Wonder Woman #11
Wonder Woman #11 is a pivotal chapter in George Pérez's post-Crisis reinvention of the Amazon mythos, delivering the first post-Crisis appearances of Echidna and Eros alongside the debut of Diana Trevor — Steve Trevor's World War II aviator mother — whose spirit provides the in-universe explanation for why Wonder Woman's costume draws on American iconography despite her thoroughly Greek heritage. That storytelling move simultaneously honored the character's Golden Age roots and gave Pérez's modernized mythology a resonant emotional anchor. The issue sits at the structural heart of the 'Challenge of the Gods' arc, the second major story of the relaunched series, which cemented Pérez's approach of treating Greek myth with scholarly seriousness rather than superhero window-dressing. Together, these elements made the issue a cornerstone of what is widely considered the most creatively complete Wonder Woman run of the Modern Age.
In "Challenge of the Gods, Part 2: Fire and Torment," Wonder Woman battles monstrous forces beneath Themyscira, including the Hydra and Echidna, as her mother Hippolyte defies Philippus to join the fight. With George Pérez’s dynamic art and inks by Bruce D. Patterson, the stakes rise as Diana faces a figure from her past—unexpected and deeply personal—on the edge of the divine. The cover, also by Pérez, captures the intensity of the moment in bold, dramatic strokes.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
By issue #11, the creative team had settled into the configuration that would define the Pérez era: George Pérez plotting and penciling, Len Wein scripting, and Bruce D. Patterson on inks — Potter having departed after issue #2 and Pérez later absorbing the scripting duties from Wein beginning with issue #18. The 'Challenge of the Gods' arc grew directly out of Pérez's intensive research into classical Greek mythology, which he and his collaborators used to give Wonder Woman a depth of world-building her previous incarnations had never sustained. Published with a cover date of December 1987 and an on-sale date of October 17, 1987, the issue arrived during a period when DC was simultaneously managing the Millennium crossover event, lending added complexity to the arc's background plotting.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated December 1987 (on-sale October 17, 1987); story title: 'Fire and Torment.'
- Credits: plot and pencils by George Pérez, script by Len Wein, inks by Bruce D. Patterson — the core creative team of the Pérez era.
- First post-Crisis appearance of Echidna, the she-serpent, who disguises herself as Julia Kapatelis to lure Diana into striking range before dropping her disguise.
- First post-Crisis appearance of Eros (son of Ares and Aphrodite), listed as a first appearance in this issue's character index.
- First appearance of Diana Trevor (as a spirit) — Steve Trevor's WWII aviator mother, whose Amazon-style uniform and crash on Themyscira explains the American-flag design of Wonder Woman's costume.
- First appearance of Doug Aanonson, identified as Steve Trevor's cousin, introduced in the parallel sub-plot set in Oklahoma.
- Diana defeats the Hydra using the Lasso of Truth, then overcomes Morpheus's fatigue challenge, before battling and overpowering Echidna — three consecutive trials of the Gods-mandated Challenge beneath Doom's Doorway.
- Reprinted four times: Supermán (Grupo Editorial Vid) #70 (1989); Wonder Woman: Challenge of the Gods TPB (DC, 2004); Wonder Woman by George Pérez Omnibus Vol. 1 (DC, 2015); Wonder Woman by George Pérez Vol. 1 trade paperback (DC, 2016).
Cast · 23 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Supermán #70 (1989), Wonder Woman #2 (2004), Wonder Woman by George Pérez Omnibus #[1] (2015), Wonder Woman by George Pérez #1 (2016)
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