Review: Wonder Woman #6

I recently noticed an interesting conversation about realism in superhero comics. Some fans feel that a work like Chris Nolan's Batman which grounds its science and scale in something akin to the real world betrays the escapist side of comics. Others would say that to fully embrace the larger-than-life craziness of a superhero world often runs the risk of losing stakes and characters beneath the veneer of pulpy fantasy. While obviously the approach should vary depending on the story, I would say that the type or realism that is rarest but often most beneficial is emotional realism. Whether you are dealing with a man in a bat costume or a literal god who shoots fire from his eyes, you need to buy that the characters react to each other in the way a person might. This doesn't mean taking the fun out of a story or making it dully gritty, but it does mean considering what the characters value and fear. Wonder Woman #6 has no shortage of superhuman spectacle, but it manages to ground even its most outlandish elements in the rich inner life of Steve Trevor and Diana, two character who have, throughout the previous five issues, been portrayed with an unusual amount of care and subtlety. The duo have returned to the world of men (in this continuity, it's the 21st century), and are immediately whisked away by an army team led by one Etta Candy. While Diana, speaking no known language, is put in a holding cell, Steve faces the unenviable task of telling his best friend's wife that her husband is dead. As such, it's an issue that deals in melancholy first and foremost with Diana realizing exactly what she's sacrificed to come to this world where she is, at least for the moment, a curiosity.

This is the first issue of Rucka's flashback story that starts to relate to what's going on in the present. We are introduced to Etta Candy as a stern but reasonable military leader and Barbara Ann Minerva as an ancient cultures expert who may have some insight into Diana's languages. We also see the origin of the photo Steve carries of Diana, making the tie to the other story overt. I'm not clear on how much time has passed between this story and the other (reference is made here to Superman being the only known superhero), but there's a fun sense of mythos to knowing characters Diana meets here for the first time are her world-weary allies in the future. Instead of sacrificing momentum in order to make this a 'definitive' Wonder Woman origin, Rucka wisely makes this flashback a first chapter in larger story.

In keeping with the contrast between the dark, violent future and this more hopeful past is Nichola Scott's artwork which I am rapidly falling in love with. While her characters can look a little too youthfully smooth and idealized (though not in a sexualized sense), I love the expressiveness of their faces. While everyone looks a little babyfaced (especially jarring for a group of weathered military men), I love seeing  a book with three main female character who look so dissimilar from one another. As I've mentioned before, I am  a big fan of any artist approach to Diana that manages to make her ridiculous costume look like a pinup, and Scott's wide-eyed, overgrown Wonder Woman is delightful. Diana carries herself like a young woman still getting used to her own long limbs, and a moment of pure joy near the end of the book involving her burgeoning superpowers is truly wonderful.

Wonder Woman has, over its first six issues, established itself as the most thoughtful, quality book in the DC rebirth line, and that doesn't show any signs of changing. But while I like both sides of the story, there's no denying that this year one plotline has been the stronger, better-developed side of the story. With this issue, the larger picture of Rucka's plotline begins to take shape, and the future looks bright for Diana and company.

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Wonder Woman #6 Writer: Greg Rucka Artist: Nichola Scott Publisher:  DC Comics Price: $2.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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Review: Wonder Woman #5

I wonder if I am alone in not always understanding the rules of superhero comics. What would be, in any other story something worth noting or explaining often seem taken for granted as un-noteworthy trappings of the genre?  These details often obscure which elements of the story are supposed to actually be mysterious, robbing them of their impact and leaving the reader frankly mystified. Take Wonder Woman #5 as an example. I take it that the main mystery is supposed to be Wonder Woman's muddled memory and lack of access to her home. But I am also confused by her friend Cheetah whose origin I don't understand, the villain whose relationship with some sort of deity confuses me, and the presence of hundreds of animal men which goes unremarked. Add to this the reinventions of Etta Candy and Steve Trevor and you have a rather confusing third issue in this storyline. There's a lot of successful stuff happening, but a little clarity would go a long way. The issue opens up with Etta Candy, apparently now a government wonk, meeting with her boss to discuss the missing military team headed by Steve Trevor. The scene reveals that despite seeming jaded paranoid, Etta believes in Wonder Woman and trusts her to rescues the team. Meanwhile, the military despot Cadulo recognizes Trevor as having some relationship to the gods and decides he'll serve as some sort of religious avatar (as one does). Meanwhile, Diana discusses her fractured memories with Cheetah, before attempting a rescue mission. That's a lot for a single issue, and as I said, it doesn't all tie together well just yet. I would imagine all these plotlines will eventually come together to form some sort of meaningful whole, but I can't tell quite how.

The lead problem here is that, as with many Rucka superhero books, the interesting material is the characters themselves and not the ongoing action. I would like to spend more time exploring Steve and Diana's relationship which is fleshed out a little here in some small but interesting ways (when Cadulo ask's Steve who Diana is to him, he answers simply "Wonder Woman"). Similarly, when she's not posturing about mythos and heroics, Diana remains a great mix of regal princess and sincere, cheerful young woman. There's a moment near the end of the issue where Diana sees some old friends and gives an unexpected, charming grin that immediately humanizes her in a way few Wonder Woman authors think to.

I continue to go back and forth about how I feel Liam Sharp's pencils serve the story. On the one hand, the characters sometimes look a little warped and contorted in a manner reminiscent of the Dynamite house style. But at the same time, there's a subtlety to the characters faces that makes his work stand out from the pack. That humanizing moment I mentioned before would not work without his ability to make Wonder Woman look a little silly without it being a joke. And Sharp's level of detail on the jungle and action scenes are still extremely beautiful by just about any standard.

The problem with reviewing an issue of a comic is that, in the context of a series, a single issue means almost nothing. I do think this is a fairly weak 22 page read, but at the same time, Wonder Woman is still the title that's been the strongest out of the entire DC Rebirth line. So to anyone who has, as I often do, skimmed to the end of this review to get the overall takeaway, I'd put it like this: it's a bad issue, that somehow doesn't by any means make me less excited for the next one.

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Wonder Woman #5 Writers: Greg Rucka Artist:  Liam Sharp Publisher:  DC Comics Price: $2.99 Format: Ongoing/Bi-Weekly; Print/Digital

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Review: Wonder Woman #3

I am the first to admit that I have a limited knowledge of Wonder Woman lore, but I decided to take over Asa for this issue, and this issue only, he’ll be back to delight you with his sultry words in no time… OR WILL HE?! Yeah, he will. I figured a third issue, second part in a series that’s being divided in two different stories, even a doofus like me should be able to tackle that. Well, I’ve decided to tackle a story that hits back harder than a linebacker (I think they’re called that). Wonder Woman #3 is filled to the brim with back story and allusions to Diana’s past and her history with one of her fiercest foes, Cheetah. Barbara Ann and Diana are having a conversation that only two people with a past like those two could. It begins as a battle of one is imposing her pride and the other offering humility back. Wonder Woman and Cheetah both share different moments with each other, with Rucka’s dialogue stopping at every one of those to allow their conflicted past rush into the minds of the characters and the readers.

Rucka is able to charge every word spoken in this issue with the memories of the many times Cheetah has faced Wonder Woman and let it out through their very distinctive personalities. Although internally conflicted, Diana has a clear goal and it’s maintained in the forefront throughout the issue. Even with my previously mentioned limited knowledge of the character, I could sense weight of the words they spoke with each other, and rather than leaving me confused, it made me even more curious to find out what’s happened between the two since Cheetah’s first appearance in 1987, it’s challenging and inviting interaction between two foes. Like part of this story, the issue is split with Steve Trevor’s separate mission which takes place in the same region as Wonder Woman’s. Maintaining the heavy thematic but lighter dialogue, his story doesn’t take away from the one focused on Wonder Woman, instead it creates breathing room from every time I dive back into those two, while Steve’s mission continues to takes strides forward into what seems to be an inevitable reunion with the Amazon warrior.

In sync with the tone of the story, Liam Sharp maintains their interactions in what seems intimate, close quarters, deep inside a vast and busy jungle, the two of them are enthralled in their interaction to be even bothered by the beasts following their trail. They’ve beaten them once, she can do it again. In contrast, the shift to Steve’s story becomes more noticeable, open sky, vast lands and moving from an open space into a completely different environment. These changes allow Sharp and colorist Laura Martin to showcase some gorgeous panoramic views and intricate detail inside the jungle.

Expressions are the essence of Wonder Woman #3. There is a near-perfect synchronicity as to what my eyes see, what the read, and where they follow next. Each time Wonder Woman or Cheetah speak, there is sentiment in their faces that pulled at my strings of sympathy. This isn’t just a conversation between good and bad, but rather two equals speaking as someone who seeks to reconnect with her glorious past vs someone who believes she’s been cursed by hers.

Wonder Woman #3 continues to lay incredibly solid groundwork to what is shaping up to be one of the all-time great runs for this character and should become DC’s flagship Rebirth title.

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Wonder Woman #3 Writer: Greg Rucka Artist: Liam Sharp Colorist: Laura Martin Publisher: DC Comics Price: $2.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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Review: Wonder Woman #2

I'm getting some Deja vu with this one, and not just because it's one of many recent takes on Diana's origins (one of four in the last three years), but because it's the third Wonder Woman #1 in a month's time from Greg Rucka. The first was Rebirth which, in the manner of rebirth issues, is safely ignored. The second was last month's rock solid modern day Wonder Woman story. This, is the start to a year one story that will follow Wonder Woman in her fist days as the champion of Themyscera. Let's put aside the subject of double shipping and the oddities it creates and consider this as the start to its own distinct story. As such, it's really good, and possibly the superior of the two Rucka penned Wonder Woman stories. There are two key decisions set Rucka and Scott's origin story apart from the recent others (Azzarello's, Renae De Liz, and Grant Morrison's) and both are hugely effective. Firstly, the book begins after Diana is already grown, foregoing, at least for the moment, the Greek mythology origin story that is neither interesting nor deserving of a retread. Secondly, the story doesn't just follow Wonder Woman, splitting its time instead between Diana and Steve Trevor. This keeps the necessarily dry Themyscera portions from overpowering the book and builds anticipation for the two characters to have their significant meeting (which sounds like a euphemism but isn't).

And on that note, it should be noted, even with Rucka using his not inconsiderable skill and experience to write it, the Themyscera woman warrior culture remains extremely dull. Names like Kasia, Areto, and Evrayle blend together until all I could remember was that most of the women’s' names sound like fuel-efficient mid-sized cars.  Sword and sandals intrigue isn't something I tend to enjoy, which is a matter of taste and wouldn't be worth noting, were I not sure that a lot of people agree. But there is an upshot: while I don't care even a little about oracles, princess training, or royal birthrights, Rucka infuses it all with the underlying pathos of a small-town girl who longs to leave home. Instead of emphasizing her spunk and rebelliousness, we are given a glimpse into the soulfulness that is to me, the character’s key attribute. Scott draws a few beautiful, silent scenes of a melancholy but peaceful Diana staring at the night sky which are paralleled with Trevor slowly realizing his own life is a little empty.

It's a bold choice to not make the character’s origins overtly dramatic or high-stakes. There's a certain tendency in prequels to telegraph where the story is going by exaggerating the character’s iconic characteristics, but the book takes a subtler route. And subtle is a good term for Scott's art, which is extremely pretty and refined with a certain softness to the characters’ facial features that makes everyone a little unnaturally lovable (it sounds odd to say, but it's true). One full page image of Diana finding a withered, blackened tree is notable not only for its beauty, but for its reserve, not hitting you over the head with its ominousness.

As always seems to be the case, I have reached the end of the review without really touching on the plot. There are a few elements in her that seem to set up something of a mystery going forward (that may tie into the fractured state of Diana's memories evinced by last month's issue), but for the moment, there's not a lot to hang onto beyond some good characterization and impressive pathos. Frankly, that's enough not only to make this a great read, but a clear candidate for the best issue of DC's Rebirth so far.

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Wonder Woman #2

Writers: Greg Rucka

Artist:  Nicola Scott

Colorist: Romula Fajardo Jr.

Publisher:  DC Comics

Price: $2.99

Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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