Wonder Woman: Amazonia

Author: William Messner-loebs

Victorian Wonder Woman. That should be all it would take to put this title at the top of your to-be-read list. It's an incredibly prescient piece, where an 1888 bombing has killed the entirety of the family of Queen Victoria, allowing an American to take the throne, and he installs all sorts of anti-women laws. Of course, our hero is Diana has been kidnapped, and became bound to Steve Trevor. It's a dark world, but the way artist Phil Winslade approached the setting and characters is lovely, and brings William Messner-Loebs' story alive by adding the perfect amount of steampunk-y artistry to the mix. As is often the case with alternate history works, the setting allows the writer to play with ideas, real world characters, and concepts in fascinating ways. The fact that Jack the Ripper is out and about, and that there are other bits that feel as if they are pulled more out of a history book than a writer's imagination. The play with the setting is great, and the way they make Diana into Wonder Woman is downright magical! Why it's on the list: One of the finest telling of the wonder woman story.