WILL PFEIFER AND THOSE ATTACKING AMAZONS

[MattBrady]

After a shaky (and that’s being generous) start of her own new series, DC’s Wonder Woman franchise is finally getting its legs, and starting to run. The series is back on track with Jodi Picoult writing, along with Drew Johnson and Terry & Rachel Dodson on art duties; J. Torres is on tap for an arc after Picoult, and Gail Simone has been announced as the series’ new ongoing writer, beginning with issue #13.

But what about right now, as in this week?

It’s war, baby.

This week sees two Wonder Woman releases, issue #8 of the ongoing series, and the debut issue of the six issue Amazons Attack by Will Pfeifer and Pete Woods. We spoke to Pfeifer when the miniseries was announced, and now that it’s out, we caught up with him again so he can spill some of what he couldn’t spill before.

Newsarama: It’s not small stretch to say that Wonder Woman has seen its share of scheduling problems early on in its new series, and now, a Wonder Woman-themed event. So - chronologically speaking, in the framework of Wonder Woman, when does Amazons Attack occur?

Will Pfeifer: It fits ever so neatly into Wonder Woman continuity, right after issue #8 – which, coincidence of coincidences, is on sale today - the exact same day as Amazons Attack #1. So pick up Wonder Woman #8, give that a read, then turn to your copy of Amazons Attack #1 to see where the story goes from there. Simple, eh?

NRAMA: Just to dance closely to the spoiler game, events in Wonder Woman #8 kinda sorta precipitate the attack by the Amazons?

WP: I’d say that’ s a safe bet to make.

NRAMA: Backing up, where did the Amazons go? All we get in the solicitation is that they return from the realm of the gods...really?

WP: Really. Well, not really. I mean, it is a fictional story. But yes, they’ve been gone for a while, off in a mystical realm. Where they’ve been doesn’t have much impact on the story in Amazons Attack. It’s where they’re going that matters – and they’re barreling toward Washington D.C., armed for bear and really, really mad.

NRAMA: Circe's been meddling in the affairs of Wonder Woman a lot lately - is she at work in this as well? Plus - this has the echoes of Diana and Max Lord mixed in as well, correct?

WP: Circe is definitely involved. Besides all the magic, in her dark little heart, Circe is a schemer extraordinaire, a master manipulator of people. For various reasons that will be explained at a later date, she’s not happy with the Amazons and this is her very elaborate, very complicated, very violent way of getting a little revenge. But it’s not all a big plot hatched by Circe – the leaders of the Amazons have a strong motive for the attack, and they’re not simple launching it because they’re under mind control. It’s part Circe, part Amazon history and, to answer part two of your question, part what happened between Diana and Max Lord all those months ago.




NRAMA: And who's leading the Amazons?

WP: Well now, that would be telling. Let’s keep that one a surprise, OK? After all the issue is out Wednesday, and the answer is right there on page 10, in a beautifully drawn panel by Pete Woods. All I’ll say for now is that it’s… a woman!

NRAMA: Fair enough. Obviously, you're not going to do a full reveal, but hadn't the Amazons kind of renounced war? There was no warning shot here, was there? No opening negotiation that was doomed to failure, no requests, nothing...this just looks like a PR nightmare for the Amazons...

WP: PR nightmare?

NRAMA: As in no one will ever like or trust them again…

WP: I suppose, but the Amazons – even if they had renounced war – have a long, long history of being some of the most capable warriors the planet has ever known. That was one of the main reasons I had fun writing this story – I liked showing just how insanely deadly the Amazons can be when they actually cut loose and put their minds to the task of battle. You might think the combined might of the DCU superheroes and the U.S. military would make short work of a bunch of women fighting with swords, bows and spears, but you’d be wrong.

NRAMA: Taking that military angle, and granted that you've only written this kind of story in a post 9/11 world, but in your view, has the line for the suspension of disbelief been moved? After all, in say, the Silver Age, or even the '70s and '80s, it was almost a fun and kooky thought exercise of "what if a thousand terrorists/army showed up and started attacking Washington DC?" Now - it's not as much fun, and also your audience is a heckuva lot more savvy about how the country responds to major threats. Making a long question longer, is this an added burden for you - to make a fantasy element play close to reality?

WP: I see what you’re getting at. Yes, things have changed since the comics I read as a kid. Now, if thousands of Amazons descend on D.C., the truth of the matter - in a fictional sense, of course - is that they’re going to kill a hell of a lot of people. It’s a war, after all, and it’s not so much that not having them kill anyone would trivialize the concept of real war - especially when the U.S. is waist-deep in a very real war, it’s the without those deaths – without some consequences to the actions of the Amazons – the story wouldn’t feel, for lack of a better term, “real.” It needs to have a certain dramatic weight to provide the momentum of its emotional impact, and all those fictional deaths – or at least the threat of them – help build that weight. It’s not an added burden – it’s just the logical way to write the story. Amazons Attack is in no way a portrayal of a real war, but for the comic to work, it has to feel that way, at least to an extent.

NRAMA: Okay - that said, what about the reaction within the DCU - a bunch of angry Amazons appear on the Mall - what's the superheroic response?

WP: They’re not happy, of course, but thanks to the JLA - notably Superman and Batman, who acts as sort of a field commander - taking the lead, they keep the focus on rescue and evacuation first. There’ll be plenty of time for fighting – the first priority is to get as many people out of D.C. safely. But, naturally, there’s some fighting, too. The tricky part for the heroes is that this isn’t just one villain with a handful of henchmen. It’s thousands of individual enemies, all fighting their own little skirmishes. Battling them is going to take some time – especially now that they’ve dug in and made camp in Washington.

NRAMA: Given your previous work in the DCU, was there any ramping up you had to do to get to the appropriate scale for this story? This isn't say, Selina operating in the East end of Gotham, after all. Here, your playground is a continent and you're talking about armies.

WP: Yeah, that’s the trick in going from a more intimate comic like Catwoman. Everything needs to be ramped up to a much, much bigger scale. I’ve done some stuff along these lines before – in Aquaman we sunk San Diego and in Captain Atom: Armageddon, we destroyed (then instantly rebuilt) the universe – but this is the first time I’ve been at the helm of one of those classic big battles that rages back and forth over several issues.

NRAMA: That said, how do you juggle the action with the characters themselves? With a story like this, is there a risk that the characters can become just props? How do you get around that to make readers care about say, a specific Amazon taking a bullet through the heart, compared to "generic Amazons #3" eating lead?

That is, if an Amazon takes a bullet…

WP: All along, I wanted to make sure that Amazons Attack was compelling more for the character moments than the nonstop carnage (although, don’t get me wrong, the carnage is certainly a lot of fun). My trouble (as a reader) with some big epic universe-colliding maxi series is that they eventually become all about the plot points and the flashy cosmic effects, and the individual characters get forgotten in the meantime. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true: A universe coming to an end carries almost no emotional impact, but an individual life coming to an end carries some of the greatest emotional impact we can image. In a mere 132 pages (six issues times 22), we don’t have time to get into the head of every Amazon, but I hope we can develop the major players enough so that when something happens to them, the readers care about it.

NRAMA: Who's in this story that people may not be expecting to see?

WP: Wolverine! (Pending certain high-level legal discussions)

NRAMA: You’re a funny man. In the end, is there a "going back" after this story for the Amazons? With attacking Washington DC, they certain seem to be crossing the Rubicon in their own way. This seems to be a "changed forever" thing…

WP: By the end of issue #6, when the battle is over and the dust has cleared, there’s going to be no going back for the Amazons – at least for a long, long time. People – a lot of people – have died. Washington D.C - along with other select locations across this great land of ours - lies in ruins. Yes, this is a “changed forever” thing for the Amazons. But, of course, there’s one more big twist that lies ahead for them.

NRAMA: Finally – give us a spoiler…who's an unexpected casualty of this war?

WP: Okay – Abraham Lincoln!

NRAMA: Whu?

WP: It’s true – and it happens in the opening scene!

[Linkara]

Anyone else not particularly excited by this? I mean, I'll read it in the shop just to see how this all plays out, but this just doesn't feel like the right time to be doing an event, be it a mini-event or not. And frankly I'm not filled with joy when they say it's a "changing things forever!" one. And I'm not particularly excited by the inference that "a bunch of women(emphasis mine) with bows and arrows" couldn't be dangerous in real life regardless of who they are. I mean, I don't want to call it sexist here, but still...

[DeTroyes]

Oh-kaaay....

Well, all I can say is... I will be reading it. But as a Big Event title for this year, I'm still rather underwhelmed by the concept. But who knows, maybe it'll still surprise me.

[furioso2012]

I'm definitely interesed and am hoping it gets WW back in fighting form (until Gail comes aboard).

[Ye Olde Iowa]

Originally Posted by Linkara

Anyone else not particularly excited by this? I mean, I'll read it in the shop just to see how this all plays out, but this just doesn't feel like the right time to be doing an event, be it a mini-event or not. And frankly I'm not filled with joy when they say it's a "changing things forever!" one. And I'm not particularly excited by the inference that "a bunch of women(emphasis mine) with bows and arrows" couldn't be dangerous in real life regardless of who they are. I mean, I don't want to call it sexist here, but still...

I'm really not sure where you are getting that Pfeifer is inferring that women with bows and arrows wouldn't be dangerous in real life. Of course, anyone, provided that they have good aim, with bows and arrows is dangerous, be they man or woman. Plus, this is a miniseries that focuses on an all-woman fighting force invading the US and, apparently, kicking all sorts of ass. As far as comics go, that is fairly non-sexist (granted, most of the women will be beautiful and scantily clad...but we are still working in the realm of comics and the concept as a whole is still a step forward from the days of damsels in distress).

Personally, I'm really excited about this and, given the fact that because of scheduling woes and poor writing with the Heiberg run on Wonder Woman causing her to lose a lot of the buildup DC wanted to have in terms of putting her into the spotlight in the DCU, I think that now is the perfect time to have a mini-event that uses her as a focal point. Adding characters like Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, and the Amazons into the mix makes for a story that I'm tremendously excited about. Having Pfeifer helm the project has me even more excited as he has been all aces on Catwoman. The Pete Woods art is just icing on an already exciting cake as far as I'm concerened.

No, they may not "Change this forever!" but that is a tired line that is applied to everything in comics. If you are sick of it here, you are going to be sick of it everywhere else.

[MazingMan728]

I really enjoyed the issue and hope that others will give it a fair chance. And so what if it is not an Earth Spattering Big Event as long as you enjoyed reading the book.

[AngDawPac]

I am excited because Supergirl takes a leading part in the series and it will be fun to see which of the 8 different Supergirls it is. Is it LOSH Supergirl? Is it Supergirl's main series Supergirl? Is it one of the two Supergirls that split through Martian Manhunter in WWIII? Is it S/B Supergirl? Is it the Supergirl from Up, Up and Away that wasn't actually on Earth during the time of OYL, but still managed to be the keeper of Metropolis (must of been Mae)? Is it the Supergirl from Brave and the Bold? OR, and this is probably the most likely, is it a completely different Supergirl that we haven't seen yet?

[Speedball93]

Yeah, I won't be picking this up and it seems like with the JLA and the Titans and problaby more involved that I should, but there has really been no hype and no build up that makes me want to throw down any more cash than what DC is already yanking out of my wallet each month. It could also have something to do with all of the EVENT OVERKILL that has been going on at both Marvel and DC that has me turned off. If it turns out to be great, then I will pick up the trade after all is said and done.

[StevieCool]

I'm on the fence.
I guess if it relays to past events, it might be cool.

OMAC's almost destroyed them.
Now they know who made them who sent them, and retaliate against that country.
Amazons vs. Batman & Checkmate? Sounds nifty.

Amazons attacking because they found a long lost scroll that prophecized an attack?
Or a Civil-War-y personality shift?
Lame.

Amazons need menfolk to repopulate?
Unsure, but mark me as Pro-Registration.

[O.M.A.C.]

I love DC, but they need to stop throwing all these "universe changing", crossover driven events at me, this and WW3 both feel a little forced to me(2 wars in 2 weeks), if they are not careful fans are going to be sick of this constant bombardment and jump ship(remember the 90s)....yes I'll buy Amazons Attack, but Im not happy about it,. now I have to go see my doctor about my severe crisis fatigue. every 2 years i could live with, every 2 weeks/months, NO!

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by Speedball93

Yeah, I won't be picking this up and it seems like with the JLA and the Titans and problaby more involved that I should, but there has really been no hype and no build up that makes me want to throw down any more cash than what DC is already yanking out of my wallet each month. It could also have something to do with all of the EVENT OVERKILL that has been going on at both Marvel and DC that has me turned off. If it turns out to be great, then I will pick up the trade after all is said and done.

I kind of agree. This "event" feels pretty tacked on, just having an event for the sake of it. Maybe they will do something really cool with this. The U.S. government has had this coming for a good long time, after all. I'm disappointed that Teen Titans will be so involved with this because i think it would be better to keep going with its own stories. But, again, we'll have to see how it plays out.
But, hey, the Amazons seem to have trolls working for them. Everybody loves trolls!

Edit: Oh, i guess they're cyclopses. Screw 'em.

[DaVeO]

Budget reasons will keep me away from the monthly. But the minute it comes out in trade I'll pick it up. I love Pfeifer's Catwoman and Pete Woods on art makes this a must get for my bookshelf.

[RickinToronto]

After WW III, I am 'War-Shy'. Sorry, no, I'll pass.

[dantebk]

I like Pfeifer from his work on H-E-R-O (though I haven't read much else by him)... and I love Pete Woods... but... I dunno

I don't really like war stories, or stories where lots and lots of people are killed... I'm sort of getting tired of entire countries being wiped out (like Bialya) or entire families being methodically slaughtered (like Commander Steel's) and this just feels like it'll have too high a body count to be an exciting diversion

[Spade]

I'm interested in the story. I think they are playing things low key for a reason.

[lfhobbies]

Originally Posted by AngDawPac

I am excited because Supergirl takes a leading part in the series and it will be fun to see which of the 8 different Supergirls it is. Is it LOSH Supergirl? Is it Supergirl's main series Supergirl? Is it one of the two Supergirls that split through Martian Manhunter in WWIII? Is it S/B Supergirl? Is it the Supergirl from Up, Up and Away that wasn't actually on Earth during the time of OYL, but still managed to be the keeper of Metropolis (must of been Mae)? Is it the Supergirl from Brave and the Bold? OR, and this is probably the most likely, is it a completely different Supergirl that we haven't seen yet?

LOL - Yeah, when DC does their next straightening out of the universe maybe they will make it that Supergirl is really Dupli Kate (from Invincible..come on you should be reading it) and that would explain all the Supergirls.... In the April solicitations there is another battle of the Supergirls - so maybe they are actually working on an idea to clean it up - Supergirl has to defeat all the other Supergirls in order to become "The One" ok sorry bad movie reference

[Linkara]

Originally Posted by Ye Olde Iowa

I'm really not sure where you are getting that Pfeifer is inferring that women with bows and arrows wouldn't be dangerous in real life. Of course, anyone, provided that they have good aim, with bows and arrows is dangerous, be they man or woman. Plus, this is a miniseries that focuses on an all-woman fighting force invading the US and, apparently, kicking all sorts of ass. As far as comics go, that is fairly non-sexist (granted, most of the women will be beautiful and scantily clad...but we are still working in the realm of comics and the concept as a whole is still a step forward from the days of damsels in distress).

Yeah, I know, I just don't know how to feel about it. On one hand, you're right, all-woman fighting force invading and apparently kicking all sorts of ass.

On the other hand, the strong, all-woman fighting force is being portrayed as the bad guys. Maybe they'll surprise me and they're actually attacking for a good reason, but otherwise I just don't know how to feel about this "event."

[bcondray]

I am so ready to enjoy reading this.

I can't wait to see Sexy Female Warriors kick politician butt(yes..I already posted that elseswhere)...

[hugo]

Not very enthusiasmed by the concept : the Amazons have been nearly entirely slaughtered by Darkseid (Byrne's run), then themselves (Jimenez's), then OMACs (Rucka's)... and now THIS

They were away "forever" only one year ago (in our time and theirs ^^ )... but finally no.

This event starts with a not very favorable a priori...

Anyway, I'm wondering if Earth-2 Diana is involved ? (Considering the modified lines in IC hardcover edition) Could she be the new Amazons leader ? The name on the picture with Diana as military is blurred...

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

Originally Posted by Linkara

Anyone else not particularly excited by this?

I havent been interested in WW since Rucka's run. Both Heinberg and Picoult's issues have been kinda sucky. I started reading WW when Diana went blind during Rucka's run. It hasnt been good since. Im seriously considering dropping the new series because of Picoult. I pray Simone makes Diana interesting again.

This whole Amazons Attack thing seems kinda eh. I'll pick it up because I like Pete Woods' stuff.

[Astro]

I'm picking it up, fo shizz

[The Champion]

[sarcasm] A legion of immortal warriors each of whom are a hundred times stronger and faster than an average man, in command of giant beasts and possessing mystical weapons that can devastate entire cities.

Yeah, I can see how no one would take them seriously. [/sarcasm]

[Kevin T. Brown]

Originally Posted by O.M.A.C.

I love DC, but they need to stop throwing all these "universe changing", crossover driven events at me, this and WW3 both feel a little forced to me(2 wars in 2 weeks), if they are not careful fans are going to be sick of this constant bombardment and jump ship(remember the 90s)....yes I'll buy Amazons Attack, but Im not happy about it,. now I have to go see my doctor about my severe crisis fatigue. every 2 years i could live with, every 2 weeks/months, NO!

Actually, in DCU continuity terms, WWIII was awhile back, we just currently saw it is all. Amazons Attack is happening "now".

[Ace]

Couldn't this wait for May 1st when I move to the suburbs?

[vbartilucci]

One coloring error, and that is a MASSIVELY low-cut piece armor.

Gives "Breastplate" a whole new meaning...