The Contest (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Contest is a comic book
story arc
that occurred in 1994 written by William Messner-Loebs
and drawn by Mike Deodato
. It compiled a segment of the second volume of the DC Comics
Wonder Woman
comic book from issues 90 through 93 and issue 0 into a collected book edition.
caused her island home to disappear, Wonder Woman
forced her to return the island and her fellow Amazons to their original location. When she goes to the island she discovers the buildings demolished and is shot at with an arrow by an unknown assailant. Wonder Woman, also known as Diana, then finds her Amazon sisters and is told what had happened to the island during its disappearance.
She is told that during one past night the island was invaded by an outside Amazon tribe called the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall. A huge tribal war was held lasting several days for command of the island. During the battle the witch Circe appeared in the skies above the island revealing that she was responsible for the Amazons appearing on the island and that she meant to destroy both tribes by then sending the island to a dimension of demons. Once this was done a legion of demons began to attack and devour the Amazons. Seeing the situation for what it was, the warring Amazons temporarily put their rivalries aside so that they could properly defend themselves against the demons. This way of life lasted until the island was magically transported back to its original location. Surprisingly to Diana, although the island was gone for a few short months, the length of time the island remained in the demon dimension lasted 10 years.
While Diana was happy to see her mother Queen Hippolyta alive and whole, Hippolyta's demeanor was cold and withdrawn, even in the presence of her daughter. When Hippolyta asked how much progress Diana has made in the outside world as Wonder Woman, she became angry and hostile to her daughter when Diana told her that the process was a lot slower than expected. Because of this Hippolyta announced that a new Contest would be held for a new Wonder Woman to be sent in Diana's place.
for some solice. While talking to her Diana found herself the target for another arrow. She followed the arrow's origin point and found a group of Bana-Mighdallian Amazons having an archery contest. She asks who was the owner of the arrow shot at her earlier and finds that it belonged to the Bana Amazon named Artemis
. Artemis tells Diana that the arrow was misdirected but tells her that she has no love for the Themyscirian tribe. Through a yelling match Diana discovers that the reason why the Bana Amazons were teleported to the island by Circe is because they agreed to work for her during the War of the Gods
period in exchange for immortality and a new homeland. (Diana caused the original city of Bana-Mighdall to be destroyed during an earlier story arc.) Not wishing to start another war, one of the Bana Amazons ends the argument and invites Diana to participate in their archery contest. They find that Diana and Artemis are evenly matched on the archery field.
Later Artemis confronts Diana yet again when she finds a posting by Queen Hippolyta stating that the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall are not allowed to participate in the Contest to find the new Wonder Woman. Diana tells Artemis that she was unaware of the post and accompanies Artemis into the Bana camp, which is located in the harshest corner of the island. There she finds the new tribe living in base conditions. When she tries to interact with the Amazons she finds both hate and an unspoken awe at her presence. The Bana's "Keeper" or historian then invites Diana and Artemis to see their tribe's most sacred relic: a bust
of the tribe's founding queen Antiope, Diana's long dead aunt. Upon seeing the bust Diana is surprised to discover that Queen Antiope looks exactly like Diana.
When the new Contest to find a new Wonder Woman goes underway a group of Bana Amazons appear. Among them is Diana's newest friend and rival, Artemis. Queen Hippolyta asks why they are there and Diana tells her that she invited them. Diana then turns to her fellow tribe of Amazons and asks for a vote of the whole to see if the Bana Amazons should be allowed in the Contest or not. The majority of Diana's tribe agree, thus out voting Queen Hippolyta's rule. Hippolyta grudgingly submits. Unknown to Diana, Hippolyta has her Army General Philippus
create magical traps on the obstacle courses to better cause Diana trouble in winning. She also has the Amazon sorceress Magala transfer half of Diana's powers to the unaware Amazon Artemis so that she has a better chance of winning the title.
During one of the Contest trials another arrow is fired at Diana, this time by an unknown assailant. Seeing the arrow, Artemis uses her newfound speed to leap into the air and catch the arrow before it could strike Diana. As the assassin had left the area immediately after firing the arrow, the Amazons present were unable to discover who the archer was. Later that night Artemis confronts a Bana Amazon named Patrice in private. Artemis pins her to a tree and tells her that she recognized Patrice's arrow fletching
. Patrice admits that she was the one who shot the arrow at Diana but says that she did it so that Artemis could win the Contest, thereby causing their tribe to regain their honor among the Amazon nation. Artemis then reprimands Patrice telling her that no Bana Amazon will win the Contest as she believes Hippolyta only initiated the Contest to somehow punish Diana. She tells her that Diana will probably win the Contest but that if the Bana tribe makes a good showing during the trials that they could prove their honorable favor in the eyes of the other tribe. She further states that spilling royal blood would only cause more war for their people. As Patrice apologizes to Artemis, Diana can be seen listening in to their conversation from a hidden location.
. In the visions she sees that after Herakles had drugged and enslaved the Amazons that Queen Hippolyta refused to fight against Herakles because she loved him. Angered by Hippolyta's inaction Antiope took charge and used an item called the Mask of Proteus to magically disguise herself as Herakles. In his form she commanded Herakles' men to free the Amazons. After doing this the Amazons reclaimed their city. Disgusted by her sister, Antiope left Hippolyta (taking half the Amazons with her) and went to find revenge against Herakles and his lackey Theseus
. Antiope told Hippolyta before leaving that she could never trust her again.
In the last tournament of the Contest, which consisted of a race, Diana was slowed down by magical copies of ancient creatures along the way: the whirlpool Charybdis
, Medusa
and Harpies. Because Diana had to stop these creatures from not only destroying herself but also those around her, Artemis was able to surpass Diana and win the Contest. As gifts to Artemis for winning, Queen Hippolyta gave her the Lasso of Truth
, Hermes
' winged sandals which allowed her to fly, and the Gauntlets of Atlas
which increase its wearer's strength by 10. Hippolyta also announced that she considered Artemis to be her daughter and gave her Diana's royal tiara to wear during her duration as Wonder Woman.
Content that Diana no longer carried the Wonder Woman title, Hippolyta pulled Diana aside and told her that she is to be groomed to preside as Queen over the new tribe of Amazons. Still angered at her mother and by the Contest's outcome, Diana revealed the Bust of Antiope to a surprised Hippolyta. Diana confronted Hippolyta as to why she looked exactly like her aunt and with the revelation that she knew about Antiope and Hippolyta's last meeting. Shocked, Hippolyta said the story was a lie. Diana failed to believe her and asked her if Herakles was really her father. Before she could answer Diana left her mother behind, similar to the way Antiope had so many centuries prior. Diana then left the island all together in order to return to her outworld life in Boston
. In Boston a media crew is seen filming a super human attack. They are surprised to see Artemis wearing the Wonder Woman uniform and Diana, aiding her, in a new black outfit.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
that occurred in 1994 written by William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs is an American comic book writer and artist from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs...
and drawn by Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato , sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.-Biography:...
. It compiled a segment of the second volume of the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
comic book from issues 90 through 93 and issue 0 into a collected book edition.
Two tribes
After discovering that the witch CirceCirce (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
caused her island home to disappear, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
forced her to return the island and her fellow Amazons to their original location. When she goes to the island she discovers the buildings demolished and is shot at with an arrow by an unknown assailant. Wonder Woman, also known as Diana, then finds her Amazon sisters and is told what had happened to the island during its disappearance.
She is told that during one past night the island was invaded by an outside Amazon tribe called the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall. A huge tribal war was held lasting several days for command of the island. During the battle the witch Circe appeared in the skies above the island revealing that she was responsible for the Amazons appearing on the island and that she meant to destroy both tribes by then sending the island to a dimension of demons. Once this was done a legion of demons began to attack and devour the Amazons. Seeing the situation for what it was, the warring Amazons temporarily put their rivalries aside so that they could properly defend themselves against the demons. This way of life lasted until the island was magically transported back to its original location. Surprisingly to Diana, although the island was gone for a few short months, the length of time the island remained in the demon dimension lasted 10 years.
While Diana was happy to see her mother Queen Hippolyta alive and whole, Hippolyta's demeanor was cold and withdrawn, even in the presence of her daughter. When Hippolyta asked how much progress Diana has made in the outside world as Wonder Woman, she became angry and hostile to her daughter when Diana told her that the process was a lot slower than expected. Because of this Hippolyta announced that a new Contest would be held for a new Wonder Woman to be sent in Diana's place.
Enter: Artemis
Angered and confused, Diana went to her friend MalaMala (Amazon)
Mala is the name of two fictional characters who first appeared in the DC Comics' universe as two members of Wonder Woman's fellow Amazons.-Golden/Silver age:...
for some solice. While talking to her Diana found herself the target for another arrow. She followed the arrow's origin point and found a group of Bana-Mighdallian Amazons having an archery contest. She asks who was the owner of the arrow shot at her earlier and finds that it belonged to the Bana Amazon named Artemis
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is...
. Artemis tells Diana that the arrow was misdirected but tells her that she has no love for the Themyscirian tribe. Through a yelling match Diana discovers that the reason why the Bana Amazons were teleported to the island by Circe is because they agreed to work for her during the War of the Gods
War of the Gods (comics)
War of the Gods was an American four-issue comic book mini-series published by DC Comics in 1991.Primarily centered on the character Wonder Woman, this storyline was intended to celebrate the character's 50th anniversary. It was written and drawn by George Pérez, who would leave the Wonder Woman...
period in exchange for immortality and a new homeland. (Diana caused the original city of Bana-Mighdall to be destroyed during an earlier story arc.) Not wishing to start another war, one of the Bana Amazons ends the argument and invites Diana to participate in their archery contest. They find that Diana and Artemis are evenly matched on the archery field.
Later Artemis confronts Diana yet again when she finds a posting by Queen Hippolyta stating that the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall are not allowed to participate in the Contest to find the new Wonder Woman. Diana tells Artemis that she was unaware of the post and accompanies Artemis into the Bana camp, which is located in the harshest corner of the island. There she finds the new tribe living in base conditions. When she tries to interact with the Amazons she finds both hate and an unspoken awe at her presence. The Bana's "Keeper" or historian then invites Diana and Artemis to see their tribe's most sacred relic: a bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of the tribe's founding queen Antiope, Diana's long dead aunt. Upon seeing the bust Diana is surprised to discover that Queen Antiope looks exactly like Diana.
When the new Contest to find a new Wonder Woman goes underway a group of Bana Amazons appear. Among them is Diana's newest friend and rival, Artemis. Queen Hippolyta asks why they are there and Diana tells her that she invited them. Diana then turns to her fellow tribe of Amazons and asks for a vote of the whole to see if the Bana Amazons should be allowed in the Contest or not. The majority of Diana's tribe agree, thus out voting Queen Hippolyta's rule. Hippolyta grudgingly submits. Unknown to Diana, Hippolyta has her Army General Philippus
Philippus
Philippus is a fictional character owned by DC Comics. She made her first appearance in February 1987 as an Amazon character in the Wonder Woman comic book...
create magical traps on the obstacle courses to better cause Diana trouble in winning. She also has the Amazon sorceress Magala transfer half of Diana's powers to the unaware Amazon Artemis so that she has a better chance of winning the title.
During one of the Contest trials another arrow is fired at Diana, this time by an unknown assailant. Seeing the arrow, Artemis uses her newfound speed to leap into the air and catch the arrow before it could strike Diana. As the assassin had left the area immediately after firing the arrow, the Amazons present were unable to discover who the archer was. Later that night Artemis confronts a Bana Amazon named Patrice in private. Artemis pins her to a tree and tells her that she recognized Patrice's arrow fletching
Fletching
Fletching is the aerodynamic stabilization of arrows or darts with materials such as feathers, each piece of which is referred to as a fletch. The word is related to the French word flèche, meaning "arrow," via Old French; the ultimate root is Frankish fliukka...
. Patrice admits that she was the one who shot the arrow at Diana but says that she did it so that Artemis could win the Contest, thereby causing their tribe to regain their honor among the Amazon nation. Artemis then reprimands Patrice telling her that no Bana Amazon will win the Contest as she believes Hippolyta only initiated the Contest to somehow punish Diana. She tells her that Diana will probably win the Contest but that if the Bana tribe makes a good showing during the trials that they could prove their honorable favor in the eyes of the other tribe. She further states that spilling royal blood would only cause more war for their people. As Patrice apologizes to Artemis, Diana can be seen listening in to their conversation from a hidden location.
History revealed
While resting between Contest tournaments, Diana begins to have strange visions of being in her aunt Antiope's body 3,000 years earlier, during the time the Amazons were invaded by the Olympian barbarian HeraklesHercules (DC Comics)
Hercules is a fictional Olympian god in the DC Universe based on the Greek demigod and hero of the same name....
. In the visions she sees that after Herakles had drugged and enslaved the Amazons that Queen Hippolyta refused to fight against Herakles because she loved him. Angered by Hippolyta's inaction Antiope took charge and used an item called the Mask of Proteus to magically disguise herself as Herakles. In his form she commanded Herakles' men to free the Amazons. After doing this the Amazons reclaimed their city. Disgusted by her sister, Antiope left Hippolyta (taking half the Amazons with her) and went to find revenge against Herakles and his lackey Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
. Antiope told Hippolyta before leaving that she could never trust her again.
In the last tournament of the Contest, which consisted of a race, Diana was slowed down by magical copies of ancient creatures along the way: the whirlpool Charybdis
Charybdis
Charybdis or Kharybdis was a sea monster, later rationalised as a whirlpool and considered a shipping hazard in the Strait of Messina.-The mythological background:...
, Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
and Harpies. Because Diana had to stop these creatures from not only destroying herself but also those around her, Artemis was able to surpass Diana and win the Contest. As gifts to Artemis for winning, Queen Hippolyta gave her the Lasso of Truth
Lasso of Truth
The Lasso of Truth is a fictional weapon wielded by DC Comics superheroine Wonder Woman, Princess Diana of Themyscira. It is usually referred to as the Magic Lasso or Golden Lasso and forces anyone it captures to obey and tell the truth....
, Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
' winged sandals which allowed her to fly, and the Gauntlets of Atlas
Atlas (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Atlas was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens. Although associated with various places, he became commonly identified with the Atlas Mountains in north-west Africa...
which increase its wearer's strength by 10. Hippolyta also announced that she considered Artemis to be her daughter and gave her Diana's royal tiara to wear during her duration as Wonder Woman.
Content that Diana no longer carried the Wonder Woman title, Hippolyta pulled Diana aside and told her that she is to be groomed to preside as Queen over the new tribe of Amazons. Still angered at her mother and by the Contest's outcome, Diana revealed the Bust of Antiope to a surprised Hippolyta. Diana confronted Hippolyta as to why she looked exactly like her aunt and with the revelation that she knew about Antiope and Hippolyta's last meeting. Shocked, Hippolyta said the story was a lie. Diana failed to believe her and asked her if Herakles was really her father. Before she could answer Diana left her mother behind, similar to the way Antiope had so many centuries prior. Diana then left the island all together in order to return to her outworld life in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In Boston a media crew is seen filming a super human attack. They are surprised to see Artemis wearing the Wonder Woman uniform and Diana, aiding her, in a new black outfit.