Wonder Woman turns 70 this year, and as a comic book icon she has received many retellings of her origin over the years. Despite its many iterations, that origin largely follows certain constants (except, oddly, in her blockbuster movie): Themiscyra holds a contest to choose a champion to visit the outside world, Princess Diana dons a disguise to enter the competition after her mother has forbidden it, she wins and becomes the ambassador of her people. The details change, but the general theme stays the same. But of all the different retellings of this origin, one of my favorites comes from Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman #4.

A Diguise that Doesn’t Work

Most versions of the story rely on Wonder Woman’s mother Hippolyta not recognizing her daughter until after the competition has been won. “Brace Yourself,” a digital tale released in 2014, changes that around a bit. In that story, Amazons only get one bracer as youths and must earn the other. As a princess, that means that Diana must win hers by besting her mother, the Queen. All of Diana’s attempts fail, until Hippolyta sees through her disguise during the competition and enters the fray herself, intent of stopping her daughter from leaving the safety of the island.

To become Themiscyra’s champion, Diana must defeat her own mother…which she does. This not only earns her travel, but also means that she gets her second bracer. And this leads to one of my favorite panels:

The idea of having Hippolyta be more than a concerned mother bound by tradition and making her an active part of Wonder Woman’s grand origin appeals to me very much. This version of the story puts a greater emphasis on how proud the Queen is of her daughter. It also gives a bit of extra punch to Wonder Woman’s victory, as she has to best her own mother on the field before earning her right to leave.

This story uses the “New 52” continuity, in which Brian Azzarello changed Diana’s origins to make her the daughter of Zeus rather than a vessel blessed by the gods. That’s a whole other controversial can of worms, but “Brace Yourself” stands out as a great tale no matter which continuity you prefer. As one of the early entries in the Sensation Comics digital series, it also played a major role in getting me to follow that title…and enjoying many more wonderful tales as a result.

Images: DC Comics