The most impressive comic book of 2022 came in three installments, with art respectively by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott. Jimenez won an Eisner Award for his section, but all three are amazing.

It's the origin of the Amazons. Six minor goddesses, fed up with Zeus' abuse, each create four demi-goddesses to seek justice on Earth. These thirty attract a following among outcast human women, led by former midwife Hippolyta, who becomes queen of a seventh tribe. Her "Amazons" eventually attract unwanted attention from Apollo, leading to a confrontation with Heracles, a giant who can only be defeated by the combined might of all seven tribes, as depicted here.

Every time I look at this spread, I am amazed by new details I did not notice before. This is one of those illustrations to which the internet cannot do justice. It's huge -- 21 inches by 33 inches -- and contains fifteen characters within the large circle. Hippolyta is at twelve o clock. All thirty demi-goddesses, plus forty-odd Amazons, populate the margin, each in her own distinct armor and pose, with Hippolyta appearing again holding her battle axe in the upper left corner. The front row, like the center images, are toned, while the back row is in black and white. The bullseye depicts a colony of ants taking down a praying mantis, symbolizing the defeat of Heracles by his smaller foes.

Every inch rewards closer study, from the tassels being cut from Heracles' skirt to the morningstar wrapped around his left bicep to the Meander pattern on a quiver's trimming. Annette Kwok's colors are a work of art on their own. She initially colored it in earth tones but then gave it all a blood-tinged hue, as seen in the additional images.

It's easy to see why Scott considers this spread to be the showpiece of the issue. She reports completing it required "about two weeks, ten hours a day." And since Jimenez and Ha worked digitally, it's also the best physical image from the book, period. The volume and quality of Scott's work have made her the definitive Wonder Woman artist of our era.

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