Wonder Woman #3
Wonder Woman (Vol. 4) #3, titled 'Clay,' is the narrative fulcrum of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's New 52 run — the issue in which Diana finally learns the truth buried beneath her entire mythology: she was not shaped from blessed clay but born of a secret union between Queen Hippolyta and Zeus, a lie constructed to protect her from Hera's wrath. That single revelation dismantled Wonder Woman's origin as it had been understood since the Silver Age and repositioned her as a figure of genuine Greek-tragedy pathos — an unwitting demigod cast out of her own story. The issue closes with Diana formally renouncing both her Amazon name and her clay identity, declaring herself Wonder Woman alone, a moment of character self-definition that reverberated through the entire Azzarello–Chiang run and remained part of DC continuity for years.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue shipped on November 16, 2011, with a January 2012 cover date, as the third chapter of the 'Blood' arc — the opening storyline of Wonder Woman Volume 4, itself one of DC's flagship New 52 launch titles. Azzarello and Chiang had previously collaborated together on DC work and were reunited specifically for this relaunch; Azzarello brought the hard-mythological, crime-noir sensibility he had developed on 100 Bullets, while Chiang handled both interior art and cover duties on this issue. The 'Blood' arc was collected in Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood, which became a New York Times bestseller, and the full Azzarello–Chiang run has since been repackaged across multiple formats including the Absolute Wonder Woman edition and the DC Compact Comics line.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue title: 'Clay' — Wonder Woman (Vol. 4) #3; cover date January 2012, on-sale date November 16, 2011.
- Written by Brian Azzarello; interior art and cover by Cliff Chiang; lettering by Jared K. Fletcher.
- Part of the 'Blood' arc (issues #1–6), the opening storyline of DC's New 52 Wonder Woman series launched in September 2011.
- Contains the pivotal origin retcon: a flashback reveals Diana was conceived during an affair between Queen Hippolyta and Zeus, not sculpted from clay — the clay story was a fabrication to protect Diana from Hera's jealousy.
- Diana ends the issue by publicly rejecting both the name 'Diana' and the epithet 'Clay,' declaring she will be known only as Wonder Woman — a formal break with her Amazon past.
- The 'Blood' arc trade paperback collecting issues #1–6 reached the New York Times bestseller list, marking a rare mainstream commercial breakthrough for a Wonder Woman title.
- The entire Azzarello–Chiang run has been collected in multiple editions: Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood (TPB and HC), Absolute Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang Vol. 1 (collecting #1–18 and #0), the Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang Omnibus (collecting #0–35 and related stories), and the DC Compact Comics edition.
- The A.V. Club described the Azzarello–Chiang run as 'the most focused, confident, and consistent title of the New 52.'
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Wonder Woman #1 (2012), Wonder Woman #1 (2012), Wonder Woman #1 (2012), Wonder Woman #1 (2012), Wonder Woman #1 (2013), Absolute Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang #1 (2017), Wonder Woman: Blood and Guts: The Deluxe Edition #[nn] (2023)
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