Synopsis
As World War II rages across Europe, the Allied forces issue a call to arms for the greatest heroines the world has ever known, including Batwoman, Diana of the Amazons, Mera and more! With aid from their allies at home and abroad, these mighty women will turn the tide of war and defend Truth, Justice and Freedom.
From: DC Comics
Notes on This Title
This series re-imagines the heroines of DC Comics as superhuman defenders of the Allied forces during WWII. It exists in its own continuity, and can be read separately from any other DC Comics.
Although this series ended in 2017, its story was continued in Bombshells United.
Awards
2015 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards Shortlist — Favorite Single Issue (DC Bombshells #1: United for Victory)
2015 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards Shortlist — Favorite Queer Comic Character (Batwoman)
2015 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards Shortlist — Favorite Queer Comic Couple (Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer)
2016 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Award Winner — Favorite Queer Character (Batwoman)
28th GLAAD Media Award Nominee for Outstanding Comic Book
2016 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards Shortlist — Favorite Big Two Book
2016 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards Shortlist — Favorite Queer Couple (Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn)
Reviews
“Serving as a companion piece to DC’s line of collectible “Bombshells” statues, this series reimagines several of the publisher’s heroines with a 1940s pinup aesthetic and launches them into the fray of early WWII. The retro result manages to avoid the huge potential for offense thanks to the lively story from Bennett (Angela: Queen of Hel). Amazon princess Wonder Woman, Atlantean queen Mera, Supergirl, Star-Girl, Zatanna, and others appear in what amounts to a “gathering of the team” opening arc, and it’s pretty entertaining. The story opens with lovely art by Marguerite Sauvage (Faith) that perfectly captures the vintage feel the series strives for; the remaining chapters intersperse Sauvage’s work with that of several other serviceable illustrators. This entertaining female-centric adventure comes out of the gate quite strong but loses some visual steam after the first chapter.” (Source: Publishers Weekly)
“The Goodreads summary doesn’t really do this justice, so here is mine. Set in an alternate universe, “Bombshells” is a WWII era historical fiction arc starring a whole lot of DC’s superheroines and supervillainesses. Various governments and groups start recruiting these women so they can fight for their countries, or the group’s motivations. You have Batwoman, an All American Girl’s Baseball League player who is recruited to be an American Spy. You have Wonder Woman, a Amazonian princess who meets WWII flier Steve Trevor when he crashes near her home, and she and her bestie Mera decide to bring him home, but get the attention of American forces. Supergirl and Stargirl are living in Soviet Russia, who are discovered to have serious powers that can be used as Soviet Propaganda. Zatanna is being pressured into working with the Joker’s Daughter in Berlin, standing aside helplessly as Joker’s Daughter gives the Nazis magical, zombie making powers. And then there’s Harley Quinn, who has forsaken her medical prowess in London and flies into France in search of her boyfriend, only to find Pamela Isley, a possible French Resistance Fighter.
Does this sound amazing? GOOD, BECAUSE IT IS!” (Source: The Library Ladies)
“What’s better than superheroes joining the World War II fight to rage against the Nazi war machine? The answer: lady superheroes joining the World War II fight! Honestly, the Bombshell series feels like DC Comics sat down and began pitching ideas that would specifically make me happy. History? Check. Lady heroes? Check. John Constantine showing up? A surprising check, but a check nonetheless!
DC Bombshells is an uchronia universe where the female heroes came first. Because of this, the origin stories of the characters are anywhere from slightly tweaked to downright rewritten as Bennet explores this alternate reality. With the fictional characters of DC being overlaid on actual historical events there’s massive room to invent, rework, and explore. As Bennet takes the oft-told tales of World War II and puts the lady superheroes right into the middle of it, it becomes something new but also history class familiar. Taking facts from our universe and overlaying them with (mostly) only female superheroes is one of the cleverest things any comic has done in a while.” (Source: Talking Comic Books)
Interviews
Huffington Post: “DC Comics’ ‘Bombshells’ Is A Blast From The Past But With Queer Characters“