Serial Box has been releasing Marvel comic series for the past couple of years. After Thor: Metal Gods, the collaborations continued with Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire, Black Widow Bad Blood, and Black Panther: Sins of the King.
The newest comic book-related project from Serial Box, however, focuses on a character in the DC Universe. Wonder Woman: Heartless brings together Jill Carslyle's Crimson Avenger, Barbara Minerva's Cheetah, and Diana Prince's titular hero, as they face off against a magical serial killer.
With 2021 being the 80th anniversary of Wonder Woman, it isn't a surprise that this character is getting the spotlight on all fronts. Just as we have with Thor, Jessica Jones, Black Widow, and Black Panther, we spoke exclusively with the talented writers behind Wonder Woman: Heartless, Natalie C. Parker (Seafire trilogy, Beware the Wild) and Heidi Heilig (The Girl From Everywhere, For A Muse Of Fire, A Kingdom For A Stage).
We've included a written excerpt below in which Natalie discusses building the museum in the story and distinguishing different types of magic that exist in the DC universe. You'll also find the audio player to hear our full interview with Heidi Heilig and Natalie C. Parker on Literary Joe's Inner Child Podcast.
"I really adore museums, and I have since I was young. As I've grown up, I've learned that there's a lot of cultural baggage that goes into building those museums. So I find them to be really fascinating, even still, and the museums that are in DC, especially in those smaller historic buildings. So you feel like you're wandering through this colonial sort of building. It's not huge, but they have enough space to create different kinds of displays. So I was thinking about how DC has access to historical buildings in which to showcase history and what kind of history they might choose to showcase at fundraisers like this.
And then in that space, what would Diana naturally gravitate toward? I think for her, at least in this time and in her life, in our story, she was being pulled to things that were more culturally close to where I imagined she came from. Things that are, within our world, real mythology, that could weave in with the mythology of Diana and the Amazons. So the pieces that she looks at, I think, specifically, are evocative of like Ereshkigal and goddesses who represent what I think Diana represents, which is both a part of this world and apart from this world; that she's in this bridging space. And I thought the museum was a really good opportunity to make that point and start drawing that thread through the rest of the narrative."
"The magic in the Wonder Woman world was a new kind of system for all of us because we were trying to both create magical items that could be at work. We were trying to establish Wonder Woman's magic as something separate from, say, for example, the Crimson Avenger's magic. So what we were really untangling as a group was 'what are the differences between The Gods' magic and the magic that is a cursed object, like with the Crimson Avenger. And is there human magic? So what are these things? How do we tease them apart? How do we make sure that in our writing, even if we aren't explaining it clear that these things are at work and have their own rules and systems within themself?'"
Be sure to share your thoughts on these comments in the usual place, and take a look at the trailer and synopsis for Wonder Woman: Heartless below.
Celebrate Wonder Woman's 80th anniversary with this original new saga about Diana Prince. When a magical threat targets both Washington’s elite and its most marginalized, Wonder Woman and the Crimson Avenger unite to mete out justice.
Wonder Woman: Heartless pits Diana Prince, Jill Carlyle (Crimson Avenger), and British archeologist Dr. Barbara Minerva against two sisters — one a serial killer who is terrorizing Washington, D.C. by magically seizing the hearts of her victims, and the other whose powers might potentially be used to stop the killing streak.
You can read and/or listen to Wonder Woman: Heartless on Serial Box, with new episodes releasing every Thursday.