Wonder Woman

It’s that time of the month again: another issue of Wonder Woman is out, as is Justice League (which features Wonder Woman, obviously), so it’s time for a double-review. This month, we learn what happens when Hera gets some shocking news and we learn what happens when Wonder Woman gets some shocking news (clue: they act very differently, and one of them goes to a concert); meanwhile in Justice League, Aquaman turns up. Whoopdy doo.

Spoilers ahoy!

Continue reading “Review: Wonder Woman #4/Justice League #4”

It was double Wonder Woman day yesterday at DC, with not just Wonder Woman #3 being released, but Justice League #3 also coming out. And they were two very important issues for our lady of wonders indeed.

If you recall, DC rebooted all its comics – in fact, its entire ‘universe’ – with the Flashpoint series so that what we once knew about its characters and history no longer necessarily holds true. Are their origins the same? Their families? Their personalities? Their ‘superpowers’?

How much this has been a ‘hard’ reboot versus ‘soft’ reboot has been somewhat nebulous. Batman appears to have come through this more or less the same, but with one fewer dead Robins on his conscience. Superman’s parents are dead again. Barbara Gordon can walk again. Supergirl can sort of turn into a sun or something. Power Girl isn’t any more.

But it’s been a little unclear from the two issues of Wonder Woman we’ve had so far how much is different for DC’s premier superheroine. Is she still on a mission from the peace-loving, all-female Amazons to teach the world of men the virtues of peace and love? Is she still made from clay and endowed with the powers of Greek gods? Does she wear trousers or doesn’t she? In short, has she had a soft or a hard reboot?

Now, we have two issues that answer most of those questions quite emphatically. Justice League #3, set five years before Wonder Woman, sees our (young) heroine in her first encounter with the Justice League and with man’s world (including the re-hunkified Steve Trevor). Let’s just say she’s not the peace-loving woman we’ve come to expect. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman #3 sees her origins entirely rewritten.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, the all-new Wonder Woman has a daddy. Let’s talk more after the jump.

Continue reading “Review: Wonder Woman #3/Justice League #3”

Firstly, a little circumspection. It’s easy to view comics in isolation, particularly when you’re only interested in one series, so I should probably mention here that Wonder Woman #1 was one of the best of the “New 52” that DC produced last month. Having waded through the first issues of Batwoman, Catwoman, Supergirl, Batman, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Men of War, Superman and Action Comics, I’d say Wonder Woman #1 was probably the best of the lot, a clean story without endless amounts of continuity bogging it down, almost nothing that could be construed as sexually exploitative and while not going too far in explaining itself, did at least make the concession to potential newcomers that this might be their first issue so didn’t assume much of the readers in terms of backstory.

I still have reservations about it: Wonder Woman was a little underpowered and there’s no trace of Diana’s internal monologue, which has been in the comics since the days of Perez and possibly even before. I’m not so keen on the (literal) dehumanising of the gods and the loss of “the pants” I think is a step backwards. With Chiang and Azzarello coming from a background in Vertigo, DC’s adult/horror imprint, it was perhaps more adult and gory than the comic has been of late and – how shall I put this? – it was quite a macho/masculine take on Wonder Woman.

But on the whole, it was a great start to the run. Let’s face it: when Gail Simone was writing it not so long ago, it sunk to about number 89 in the charts. I have no idea where it was when JMS was writing it this past year or so, but I suspect lower. But Wonder Woman #1 was actually 13th in the charts last month and sold over 100,000 copies. So it’s certainly doing something right.

Now, though, we’re onto issue #2 and we’re launching into the story proper. Can Azzarello and Chiang add flesh to the pared-down, bare bones of #1 to keep us reading?

Continue reading “Review: Wonder Woman #2”

Firstly, a little circumspection. It’s easy to view comics in isolation, particularly when you’re only interested in one series, so I should probably mention here that Wonder Woman #1 was one of the best of the “New 52” that DC produced last month. Having waded through the first issues of Batwoman, Catwoman, Supergirl, Batman, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Men of War, Superman and Action Comics, I’d say Wonder Woman #1 was probably the best of the lot, a clean story without endless amounts of continuity bogging it down, almost nothing that could be construed as sexually exploitative and while not going too far in explaining itself, did at least make the concession to potential newcomers that this might be their first issue so didn’t assume much of the readers in terms of backstory.

I still have reservations about it: Wonder Woman was a little underpowered and there’s no trace of Diana’s internal monologue, which has been in the comics since the days of Perez and possibly even before. I’m not so keen on the (literal) dehumanising of the gods and the loss of “the pants” I think is a step backwards. With Chiang and Azzarello coming from a background in Vertigo, DC’s adult/horror imprint, it was perhaps more adult and gory than the comic has been of late and – how shall I put this? – it was quite a macho/masculine take on Wonder Woman.

But on the whole, it was a great start to the run. Let’s face it: when Gail Simone was writing it not so long ago, it sunk to about number 89 in the charts. I have no idea where it was when JMS was writing it this past year or so, but I suspect lower. But Wonder Woman #1 was actually 13th in the charts last month and sold over 100,000 copies. So it’s certainly doing something right.

Now, though, we’re onto issue #2 and we’re launching into the story proper. Can Azzarello and Chiang add flesh to the pared-down, bare bones of #1 to keep us reading?

Continue reading “Review: Wonder Woman #2”