Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia - when the amazon beat the dark knight

“Written, unwritten, new, ancient, social, religious … we are slaves to laws”

This is the premise setting up Wonder Woman: the hiketeia, a standalone graphic novel considered by the unanimity of Wonder Woman fans a must read in the heroine’s bibliography. Not only is it a cultural milestone in the character’s history but also in Greg Rucka’s career, since it was the first story he wrote about the character. He would then become one of the most acclaimed and famous authors of the heroine, and through this tale, we can really understand why. But you may be wondering, what the hell is hiketeia?

We learn in the opening pages that hiketeia is an ancient Greek ritual, in which a person in need of help puts themselves in a position of servitude and denies their honor and worth in face of their protector’s virtues. Diana’s narration explains that to deny the hiketeia is unthinkable, and when accepted the protector becomes completely responsible for the supplicant. But even though the former seems to be the one holding all the cards, the latter retains one last power: they are the only one who can end the obligation. And that is a very important detail, since failing to honor the hiketeia results in terrible punishment by the furies.

But exposition aside, how does the story unfold? We follow the life of Danielle, a young woman who in her initial pages is shown running away from Batman after committing murder. When Batman confronts Danielle about her actions, she tries to explain that he doesn’t know what the guy she killed did.

Batman insists on trying to catch her, anyway, but eventually loses the girl. The comic then cuts to Wonder Woman being praised and adored by her public since the novel portrays her as the Themyscira ambassador at men’s world, a symbol of justice. Danielle, who’s in the crowd, follows Diana home and then proceeds to say the words to initiate the Hiketeia.

Now you may see where things are going. We have someone being chased by Batman, and this same person is being protected by Wonder Woman. This is bound to be an intense conflict. And it is. Not just in terms of a physical and mental battle between heroes, but in regards to what it means in a conceptual level. I made a quick search on google and came to know that the hiketeia is a real thing.

This shows how the setting of the story is abiding by Greek laws, so the narrative has a deep moral discussion. Batman represents the law in the sense of justice, while Diana represents the law in the sense of commitment and duty, this results in clash of justice vs duty. Which is the right one? Which one should prevail?

The comic plays with these questions especially in the way it teases the character’s motivations for doing what they did. Danielle’ s motivations are obscure, we sense there is probably a reason for what she did, but we don’t come to know it until the very end. So, our decision to either root for or against her is based on what we believe, or maybe even on which superhero we like the most.

As a Wonder Woman fan, I’m highly likely to side with her, but I believe the comic sways the reader in this direction, since we see the story from her perspective and read her thoughts while everything else is happening. Batman serves more as foil to Wonder Woman and her journey through the story. They act as extremes in the narrative, in a more poignant manner than the usual for them.

Some would complain that Batman’s abilities are watered down or that he could be smarter and more reasonable in this situation, but that’s far from the point. The point of the story is not to show which superhero would win in a battle, but to question if it’s even possible to win at all. In a context as morally blurred as the graphic novel presents, if either side wins, can it really be a victory? And to complicate things even further, if we are slave to laws, as the opening line of this text portrays, are we truly acting by the moral of doing what’s right, or are we only doing what we learned is right?

In this light we could argue that both Batman and Wonder Woman are slaves to the laws of their societies. The former is bound by the laws of modern society and the latter by the laws of ancient Greek society, and as such all their actions derive from this fact.

All questions aside, no matter what conclusion you arrive at, one thing is certain, Wonder Woman: the hiketeia is an amazing graphic novel. It provides a compelling narrative with a clear arc and a deep moral discussion executed masterfully through each sequence that forms this story. It is a definitive must read for any Wonder Woman or comics book fan.