Wonder Woman #85
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWonder Woman (Vol. 2) #85 is the debut of Brazilian artist Mike Deodato Jr. on the title — the creative pairing that would go on to co-create Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, one of the most significant new characters introduced to the Wonder Woman mythos in the modern era. The issue also marks a new editorial chapter: it is the first issue under editor Paul Kupperberg, signaling a deliberate creative reset midway through William Messner-Loebs's run. That run steered Diana toward grittier, street-level storytelling — a direct contrast to the mythologically elaborate George Pérez era that preceded it — and #85 is where the visual vocabulary of that shift snapped into focus. It also carries a small editorial piece of comics history in its letter column, where Kupperberg paused to mark the passing of longtime Wonder Woman penciller Ross Andru.
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Writer William Messner-Loebs had taken over the Wonder Woman series from George Pérez beginning with issue #63 in 1992, bringing a more humanizing, street-level sensibility to Diana that included a subplot where she worked at a fictional fast-food chain. For issue #85 DC brought in Brazilian newcomer Mike Deodato Jr. — born Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho in Campina Grande, Brazil — who had broken into the U.S. market only the year before with a Beauty and the Beast adaptation for Innovation Publishing. Deodato worked from translated scripts (he did not yet speak English) and consciously adopted the energetic, Image Comics-influenced aesthetic that dominated the industry at the time, resulting in a visually aggressive style that sharply differentiated his Diana from prior incarnations. The issue also inaugurated Paul Kupperberg as the new series editor, replacing the previous editorial voice at the exact moment the book's artistic identity was being reinvented.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First interior artwork on Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) by Brazilian artist Mike Deodato Jr. (born Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho), who would become closely identified with the character.
- First appearances of three villain/assassin characters: Backstabber, John Naissi (a.k.a. Dreadnought), and Salvo — sent by the White Magician and crime boss Paulie Longo to attack Wonder Woman's allies.
- First issue edited by Paul Kupperberg; the editorial marks a new production phase for the Messner-Loebs run.
- Story title: 'Black, Blind Destiny.' Written by William Messner-Loebs; art by Mike Deodato Jr., with inks by Terry Beatty and Kevin Conrad. Cover by Brian Bolland.
- On-sale date: February 10, 1994; cover-dated April 1994. Published in both Direct Sales and Newsstand editions, with a DC Universe Corner Box variant.
- The issue's letter column includes editor Kupperberg's tribute to Ross Andru — the Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) penciller from #98 through #171 — who died November 9, 1993, at age 66.
- Reprinted in the 2016 trade paperback Wonder Woman by Mike Deodato (DC) and again in Wonder Woman (DC, 2020 series) #2: Ares Rising (April 2021 printing).
- Issue #85 is the launchpad for the Messner-Loebs/Deodato arc that would culminate in 'The Contest' (beginning issue #90), where Artemis displaces Diana as Wonder Woman — one of the defining storylines of 1990s DC Comics.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Wonder Woman by Mike Deodato #[nn] (2016), Wonder Woman #2 (2021)
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