Monday 23 July 2018

The Essential Huntress: I Want To Read Helena Wayne's Bronze Age Stories. Where Do I Start?

One question I get asked a lot by new readers who want to get to know Helena Wayne better as a character is "what should I start with?"

Apart from DC Super-Stars #17 as the obvious first choice, I'm always tempted to link fans to every Helena Wayne Huntress story that has ever been published by DC, which can at times overwhelm newcomers. I therefore started to think about "what are the essential stories to read for getting to know Helena Wayne?"

The thing I've always loved about Helena Wayne is that she was always more than just the daughter of Batman and Catwoman and had more to offer the DC Universe than just being a member of the Justice Society. She also had her own character motivations, goals, and relationships that were uniquely her own, culminating in an exciting journey and ultimately a compelling narrative.

What is the core of Helena Wayne and what are the must reads for understanding her character? I break down (in chronological order for each section) the stories that set the standard for her character and more significantly develop her character.

For the ones that are available for purchase on Comixology, I will post a link to the first issue of the story arc. If not all the issues of the story arc are available, it'll be noted as incomplete.


1. LEGACY OF BATMAN AND CATWOMAN

DC Super-Stars #17 
Helena Wayne's classic origin is told in this issue. We learn when the Golden Age versions of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle got married, when Helena was born, what her childhood was like, and what circumstances led her to become the heroine known as the Huntress.

Available on Comixology


Batman Family #18-20 
Helena Wayne embarks on her first solo adventure. In this story arc, Helena questions her life's purpose and thinks about whether or not public interest law is really the right call for her. Part of her knows she has what it takes to do her job well, but why settle for a normal life as a lawyer when she can what her father once did as Batman by putting on the mantle of the Huntress?

Available on Comixology (Incomplete)








Adventure Comics #461-463
Bruce Wayne embarks on one last case as Batman for the safety of Gotham. Helena Wayne reunites with her father's ward, Dick Grayson, for the first time in years. What does the legacy of Batman mean to both Dick and Helena and how do they respond to that legacy when they realise it is now up to them to continue her father's work?

Available on Comixology









Wonder Woman #278-280
Helena Wayne goes to Gull Island Federal Penitentiary to have chat with her boyfriend, District Attorney Harry Sims, about the status quo of their relationship, following his discovery that she is the Huntress. Though, Helena goes there to resolve one problem, relationship woes is not the only thing she has to worry about at the pen. Also residing at Gull Island Pen is Lionmane--one of her mother's former henchmen who attempted to betray her during her Catwoman days--looking to make his own escape. She may not be able to save her relationship with the dashing Gotham DA, but she still has a chance to save her mother's honour by preventing Lionmane's prison break!






2. MEMBER OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY

All-Star Comics #69-74
Helena Wayne embarks on her first mission with a few members of the Justice Society. She is determined to prove her worth to the Justice Society and earn her place in the legendary team that helped defeat the Axis powers during World War II. But what happens when the Huntress encounters some of the Justice Society's more notorious villains, including the more villainous Huntress, Paula Brooks?

Available on Comixology







Adventure Comics #465
The clock is ticking, and Huntress and Power Girl must help the Justice Society stop a dangerous capsule from blowing up the entire city of Gotham. Helena Wayne showcases her mastery in criminology and detective skills.

Available on Comixology











Infinity Inc #1-12
Helena Wayne has by now become an experienced member of the Justice Society and is afforded the same level of respect as her older peers. But what happens when other young legacy heroes closer to her age decide they want to join the Justice Society and are subsequently denied membership? Both she and Power Girl decide to do some soul searching to see if the Justice Society is really the right place for them or if they're better off creating their own team.

Available on Comixology









3. MEETING THE EARTH-1 BATMAN FAMILY

Batman Family #17
A year after her first outing as the Huntress, Helena Wayne is still new to the superhero lifestyle and wants some tips on how to improve her performance. Using the Justice Society's transporter technology, she embarks on a trip across the multiverse to the world known as Earth-1, the home of the Justice League. But it isn't the League she wants help from, but the Earth-1 version of her father! The Earth-1 Bruce isn't sure he can give her the advice she seeks, but he does introduce her to two of his friends who might be able to help her: Barbara Gordon and Kathy Kane, Batgirl and Batwoman respectively! But what happens when Helena encounters the Earth-1 version of her mother, the Catwoman?

Available on Comixology

Brave and the Bold #184
The holiday season is here and both Helena Wayne and the Bruce Wayne of Earth-1 will be spending Christmas alone. Rather than brood over the loss of her family during the holiday season, Helena decides take another trip to Earth-1 to spend that time with the other similarly lonely Wayne. Without Robin there to help him, the Earth-1 Batman accepts the Huntress' help in resolving a case involving his deceased father, Thomas Wayne!











4. CAREER AS A LAWYER

America vs the Justice Society #1-4
Batman has accused the Justice Society of treason during World War II from beyond the grave. The US Government summons the team to the US Supreme Court for a thorough review of their history. It is up to Helena Wayne to represent the team as their attorney, but it's not just US senators Helena is up against. She is also putting up a fight against her father's ward, Dick Grayson, who is there to defend her father's honour!

Available on Comixology









5. SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS

Wonder Woman #274-276
Kara Zor-L has been an active superhero for a little over a year. She feels she is doing her part to keep her adopted world a safe, both as Power Girl and as a member of the Justice Society. What happens then when the Gotham District Attorney decides he wants to ban all superheroes from Gotham? Well Power Girl does what Power Girl does best! She tackles the issue head on! Literally. But she doesn't do it alone! Both she and her new best friend, Helena Wayne, investigate what is truly going on behind the scenes. At the same time, Kara is questioning Helena's taste in men she finds out she's been dating the DA!

Available on Comixology



Wonder Woman #284-285
Helena Wayne had just finished capturing her father's arch nemesis--the Joker--as the Huntress. But just as things were starting to slow down for Helena, another crisis arises, this time hitting closer to home: her personal relationships. Helena teams up with Dick Grayson to investigate a fraudulent case made against their boss, Arthur Cranston. If that wasn't bad enough, they soon after have to go save her boyfriend, District Attorney Harry Sims, from a criminal who wants to kill him in retaliation for his incarceration. Amidst all of this chaos, Harry starts reconsidering his relationship with Helena, just as Helena starts feeling a small romantic attraction towards her father's ward!

Available on Comixology (Incomplete)




6. SIGNIFICANT VILLAINS

Wonder Woman #289-290 & #294-295
Helena Wayne has been active as the Huntress for a few years now, and has acquired quite a bit of experience by this point. She has fought her father's enemies, the Justice Society's enemies, but she has never acquired an arch-enemy of her own! A local crime boss named Edgar Stenville decides he wants to break that record by the becoming the Huntress' first arch nemesis as the Crime Lord! It isn't just a record he wants to break either. He wants to break the Huntress both physically and emotionally!

Available on Comixology







Wonder Woman #308-313
Following the events with the Crime Lord, Helena Wayne has found herself in a downward spiral emotionally. Not having fully recovered from her experience with the villain, Helena has become much more violent in her tactics when confronting criminals. What happens when the Huntress starts losing control to the point of getting the attention of the mainstream media? What happens when opportunistic news reporter Nedra Borrower decides to make her career destroying the Huntress' reputation, much to the benefit of Gotham's criminals?

Available on Comixology

2 comments:

  1. Hi. Love your blog. Which of these solo stories (except, of course, for the JSA/Infinity Inc ones) are not in "Darknight Daughter"?

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    Replies
    1. Hello! Thank you for the kind words. Most of these are not in the Dark Knight Daughter trade, but are collected in other trades.

      Adventure Comics #461-466 and All-Star Comics #69-74 are collected in Justice Society Vol. 02.

      America vs the Justice Society is its own trade.

      Batman Family #17-20 and Wonder Woman #308-313 are only available on Comixology.

      The only story on here that I know of that has not been reprinted or made available on Comixology is Brave and the Bold #184.

      The rest of the stories featured on this post are found on the Dark Knight Daughter trade.

      Hope this helps!

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