"It's not just Medusa that I have to fear," Diana of the Wild Isle, Daughter of Circe, and the Last…read moreof the Amazons, reminds herself as she steps confidently towards danger in Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis's Absolute Wonder Woman Annual #1 (2026).
"First, it will be her sisters. Stheno and Euryale. Gorgons...'Dread monsters' in the oldest texts....And yet, they have stayed by their sister's side, even though a glance from her would turn them into stone. That is love," Diana realizes, even as she contemplates that, soon, the misty cave floor under her feet will be beset with violence, meted out by Medusa's sisters, before Diana even gets a chance to explain that she is trespassing in the hopes of obtaining for Medusa the ultimate form of social justice: permanent chances for her to "look other soul[s] in the eyes...and be seen."
The Black female ownership, the management, and the staff at Love Life Cafe, a snug coffee house nestled at 929 Washington Blvd in Laurel, Maryland, are fully aware how being seen is intertwined with social justice, kindness, and customer service. Black artists' drawings and paintings, some of which are for sale, adorn the walls, including "Wakanda Forever," featuring Chadwick Boseman, whom the world heartbreakingly lost too soon to cancer; "Say Their Names: Black Lives Matter," featuring Sandra Bland; whom her communities bitterly lost to police brutality; and, in a hope-filled change of pace, "Looking Up at Greatness," depicting two-year-old Parker Curry's recognition and wonder at seeing Amy Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery in March of 2018.
So far, my wife has enjoyed a life-sized latte with extra hot cardamom oat milk; a life-sized cafe au Lait with the same; an açaí bowl, minus the honey and adding kiwi, pineapple, and mango; and a life-sized Hollaback Girl latte. Meanwhile, I was thrilled to devour a banana, cinnamon, and vanilla frappe appropriately dubbed "Monkey Business."