The New 52 version of Wonder Woman is one of the best written books published today. I rank it as my favorite version of Wonder Woman. Brian Azzarello added an element of horror to the series. Part of this was done by making the gods more like they were in the original mythologies. They are not necessarily human, are powerful, spiteful, and not afraid to use others as their play things. Azzarello’s Wonder Woman almost feels like an old Vertigo book. The only problem I see with the New 52 version is that it is not consistent across the line. The Wonder Woman in Geoff Johns’ “Justice League” seems like a different character. But Peter Tomasi wrote her in line with Azzarello’s version. With Azzarello’s run ending soon, I am sure the next version will be more along the lines of the “Justice League” Wonder Woman. I will miss this series.
The only thing I did not care for was the choice of art direction. The minimalistic art does not fit the lush storytelling. This is a series that would have been better with a more realistic artist. The horror and supernatural elements would have carried more weight.
Based on my new rating system, all of the collections get a 7 of 10 rating. The storytelling gets high ratings while the art pulls it down. Whether or not you agree with me about the art, these collections are must buys. “Wonder Woman” continues to be one of the most intriguing, suspense books on the shelves and be fondly remembered as a great series.
Author: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins
Publisher: DC Comics
Graphic Novel Challenge #s 42-45
Wonder Woman Volume 1: Blood
Rating 7
Wonder Woman Volume 2: Guts
Rating 7
Wonder Woman Volume 3: Iron
Rating 7
Wonder Woman Volume 4: War
Rating 7
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Goran Sudzuka
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Source: Netgalley
Graphic Novel Challenge #22
Collects: Wonder Woman #s 24-29, Wonder Woman 23.2
Everything is starting to come together in the next to last arc for this creative team. Due to events that happened in a previous arc, Wonder Woman is now the God of War. Zeus' First Born is back from exile. He is not happy. The First Born leads an all-out assault on Olympus. And when you have a violent god out for blood, the violence goes off the charts.
First Born was shafted by being imprisoned. Azzarello shows what he has been made to endure. His return for retribution appears to be the big event that the team has been building towards on this unique take on the Wonder Woman mythos. At times Wonder Woman has been a good title but Azzarello has made it into a must read. Each new issue is at the top of that week's reading stack. The art is not my favorite but it does help to contribute to the overall look of the book. And the various artists have kept a consistent look throughout this run. I will miss this team and hope that the new creative team will incorporate part of what has been built here. I cannot wait to see how Azzarello wraps up his big story and what happens to the characters he created.
Highly recommended.
