For example, this issue opens with weirdo goddess Strife visiting her Uncle Ares at a Damascus cafe to ask if he'll be her date at the wedding of Hades and Wonder Woman. It'll be a blast, she laughs, as a suicide bomber blows everyone to smithereens.
Ho Ho.
That's two pages wasted, unless you enjoy viscera flying at you. Look, we get it, the gods must be crazy. We're nine issues into this run of Wonder Woman and know Hermes isn't the only mercurial Olympian, they're all a sandwich short of a picnic. Even more gods show up this time, as the royal family members discuss whether or not to attend the nuptials. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and apparently too zoftig to be properly shown on panel, isn't going because there's no room in hell for Love. Hubby Hephaestus is accepting his invite, and taking demi-god Lennox as his Plus One. Eros is going too, while Hermes stays on Earth to protect the human Zola, who's carrying Zeus's child. Persephone, self-harming first wife of Hades, has no choice but to be there.
Hades himself is chatting to his father, Chronos, whom he's using as a throne. The guy's starving, but Hades offers nothing from the feast before them. He does give niece Strife a drink - the bloody tears of Chronos - when she shows up to make a suggestion to which we're not privy.
And Diana? Who? Oh yes, Wonder Woman, the bride herself, having accepted Hades' proposal as a means to free Zola from his clutches. She's in here too. Barely. Seven pages out of 20 feature the book's title character and while there's a hint of defiance on her face, she does bugger all, content to let gorgons dress her in freaky finery. The book ends with Hades playing a new mindgame with her, presumably suggested by Strife. He demands Diana prove her love to him, though why he entertains the notion she might actually want him, rather than be plotting an escape route, I have no idea.
I have even less idea why I'm buying this book, given that more often than not it disappoints, frustrates and annoys me. I've never not read Wonder Woman, I'm a sorry get ... but more than that, I'm an optimist, always expecting the next issue to be more true to classic Wonder Woman. But in purchasing, I'm telling DC to extend this approach to their most marketable female. To continue to let Brian Azzarello churn out an Olympian soap opera in which, more often than not, Diana is a bit player. Some might say she's central to the book, as the prize desired by some gods, and the annoyance of others, but really, she's just a McGuffin - the excuse for the Olympians to parade their peculiarities.
The best moment this issue comes as Zola yells at her protector gods to get off their mythological bottoms and do something to help Diana. The worst is, well, this (click on image to enlarge):
The art by penciller Tony Akins, inker Dan Green and colourist Matthew Wilson isn't bad. Their gods are impressive, standouts being Stryfe and Chronos, while their Diana, well, it's not like they're called on to draw her much. She's fine - out of costume, so don't expect the enticing scene on Cliff Chiang's cover to show up - but recognisable. Mind, poor Zola looks a fright, like a lunatic ten-year-old boy ... which is especially unfortunate in the scene which has Aphrodite calling her beautiful. She must mean internally.
If you're good enough to leave a comment on this review, feel free to add: 'Drop the book, loser'. And maybe suggest something I should be reading. Because until Wonder Woman gets her comic back, I should get my coat and go
I would say, 'Drop the book, loser,' but then I would feel a hypocrite because I know I can't follow my own advice.
ReplyDeleteYour review nails everything that is wrong with the comic, and I find it increasingly hard to uderstand the Azzarello apologists.
Glad it's not just me. If this were an Elseworlds, or Verigo take, and there was an actual Wonder Woman book around that'd be fine, but this ...
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else think that it might help if DC got a writer that actually likes Wonder Woman the character to write Wonder Woman the comic book?
ReplyDelete(I have no plans to drop it. I read the awful John Byrne Wonder Woman series for almost two years, so I'm sure I can endure this for at least three.)
A radical thought - it would be nice, wouldn't it? Have we had an actual Wonder Woman fan on the book since Phil Jimenez? His run wasn't perfect, but by cracky, he liked Diana and her lore.
DeleteI cannot believe this book...simply cannot believe this. Is Wonder Woman, my own personal goddess and mentor since 1971 even IN this book anymore?!? I am now finally certain DC want to kill her off both as a character and a franchise. This book really is taking the piss big time. The writer seems to think all we want to hear about is her 'extended family' [Suffering f*****g Sappho!] and all we want to see is that over-hyped Lagerfield-cum-drag queen Strife being 'oh so funny'.
ReplyDeleteI cant drop the book; Im too in love with Diana to ever do that, but I and I suspect everyone else really dosent know whats going on anymore in DC meetings to sanction this. Are DC embarrassed by Wonder Woman? Are they ashamed of her?
I will end by adding 'Drop the book, loser'. No, not to any readers [tho wouldnt blame them] but to Azzarello. He's had his chance.
Love your take on Strife, she does seem to aspire to being the goddess of heroin chic.
DeleteThe reason why I'm not up in arms about Wonder Woman like everyone else is because of two reasons:
ReplyDelete1. Up until this comic, I've only read 3 comics about her: The Circle by Gail Simone and Down to Earth & The Hiketeia both by Greg Rucka. The Circle was okay but did not interest me enough to keep reading past; The Hiketeia was really forgettable; and Down to Earth was good and interest me enough to continue reading, but since my local library has no more volumes of Wonder Woman, I can't continue.
So to sum it up, I don't have much experience with Wondy. I have no idea what she should be like or what opinion to have of her. I heard many other people's thoughts on her and how they view her, but that's it. As such, I really don't know if she should be acting like this and I don't overally care.
2. This entire 52 line up was a reboot and many things have changed. As such, any notion of what I thought of the characters before, I tossed out and started fresh. Except for Batman and Green Lantern, because the writers apparently decided if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So what little I did know of Wonder Woman, I disregarded and started over.
So, that's why I could hardly care that Wonder Woman is not acting like she use to be. As such, I'm enjoying this run.
However, I'm dropping this title once this entire storyline is over. While I'm enjoying it, I cannot afford to keep titles I'm just enjoying and not in love with like Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Saucer Country, and Batman.
Since you are having trouble with Wonder Woman this week, why not check out Batwoman that came out? Pretty awesome and fun twists ahoy! Also, if you having trouble with this title, drop it and wait until August when DC launches Phantom Lady miniseries. I think DC is setting up for a Freedom Fighters series/mini-series if they did The Ray and now this as a mini-series.
Thanks for the suggestion, I do get Batwoman. I'll have to stick an opinion up ...
DeleteAnd I'm looking forward to reading about yet another Phantom Lady - I wish the new costume at least kept the classic yellow and green colours, but so long as the new girl doesn't kill any dogs, I'm fine.
I actually really enjoy this book, at least the issues before this. And I like what he is trying to do...at least with the mythology. I find it creative in some senses, and different (even a little strange) - minus the whole business with the male Amazons that I abhorred. And when Diana shows up (most of the time), I think she's actually pretty awesome. But I am having an issue with the writer "trying" to be clever. It's my frame of ref that if you are trying too hard, you hardly leave room to be clever. I'm curious to what he is going to do next - because he's clearly playing the long game here - but his lack of using Diana, or strong characterization of her or actually having a storyline that features her prominently is disappointing.
ReplyDeleteCheers Stockton, nicely put. I think you're right, Azz is trying to hard. Mind, that's at least better than phoning it in ...
DeleteI'll go with drop the book, loser; going on any further would be masochist.
ReplyDeleteFair comment!
DeleteThis was a good issue. I am enjoying this whole run. Thank god the old Wonder Woman perfect woman mold is finally being broken. She seems much more real to me than ever before. I can finally relate to the character.
ReplyDeleteThanks Hodnasse, I'm glad you're connecting to Diana. Who knows, I may too, in time (there's that cock-eyed optimism again!).
Deleteif you want a great amazon character read demon knights or if you want a fun book read wolverine and the x-men, you seemed to enjoy both books.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. Exy in Demon Knights intrigues with regards to her character and backstory. And W&tX is hugely entertaining. Thanks!
DeleteWondie reduced to a mere MacGuffin. Nice point. I'm going to steal that, if you don't mind. Why don't they call this "The Olympians" instead of "WW"? Why can't they pull her out of the book and just let the gods run riot, punning all the way?
ReplyDeletePS, Mart: Drop the book. It's the loser, not you. I can not imagine how any fan of WW (who is not contractually obligated in blood to keep purchasing the book) can read this and not become some shade of ill.
I intend to drop it ...I can use the time to read my Sugar & Spike and Lois Lane Archives!
DeleteThere's nothing wrong with the Sugar & Spike Archives. It's basically the best thing on earth.
DeleteToo true - that there was anything wrong with them is the last thing I'd wish to imply. Shelly Mayer was one of comics' greats!
DeleteI dropped the book after #7. I remain a committed fan of the character, but this run is painful to read, like watching someone pull the wings off a butterfly. An act of vandalism against an American icon.
ReplyDeleteAzzarello's Vertigo mannerisms -- generic dark surrealism, deadpan seriousness, and extreme "written for the trade" decompression -- were obvious in this issue. It astounds that an editor would send a superhero comic to the presses that does not contain a single action sequence. I was able to get the gist of how the plot was developed, which isn't much, leafing through it on the shelf.
I remain more convinced than ever that Vertigo and *Watchmen* are malignant influences, and this issue reminds me why. It isn't a good idea to tell the writers of our pulp fiction that they can aspire to the allegedly superior status of "literary fiction" (i.e., the boring genre). It isn't a good idea to tell them they're so much cleverer than the people who made brightly colored stories about patriotic heroes and good triumphing over evil.
Writers influenced by these beliefs inevitably adopt a condescending attitude towards classic characters: they aren't "complex" enough and need to be "improved". The self-conscious Maturity they want to display in the books leads them inevitably towards Grim, while the self-conscious need to be Taken Seriously points them towards Dark. As a result, there's a lot less variety of moods in the Vertigo line than there is, say, in the Fantagraphics mature-readers titles.
Now, a story about how Wonder Woman is shot by the weapons of Eros/Cupid and betrothed to Hades probably has potential. But that potential is squandered to the extent that the writer insists on being Taken Seriously rather than having some fun with it. What we have here is a comic that's too slow and no fun.
Really interesting points, SteveGus. I'm trying to think of writers who can straddle Vertigo and the DCU with equal ease. Paul Cornell looks to have a shot.
DeleteA wacky Wondy story with her addled by love bullets ... hmm, that's actually ringing a bell.
Aha, love arrows! DC Comics #34, as commemorated at the ThisMeansWhatWhy blog - shame Blogger on iPad is rubbish at pasting links :(
I remember.... this was where Eros made her fall in love with Superman, right?
DeleteThere was another --- don't have the issue handy, but it was after she was repowered in the 1970s, and being tested by the members of the Justice League --- some villain named the Cavalier or the Musketeer or something, in some eighteenth century metrosexual getup, tried to use his power of chemically heightened sexual attraction on Wonder Woman. Didn't work.
Like to see how Starfox would fare. Or Durand-Durand.
Ah yes, and I misremembered which one at first - but #212, yes? Roll on the trade of the JLA trials.
DeleteAh, Mart, I'm still enjoying it -- although I think this issue was weaker than most, being all build-up.
ReplyDeleteBy all means, drop it if it's annoying you too much. Sooner or later, this phase will end, and it might be good to come back and read it afterward; I'm sure a lot more Wonder Woman fans have enjoyed the Emma Peel era in hindsight, as an artifact of an earlier age, than did at the time.
If you're gonna drop it, though, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Saga, Conan, and the occasional issue of Dark Horse Presents!
Hmm, Conan, that's a challenge, as I'm not keen on sword and sorcery. The only time I've enjoyed a Conan run was when JM DeMatteis was writing. I'll have a think!
DeleteThe Brian Wood/Becky Cloonan issues have been great. I haven't read this week's issue yet with the new artist, but it's a similar style to Cloonan's.
DeleteThis series in particular is appealing to me because the style is so different from the Frazetta/Windsor-Smith school of art... it's a little more stylized and expressive. Page through one and see whatcha think!
OK, I shall have a look see. I've not read much Brian Wood, hopefully he'll surprise me.
DeleteFor God's sake, flee this ghastly travesty. Every sale tells DC that this is the sort of thing people will buy. In its place you could get...
ReplyDelete--Quite a variety of WW reprint volumes from the Golden Age on up;
--Any number of other comics (I'm personally a fan of "Wolverine and the X-Men," which finally brings back the school and a sense of fun to the X-books, but there are many others)
--Current work by other creators you've liked
--Tasty snacks--hey, at least they're enjoyable!
--Non-tasty snacks--hey, at least they're more enjoyable than this run of Wonder Woman!
--Making it rain dollar bills, which beats shelling out money for dreck
--Making dollar bills into origami
--DVDs of the more classic-style Wonder Woman animated films or even the Lynda Carter series
--DVDs which have WW or the Amazons in them in a more classic style (the Supergirl one in which she trains on Paradise Island, for example)
--And many more!
Thanks for giving me a good few smiles there! That issue with Supergirl training as an Amazon was a hoot.
DeleteAs for tasty snacks, I want a Tootsie Roll Pop, as endorsed by Ponce de Leon.
I will not drop the title because the story continues to interest me, but I read it thinking "This is good now .... when the real Wonder Woman show up? The warm, courageous and compassionate. The one who used the lasso and not the sword.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that the reviewers who enjoy this new version does not recognize themselves as fans of the previous one. Perhaps that explains a lot. I wonder what would happen if Batman where changed so drastically and now in the new 52, smiled all the time and say ¡Watch out, chum!
I also detest the Justice League's Diana and her personality and expressions: "good, fight", "cool, I can use my sword" and the like. The classic Hulk would feel ashamed of her very limited vocabulary. Why they hate Diana in DC?
Oh, and I love your reviews.
Hi Fernando, it's interesting to hear your mixed feelings about this storyline. I wonder if the endgame isn't to have a more recognisable Diana. If so, that's a mistake, given we're about five years into the New 52 DCU - she really should be the core, classic Diana by this point.
DeleteAnd the JL Wonder Woman is indeed off, but Geoff Johns has never been able to write her satisfactorily.
Hi Mart, Sorry to hear you aren't enjoying WW. I'm having my own struggles with it (namely the Amazons). To drop or not to drop is up to you, but you're not a loser in my book. Happy reading (whatever you read).
ReplyDelete- Americanwonder (@CBR)
Hi Americanwonder, thanks for the sentiment.
ReplyDeleteI must be in the minority because I'm loving Wonder Woman! but, as your review states, this is not your grandparents Wonder Woman. It's different, unique, and risky! And I love it. But to each his own.
ReplyDeleteNo! no, we can't agree to differ. Wrestle ya!
DeleteMart, I'm surprised you're thinking of dropping the book, if you suffered through past writers like Simone, JMS/Hester, Jimenez, Byrne, etc,,,, you think this is worse than those runs? I like it very much. I can see why it's not for everyone. Then again, I have a penchant for crudeness, as did the gods. I also love that Aphrodite has been restored to her prominence, that that Diana has a sense of humour and can be crafty, as well. She's definitely more Marstonian than Perezian-- the Perez version was too goody-goody to crack a joke or play a trick. I also love she's a beacon of goodness and positivity amongst all these monsters. I'm sure this Diana wouldn't think you're a loser, whatever you choose.
ReplyDeleteI do think this is worse than those runs. It's up there with Greg Rucka's in terms of giving us an unrecognisable Wonder Woman.
DeleteStill, the good thing with Diana's revamps is that if you don't like one, another will be along in a minute. Yes, I know Azzarello SAYS he sticking around ...
I don't see a great deal of Marston's Diana in here - that gal was a real go-getter whereas this lady is constantly dancing to the tune of others, Sean.
I also must add that I don't understand why people think this Diana is so different from earlier incarnations. I'm thinking of #7, where she's bummed by what she's learned about the Amazons, but she cannot sleep thinking of her brothers-- I love the scene where she calls them brothers and Amazons, exhorting them to choose freedom. Or telling Hades she's fighting for Zola's life because "life's important." Or telling Zola in #5 that she's had regrets, but if, after hanging around for an afternoon waiting for Poseidon, that if he doesn't show, she's at least had a nice afternoon. I especially love that line. How many people would be pissed that their time was wasted? Diana, instead, makes the most of her time. She's been incredibly positive through this whole series. Even with all the bad stuff and bad things she's learned, she's still staying positive. Isn't that Wonder Woman, at her best?
ReplyDeleteThat 'nice afternoon' attitude reminds me of Bill Loebs' 'today is a good day to die', which I liked.
DeleteI'm right with you, Martin. It, along with Superman, Superboy and Teen Titans, are on my drop list (and DC Comics Presents is dangerously close). Just don't have the cash to keep spending on (at best) marginal reads.
ReplyDeleteMake that "it .... is." Darn English.
DeleteSuperboy and Teen Titans are on my ailing list too, Chuck - this NOWHERE business seems interminable.
DeleteGosh. I for one am finding the fierce discussion almost as much fun as the comic itself. I wonder: what is it about WW that engenders such fierce debate?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm still enjoying the ride. Yes, admittedly, it's not my favourite of the handful of comics I read, but I still get enough pleasure from it to want to follow it. Having only read WW briefly in the past, I have few positive or negative ideas about her background so I personally have no problems with male Amazons and how her nature is being changed.
However, I also agree with many others who feel that WW should perhaps feature a little more heavily in her own comic. While I quite enjoy the dialogue between the gods and the supporting characters, I would like to see a few more pages featuring WW but, most importantly, a few more pages of WW being more active. In this issue, she felt particularly passive - almost an observer in her own comic or someone being pushed rather than the central protagonist of her own comic.
But, my most important point: Martin, I get a great deal of pleasure reading your reviews and commentary. I don't want to follow too many comics every month, so your blog is a great way to extend the pleasure I get from the few I follow and to catch up on a few others that I don't follow. I look forward to reading many more from you.
Thanks Rob, all encouragement appreciated! And it's good that you're enjoying Diana as she is.
DeleteWe seem to be on the opposite sides, but I still like reading your review, so maybe you shouldn’t drop the book? :)
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint with this issue, like before, is that I have to wait another month for the next. It delivers, it drips with horror, and so far, I haven’t had this much fun with the series since Loebs left ages ago.
I’ve always liked the wordplays which I find delicious, and the puerile stuff you mentioned isn’t really puerile, in my opinion, considering Persephone. I thought the scene with Aphrodite is also quite classy (Hermes’ and Zola’s reactions had me chuckling a bit), and while it remains to be seen, she seems to be not an airhead, which I like.
Hi Arnold, great to hear from you. I'm getting a Marvel's Venus vibe from this Aphrodite, which is no bad thing.
DeleteEven though I'm on the "Drop the book" side of things, I do so without calling you a loser. You are no loser Martin, and if you think you're going to lose any credibility by not reviewing anymore of the books, you won't.
ReplyDeleteThey marketed this book as a horror story, yet not once in this book did I ever feel fear for any of the characters, let alone myself. I'm reading the Batwoman comic right now and that has a lot more horror story elements going on that are genuinely creepy while this is borderline laughable. Hades threatening Diana with a golden noose? Really?
The writers of this story just don't know what they're doing. They have ideas that might work, they just come off as totally incapable of making it believable. For example, the issue where I dropped this new Wonder Woman was when Diana learns about her origins. While I certainly hated the change, I still wanted to see how the writers would manage to pull it off. It was hilarious. Instead of Hippolyta just telling Wonder Woman that yes, it is true she's the daughter of Zeus, we get this unbelievable flashback sequence that lasts about four pages of Hippolyta explaining in great detail about how wonderful and awesome the sex with Zeus was. Really? Your daughter that you proclaim to love so much just found out the truth, and all you tell her is how great the sex was? Her honest "But I truly love you!" bit really comes off more as an after thought like she almost forgot to include that bit. What makes this even more embarrassing is that Zeus has been established to deceive women in order to bed them, and the way she talks about her relationship with Zeus, it's almost like he had Hippolyta believe there was something between them hook, line and sinker. Because the only thing Hippolyta uses to describe Zeus as having genuine feelings towards her only comes from the sex. Again, the very thing this comic established that he deceives his way into. Hippolyta comes off less like a noble Amazon leader and more like some selfish incompetent loser who's more likely to fall for every spam mail she gets.
The writers wanted to paint this moment as hippolyta trying to have a genuine moment with her daughter, and they failed. They failed HARD.
Ha, that's a great image Jeyl, Hippolyta sending the Amazonian fortune to some spammer in Nigeria ... and you're so right about the weirdness of the way she told Diana of her conception. Ovesharing by a dizzy queen.
DeleteAs for Batwoman, it does have creepy images, but I have a couple of problems with that. Hmm, wasn't I meant to be doing a review?
People have been complaining for years that Wonder Woman is too remote and hard to relate to. DC chose to 'fix' this by turning her into a demi-goddess and by turning the women who raised her into barbarians. I'm still not sure how that helps.
ReplyDeleteGood question!
DeleteI dropped at issue #3 after 40 years of reading the title. It just got too painful -too even read message boards or be in FB groups after issue #7 so your reviews are the only connection to the character I have anymore. :(
ReplyDeleteSo many folks seem to think that one day Azz will change his tactics or another writer will reboot into the old school WW, and that we can't-beleive-I-dropped-WW-after-decades folks will be happy again. I don't think that's ever going to happen. At least not for a generation or so, IF and only if, the pop culture mainstreams takes a big shift. I think this WW is the new starting point from DC editorial POV and any reboots for the next 20 years will be towards more edgy, dark and twisted. It just makes more marketing sense -given they thought this would be mainstream.
I can only pray they do a Jonny DC version of WW. I am so, so, so tired of the constant, repeated break-her-down-to-build-her-up storylines that either a) never really build her up or b) build her up for half an issue just to reboot to start breaking her down again the next one...
Aw heck Anthony, I hope you're wrong. An even darker Diana? I couldn't bear it. I'll end up in that support group with Etta Candy.
DeleteA DC kids version would be at least some solace.
I must be peculiar because I am enjoying this odd soap opera. At some point it will get old, I am sure, but for now, I am really enjoying it. I am saddenned that again modern comics artists seem so incapable of maintaining a schedule that Cliff Chiang is once again missing. Sit at your desk and get it done, geez!
ReplyDeleteI think we're all of us peculiar here, Hector - be proud!
DeleteCliff Chiang draws at the pace he draws - I don't mind that he's not here every month, as such a commitment was never announced. Having said that, I do prefer a consistent artist/team.
On the plus side, I picked up Supergirl #8 strictly because of Perez and was surprised by how much I liked it... picked up #9 and enjoyed it despite the lack of Perez. So I guess Supergirl is going to replace Wonder Woman on my buy list for now...
ReplyDeleteWell that's something, anyway!
DeleteI love this book and I love Brian Azzarello's word play.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a different kind of take on Wonder Woman, but I was never a fan of any of the rest of them, save William Messner-Loebs' early 1990's--and this is way different from that as well!
I'm not going to tell you to stop reading this title, but that could be because I'm loving it so much.
And quite right too, Jeff. Support the books you enjoy. There's plenty of other stuff I'm liking, so I wouldn't wish to tear this from anyone's hands ...
DeleteHonest!
I don't doubt your sincerity, Martin. I honestly just find Azzarello's pacing and wordplay and complexity to be a refreshing change of pace from the status quo of comics. It's like a mix of the Vertigo and the mainline DCU. I find his updated used of the gods to be very intriguing, and I love the way he is showing Wonder Woman to be a very strong character (I get the feeling she's playing Mr. Candleface here in a way that we will really enjoy in a month or so...). I love everything about this book.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm sorry you don't feel the same way, I hope that ten years down the line, your black spot on Wonder Woman's history is my personal Golden Age of WW--back when I used to read and enjoy her title.
Cheers!
I love wordplay, really I do - heck, as a sub-editor, half my day is spent coming up with punny headlines ... and many of them are rightly stomped on by colleagues as too contrived. Azz needs such colleagues.
DeleteAnd again, seriously, I don't begrudge you this run. But I do whine ...
hm, I've actually been enjoying the comic.
ReplyDeleteNowt wrong with that! :)
DeleteWhile I'm enjoying it, I'm also ready for a conclusion of some sort. To any particular story point. Between the fact that this title seems to have no connection to the rest of the DCU and the lengthy storyline, this almost feels like another year of JMS in a pocket universe.
ReplyDeletePart of what contributes to this is that there's no sense of place for Diana. Sure, she woke up in a flat in London in the first issue, but have we seen a domicile that was hers since? Has she ever found her place in the world after leaving paradise? We know she changes clothes, but this Diana is essentially nomadic, traveling with gods and wandering realms, and it's almost as if she's only slept once (in Hephaestus' workshop) since the first issue.
I'm enjoying the story (and yes, I think some things will turn out to be untrue or surely reversed, like the man-slaughtering amazons), but it also doesn't feel like anything that will be sustainable beyond Azz & Chiang or in the DCU in general. In the end, the gods won't be her friends or constant traveling companions, and her home won't be on Olympus or in Hades or with Hephaestus. Azz isn't world building for a grounded iconic superhero; for Diana, all of that is happening (barely, and unfortunately) in JLA. Who will be a supporting character when this run is over? Who will be a villain that Diana takes on again?
Azz is spinning a fantasy journey for a mythic hero, but the flavor of this is almost like two years of powerless Diana Prince - something DC tried for awhile and will later be seen as "Vertigo Wonder Woman."
Oh, and Mart, if you're looking to temporarily replace Wondy in your pull list, you should absolutely get Saga. It's awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi Frank, I so agree that the lack of a private life to anchor Diana's adventures is a weakness. It's part of a trend, I suppose, but I want Diana to have a life beyond fighting monsters and gods. I want to see her everyday adventures.
DeleteI really hope you're right that revelations will be proven false, because this Wonder Woman, and her world, isn't one I wish to follow.
And I reviewed Saga #1, I liked it very much!