By J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Don Kramer and Eduardo Panscia (pencils), Jay Leisten, Michael Babinski and Ruy Jose (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors), Travis Lanham (letters)
The Story: Diana joins her people in the Temple of Aphrodite to help them escape from the human assault.
What’s Good: This version of Diana is…taking some getting used to, at least for me. (It probably doesn’t help that I’m currently re-reading my trades of the Rucka and Simone runs…that probably contributes to more perceived character whiplash than is actually necessary.) I’m having trouble adjusting to the new Captain America too, of course, but at least in that case there’s an entirely new person sporting the uniform. I guess there’s no real way to escape this kind of personality shift in Diana, given the drastic change in her experiences that this time…warp…thing has caused (and while we’re on the subject, can we please have some sort of explanation as to why this is happening? We’re two and a half issues in!), but I still have to blink and remind myself that yes, this IS Wonder Woman, and she IS talking like a common street thug.
Why is this not under “what’s not so good?” Because regardless of how any of us feel about the storyline in general (personally I have major reservations, but I’m at least waiting an issue or two more before passing full judgment), both the dramatic change in Diana’s vernacular and her change in costume emphasize that this is NOT the same character we have known for so long. This is to JMS’s credit, although (much like in Superman) he tends to beat the reader over the head with his point. A delicate writer Mr. Straczynski is not.
And yet, despite the over-broad and rushed strokes that the characters are painted in, and despite the fact that I’m still on the fence about this new incarnation of Diana…I’m still interested in her and the story JMS is building; it’s a strong and interesting premise. Is it strong enough to carry a year’s worth of comics? That, I don’t know. But I do know that I’ll be buying #603 to see where Diana’s ‘Odyssey’ takes her next.
What’s Not So Good: Okay DC, time to settle on an art team for this book. Two pencilers and three inkers? That’s certainly not unprecedented, but it does go a long way towards explaining why so many of the panels feel jumbled and confused. And the battle scenes…ugh. As much fun as it is to watch the “all-new” Wonder Woman (and ye gods how I hate that branding!) throw off her jacket and kick some ass, the battle scene itself just feels lifeless. Diana herself is drawn well, but none of the action actually registers as such; it’s more like looking at a series of posters than absorbing a visual story that logically flows from one image to the next. Sure they look pretty, but in terms of explaining to the reader what’s going on…not so much. This makes the death of the priestess (and Diana’s rather overwrought reaction to it) far less impactful than even its clichéd nature would usually warrant. The exception to these complaints is the final page of the issue, a beautiful full-page splash of Diana looking quite badass. THAT poster, I would buy.
I do have one request for the art team while we’re on the subject though: if we ‘re going to stick with this new costume, could you work on getting the neckline on her shirt a little bit lower please? We can’t quite see nipple when she bends over or leaps towards the reader (which she should continue to do at least three to four times per issue, obviously.) Just sayin.’
Conclusion: Not a terribly strong issue. JMS is going to need to execute a lot more character development, and build some stronger relationships between Diana and the other characters if he expects us to care about any of them (or buy the idea that Diana cares about them.) Still, the book ended on a strong enough note that I’m interested in what may be coming next. …Let’s pray that includes a strong script, and more focused artwork.
Grade: C
-SoldierHawk
Filed under: DC Comics Tagged: | Alex Sinclair, comic book reviewsw, Don Kramer, Eduardo Panscia, J. Michael Straczynski, Jay Leisten, Michael Babinski, ruy jose', Travis Lanham, Weekly Comic Book Review, Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman #602 review
I actually really enjoyed this issue, but perhaps that’s just because I never really read/cared about Simone’s run.
The weaknesses you point out are definitely there though. The art is significantly weaker more uneven than last month’s awesomeness due to the number of hands working on it. That panel where the Amazons welcome Diana is painfully bad, for example. It’s also really distressing that Kramer is already needing an assist after one freaking issue. Seriously, what’s going on there? It’s not like he’s working on anything else.
You’re also right about the character relationships. JMS didn’t do enough to make us care about that….Amazon….with that shield (seriously, was she even given a name?) so when the inevitable occurs, it doesn’t have the effect that JMS clearly intended it to. It was supposed to be a huge moment for Diana, but it barely registered for the reader.
Other than those two points though, I really liked the book. And hurrah for ditching the jacket. I never really hated it, but this look is WAY better. The last splash was all kinds of awesome. Honestly, the ending was just awesome, period. I remember in my review of WW #601 that I wrote how, whatever the case, JMS is making his run on WW feel big and important, and that’s really, once again, what this issue and that ending in particular had going for it.