Wonder Woman #90
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWonder Woman #90 is the opening chapter of 'The Contest,' a landmark 1994 arc that temporarily stripped Diana of the Wonder Woman mantle — the most significant status-quo upheaval in the character's post-Crisis history and one of the clearest examples of the era's 'hero replacement' storytelling trend, following in the wake of the Death of Superman and Batman's Knightfall. The issue introduces Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, the first new character to credibly claim the Wonder Woman title and costume in the modern era, and she endures: she has remained a recurring, substantive presence in DC continuity from the 1990s through the Rebirth era and into the 2022 Trial of the Amazons event. The issue also marks Mike Deodato Jr.'s debut on the title, a moment widely noted as revitalizing commercial interest in the series at a point when it had struggled to compete for reader attention. Thematically, the story uses the contest framework to interrogate whether Diana's diplomatic, compassionate approach to heroism is adequate — a question the narrative refuses to answer cheaply, giving both Amazon philosophies genuine weight.
In "Homeward Gazings [The Contest]," Diana returns to Themyscira to face the consequences of her recent choices, as the Amazons recount their fierce defense against a demonic incursion. With tensions high, Queen Hippolyta calls for a new Contest to test the worth of her daughter’s actions—setting the stage for a pivotal moment in Diana’s journey. Written by William Messner-Loebs and brought to life by Mike Deodato Jr.’s dynamic art and Patricia Mulvihill’s vivid colors, the issue features a striking cover by Brian Bolland.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
William Messner-Loebs had been steering the Wonder Woman series since George Pérez's celebrated five-year run ended, and by mid-1994 DC editorial signaled that the title needed a jolt. The solution was twofold: pair Loebs with rising artist Mike Deodato Jr., whose kinetic, heavily stylized figure work immediately caught the attention of the speculator-era market, and launch a 'replacement hero' arc consciously designed to capitalize on the sales momentum generated by Death of Superman and Knightfall. Artemis's visual design was directly shaped by Deodato, who has acknowledged basing her look — particularly the long hair drawn into a topknot — on Zealot, the Wildcats character and Kherubim warrior from the WildStorm universe. The Bana-Mighdall tribe that Artemis represents was not invented here; George Pérez had established the concept in Wonder Woman vol. 2 #29 (1989), giving Messner-Loebs a pre-existing mythological foundation on which to build the new rival.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Artemis of Bana-Mighdall (also identified in the issue's character credits as simply 'Artemis — intro'), the Amazon warrior who goes on to temporarily replace Diana as Wonder Woman.
- Written by William Messner-Loebs; interior art by Mike Deodato Jr.; cover art by Brian Bolland; colored by Patricia Mulvihill (Trish Mulvihill); lettered by John Costanza; edited by Paul Kupperberg.
- Issue title is 'The Contest: Part 1 — Homeward Gazings'; on-sale date was July 14, 1994, with a September 1994 cover date.
- Launches the 'The Contest' arc, which runs through issues #90, #0, and #91–93, and is collected in the trade paperback Wonder Woman: The Contest (DC, 1995).
- Three variants exist: a standard Direct Sales edition, a Newsstand edition, and a 'DC Best of '94' edition.
- The issue also features the first full post-Crisis, in-the-flesh appearance of Mala, Diana's Golden Age friend, who had previously appeared only in a dream sequence in Wonder Woman Annual #3.
- The cover has been reprinted in Cover Story: The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland (DC, 2011), and the interior story was later reprinted in the Wonder Woman by Mike Deodato trade paperback (DC, 2016).
- Artemis's visual design was acknowledged by Deodato to have been inspired by Zealot, the Wildcats/WildStorm character — a cross-publisher design influence notable for the mid-1990s Image-influenced aesthetic era.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Wonder Woman: The Contest #[nn] (1995), Shazam! #0 (1996), Wonder Woman #1 (1998), Cover Story: The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland #[nn] (2011), Wonder Woman by Mike Deodato #[nn] (2016)
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