In the world of Wonder Woman, Artemis is fleeing. In the densely packed Artemis #1, we struggle along with Artemis: is she a sister of sin, or a misjudged Amazon of interest?
Vita Ayala provides a multilayered and complex tale to us, in the guise of the pursuit of Artemis by two women. It’s the midwestern US, and mid-winter. Two women are tracking her on foot through the woods. Artemis is one day ahead, sleeping rough; a campfire here, a boxcar there. But dressed like an Amazon, with long red-orange hair, a helmet, and a cape that comes off and goes back on, here and there. Hard to hide when you are bright and shiny!
Artemis Wanted #1 has its moments, its pensive thoughts, its deep dreams of flashbacks, its mysterious town of Hither. A town where Artemis strides along in full battle regalia and cape, and shopkeepers slam their doors in her face. Hither and Yawn?
The artwork by Skylar Partridge is really good if a bit staid and safe. The features and anatomies are correct, the environments clean and easy to decipher. But where the point of view could have been more adventurous for the sake of drama, it remains at face-level, with two characters talking. Events that should have been in closeup, are shown in long shot. Characters who closely resemble each other, making it hard for the reader to understand who they are looking at.
Colours by Romulo Fajardo attempt to bring the drama to the next level and succeed somewhat, but the overall sense of confusion lands firmly at the feet of a disjointed script. Where we seek clarity and drama, we get a wandering writer focus, with critical moments of drama missed. It’s a long trek, and not a starry one, this clouded vision of a tormented Artemis.
Three bonus pages are a tribute to the late comic veteran Neal Adams, with writing by Tom King, a few creator quotes, and drawings by Neal’s son, Josh Adams
DC Comics, Artemis Wanted #1, $5.99 for 38 pages of story content, plus tribute
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