Wonder Woman #37 – “Stranger in Paradise” – George Perez, Mindy Newell/Chris Marrinan/Steve Montano
This one starts with a news report about the upcoming visit to Themiscyra by a special contingent of outsiders. Hermes is supposed to transport them there, but he’s disappeared and his roommate Steve Trevor won’t tell reporters where he’s gone. As we saw last issue, Hermes’ powers have been waning and have become so weak that he cut himself on Diana’s tiara, proving that he’s almost a
mortal now. He doesn’t know why his powers have weakened, but he can’t take the visitors to Paradise Island, so he reduces his caduceus and grafts it to Diana’s girdle, giving her the power to transport the people through the mystical barrier around Themiscyra. Diana feels unworthy to wield the power of a god, but reluctantly accepts and heads to Metropolis to see Superman. Clark Kent is supposed to be the twelfth member of the group going to Paradise Island, but his duties as Superman prevent it, so he recommends Lois Lane go in his place. In Boston, Vanessa is talking to her friend Eileen, but she’s mostly just venting, not really paying attention to what Eileen is saying. Vanessa is 
annoyed at her mom going on and on about her upcoming research trip to Turkey, but she’s excited about being chosen as a counsellor at summer camp. In front of the assembled press, Wonder Woman gives a speech and transports the twelve guests to Paradise Island. On the island, the Amazons are nervous about hosting the first official visit from the outside world, and Hippolyte is worried about making a good impression. Penelope is still in a coma but wakes up with no ill effects (and no memory) and goes looking for Menalippe (who I think is supposed to be her lover, though they kinda tiptoe around that). When Niobe tries to stop her, Penelope gives her a weird look that seems to confound her, and we get an inside perspective suggesting that Penelope is being influenced by some evil entity. (We see
glowing red eyes, a clawed hand, and a golden apple surrounded by snakes, so I’m thinking it’s Eris since she’s the one who started the Trojan War with a golden apple.) Diana arrives with the guests, who are treated royally and are all suitably impressed by the reception. Things seem to be going well, but we see that not only Penelope but also Menalippe has fallen under the influence of the evil entity … who does turn out to be Eris. I guess she’ll be sowing some discord amongst the guests.
Noticeable Things:
- The twelve guests sent to Themiscyra are: Lois Lane; Asmund Lindel of Norway, a United Nations delegate; Maritza Nitumbe, botanist and anti-apartheid activist from South Africa; Phylis Haller, American feminist; Vladimir Morakov, Russian neurosurgeon; Robert Cantwell, Scottish historian and ex-soldier; Rabbi Benjamin Hecht; Reverend Alan Witherspoon, Unitarian minister; Lin Koo Teng, Tienanmen Square survivor; Rovo Quashi, a blind Ethiopian; Henri Claude Tibet, paraplegic Canadian architect; and Felix Zumac, Haitian zoologist and anthropologist.
Firestorm #92 – “Vision” – John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake
This one starts with Naiad and Red Tornado (the Water and Air Elementals of Earth) attacking the Japanese town of Nohana. After destroying the town, they set their sights on Tokyo. At Vandermeer university, Martin Stein finds Dr. Lagrieve, who was shot last issue. Stein prepares to call for help (since Lagrieve is still alive), but vows to find out who shot him. Meanwhile, Firestorm (who was buried under the ocean floor last issue) hears a voice calling to him. He has a vision of a woman named Maya, who claims to be the soul of Earth itself, and to have created Firestorm and his fellow Elementals. She says she’s created all these
Elementals now because she’s dying; not just because the Earth is being polluted, but the human spirit is losing hope and becoming more bitter as the years go by. Maya says she need her Elementals to protect the physical Earth, but also to reinvigorate the collective human spirit. Maya says humanity can do that by leaving Earth for a new home in the stars. She also mentions that Martin Stein was originally meant to become Firestorm, the Fire Elemental of Earth, but Ronnie Raymond’s interference screwed things up. Now that Mikhail Arkadin is part of Firestorm (and Stein isn’t) things are really fucked, but Firestorm resists simply wiping Ronnie and Mikhail from his matrix and starting over. The question is rendered moot when Swamp 
Thing shows up to liberate Firestorm from the ocean floor. Firestorm asks for Swampy’s help in stopping the other two Elementals, but Swampy wants Firestorm to fix the twisted hellscape that’s resulted from his creation of the jungle in the desert of Ogaden. Swamp Thing tells Firestorm his transmutation power corrupts the very cells of things and asks him to stop using it, telling him to burn the twisted forest instead. Firestorm does so and they get ready to head to Japan. When Firestorm tells Swampy about Maya, Swampy says he’s never heard her voice and Firestorm wonders if he really heard it, or if the whole thing was in his head.