PRINCESS OF PARADISE

A WONDER WOMAN MANGA PROJECT

Everyone knows the brave and beautiful Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, Amazon ambassador of peace and defender against chaos and oppression. Even Wonder Woman, however, was once a young girl- who, like other girls, questioned her place in a world governed by forces both dangerous and seductive.

Princess of Paradise explores Wonder Woman’s maturation in a story that, like the best girl’s manga, is a mix of comedy, fantasy, and romance.

Wonder Woman, DC’s most recognizeable heroine, will appeal to the predominantly-female (and exponentially growing) manga market because of her mythical and fantastic origins, her strength, beauty, intelligence, and romance. Wonder Woman stands for self-epowerment, independence, and the triumph of justice, reason, and free will in the service of Peace- core values held by the target audience.

Hermes, Diana's friend, mentor and guide.

THE PLOT :

VOLUME 1

Reincarnated from the souls of murdered women, the Amazons of Greek myth have retreated from modern civilization to a magically-hidden island called Themyscira . There they guard the doorway to Pandora’s Box, an ancient prison built to house the demons of Ultimate War, on the behest of their patron goddess Athena. Little do they know that Ares, the rogue god of war, schemes to unseal Pandora’s Box.

Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons is granted a child by Athena- a princess she names Diana. Athena commands that Diana one day become the Amazon’s champion who will usher in an age of peace and bridge Themyscira to the outside world. Despite Athena’s efforts to conceal Diana’s true destiny from the gods and Amazons alike, Ares discovers her and plots her downfall.

When Diana turns fifteen, Ares hypnotizes an American pilot named Steve Trevor into crashing his experimental jet into Themyscira. Diana rescues the mortally wounded pilot but is bewildered when the suspicious Amazons refuse to help him. She is also fascinated with the evidence of life beyond Themyscira and desires to see it for herself.

Ares secretly approaches Diana and offers to heal Trevor and allow Diana to follow him to the outside world in exchange for the keys to Pandora’s Box. Diana agrees, steals the key from her mother and gives it to him. Ares heals Trevor, and Diana accompanies him to his base in upstate New York. Trevor takes the young girl under his wing and introduces her to modern civilization with the help of his mentor, Professor Julia Kapatelis.

VOLUME 2

Ares unlocks Pandora’s Box. This cuts off the gods’ powers from Earth and prevents Athena from coming to the Amazons’ aid. It also strips Themyscira of its concealing enchantment, revealing the island on radar and passing ships for the first time in three thousand years. The Amazons, influenced by the demons of Pandora’s Box, gear for a war of conquest and provoke an attack by the US military by attacking their ships.

Hermes locates Diana and with pleads her to return. Since neither he nor Athena (nor Ares) have powers on earth while the Box remains unlocked, Diana enlists Trevor to fly her home. First, they must steal a jet and fly into a naval blockade- a difficult but achievable feat for the brilliant young pilot.

VOLUME 3

Once on Themyscira, power-maddened Hippolyta challenges her daughter to a duel for the key. Diana wins the duel. She grabs the key and seals Pandora’s Box, but not before hundreds of demons escape. As the Box is closed, Themyscira again recedes into myth.
For her betrayal, Athena exiles Diana from Themyscira until she can recapture the escaped demons. Athena bestows upon Diana the title of Hope, champion of Peace, and arms her with the Lasso of Truth, the Sword of Justice, and the Shield of Perseverance, while Hippolyta gives her the Amazonian bracelets of honor, and Hermes gives her his sandals for flight. Thus armed, Diana begins her quest to rid the world of the demons of Ultimate War.