Wonder Woman #600 – Review

By Gail Simone (writer), George Perez (pencils), Scott Koblish (inks), Amanda Conner (writer and artist), Paul Mounts (colors), Louise Simonson (writer), Eduardo Pansica (pencils), Bob Wiacek (ink), Geoff Johns (writer), Scott Kolins (art), Michael Atiyeh (colors), and J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Don Kramer (pencils), Michael Babinski (inks)

The Stories: Gail Simone (yay!) gives us a nice story about a team up between Diana and most of the other female DC heroes (including Kate Kane’s Batwoman—double yay!), Amanda Conner gives us a fluffy but fun vignette that has Diana helping Power Girl to solve a…relationship problem, Louise Simonson tells us about a disasters nearly averted as Wonder Woman teams up with Superman to take down Aegeus, Geoff Johns (yay again!) gives us a very nice, very classic-feeling Wonder Woman tale that ends up being a prologue to…

…the Big One. Straczynski and company attempt to reinvent everything, from Wonder Woman’s costume to her attitude to her origin, to he very timeline itself. How do they fare? Read on.

The Review: We’ll get to the elephant in the room in a moment, but let’s focus on the non-JMS stories first. They’re all good, mostly because of the caliber of creators (especially writers) they pulled in for this issue. Johns’ story was easily my favorite (full disclosure: I’m a completely unapologetic Johns fangirl, so your mileage could vary), both because of the excellent writing and the story itself (short though it was.) I just love the added meaning he endows the “wonder” of Wonder Woman with. It’s not the first time it has been done of course, but Johns works it in very quietly and elegantly, without overemphasizing it or beating us over the head. I appreciate that. All of the vignettes were worth the time I invested in reading them, honestly; even “Fuzzy Logic,” my least favorite of the group, was harmless enough. It was a bit too cute for my taste, but it really does emphasize that there’s a Wonder Woman story in this issue to suit every kind of fan.

Now, on to ”Couture Shock.” I hate to start off with a complaint when there are a lot of good things to say about this story…but ugh. Worst. Pun. Ever. Yes I know it’s a reference to the new costume, but still. No thank you. It’s just BAD. With such major changes being made to such an iconic character, I really would have appreciated a title that was a little less flippant. Maybe I’m being oversensitive, but it really feels rather disrespectful, especially given how…we’ll say “passionately,” fans tend to react to changes of this magnitude. (Just titling it plain ‘ol “Culture Shock,” while generic, would have been plenty serviceable, and preferable in my opinion.)

Speaking of the costume, let’s talk about that for a moment. I know there are a lot of people out there who went pretty fairly ballistic when the first images were released the other day, but I like this look. In fact, I like it a lot, and I’m even more comfortable with it after seeing and understanding it in the context of the story that I think JMS is trying to tell (but more on that later.) Aesthetically, they kept enough of the original costume and symbolism that there’s no doubt as to who the character is, while still successfully giving it a street-level appearance. My only real quibble is with the 80s-style short jacket which, while it serves it purpose, is neither flattering nor anything most modern folks would wear. A normal, lower-ship length blue jacket with stars on the shoulders would have completed the new ensemble much more effectively, and gone a long way towards making the costume as a whole look better. (Although really…I have to say I think the jacket does fit Wonder Woman’s style pretty well, even if it doesn’t fit our 21st century one. She IS a person out of her own time, after all, so maybe it works on a level I haven’t yet considered. I dunno.)

As for the story, and this very new and very different take on Diana…I’m withholding judgment on the idea as a whole (this is, after all, just a prologue), but from what I see here, I think I understand where JMS is trying to go with this, and I believe I approve. It remains to be seen how it works in actual execution of course, but the first baby step is an encouraging one.

Here’s the way I see it: this arc is called “The Odyssey,” right? And what is the very first thing that should come to mind when you hear that? A person yanked away from everything they know and love, who must then overcome obstacles to earn the right to return home, and to return things to the status quo. I think that’s exactly what we’re going to see here: a year of Diana’s journey to find herself again, and recover what has been taken from her. Not only will this allow us to see our favorite Amazon in a different setting, it’s going to allow the creative team to explore parts of her character that were impossible to delve into before because of her lofty position as a demi-god, and her personal ties and dedication to both Themyscira and the Amazons, and the rest of humanity. It’s going to be very, very interesting to watch her operate with so much of what made Diana Diana stripped away. (This is another reason I think the costume change in general was a good idea; if you’re going to get down to the root of the character like they seem to be trying to do, then everything has to change, and that includes those iconic duds.)

Now, if I thought this was a permanent change in the direction of the Wonder Woman book, I might start to feel my feathers being ruffled. But I truly believe that—like in any other good Odyssey—Diana will navigate the trials set before her, and find her way home again. And if this prologue was any indication, watching her get there is going to be a very wild, but ultimately very satisfying, ride. I’m still a little unsure as to how exactly this affects the continuity of the rest of the DCU, but I’m guessing that this is something of an alternate timeline Diana is in, and will be set right (along with everything else) when she makes her triumphant homecoming.

Conclusion: Buy it. Not only does it contain the prologue to a huge shift in Wonder Woman’s universe, the other stories are well worth the price. (If you want my personal opinion, pay the extra bucks for one of the variant covers when you get it. I’m not a cover chaser at ALL, but the regular cover was so boring and not special considering what an important issue this is that I had no problem paying a little extra for something much nicer looking. My two cents.)

Grade: A

-SoldierHawk