Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Nicola Scott; Bilquis Evely (for “Interlude” only); Romulo Fajardo Jr.; & Jodi Wynne
Covers & Collection Covert Art by Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics in 2017, this 168-page trade paperback compiles Wonder Woman # 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, & 14 (all from 2016-2017). Initially paralleling their lives, glimpses of Diana, Princess of the Amazons, and U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Steve Trevor are seen. Soon after Diana recovers from a viper’s poisonous bite, she and her fellow Amazons witness the mid-air explosion of Trevor’s military jet before its remnants surface on Themyscira’s beach.
To battle the world’s evils far beyond its shores, an Amazonian tournament decrees its lone champion accompany Trevor (the tragedy’s lone survivor) back to modern civilization. Leaving her homeland, Diana willingly sacrifices enchanted immortality, as well as the option of someday returning to Themyscira.
Despite her noble intentions, Diana finds herself overwhelmed, confused, and, for a lack of any better idea by the U.S. military, unjustly incarcerated. Only the help of archaeologist Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, as her translator, helps Diana start to slowly acclimate. Gaining vast new gifts from the disguised gods, Diana displays enhanced physical powers to accompany her impervious silver bracelets and mystical golden lasso.
Minerva ominously deduces the anagram of the SEAR terrorist group once Diana, Steve, & Etta Candy partially thwart an insidious attack upon a San Diego mall. It’s soon up to Diana to face her most formidable adversary defending humanity from chaotic and deadly violence fueled by pure hate. Ultimately, the world concocts the legendary alternate name for which Diana becomes synonymous with.
In “Interlude,” long before her transformation into the Cheetah, Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva’s origin is revealed. Dating back to her childhood, Minerva’s fascination with myth becomes an adult obsession to find the present location of the Amazons. Hence, will Steve Trevor be the first mortal to discover Themyscira?
Note: This title has been subsequently released as an expanded, hardcover ‘deluxe’ edition.
REVIEW:
Retreading iconic turf, Writer Greg Rucka’s plotting is consistently solid, as are the art team’s painting-like visuals. Despite Rucka’s depiction of Steve Trevor as more of a dim-witted hunk than a savvy Navy SEAL, the storyline delivers solid entertainment.
Of particular note is a naïve Diana’s plausible exploration of 21st Century cultural nuances amidst her own sense of awe and wonder. Her obligatory battle against the same godly nemesis Gal Gadot’s live-action incarnation faces isn’t action-packed like the film, but it is satisfying enough. The same applies to Diana’s initial friendship with another future enemy. Dr. Minerva’s slow-brewing envy (and eventual betrayal) of Wonder Woman now makes more sense from the get-go.
Believably presenting her as alien to the mortal world, Wonder Woman, Volume 2: Year One is a welcome read setting up Diana’s DC Universe Rebirth continuity.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
In a full-page format, Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s original cover precedes each issue in color followed by a sketch-like, black-and-white version). There’s a variant cover gallery (all in a full-page format): artist Frank Cho for Issues # 2, 4, & 6; and then artist Jenny Frison for Issues # 8, 10, 12, & 14.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
