Written By Brian Azzarello
Illustrated By Cliff ChiangHera, Queen of the Gods, does not take her vengeance lightly — and if Wonder Woman is so foolish as to stand in the way of her whim, then Wonder Woman is her enemy. But it’s Hera’s daughter Diana should truly fear — the goddess of discord is coming to Paradise Island, and murder always follows in her wake!
Coming out of the new 52, this book was one of the books held in the highest regard, and with good reason. Sure, Wonder Woman had always been an iconic, popular character, but she never achieved the success that her fellow Trinity members Superman and Batman enjoyed. The first issue was filled with excitement, intrigue, action, and lots of blood — but how did this one fair?
Check the jump to find out!
Diana has always been a mystery. As I mentioned earlier, she’s always had a place in the consciousness of the American Culture, but she never caught on in the comics from which she sprang. She’s been relaunched more times than I can count, at least three times since Infinite Crisis. The problem is her books never had any cohesive theme; every writer would give their own spin on her origin, and it turned into a confusing mess. Thankfully, it seems to be a thing of the past as Azzarello decided to give her an origin in the first arc, running parallel to the arc of another mythological child being born from Zeus’ legendary infidelity. (You’d think he’d stop with a wife like Hera, but what can you do?)
This book, in the plainest terms possible, is exactly what Diana needed. For years, I had been saying that Marvel’s Hercules had been getting the story she deserved — remember Amazons Attack? Pak and Van Lente did it better with Love and War. Now, instead of fighting a woman in a silly cheetah costume, she’s taking on mythological gods and beasts from the Greek Pantheon, and it makes sense! Beyond that, Azzarello chose correctly to write it as a supernatural horror book in the vein of the popular television show Supernatural (as an example), full of intrigue and dark characters like Strife, Goddess of Discord, a great villain with unlimited potential (seriously, she could be the female Loki).
It’s a genuine treat that the writer chose to entrench this so much in Greek Myth; it gives Diana an instantly recognizable supporting cast that even comic laypeople could jump right into as well as comic fans who have never read a Wonder Woman comic in their life. In fact, I’d go so far as to say this is the most high-profile new reader-friendly book in the new 52. Azzarello’s research shows as well, as he lets the readers peer into the culture of the Amazons, which has similarities to another Warrior State in the ancient City-State of Sparta. They’re tough and they fight for entertainment, and have little time for anything else but training. It gives logical credence to the idea that the Amazons were feared fighting machines like the Spartans from 300.
The chemistry between the characters is a thing of beauty, with strong female characters like our pregnant friend who “will not apologize for liking men” to the bird-like Hermes, to other Olympian Gods we’ve met. Strife herself is probably the best of the lot, and I can’t wait to see her show up in more books in the future.
On the art side, Cliff Chiang has some of the most beautiful art I’ve seen this month. If anyone wants an idea of what I’d like to see from artists these days, just crack open this issue of Wonder Woman. The line-art is bold and the designs are streamlined (so there aren’t any unnecessary lines all over everyone’s face and body!); everyone, while idealized, looks realistic enough to make the jump to the supernatural logic.
However, while I love the art as a whole, I don’t QUITE understand Strife’s look, which makes her look like Diana’s Hipster Half-Sister, complete with Ironic Susan Powter hairstyle and too much make up and a dress that would make She-Hulk blush. It’s not the greatest look in the world, even for a villain. However, perhaps this is the standard reaction to female characters post Catfiregate — What is offensively scanty? You be the judge.
I really can’t stress enough that this book is one of the best on the DC shelves. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t pick this up. Do it for your country, do it for patriotism, and do it for Wonder Woman’s trunks!
Final Verdict: 8.0 — Buy!
