Author: Carol Lay
Publisher: Pocket
ISBN: 0743417119
One of the best comic books I've read starring Wonder Woman I've read does not feature a single overt picture. All the artwork is in the mind's eye. Carol Lay's novel in terms of entertainment value easily comes a close second to Chris Moeller's JLA: League of One and ekes out by a golden strand Paul Dini's and Alex Ross' Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth as well as Alan Grant's debut Justice League novel Batman: The Stone King. It's that good.
The plot to Mythos is well crafted. The male partner of a diving couple on their Honeymoon discovers the male counterpart to Themyscria (Paradise Island) at the cost of his former life. Wonder Woman becomes involved in the search for this "missing" person. I like the idea--and always have--of no problem being too small for the Justice League to solve. If a miscreant snatched a woman's purse before the eyes of Superman, surely he wouldn't dismiss such a crime as being not worth his time; instead, he'd be more likely to melt the thief's shoes and trip him up. Ms. Lay starts her novel small and naturally, with grace, builds on the disappearance to create a conflict that demands the League's attention.
Ms. Lay makes it clear that although Wonder Woman is the star of her story, the League is needed. She makes it clear that without the League's presence, the earth would become veiled in blood. Their influence shows how their power can change the course of history, and it is this kind of writing that brings a smile to the face and thrill to the mind.
The most disappointing story I can read is one in which the world's finest team fails to triumph over evil. If there is a menace that Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, the Flash and Green Lantern cannot defeat than the writer in my opinion hasn't been paying attention to forty years of history. Thankfully, the early grim mood accented by horrific imagery shifts as the League, carrying over sixty years of experience, move in to investigate. We know these heroes will not fail. Somehow no matter how difficult the battle these heroes always win. If they did not the reader would feel cheated.
Mythos will not meet everybody's approval, but when writing from the heart rather than from the dictation of an artificial cosmology, you should not expect to please everybody. Ms. Lay employs what elements from the history of these characters works. The interaction of the League is friendly and respectful like the animated incarnation or the bronze age pre-Crisis classic version The mess that is the post-Crisis is mainly ignored though not utterly forgotten. Artemis plays a cameo-part in the book. Oracle is indeed a member of the League. Her existence is however easier to stomach since there's no reason to believe that magic users such as Dr. Fate or Zatanna ever were. The main characters however belong solely to Carol Lay.
Ms. Lay's Batman does not jibe with the psychotic running around in the topsy-turvy continuity of the so-called Original Universe. Lay bases him on her own beliefs on how he should behave. Green Lantern in the story considers him "a gentleman" which suits the idealization of his social status. He's also portrayed as heroic. He is a master of dark deception and of all strategy. Best of all, he can be touched. He can be moved. He is sane and definitely Batman; not once would anybody consider this incarnation the killer of Vesper Fairchild.
For Superman, Ms. Lay reminds readers of his power. A fantastic scene she creates involves Superman lying in fire. Naturally, he will stubbornly not burn, but the imagery is magical. This sublime moment does more to exemplify the Man of Steel's invulnerability than tens of thousands of pages of his being hit through skyscrapers. She takes his power down to a human level of understanding. We cannot perceive of ever being smashed through walls or to the moon, but we have all touched something too hot at one time. We can see that what hurts us does not hurt Superman. The technique makes the Man of Steel despite having powers that seem to defy physics more realistic.
While the Flash and Green Lantern are only briefly given the spotlight, Ms. Lay captures the characters' humor and sincerity. A scene for instance details the Flash's prediction of the unspoken race: who will arrive at the arena after he. Another scenario shows Green Lantern's love for Alex--she who would kick off Gail Simone's Women in Refrigerators website--as well as his attraction to the charming Ana Lindstadt. Too often the victims are written as deserving their punishment. Ana is nice. She deserves none of what happens to her except her contact with the League.
Carol Lay's Wonder Woman again is a character who was created solely by the author not continuity. Wonder Woman in the story is sharp and powerful. At times she can be purposely hilarious, such as when she imagines herself painting a smiley face on a particular character. Lay while not eliminating the mythologic and Greek connections to the character still makes Diana thoroughly modern. She bears no naiveté which I always felt was an overall failing in the post-Crisis Wonder Woman. In Mythos she is more integrated in the real world and will sometimes use catch phrases that will confuse her fellow Amazons, especially her mother Hippolyta: still alive in the book. Lay simply makes Wonder Woman more cosmopolitan and sophisticated. Again, the characterization smoothly fits like a golden waistband.
Mythos is a triumph of heroic characterization and shows how well a reduced DCU works within a strong story. Fans of the old League and the animated League as well as the Grant Morrison avatars will be delighted by the book. Generations of Wonder Woman fans will also rediscover their favorite hero in a warm and brighter light.
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