Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Wonder Woman #3

By Zak Edwards
November 21, 2011 - 12:24

Be sure to read Koppy McFad's review of this very issue, the link's to the right!

One thing I love about Brian Azzarello’s take on Wonder Woman, even though I've never really read anything starring the character before, is his obvious commitment to the long-haul.  Where plenty of people are attempting to kick the waiting for the trade habit, which sees writers plan monthly comics to be collected and read as a whole, Azzarello gives an obvious counterpoint.  As a serial, Wonder Woman is keeping things entertaining and consistent, as a trade-waiter, the title is still setting up on the third issue, making these three issues feel like the opening rather than already being halfway through a story.  As a person willing to engage with this book for a while, it’s nice to see a plan for a long story rather than a series of loosely connected short stories.  The latter is entertaining in itself, I certainly enjoy that extremely frequently, but the long-term approach can be so much more rewarding.  It’s why 100 Bullets became what it is.

This latest issue of Wonder Woman mostly concerns itself with the fallout of Strife’s attack on Paradise Island and the revelation of Wonder Woman’s origin.  For the first time, the titular character takes the front seat and its nice to see Azzarello is still able to write female characters that can avoid much of the criticism DC is getting in other titles.  Azzarello has a predominantly female cast and manages to actually characterize without relying on stereotype or stock characters.  Probably the most notable character is Aleka, whose characterization and legitimacy is fully reliant on Azzarello’s ability to write women.  Extremely masculine, Aleka completely fits in with the stereotypical female creation by a male writer unable to write female characters.  She is, quite bluntly, extremely masculine, but because of the context and surrounding characters, she comes across as legitimate character rather than a marker of poor characterization.  Princess Diana herself is a strong character, competent, intimidating and well-rounded despite her relatively little screen time.  The issue itself feels like a launching point, as I mentioned, with issues of authority and implications of events providing a forwarding of the plot.  It’s all quite exciting despite any real action, mostly a series of very important and intense conversations.  Overall, the book is confident and interesting, still integrating mythological tropes while telling something fresh.  Sure, the crabs near the end were a little much, but otherwise, this has become one of my favourite books despite having no previous interest in the character.

For an issue almost exclusively being a series of conversations, artist Cliff Chiang manages to keep an action feel without feeling out of place.  Characters get in each others' faces, fight, take out their anger, and much more in melodramatic ways (Diana spends a page knocking over trees) but without becoming eye-rolling.  There’s a strange balance of restraint and hyperbole, much like the influences on the book, that play out nicely.  Chiang, just like Azzarello, can also handle female characters, having more than two body shapes and making characters look believable.  Diana is a warrior, after all, so why wouldn’t she look like she has some muscle on her?  The book continues to look amazing as Chiang still handles everything with grace and poise.

Grade: A    Still an amazing read, can’t wait for the next issue.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12