlando: The funny thing is, Wonder Woman 51 was written when I thought I’d only get one issue. So I wrote it as if, hey, I have this one issue to say why I love Diana, and do everything I’d do, and I did it. THEN the challenge with 52-55, The Enemy of Both Sides, came in finding what was next. That’s when we decided to cast Diana against foils in Aztek and Artemis, two heroes who see Diana as two different people, and in the crucible of our blockbuster epic, watch as they both discover who Diana really is beyond their perceptions. The best part? Diana learns something about herself too, and is strong enough to admit it…all while smiting a nefarious deity from outside reality.

HC: Wonder Woman #51 is a standalone story that leads into #52. #51 is a masterful thesis on the person Diana Prince is and the hero she strives to be. How does #51 tie into the other four issues?

SO: 51 I think reflects all Wonder Woman stories, past and future. It’s timeless. After the rollercoaster Diana’s been on, 51 centers Diana as an icon of compassion. Our job now is to challenge that, ask her questions that might invalidate who she is and watch as she overcomes them. We showed the strength of Diana’s ideals in 51, but what happens when he missions in 52-55 puts her heart, her own personal desires and history, against her creed of respect and compassion? I think the next arc deepens Diana’s complexity – especially with the addition of Artemis, someone who shows Diana is not perfect, she can hold grudges, she can assume, she can dislike people…but she still respects them.

HC: As I mentioned before, I know you’re really excited about Artemis and Aztek. What can you tell us about these characters?

SO: Aztek is new to the game. Less than a year ago, a war helmet crashed through Nayeli Constant’s window fresh from space. Then even more surprising? It started talking, talking about a centuries long war between Aztek and Tezcatlipoca’s forces. The previous Aztek, Uno, was no more…and a new Aztek had to rise up. But this time in the wake of a Lex Luthor scheme, there would be no support network, not manual, no Q Society to train Aztek. This Aztek was truly on her own…she IS on her own…but she’s ready to get to work.

Artemis is the ultimate outlaw, proud warrior of the Bana-Mighdall with a chip on her shoulder the size of a planet. But she’s not cruel, she’s bombastic. She’s confident, always sure she has the best way, and she’s passionate in her rejection of Themyscira. The wounds that split Bana-Mighdall and Themyscira are ever fresh for her…but perhaps it’s time to view things in more than black and white? Diana’s found her complexity, perhaps Artemis has some to uncover as well.

Wonder Woman #52. Photo: DC Comics

HC: Do we know which side Aztek is really on?

SO: Aztek is a hero…but she is sure hoping her mission doesn’t come up against Wonder Woman’s.

HC: I’ll go ahead and say it: This is one of the best team-ups in all of Wonder Woman’s diverse history. They all have their demons and Artemis and Aztek have a lot to prove but right now they are all on the same team and it’s awesome. What are your thoughts about this team?

SO: Thank you so much for saying that! I think each member of the team brings something better out of the other, and it’s in places they wouldn’t expect. In this mission, they each find something unexpected in each other, and they each get a moment to shine. The hunt for the lost Amazon, and the power behind it, Aztek’s monolithic enemy Tezcatlipoca, is a mission that no one of them could complete on their own. Even Wonder Woman sometimes needs other, and its her strength in knowing herself and admitting that that inspires Aztek and Artemis to do the same. They’ll each be stronger on the other side.

HC: What’s it like to find voices for these three distinctly different and incredibly powerful women?

SO: A constant challenge! Aztek, Artemis and Wonder Woman all react to the exact moment differently, and it can be easy on the creative side to slip away from that and just keep the story going. But we owe it to the characters, and to you folks who love them, to give them constant detailed attention. Key is to remember that these characters are each a lens for whatever happens in the book, no matter how mad and exciting, and no two of them will view something in exactly the same way. They’re in the book, and on the team, to be different, and thus cast elegant definitions of those around them.

HC: Talk about the friction between Aztek and Artemis. They’re almost like siblings with the way they bicker.

SO: They do! I think Artemis sees potential in Aztek, and there’s no question Artemis is a tough love type of hero. She will chide Aztek, and does, but it’s because in her mind she wants to make sure Aztek can take it, she’s toughening her up, seeing if she can hang with the Bana-Mighdall. And this is growth for Artemis, who at first sees Aztek just as a means to an end, finding a lost Amazon. But Artemis recognizes her confidence, and is impressed she’s not a sycophant to Diana, even if she does like Diana where Artemis distrusts her. Artemis is someone who is incapable of saying she sees someone as a friend, and just like anyone else boastful, the people she ribs are often the people she likes the most.

HC: While all three women are powerful, when Diana hears the children’s voices she hurries off to save them while Artemis and Aztek believe it’s a trap. What does this say about who Diana is, and how she differs from the other two women?

SO: In that moment, you’re seeing the selflessness and bravery at Diana’s core. And this isn’t to say Aztek and Artemis aren’t brave or heroes, they are, 100%. But they’re pragmatic, they’re cautious. Diana’s first instinct is to dive in, and it’s not ignorance. She doesn’t NOT know it’s a trap. But with innocents on the line, she doesn’t CARE if it’s a trap. She’s going in. It’s not about being heroes, all three women are, but it’s about how they do it, how their minds work, and the nuances of getting the job done.

Diana will walk into the dragon’s den, knowing full well what awaits, if there’s even a chance she can save a life.

HC: After reading Wonder Woman #52 I have to say there’s something really great about pairing Diana with stories that dive deep into mythology. Liam Sharp recently ended his Brave and the Bold miniseries that paired Diana and Batman with Irish mythology, and now we’re seeing this new kick-ass incarnation of Aztek (who has the ghosts of the Azteks in her head) and a badass Artemis who fights in honor of the Egyptian pantheon. Given Diana’s roots, pairing her with stories that involve history and mythology work so very well. As a writer, what attracts you to these kinds of stories and what makes Wonder Woman a good vehicle for them? Would you say these stories are uniquely suited to Diana based on her lineage?

I think Diana is the perfect hero for this world, the world of myth and folklore, Gods and Goddesses. Because she is of that world, but chooses to live apart from it. People call Superman a god, but Diana IS one. She knows the ways of her kind, but is at her heart full of truth and human compassion. So, for beings who should themselves be responsible for mortal happiness, she is the ultimate check. She knows how to treat humans with dignity and grace from walking among us.

She walks in both worlds, keeping gods and devils on their best behavior.

HC: You capture so many important facets of Aztec art and culture in this story. Did you do any research on Aztec mythology prior to this project?

SO: Absolutely! Tezcatlipoca had previously appeared in Wonder Woman a ways back, but we wanted to redesign him and his world for the present day. Visually, ACO took the lead and redesigned him and Thirteen Heavens, along with their God-Tech Pyramid. But we researched not just Aztec myth beliefs, but their living culture as well. It was important to me that when the helmet speaks at the beginning, for example, it uses a real Nahuatl (Aztec) word. It was important the deities’ realm took a Kirby-esque name inspired by real Aztec cosmology. And it was important to me for Wonder Woman and the other Amazons, as outsiders, to acknowledge the innovation and strive of the Aztec people that lived, just as it was important for Nayeli to have Zapotec heritage when we introduced her. This is the respect and dignity the culture deserves, and we worked like hell to give it.

HC: Wonder Woman #52 is visually stunning and the layout is so perfect for this story. The action literally jumps off the page. Did you have conversations with Aco, David Lorenzo and Romulo Fajardo Jr. about the look for this issue?

SO: I do! But I also truly believe comics are best and most organic and exciting when they’re fully collaborative. So we talk (usually in email) about the goals for a page, what the characters are feeling, what the most important moments are for each page and each book, but then I am happy to step back and trust the art team to innovate and excel…I’d say they did beautifully!

HC: What can you tell us about what’s coming up for Diana, Artemis and Aztek?

SO: The Sphere of the Gods! The Thousand Fists of Tezcatlipoca! And then…a return home to Bana-Mighdall, where trouble has been brewing for months. Who is the real Enemy of Both Sides? Is it even one person? Or a concept that persists in society from the mortal up to the deic plane?

HC: If you could write a Wonder Woman story with any other character, who would your dream team-up be and why?

SO: That’s a tough one! But off the top of my head, I think Diana would have a lot of conflict with Ghost Fox Killer, and a long road of understanding when confronted with an ancient culture of harsh, final justice. They’d butt heads, but as always Diana would find compassion, it would just be harder than usual when working with a character whose existence is based on murder, even if in her eyes, it’s just.

HC: Thank you so much, Steve! I can’t wait to see what you have planned for us in your run on Wonder Woman!

SO: It has been my pleasure! I’m so glad you enjoyed Wonder Woman 51 and am excited for you to see where we’re going for the rest of the run! On a character with as much power and history as Diana, your support means everything!

Next. Exclusive preview of Wonder Woman #52: An unlikely team. dark

Wonder Woman #52 is available in comic shops on August 8, 2018.

Home/Comics