“I wish that was my pitch. But I can’t take the credit for that because [DC Associate Editor] Brittany Holzherr was already all over that,” Javins laughs. That deep passion for Nubia and Diana is shared by the pair, and is shaping the future of the publisher. But for Javins it’s all about expanding what came before. “My whole agenda is to build on things. One common approach people have is to reinvent. I’m not reinventing. We’re just building on the past.” Nubia and Diana’s story in Robert Kanigher and Don Heck’s 1970s Wonder Woman series hooked Javins as a young comic book reader. The tale introduced Nubia, the sister of Diana, who at the time was also created from clay by Hippolyta. Though the arc was relatively short it made a huge impact on Javins, who was drawn to the superhero story about sisterhood. With that, the first issue changes everything we know about Themyscira with the introduction of the Well of Souls. “Shoutout to George Pérez!” Williams exclaims. “The Cavern of Souls was always a very interesting concept to me.” “I thought that that was just such a brilliant way to say on a divine level that everyone is welcome [in Themyscira]. So taking that idea and bringing it to 2021, it was important to both Vita and I that we include trans women in our Themyscira.” “It was really exciting to me as a writer to be on the other side of the issue and see people pick up on that,” Williams shares. It also kicks down the doors for future creators. “Comics are strongest when people can pick up the pieces and keep the story moving. And this allows for a lot of writers to be able to do that.” “I see them as a community of women who get to thrive in a way that we unfortunately cannot in the real world without being hindered,” Williams says. “But also I see them as a chance to really talk amongst ourselves about some of our own pitfalls… because just as the patriarchy can be upheld by men, it can also be upheld by women and people in general.” “She’s aspirational, of course,” Javins tells us. “But Wonder Woman was created with an eye toward human psychology. So she was created through the lens of the values of 1941, as a symbol of empowerment for women and an iconic ideal. She was complex at a time when heroes were traditionally very simple. She’s half goddess, but she’s got some very core human conflicts and values.” “The way they go back and forth between whether they should help Man’s World or not, I think there’s something very alluring to that,” Williams says. “Diana’s an interesting character because why on Earth would you want to leave Themyscira to go to Man’s World? While it’s great that you can seclude yourself and thrive, it’s even better when you’re able to reach out.” Building on that history is key. Collaborating with Alitha Martinez has clearly inspired Williams, who describes her first time receiving the pages back for Nubia as “mind blowing.” It’s no surprise as Martinez has crafted an aesthetic for the book which straddles the line between traditional superheroes and mythology. And there’s another juxtaposition that really spoke to Williams. Aside from the obvious—more comics, animated and live action movies, and a greater recognition of Nubia as a top tier DC hero—Williams has an even more important dream. “I would just love it if the moment a small child walks into a comic shop or anywhere, when they see her or hear the name Nubia, they automatically know who she is.”
