Wonder Woman #8

From the random stack of unread comics.

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: #8
Date: June, 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Matt Idelson, Chris Conroy
Cover: Cliff Chiang

Diana and Hermes enter the Underworld to free Diana's friend Zola from imprisonment in the realm of Hades. If you have read your mythology, you probably realize that this kind of quest usually doesn't end well.

Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of the version of Greek mythology that shows up in Wonder Woman comics. I've also seen a LOT of versions of the underworld in one incarnation or another over the years. So I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised in both regards with this story.

The Greek gods were written in clever and original versions that kept the flavor of the stories. The underworld was imaginative and creepy, with Cliff Chiang's artwork doing an excellent job of bringing life (well, undeath, really) to the vision.

Diana spouts a lot of cliches in the dialogue, and she kind of blunders into big trouble as the story unfolds, but it was still a fun read that kept me interesting in seeing what was coming on the next page.

Rating: 8/10

Wonder Woman #5

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: 5
Date: March 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Tony Akins
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Matt Idelson
Cover: Cliff Chiang

Introduces Lennox, a new demigod character who shares a bit too many of John Constantine's mannerisms. Hopefully he will develop in his own directions as the story progresses.

The major point of action here is the arrival in London of Poseidon, presented in an absolutely awesome interpretation that absolutely steals the show.

That being said, Diana's dialogue with Zola continues to be great, and the mythological references keep coming from around every corner.

Tony Akins takes over the art here, and delivers quite well, although in a more traditional visual style than we were getting with Cliff Chiang. As mentioned, his Poseidon was so awesome that didn't mind the change, at least at this point.

Rating: 7.5/10

Wonder Woman #4

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Matt Idelson
Cover: Cliff Chiang

Hera exacts a bit of divine revenge on Hippolyta for her affair with Zeus. There is actually a pretty intense (and vividly drawn; the visuals of Hera are awesome) confrontation between the two queens, but when it is all said and done we learn that 1) Probably not a good idea to bring a mortal axe to a the divine equivalent of a gunfight, 2) The Amazons continue to be the Redshirts of the DC Universe, and 3) Somebody is going to need to get these mother****ing off of this Paradise mother****ing Island (and I don't think Nick Fury is likely to be available any time soon).

Meanwhile, Diana, Zola, Hermes, and Strife go clubbing. In the sense of drinking and dancing. Strife finally manages to annoy Diana enough that Diana smacks her around (stabs her in the hand with a broken bottle, actually), and Strife leaves in a huff.

There is a really nice follow-up scene with Diana and Zola talking about the nature of home and about the isolation they each felt in their childhood.

There's also some scenes involving Apollo and War, who's drinking amid the carnage in Darfur, but these serve more to distract than to add to the plot, at least for the moment.

The final revelation of Hera's revenge is a pretty strong scene, reinforcing this series' theme that these gods really do have pretty godlike abilities and they are not beings you would want to trifle with.

A lot of really great scenes in this issue, but it was more uneven than the last couple of issues have been.

Rating: 7/10

Wonder Woman #3

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: 3
Date: January 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Matt Idelson
Cover: Cliff Chiang

In the aftermath of Stife's arrival on Paradise Island, old wounds are opened, and old lies are finally uncovered.

This is the reboot of Wonder Woman's origin, and the new origin itself isn't particularly surprising. It's the most obvious backstory once the original (sculpted out of clay) tale proves false.

What is really great here is the rivalries, jealousies, and mixed loyalties of the Amazons, a simmering on the surface with Strife more than willing to stir the pot. Strife's position as a (minor and annoying) goddess leaves the Amazons pretty much unable to force her to leave, so she sticks around like the ill-mannered relative who is obliged to be invited to all family functions. The best one can do is to ignore her (actually, that would be a cool thing to see them try) and put up with her continuous insults and provocations.

Forced to confront the truth of their past, Diana's relationship with Hippolyta is stressed to the breaking point, while Amazon warrior Aleka falls into the role of Diana's childhood bully. I particularly loved the use of "Clay" as the derisive nickname for Diana.

Azzarello has the intensity turned way up and loads the issue with good character interactions and confrontations that should have lasting impact on Diana and her relationship with Paradise Island and the Amazons.

Rating: 8/10

Wonder Woman #2

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: 2
Date: December 2011
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Matt Idelson
Cover: Cliff Chiang

We open (presumably) on Mount Olympus with Hera and her daughter Strife, who have been watching the events of the first issue from on high. Strife is, as one might imagine from the name, rather an ungrateful child, but she's happy to go and do some mayhem in her mom's name.

Which brings us to Paradise Island.

Is it just me, or does every story that takes place on Paradise Island absolutely have to include...

1) An amazon challenging Diana to some sort of sparring match, and...

2) A bunch of Amazon's getting killed by whichever villain is invading Paradise Island this week.

The Amazons are seriously the redshirts of the DC Universe (but better looking and wearing less).

To the credit of the team of Azzarello and Chiang, both of these somewhat unsurprising developments are at least handled well. Diana's fight with amazon challenger Aleka is visually fun, and Strife's trouncing of the Amazon guards does a perfect job of building her up as the god-level threat that she is.

Zola has the best line of the issue when Hermes asks her what form Zeus took to seduce her, and we get the beginning of what looks like a major continuity change in regards to Wonder Woman's origin.

This was a case where the details were strong enough to overcome a plot that felt phoned-in.

Rating: 7/10

Wonder Woman #1

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: 1
Date: November 2011
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Matt Idelson
Cover: Cliff Chiang

Wonder Woman always struck me as a character that DC couldn't quite figure out what to do with. The Batman had his comedic phase in the 1960s when the TV show was popular, but other than that he's always been the "avenging dark knight". Superman was always the "big boy scout".

With Diana it seems you never know what you're going to get. Amazon warrior or pacifist? Is she the naive visitor to "man's world" from her Paradise Island, or is she the only JLA member with the guts to break Max Lord's neck when that was what had to be done? Patriotic symbol or mythological figure? Feminist, or sex-object? Or a bad attempt at both?

Unlike a lot of the DCU, Wonder Woman could really use a reboot, along with an attempt to bring her some coherence and consistency. Now personally, my favorite versions of Wonder Woman have been the George Perez run in the 1980s (emphasis on her pacifist side and really strong on interactions with her supporting cast, which in that series was pretty much the best it has ever been), and the Lynda Carter TV version (which I love in spite of all the goofiness because the character showed wisdom, restraint, and most importantly the sense of humor that is so often lacking in her comic portrayals).

And for the record, I feel that some of the more recent Wonder Woman comic stories have been among the worst I've read in recent years (must avoid ranting about Genocide...).

So I approached this book with some trepidation, having heard that it would emphasize the warrior side of Diana and that it would be heavily based in Greek mythology. That's not necessarily the direction I was hoping they would go.

But as it turned out, the first issue a pleasant surprise that showed some good potential.

Opening scene involved a villain, a demigod (literally; he's a son of Zeus). He's hanging out atop the world's tallest building, which for some reason in the DCU is located in Singapore and not Dubai. Anyway, there's some small-talk with some women, followed by some throwing of women off of the aforementioned world's tallest building. That was how I was able to figure out the guy was a villain.

Fortunately, this does get better, although not before we have some gratuitous equine decapitation. Now THAT was a phrase that I didn't expect to be writing on this blog. It actually leads to a gruesome, but at least clever sequence where a pair of centaur assassins are conjured using the bodies of the just-slain horses.

The assassins, as it turns out are after a woman named Zola and her child (fetus, actually; DC Comics apparently favors the Mississippi definition of personhood). Hermes has just arrived to protect her, but she's not actually all that thrilled with a strange blue-skinned dude breaking into her house to warn her of her impending assassination. But just as things get out of hand, Hermes tosses her the magical key of teleportation and she ends up in Diana Prince's bedroom (Wonder Woman sleeps naked btw, just in case anyone was curious, and DC was hoping you were).

Now it's Diana's turn to be not amused by an uninvited guest.

And then it actually gets pretty good. No, really. I realize I've been mocking this issue pretty mercilessly up to now, but I loved the interaction between Zola and Diana. The action sequence that followed was excellent. A bit more gory than might be expected from a Wonder Woman book, but we are in Amazon warrior mode here so it works. And the scene that followed with Zola, Diana, and Hermes was really solid too. Ending bit brought us back to the opening scene and some generic prophesy, but the good of the second half of this book really overshadowed the bad.

And Cliff Chiang's artwork helped a lot. It's a slightly more stylized look than most of the new DC titles, but it really fits the mythological feel of the book and Chiang's action sequences are crisp and powerful.

Rating: 7.5/10