Wonder Woman: The True Amazon is a standalone DC Comics graphic novel written and illustrated by Jill Thompson. The comic won two Eisner Awards in 2017 for Best Painter and Best Graphic Album.
Retelling the origin story of Wonder Woman, the comic explores the idea of how Diana's upbringing, while still giving her skill and strength beyond measure, could also have made her incredibly selfish and spoiled. While she gains favor with her people in vanquishing monsters, one girl eludes her—Alethea, a humble horse trainer, who values kindness and respect above all else. And when Diana's misuse of magic leads to tragedy in the Amazons' games, she learns what it truly means to be an Amazon.
This comic contains examples of:
- The Ace: Deconstructed.
- Diana is normally depicted as a purehearted princess raised with immense strength and skill. This depiction shows the realistic outcome of being an incredibly skilled princess: everyone fawns over her and she winds up very spoiled.
- Also, she is great at just about everything, but it doesn't necessarily mean she's the best at everything, and her desire to win the Contest no matter what leads to tragedy.
- Adaptational Jerkass: This story features one of the meanest versions of Wonder Woman out there that isn't outright evil, as she's incredibly spoiled, selfish, and proud.
- Adaptational Villainy: Herakles is portrayed as a conqueror rather than someone who was simply sent to retrieve Hippolyta's girdle as a part of labours to redeem himself for killing his sons and nephews in a Hera-sent madness.
- Ascended Extra: Poseidon, one of the lesser-seen deities in regular Wonder Woman stories, is here responsible for the Amazons escaping Heracles and also helps Hippolyta's song reach the other gods and goddesses, imbuing Diana with life.
- The Atoner: Diana becomes Wonder Woman as penance for her crimes, and is also tasked with re-sealing the monsters away.
- Bold Explorer: As she grows into adulthood, Diana explores the island, vanquishes monsters, and reclaims magical treasures.
- Covers Always Lie: Diana isn't seen in the outfit on the cover until the last few pages of the book.
- Dark Is Evil: Diana's outfit for the Contest is all-black, and she ends up unleashing monsters and inadvertently killing her fellow Amazons to win.
- Deconstruction: The comic takes a hard look at what growing up on an island where everyone gave you anything you wanted could do to Diana, making her spoiled and ungrateful.
- Descriptiveville: The Amazons originally lived in the country of Amazonium, which was...well, full of Amazons.
- Didn't Think This Through: In the Contest, Diana thinks that the monsters will be simple to defeat again, ignoring that everyone around here is completely unprepared and focused on winning.
- Freudian Excuse: Diana is a proud, selfish brat for most of the comic, but as Hippolyta notes, she and the others indulged her whims and excused her awful behavior instead of correcting it.
- Gone Horribly Right: Diana unleashing monsters technically wins her the race, but results in many Amazons dying and being injured, including Alethea.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: In her desperation to prove that she's absolutely worth all of Alethea's love and respect, Diana causes an incident that gets countless Amazons permanently injured, scarred, and/or paralyzed, including Alethea, who died trying to protect her. Diana does not take this well, and mourns her as much as she regrets what she did.
- It's All About Me: Diana is full of herself and constantly brags of her accomplishments when visiting Alethea, and all of her plans are extremely self-centered.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Diana unleashing monsters from the Silver Serpent Horn leads to several Amazons, including Alethea, dying.
- Hippolyta has this reaction when she learns what Diana caused, feeling she failed as a mother.
- Nice Girl: Alethea is kind, generous, and humble, and the other Amazons love her in return.
- Royal Brat: Diana was a spoiled and willful girl who took delight in tormenting her caretakers, and only becomes worse in adulthood.
- Scenery Porn: The comic is hand-painted and shows immense detail in the backgrounds, characters, and monsters. It becomes Scenery Gorn when the monsters attack during the chariot race.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The monsters Diana defeats are imprisoned in the Silver Serpent Horn once defeated.
- Smug Super: Diana heaps praise upon herself for her litany of talents, all of which were blessings from the gods and other Amazons.
- Somebody Doesn't Love Raymond: Alethea is the only Amazon who isn't instantly won over by Diana, which vexes the princess greatly.
- We Need a Distraction: Played for horror when Diana unleashes monsters to win the chariot race, which leads to several deaths, injuries, and destruction.
