Wonder Woman is one of the classic characters of comicbookdom. She’s iconic. She’s beautiful. She’s got a killer uniform. She’s got some pretty cool abilities.
But she’s never been done exactly right. She’s never had a defining moment. From her start to recent years, no writer has really ever been able to get a handle on her.
In these post-Infinite Crisis months, DC Comics has opted to revamp her comic book once again and give the world a new jumping-on point for readers.
They’ve given us Wonder Woman No. 1 (Aug. 2006).
The story is written by Allan Heinberg with art by Terry Dodson. In it, we see that a new person has adopted the role of the babe in the star-spangled brassiere.
Her replacement? The very same person who trained with her for years: Donna Troy aka Wonder Girl aka Troia aka Darkstar.
As the story opens, this new Wonder Woman is out to rescue Steve Trevor, who’s been kidnapped by terrorists. The terrorists’ demands? Send in the real Wonder Woman or Trevor gets it.
Well, for the last year, Princess Diana has been AWOL, that’s why Troy is filling in. Without blinking an eye, the new WW makes her assault.
Inside, she discovers the terrorists aren’t really terrorists, just supervillians.
In fact, the group is comprised of Wonder Woman’s rogue’s gallery: Cheetah, Giganta and Dr. Psycho, all of whom are sporting new looks thanks to I-Cry.
Giganta definitely looks cool. Dr. Psycho seems a bit more scary, but Cheetah’s makeover is less appealing. Instead of being the “bearer of a Cheetah totem ” (for lack of a better description) she instead appears to be a low-rent Catwoman.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this new Cheetah will offer a little more flavor. Who knows, we only see that group for a few pages.
The issue ends with the odd arrival of two older characters. Nemesis from the 1990s and Diana Prince. At this moment, I can’t say for sure if the Diana Prince who shows up is indeed the former Wonder Woman, she arrives in an outfit somewhat akin to her short-lived spy-era getup. If it is Diana, then her appearance is really no big deal. If it isn’t Princess Diana simply readopting her old role of Diana Prince, then we’re in for something intriguing!
The story in of itself is just the beginning. Like all comics in this day and age, 22 pages of story aren’t able to tell a whole story. Every storyline takes six or seven issues to unfold, so it makes it a bit difficult to review this itty-bitty snapshot of the full storyline.
Cheesecake artist Terry Dodson is OK, but not in his usual drool-worthy glory. It’s nothing horrible, but after througly enjoying his work on “Spider-Man and the Black Cat,” I was a bit disappointed.
Still there’s promise here. If Heinberg’s goal is redefine and rework Wonder Woman’s villains, this seems like a good start. If this is DC’s attempt to redefine Wonder Woman herself, then I’m still waiting for that “redefining moment” to arrive.
WONDER WOMAN No. 1 (Aug 2006)
“Who is Wonder Woman?”
DC Comics
Writing by: Alan Heinberg
Art by: Terry Dodson
Two out of Four Stars (but I’m expecting an improvement).
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