'This is where the legend of Yara Flor begins! Meet the new Wonder Girl—and the future of Wonder Woman!
'Raised in the far-off land of Boise, Idaho, Yara Flor has always felt something was missing from her life—and now she is headed to Brazil to find it. Little does she know her arrival will set off a series of events that will change the world of Wonder Woman forever. Her return has been prophesied, and with that prophecy comes the undivided attention of benevolent gods from pantheons beyond. Danger lurks around every corner-but is this young hero ready for her journey? Find out in a debut issue you absolutely cannot miss!'
One of the things that I really enjoyed about Future State was DC bringing in some new characters, and I think the best one they gave us was Yara Flor, the future Wonder Woman. However, before she can be Wonder Woman she needs an introduction, and this book does that, bringing the new (for now) Wonder Girl into DC proper.
Wonder Girl: Homecoming follows Yara Flor, a young woman who was born in Brazil, but raised in the US by her aunt. With a few vague memories of her early life with her mother in Brazil, Yara decides to take a holiday there and join a heritage tour, to try and learn a bit about the land she came from. However, early into her trip she falls off a viewing platform into the waters of Iguazu Falls, where she comes face to face with the legendary warrior Iara; a woman that has been cursed and turned into an almost mermaid like creature. Confronted by the warrior, Yara is given a gift of a magical bolas.
Once out of the waters of Iguazu, Yara attempts to figure out what's happening to her, but when she's confronted by Amazon warriors on her aeroplane, and then the plane comes under attack by a huge storm elemental, her day goes from bad to worse. Yara discoveries that not only is she being pursued by numerous factions of the Amazons, but the gods of Olympus have their eyes on her too. Taken to Olympus, Yara is given the chance to train with the gods and discover how to use her wakening powers. However, this sets her down a path that will see her having to fight for her own freedom, tearing her way through the realm of the gods to achieve it.
It's very hard to read this book and not quickly come to like Yara. She's a very fun person, and it certainly makes her story a lot easier. The stuff that she goes through in this book could very easily be very grim, and the trials she goes through could push many to breaking point, but thanks to Yara's constant up-beat attitude, and her willingness to crack jokes even when not appropriate, makes it fun more than anything else. She refuses to let things get to her, even when locked up in literal hell, she's still got an attitude that keeps her from giving up completely.
But there's also a nice human connection with Yara, as she spends the first part of the book wanting to learn more about her mother, her past, and the place she came from. It might not be a journey that all of us have been through ourselves, but I think it's one that we can identify with; and it definitely makes her easier to connect with than demi-gods and billionaires.
Joëlle Jones has put a lot of time and effort into making Yara a character that fans will enjoy, and it really does show through here; but I think what's more impressive is the whole new group of Amazons, and their culture, that Jones has created to go with her. We'll all be familiar with the Themyscirans, and the Greek gods that go with them, and whilst the Bana-Mighdall do have their differences they are still derived from the same original group, and share a lot of similarities. This new group of Amazons, the Esquecidas, feel very different in contrast. They may have some beginnings with the Themyscirans, but they're much more their own thing than the Bana-Mighdall.
I loved every moment we got to spend with them, their city was amazing, their culture was fascinating, their armour and clothing were beautiful. After so long of the same kind of Amazons, based on the same myths and legends, I was so hungry for something different; and this is it. Greek myths are taught so much where I grew up that I was familiar with a lot of those characters and stories before I'd ever picked up a comic; but I know next to nothing of the myths and cultures of South America. It feels like an area that is open to so many newer, fresher stories and characters; and I'm so excited to see this explored further in the future.
The designs of the Esquecidas were great too, moving away from togas and Greek armour and weapons to designs that are inspired by the cultures of South America. I love the various looks they all have, how they will each have certain pieces in commons such as the red and blue colours, and certain patters, giving them all a unified look, yet each of them still has their own individual flair. Joëlle Jones and Adriana Melo do some amazing work on bringing all of these new characters to life, and it's often the background characters that steal the scenes thanks to their small quirks and bits of personality shining through. I particularly love the Esquecidas children playing in the water with capybara's.
The story of Homecoming has some interesting twists and turns in it, and includes a handful of familiar characters that definitely help this new Wonder Girl feel like part of the established Amazon lore. It's an interesting journey, and one that felt like it touched upon enough of the things that we've come to expect from a Wonder Woman story whilst absolutely doing its own thing.
I had a lot of fun reading Wonder Girl: Homecoming, and hope that the character and her story continues on in such an engaging way. Yara is filled with energy and a sense of fun that I really like, and I love learning more about her and her people. I'm excited to see what comes next for the character.
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