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| Wonder Woman v2 | ||||
| Issue # | 3 | |||
| Cover Date | April 1987 | |||
| * Release Date | January 2, 1987 | |||
| Previous Issue | Wonder Woman v2 #2 | |||
| Next Issue | Wonder Woman v2 #4 | |||
"Deadly Arrival"
- Written by Len Wein, George Pérez
- Pencils: George Pérez
- Inks: Bruce D. Patterson
- Colors: Tatjana Wood
- Letters: John Costanza
Synopsis
Diana and Hermes fly above Boston, Massachusetts, having left Steve Trevor at a local hospital. Diana reacts with amazement at the exquisite buildings and flying planes. Hermes cryptically tells Diana that Steve Trevor's destiny is intertwined with hers.
Meanwhile, General Hillary barges into a hospital demanding to see Trevor. He is informed by the doctors that Trevor simply appeared in one of the hospital beds at night and is now receiving medical attention. General Tolliver places Trevor under arrest for suspicion of his involvement in the murder of General Kohler.
Hermes brings Diana to Harvard University, telling her that this is where she will learn the secrets of Harmona's amulet. We then see Professor Julia Kapatelis in the library working with her teacher's assistant Eliot. After Eliot leaves, Julia falls off a ladder reaching for a book, and is swiftly caught by Diana.
Julia is unable to understand Diana's language although she recognises traces of ancient Greek. When Diana presents the amulet however, and Julia touches it, the professor witnesses a vision of Themyscira. Julia, in ancient Greek, agrees to help Diana uncover the mysteries of the amulet.
Meanwhile, in Phobos and Deimos' realm, Phobos spies upon Diana through a magic pool. Seeing her as a threat to their plans, Phobos impulsively decides to go against his brother's wishes and take care of her himself. He seeks out the gargantuan decaying corpse of a gorgon (later referred to as Medusa) and plunges his hand into her heart, pulling out a vile bubbling substance that he shapes into a clay idol of Decay.
Elsewhere upon a stage, Deimos gives a speech to a clandestine group of Americans, stoking the fires of their anger with jingoistic rhetoric and sending them out on a mission to take their country back from the "imbeciles" in charge.
Back in the hospital, Steve Trevor wakes from unconsciousness and describes what happened to General Tolliver, claiming he was attacked by his co-pilot and rescued by a flying woman. The nurse tries to put him to sleep with an injection but Steve notices that she is trying to kill him with an air bubble in the syringe (which, when injected, would trigger an embolism). He attacks the nurse, and ends up in a fight with General Tolliver, who reveals himself to be a minion of Ares. Steve fights his way out of the hospital, and when a guard attempts to stop him, Tolliver shoots him to prevent him from interfering.
At the Kapatelis residence, Vanessa opens a package containing the idol of Decay.
At Etta Candy's apartment, Etta is on the phone with Colonel Michaelis, who informs her that Steve is wanted for murdering a guard. Etta refuses to believe it, only for Steve to show up, begging for her help to uncover why he is being targeted,
In Russia, Deimos gives a speech to a group of Russians - the exact same speech he used earlier on the Americans - and sends them out on the same mission.
Diana arrives in the Kapatelis residence, and Julia introduces her to Vanessa. Having never met a child before, Diana is amazed, though Vanessa is upset once she learns that Julia will be spending more time with Diana teaching her to speak English.
That night, as Julia teaches Diana, the idol of Decay comes to life and attacks Vanessa. Diana and Julia rush to the living room to find the stair rotting and the entire room crumbling. Vanessa has been aged to an old woman. Decay stands in the middle of it all, boldly challenging Diana to a fight, before breathing out a ray of decay into the ceiling, causing the entire building to crumble around them.