I’m trying to figure out what it was about this issue number of Wonder Woman that leaves me with a sense of . . . ennui. Or maybe I found it boring. One or the other. Or both.
Why am I giving this a “Read It” when it didn’t meet my expectation? Because I thought that this was the worst issue so far, that’s not to say it’s bad but that it didn’t live up to what I expected. I suppose this issue could be thought of as a build up to whatever Azzarello has in store for us. But it went about revealing Diana’s troubled childhood, a small seed of Amazonian rebellion, and that Queen Hippolyta was a tiger in the sack, in a way that almost felt boring. I believe that it was due to an almost complete lack of action save for an enraged Diana’s attempted deforestation of Paradise Island.
During the Amazons’ funeral for their fallen sisters I felt little sadness, in truth most of the Amazons didn’t seem phased at all, they were more concerned with placing blame on “Clay,” a cruel nickname given to Diana when she was young. The rebellious thoughts could have been the cause of Strife, still hanging around and causing the denizens of Paradise Island migraines and heartache. The Amazon’s seeming callousness could also be due to the fact that they are warriors, prepared to give up their lives and lose their sisters in battle. It makes sense then, when thought of like that, that the funeral wouldn’t tug at our heartstrings. It could also be because they killed off nameless and faceless Amazons that we really don’t have any connection to.
When Strife brings up the subject of her and Diana’s new found sisterhood Hippolyta shares the story of how Diana came to be. It turns out that Zeus liked to spar with Hippolyta naked, save for a cloak of eagle feathers (his sacred bird, which draws comparisons to the cloak of peacock feathers Hera wore in the first issue). And Zeus is sexy in a very silver fox/daddy bear kind of way . . . with dread locks. Because, you know, the Greeks loved dreads. When the flashback turns to sexy time we see something surprising: Zeus was a bottom, although it is implied that it was only for the Queen of the Amazons that Zeus would be submissive.
During the funeral Aleka, a rather agitated Amazon, claims that Diana ruined Paradise. Diana crashes the funeral, punches Aleka to the ground, and, angry over being lied to about her heritage, leaves Paradise Island and her name behind. She states she is to be never be addressed as “Diana” or “Clay” again (Three guesses as to how long this will last).
The art is as beautiful as ever, though there were some scenes with crabs ripping each other’s legs off which is probably supposed to be some parallel to the schism facing the Amazons who sided with Diana and those who didn’t. It could also be about how Strife’s very presence causes these feelings of rage. The point is I didn’t like it. If you want to put symbolism in your comic go ahead and do it, but don’t make it so obscure as to leave the reader guessing what you meant. Or, maybe, we were supposed to draw our own conclusions? Or I’m stupid and just didn’t “get it.” But if something needs to be told and you can’t do it through words, characters, or scene set up then you may be going about it the wrong way.
Maybe what bothered me most was that this is the closest origin story we’ve had for the new Wonder Woman series and it didn’t go into as much depth as I’d have liked. Her new origin is just a side note and a plot point. I’m being petty but any Wonder Woman origin should be deserving of a larger scale.
There are a few things I did enjoy about this issue: Zola is becoming fun to read, I’m enjoying her character and seeing a modern take on a normal mortal being dragged into the affairs of gods and how she copes. With each issue I’m falling more and more in love with Diana (I have a thing for angst, it’s hot). Hermes’ goody-goody act doesn’t feel contrived or annoying and it plays well off of Strife’s lax, sometimes crude, manner. Strife, by the way, is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters and I want to see her in the comic as a foil/villain/supporting character for a long time. As for DianaWonder Woman leaving the island I’m excited to see how this will all play out. Hera is still presumably enraged, Strife has done her part by causing the Princess to leave the safety of her home, and there is still the prophecy concerning the children of Zeus to think about along with whatever Apollo has scheming.
I’m more excited about the up-coming issue than I was with this one. Hopefully I won’t be let down.
I definitely recommend reading this comic if only to learn about Wonder Woman’s new origin.
Is #3 a dip in the road, a lull in the entertainment, or a breath before an exciting leap into adventure? Let us know what you think in the forums!
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