Diana, Princess of The Amazons by Shannon & Nathan Hale

Series: N/A
# of Pages: 160
Publication: January 7th, 2020
Source: Publisher Copy
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
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Cut off from the rest of the world, Diana had an idyllic childhood on Themyscira. But now 11-years-old, she's beginning to feel more and more isolated. Though she has many "aunties" and a loving mother, she is an only child. THE only child, in fact. After an escapade goes wrong, Queen Hippolyta chastises Diana for not living up to the Amazon standard. Diana just can't seem to measure up, no matter what she does! Literally every other person on the island is an adult proficient in their trade and mighty in body, while she is gangly, sometimes clumsy, and not particularly proficient in anything. She's not Wonder Woman yet. What Diana needs is a friend; someone her own age whom she can talk to. But when she decides to take matters into her own hands — she may just make a monster instead.

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm back with another DC Zoom review! I was super excited about receiving this copy in the DC Zoom catalog because Wonder Woman is my favorite DC character. I look forward to reading anything about her so I considered it a prime opportunity to post a review.

At the time of writing this review, I have read three other additions to the DC Zoom line. I stated in my last review that Black Canary Ignite was my favorite; however, Diana, Princess of The Amazons is going to definitely hold a special place in my heart. This graphic novel explores the relationship that Diana has with her mother and other Amazons prior to becoming Wonder Woman. It's particularly interesting to see how DC incorporated issues that most middle grade readers can relate to. For example, Diana has issues coping with being too young and too old at the same time. She's too young to train with the Amazons; however, she's too old to play games with her dolls. I think that a lot of the middle grade audience that will have access to this book probably face the same issues. Even though Diana did feel left out from the rest of the Amazons, I do love the way that they looked out for her and supported her even when she made mistakes. While she didn't necessarily understand the power that the "clay friend" had over her, I think that the Amazons (especially Queen Hippolyta) did a great job in reassuring that she did handled the situation to the best of ability.

The plot of this graphic novel was pretty intense and I had no idea how it was going to end. I was surprised by the twist and genuinely didn't expect the ending. I love graphic novels and comics that have the ability to do such things considering that they don't have as much textual space as a regular novel. Shannon and Nathan Hale did a marvelous job in writing this graphic novel. I'm an adult and I connected to all the experiences that Diana had because I experienced some of those things as child. It was fascinating to watch how much she longed for a companion and then ran into some issues when her wishes came true. The plot is also easy to follow and I think that children of all ages will enjoy the writing and the way the plot unfolds. It's a great place to start for those that are interested in the background story of Wonder Woman.

The artwork was also phenomenal. I loved how the bright colors really illustrated and showed the beauty of Themyscira. It was fun and engaging and really added to the overall dynamic of the story. If you're looking for a new and fun middle grade graphic novel to check out I would definitely recommend this one! Especially for younger fans of Wonder Woman.