Wonder Woman #614

Wonder Woman #614
Story byJ. Michael Straczynski, Phil Hester
Art by Don Kramer, Wayne Faucher
Cover by Josh Middleton, Alex Garner
Publisher DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date Wed, August 24th, 2011

all-new Wonder Woman reaches the end of her epic "Odyssey" and comes face-to-face with the malevolent force behind it all! But the only way to defeat her nemesis may be to become her – giving her own powers over to an all-consuming hatred for life on Earth! Is Diana strong enough to control a force that seeks vengeance on all mankind, or will the warrior within her condemn her to a life of eternal bloodshed?

My thoughts:
So Diana has lost her fractured self and has both her old and new memories, I think at least, now she is able to go home and see the mother she never had a chance to know in this storyline while finding the power to overcome the curse put upon her by Nemesis.  Things were tied up but also opened up for the new start to the series this month.  I looked up the date for the new issue and it came out on September 21.  As I am writing this it is on a couple days later but I don't have the issue yet.  Chances are good that I will have it and can set up my post for tomorrow, but it depends how busy I get with other things.  I am glad that I took the time tonight to read through all the issues I had waiting for me and sorry that I didn't read them sooner.  Sometimes it is a lot easier to read a book than a comic because I feel like I need to be careful with the pages and not mess them up, not that I think they will be worth tons of money at any point in time, just because that is what people do!

Wonder Woman 613

Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI and PHIL HESTER; Art by DON KRAMER and WAYNE FAUCHER; Cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON; Variant cover by ALEX GARNER




The mega-opus "Odyssey" proved too big, it needed two extra issues to tell J. Michael Straczynski and Phil Hester's full story! It's classic Wonder Woman versus the new one! Even if she wins, she loses!

My thoughts:
So Nemesis has taken Wonder Woman's form by taking her essense with her blade, but Clotho's waeving saved a sliver of Diana who became the Diana we've been following and that is how there are two differnet realities, or more, or Wonder Woman's life and why Clotho got to be such an old woman.  So a classic fight of good against evil in moral terms comes to pass.  I am going to be sad to see this series or story line arc I guess end with the next issue.  A new story line started or is starting in September and I am not even sure if we have an issue of it yet.  I really felt like this one was starting to go off course and I am glad they were able to bring it all around so that the earlier elements made sense with where it ended up.  Now to go and read the conclusion!

Wonder Woman 612

Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI and PHIL HESTER; Art and cover by DON KRAMER and WAYNE FAUCHER; 1:10 Variant cover by ALEX GARNER


This is the one you've waited for! The year-long "Odyssey" storyline comes to an earth-shattering conclusion! Can Diana defeat the powerful forces that destroyed her entire reality? And even if she wins, she could still lose everything!

DC Universe32pg.Color

My thoughts:
We now get to see what is behind the door and who the robbed figures were who have been giving Diana cryptic messages and guidance.  The gods did not desert, they were driven out by one of their own and have been trying their best to offer assistance to Diana.  Here, Area, Zeus and more have been away from Olympus, driven out by Nemesis.  Nemesis was behind the Morrigan and behind the attacks that ruined the Amazon's homeland.  I am a bit ashamed to admit that I never considered, as Diana made her way behind the doors, what Nemesis would look like, but her appearance made sense.

Wonder Woman #611

Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI and PHIL HESTER; Art and cover by DON KRAMER and JAY LEISTEN; 1:10 Variant cover by ALEX GARNER


The penultimate chapter of "Odyssey"! Who is behind Diana's altered reality? Who made the world forget that she is Wonder Woman? Who wants the Amazons dead? And, most importantly, why? The answers start to come right here!
 
My thoughts:
My big gripe is that the actual pages for Wonder Woman were really short.  There was, I guess you would call it a bonus issue of Super 8 in the middle of the book and then a preview of another title at the end.  I understand wanting readers to try out new things to get them to buy more, but this time it felt like the story was shortened so they could add something that, to me, did not add more value to the comic or the reading experience.
 
On the story itself, Diana is now coming after the Morrigan, not hiding or running from them and she sees her symbol, or what we know to be her symbol that she has some memory of.  Then she gets sucked into a supposed preview of the future where she is taking out other superheros because they didn't do enough to protect mankind.  I wonder if that is where this is really going.

Wonder Woman #610

Synopsis from IGN Comics:

Revelations continue this month as Diana meets one of the Sisters of Fate, now an elderly woman confined to a hospital bed. Hester dramatically reinterprets Diana's origin story and even the fundamental source of her powers. I can hear some WW hardcore fans biting chunks out of their keyboards from here. Bear in mind that there's still no telling what will and won't stick when "Odyssey" wraps in a few months. All I really care about is that Hester grows and evolves the character, and he's doing an excellent job of it so far. He pushes Diana away from a place of rage and vengeance and towards one of love and compassion. It reads like redemption in more ways than one.


The script dips a bit when Wonder Woman dives back into action and enjoys a rematch with the trio of foes hunting her. I do grow tired of stories that feature a hero being badly beaten in one issue and then returning to easily mop the floor with her opponents later. Is Diana an X-Man now? But, in the end, this rematch is fairly unimportant, and it's the fight coming up that will really make or break the final leg of the story.

The lasso of truth gets a chance to help save the day, Diana Prince makes an appearance as a  nurse, Doctor Steve has a frame and she knows him, and she finds out that one of the fates kept weaving her another strand to keep her life force going, which I guess explains why she has had so many other lives.  Is Diana Prince just another strand on the web of her life?  The costume or outfit that Diana Prince gives to Diana is a melding of the old and the new.  It still has a more modern feeling, but has some touches of what most of us remember and call to mind when we thing of Wonder Woman.  Are all of the threads connected to lives and does that mean that she is living multiple lives at once?  Should I already know who is behind the Morrigan because honestly I don't.  I dislike how the last pages of the comic are used to give a sneak peak of a different comic book series.  They feel so shirt as it is, I am tempted to wait until they come out in book format and read them then which is what I may decide to do ultimately.  I think books rather than comics last longer and may end up being less expensive.


My thoughts:

Wonder Woman #609 Story by J. Michael Straczynski, Phil Hester Art by Don Kramer, Sean Parsons, Wayne Faucher

From Comic Book Resources:

Wonder Woman” continues its winding unsatisfying arc toward something nobody is quite sure of in issue #609 as Dr. Psycho leads Diana by the hand to all her supposed potential and greatness..


In this issue, Diana has been badly injured and is taking a mind trip with Dr. Psycho (going by "Edgar" here, taller and with a more handsome visage) as he leads her to all her “past lives” which are really just potential incarnations of Diana’s spirit. Phil Hester is clearly trying hard to get Diana back to who and what she should be, but it’s not effective or very compelling. At one point Dr. Psycho proclaims that, “Every era somehow finds a way to create you,” which is a nice sentiment in that it shows how necessary Wonder Woman is to the world. Later Dr. Psycho says, “It is not enough to merely become Wonder Woman, you must choose it. Create yourself,” which nicely reinforces the agency that Diana needs to have in her own life in order to be successful. However, since Diana has to be literally led by the hand to these revelations by her former enemy, the reality we experience as readers is of Diana continuing to be a tourist in her own life and book.

There’s some nice art here by Don Kramer, and some particularly gorgeous stuff toward the end when readers are treated to many different reflections of Diana as Wonder Woman. However, the art is inconsistent and sometimes really out of synch with who Diana should be, even in this incarnation. There are far too many panels of doe-eyed innocence, paired with “seductive” constantly open mouth syndrome. It’s pretty off-putting overall.

My thoughts:
I disagree with the reviewer from Comic Book Resources, I liked the trip through Diana's mind with Dr. Psycho.  We saw him rescue her from the three fighters that were sent to either take her out or capture her so I think it is fitting that he should make an appearance her as well.  Diana has been getting bits and pieces about alternate pasts since the first issue, so here she is being given a back story.  I'm not sure if we are to believe that she has been coming back as each of these different warriors, the blind woman, the pirate, the disowned princess and Wonder Woman or if it has just been her essence that has been a part of each of these lives.  Perhaps it is the whole parallel universe thing again.  I thought the cover was misleading because it made it seem like she was going to be fighting with herself or the memory of herself, but she wasn't.  Perhaps the cover with make more sense and the story continues.  The good part of having fallen behind is that I can read them each one after another without having to wait for a new issue to come out. 
Story by J. Michael Straczynski, Phil Hester

Art by Don Kramer, Sean Parsons, Wayne Faucher

Colors by Alex Sinclair, Pete Pantazis

Letters by Travis Lanham

Cover by Don Kramer, Chris Beckett

Publisher DC Comics

Cover Price$2.99 (USD)

Release Date Mar 30th, 2011

Wonder Woman #608 By J. Michael Straczynski and Phil Hester (writers), Geraldo Borges (pencils), Marlo Alquiza (inks), Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story from Comic Book Review: Diana is forced to take on Cheetah and the other fallen Amazonians in a brutal, bloody battle that the princess does not get the better end of. Fortunately, although the terrible trio manage to destroy most of the rest of the surviving Amazons, Diana has another, more unexpected benefactor come to her aid.

By J. Michael Straczynski and Phil Hester (writers), Geraldo Borges (pencils), Marlo Alquiza (inks), Travis Lanham (letters)


My thoughts:
So I am thinking I should know who the crazy looking man at the end is who is claiming to be a doctor, but I'm not totally sure.  I recall there being someone like that in the retroactive issue I read who wanted Wonder Woman to love him and be with him, but not his name.  I'll have to look it up.  Anyway, it seems like now Diana is all alone in the world.  All of her Amazonian sisters have fallen to this current onslaught and without her mysterious savior she would be gone too.  The two remaining Morrigan want to go and watch Diana be defeated and caught but are warned by the spirit of their dead sister that Diana needs to die so she her spirit can aid the higher power they are supposed to be working for, so now there is someone above the women who were above or behind the original burning man.  The ladder just keeps growing!  I'm thinking it must be a god but which one I am really not sure.

Wonder Woman #607 By J. Michael Straczynski and Phil Hester (writers), Don Kramer with Eduardo Pansica (pencils), Andy Owens, Sean Parsons and Eber Ferreira (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors) and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story from Comic Book Review.com: Diana–who, I can’t help pointing out, has actually started acting like Diana for a change of pace–and two of her closest Amazon guardians descend into a labyrinth to rescue the kidnapped boy, Harry. This being a labyrinth, there is naturally a Minotaur–along with a host of other nasties–to be conquered along the way. It turns out this is only the beginning of their problems though, as Harry’s kidnapping was only a ruse to lure Diana away from the rest of her Amazonian sisters, who are quickly engaged in a battle they may not be able to win without the help of their princess.

By J. Michael Straczynski and Phil Hester (writers), Don Kramer with Eduardo Pansica (pencils), Andy Owens, Sean Parsons and Eber Ferreira (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors) and Travis Lanham (letters)


My thoughts:
This was the issue I was missing since February and the reason I stopped reading the ones I did have, it seems a little silly in retrospect, but I wanted to read them in order.  I ordered it on Ebay last month and now I have the complete set (I think!).  I'm not missing any numbers in the ones that I do have for this most recent version of Wonder Woman's story.

In the first issues there was a man who had been burned who was hunting Diana and the Amazon's to kill them and try to trap Diana.  He was killed and we found out the the remaining two Morrigan were behind his quest for Diana because they are hoping to use her to replace the sister they lost.  The grow from fighting and war.

Diana is coming into her powers and images of Wonder Woman as most of us know her keep showing up, in small dolls that may or may not be voodoo dolls, in a stained glass window and even in her thoughts and dreams.  I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a parallel universe showing how one decision can change how the course of time runs but it is still running the other way just on a different plane or level, or if this is foreshadowing of who she will be when she fully matures and comes into her own.  She talks about the fire inside of her that her sisters see but don't want to see and how she can control it to be human, which brings me back to my other question, are the Amazon's human or mortal?  One of them talks about the mortals but then is killed so she can be killed, but is her lifespan longer?  I know I could look it up somewhere, but I am just going to keep reading to see what the answer may be!

Wonder Woman 606 Story by J. Michael Straczynski, Phil Hester Art by Eduardo Pansica, Jay Leisten, Marlo Alquiza, Wayne Faucher, Julio Ferreira

Synopsis and Review from Comic Book Resources:

I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of the choice to “reinvent” Wonder Woman yet again. I think Gail Simone did a very good job on the title, and in her exit, she left the character in a newer place than she had previously been. J. Michael Straczynski came along and the entire concept got a reboot. Then Straczynski hightailed it out of there and Phil Hester was brought in to work from what was left behind. At this point in the evolution of the character, Hester needs to grab the reins on this book and steer it out of whatever the hell it is soaking in right now.

 I see bits and pieces that are right, such as Diana fighting alongside her sisters and looking for answers, but I see other areas that are wrong, such as the appearance of a Minotaur who seems to be of sinister motivation. Truly this book needs to be sifted through and it is Hester’s task to do the sifting. It is clear in reading this book that Hester is trying to find the path this book has strayed from, but it is equally clear that a true map of that path might not have ever existed. The story jumps from scene to scene with little transition, and characters pop up seemingly out of the woodwork. 

To complicate matters more, Pansica’s art seems to favor sensationalism, pouring blood onto panels as frequently as possible and playing up the curves of the female characters over enhancing their strengths.

Cheesecake overpowers what could have been a chilling moment as Diana’s three (arguably) strongest foes rise from their rebirthing chambers. The level of gore and ketchup-like blood topping nearly every figure set in battle within these pages is just mind-numbing. I understand the need to establish Diana as a fierce warrior, but it is possible to do so without slathering the character in blood and having her do likewise to her opponents.

This is a sloppy book, the art wants to be better than the final printed page truly is. Eduardo Pansica’s got the talent and ability, but his final pages as just not detailed to Don Kramer’s level. Conversely Pansica’s drawings are not kinetic enough to be anything other than static. I’m sure with each panel, page, and issue, it is obvious that Pansica is growing, but he needs to determine where he is growing to in order to make his own odyssey a fruitful one.

The phalanx of inkers provides evidence that there is a quick handoff between writer and artist and that shows through with the massive lack of consistency between art and story. Early on, Diana is told to keep her left arm close to her side, as she has been run through with a spear, but moments later, Diana is using that arm as though there is no wound. Now, I’m not going to make any leaps and compare her to Jay Cutler, but to go from clutching the limp arm to your side to using it in the fever of battle as though it were unmolested does not add credence to consistency.

There is a sense of direction beginning to settle in on this book. The sense is here, but not the direction itself. Diana is still very much a puppet in her own title, but Hester is a good writer and he has some solid toys to play with here. I’m interested to see where this book goes once Hester gets it more fully under his control. A reliable artist would certainly help make this book more Hester’s own title. Hmmm. Maybe Hester himself could step in and multitask an issue, providing script and art. That would help to get it back on track, right?

My thoughts:
So scratch what I said about the last issue, Diana is still kind of blood thirsty and brutal.  That is just something I don't remember so much from when I read the series as a child,  yes she fought and got hurt very regularly, but I don't recall her being quite so blood thirsty and out for revenge.  She does she more feeling her, anger as well as caring and pain, but she is quick to order others around and does not accept warnings from others, which leads to the death of one of her teaches.  I am a little unsure of how old the characters are. Do Amazon live forever?  Are they immortal?  I didn't think so but perhaps they are.  The curves of the women who are brought out of some sort of rejuvenation tank that made them full of anger and hate and have no memory of their past lives are a bit out of control.  To quote a friend who was making a comment about a totally different context, "holy boobies".  These are some well-endowed, barely covered women wearing skin tight wet clothes.    Part of what kept me from reading these for so long was that I had been missing issue 607, somehow I missed getting it when it came out.  I finally ordered it on Ebay so that I could read up to where the series currently is.  The sad thing is I am not even sure if it is still going on or if it was one of the story lines that died out when things changed over recently.  I guess I'll see when I get there!

Story by J. Michael Straczynski, Phil Hester

Art by Eduardo Pansica, Jay Leisten, Marlo Alquiza, Wayne Faucher, Julio Ferreira
Colors by Alex Sinclair

Letters by Travis Lanham

Cover by Don Kramer, Alex Sinclair, Alex Garner

Publisher DC Comics

Release Date Jan 26th, 2011

Wonder Woman #605 Story by Phil Hester, J. Michael Straczynski Art by Don Kramer, Eduardo Pansica, Daniel HDR, Jay Leisten, Marlo Alquiza, Wayne Faucher, Eber Ferreira

Synopsis from Comic Book Resources: 

For those who haven't been in the loop, after four issues (plus a prologue in "Wonder Woman" #600) we've had a slight writer shift on "Wonder Woman," as the remainder of J. Michael Straczynski's planned year-long story is now being written by Phil Hester, based off of Straczynski's notes and outline. And for those who haven't read it? While this isn't intended as a slam on Straczynski, I think this is already a big improvement.


Unlike the previous four issues of "Wonder Woman," this new issue feels more relaxed and more human. The grim, slightly overwrought tone from those first few chapters is discarded and we start to get a feeling of just exactly who this new Wonder Woman is. It's just little shifts but they're important ones; we see her relationship with her guardians, what she does in her spare time, even what sort of music she likes. It doesn't sound like much but for this story it feels huge. Hester's turned Wonder Woman into someone who is still at her core the character readers knew for the previous 600 issues of her comic, but with enough changes that she's definitely someone whose life has been transformed into someone slightly different.

It's hard to say exactly how much or little of this was in Straczynski's story notes (something only he, Hester, and editors Brian Cunningham and Sean Ryan will truly know), but this is enough of a huge step away from the previous four issues that it makes me feel like at least some of this is Hester's tweaking of the story. Regardless of who decided to make this shift, it's a good one. Up until now, the new Wonder Woman wasn't a character, she was an outfit on an otherwise blank slate. Here she seems like an actual person. Sure, some of the bits feel a little trite (what is it with characters in Straczynski-plotted comics getting saved from domestic violence these days?) but none the less, it's a start.

There's a whole horde of artists on board this month, but despite seven different people touching the book it's remarkably consistent. It's still easy to pick out Don Kramer's pencils, which I think are the strongest of the bunch, with a smooth and clean feeling that flows nicely across each panel. Still, Eduardo Pansica and Daniel HDR do a solid pitch-in effort, keeping that overall look together. I suspect some readers who don't look at the credits might not even realize the round-robin pencils and inks going on behind the scenes.

"Wonder Woman" #605 is an important step in the right direction for the title. A lot of the wind has gotten lost from the sails of this storyline, but if anyone can rally the readership back on board, it's Hester. It's a good start, and it makes me wish that he'd been on board from the beginning.

My thoughts:
I agree with the reviewer for CBR, the feel of this issue is different than the previous ones.  It starts to feel like maybe we are getting a chance to know Diana as something other than a fighting machine full of anger at the past.  She feels more real, she talks to a cat and stone statues, she helps a domestic violence victim, she shows a bit of her past and tells some jokes.  I guess my understanding of the Morrigan is different than either what it actually is or what they are being portrayed as in the issue.  I have to admit that I don't have the best knowledge of myths of any sort, I keep meaning to learn more but then I get distracted by another book.  It is so easy to get distracted by books. Parts of this called to mind Percy Jackson as well.  Medusa's head makes an appearance as does a Minotaur.

I've been buying these issues as they come out, but I am just now getting around to reading them again, not for lack of interest just mostly distraction and lack of time.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to take a reading vacation, where you would just stay home with the intention of reading the whole time.  Would it feel wasteful or relaxing?  I kind of need the beach as a vacation spot, but I tend to get a lot of reading done there!
Story by Phil Hester, J. Michael Straczynski

Art by Don Kramer, Eduardo Pansica, Daniel HDR, Jay Leisten, Marlo Alquiza, Wayne Faucher, Eber Ferreira
Colors by Alex Sinclair

Letters by Travis Lanham

Cover by Don Kramer, Alex Sinclair

Publisher DC Comics
 
Story by Phil Hester, J. Michael Straczynski

Release Date Dec 22nd, 2010

Wonder Woman Retroactive 1980s

Overview:

When Wonder Woman discovers that someone has stolen her identity and is using her name to commit acts of evil, she’ll have no choice but to confront her in battle. But can she stop this criminal look-a-like before her name is completely slandered?

DC RETROACTIVE: WONDER WOMAN – THE ’80s is written by Roy Thomas and features art by Rich Buckler, Tim Smith, Carlos Rodriguez, Joe Rubinstein, Jack Purcell and Norman Lee. And don’t miss a classic ‘80s Wonder Woman story also written by Roy Thomas with accompanying art by the legendary Gene Colan. This special one-shot goes on sale August 3.

Product Details

Story by Roy Thomas
Art by Rich Buckler, Tim Smith, Carlos Rodriguez, Joe Rubinstein , Jack Purcell , Norman Lee , Gene Colan

Cover by Rich Buckler

Publisher DC Comics

Cover Price :$4.99

Release Date Wed, August 3rd, 2011

My thoughts:

I think the first Wonder Woman I ever read was in the 1980s.  I saw a cover for one of the two I recall getting for a birthday present on another blog today.  Neither of them were part of this retroactive set, but the art and story lines were similar.  I like that two whole story lines were told in this one shot book.  Rather than having to grab another comic to continue with the story, it is all there and with very few advertisements.  Not that all ads are bad, but sometimes they seem a bit distracting. 

Both stories have to do with the Silver Swan who, I am a bit embarrassed to say, I had never heard of before,  same for Doctor Psycho.  I don't know if these characters have appeared in a lot of other comics, but they were new to me.  I think the two story lines should have been reversed in the book because to me they would have made more sense the other way around.  Maybe there is a reason for the order or perhaps it is just because the cover art goes with the first story, I'm really not sure.

This is the way I remember Wonder Woman from the very brief period of time that I read her.  I don't dislike the new series at all so far (I haven't gotten around to finishing all the ones I have because I either misplaced or never got one of the issues) I like the new gritty elements and more contemporary feel, but these are a more comfortable fit.  She is similar to how she appeared on the TV series, fighting crime while hiding behind her other identity and flying around in her invisible plane.  It was a very nice way to revisit the time and made me want to look through the box of comics I have to see how many I have from the 1980s. 

WONDER WOMAN #604 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI Art and cover by DON KRAMER & MICHAEL BABINSKI

Overview:

This is it! The mysterious leader of the paramilitary organization finally confronts Wonder Woman as she continues learning what happened to the Amazons and why reality is askew! J. Michael Straczynski’s epic tale keeps rolling on!

My thoughts:

So finally some answers although they lead to even more questions.  Diana and the Burning Man have their confrontation.  She finds out a bit of his back story and receives some aid from her mother and the lasso of truth.  I've never been really all the big on violence or fighting which makes it odd that I even like any comics since they all seem to involve a lot of violence or action.  I am going to have to explore some other characters at some point to see if they are all the same.  My love of Wonder Woman started with the TV show and Underoos.  In first grade I got two comics as part of my birthday present.  So buying the comics is a bit of a nostalgic trip for me, although the ones I read then seems a lot different than the ones now!

Diana has glimpses of an alternate reality where she looks like she did for all those years and I don't know if theses are supposed to be memories or are really a different reality, what would have happened had her homeland not been invaded and her mother killed.

The big question for me is who made the deal with the Burning Man that had him hunting down and killing all the Amazons.

WONDER WOMAN #603 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI Art and cover by DON KRAMER & MICHAEL BABINSKI

Overview:

Diana discovers that the men out to kill her and the other surviving Amazons are only the tip of the iceberg...but can even Wonder Woman survive her battle with the horrific creatures called the Keres?

My thoughts:

There were shades of Percy Jackson in this one as Diana visits Hades, meets Charon, meets Cerberus and battles Keres.  Diana battles Keres on her plane that the others cannot see and is sucked into Hades.  In each of these issues Diana is learning more about herself and her abilities, like her ability and affinity with animals. 

The Lasso of Truth makes its reappearance as well.  I wonder if Diana knows what it is and what it does as she might not remember it from childhood.  I am also trying to get a handle on how old she is supposed to be.  She was taken from her island 18 years ago as a child, but I couldn't tell from the pictures exactly how old she was supposed to be when she was taken away.  I must admit I am starting to wonder about the man who has been tracking her and searching for her.  he reminds me of one of the characters from the Watchmen (which I have but have not read or watched the movie yet either for that matter).  It is fun catching up on these issues!

Wonder Woman #602 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKIArt and cover by DON KRAMER & MICHAEL BABINSKI

Overview:

J. Michael Straczynski’s epic Wonder Woman tale continues! In this issue, Diana takes the battle for her heritage to the enemy and discovers that the war may be over before it’s even begun! And she’s on the losing side...

My thoughts:

In this issue Wonder Woman is being reborn to fight for her people and be a queen as her mother was before her.  We see a bit more of the man who was in charge when her mother was killed and their city was destroyed.  A military group has discovered a group of Amazon's staying in a temple in Turkey that isn't even on the maps so they go to destroy them.  Just as the fight had fire on the island, so does the confrontation in the desert.

Diana is questioning the gods and Artemis in particular on why they abandoned the people.  As is often the case with gods the answers she gets is that it is happening as it should but not necessarily as the Amazon's wanted it to.  Diana has a lot of anger about the past and the present, but is starting to become a warrior again.

Nancy Drew Girl Detective #4: The Girl Who Wasn't There Graphic Novel by Stefan Petrucha Illustrated by Sho Murase

Synopsis

Nancy gets a call for help late one night from a girl she befriended over the phone when getting technical support to help fix her computer. When the line goes dead, Nancy is determined to get to the bottom of things. Soon,

Nancy, her Dad, and friends George and Bess are on their way to India to find Kalpana, the girl who wasn¹t there! It's only a matter of time before Nancy is captured by Sahadev the crime lord and is being sacrificed to Kali! Ages 8 to 12.

Papercutz is the exciting new graphic novel publisher that's building a huge following among the next generation of comics fans. Even the most reluctant readers are becoming addicted to the Papercutz approach of giving classic characters a modern makeover! Each Papercutz graphic novel features comics stories drawn in the style of the popular Japanese comics known as manga, and beautifully rendered with state of the art color. While educators rave about the high quality of the Papercutz writing and artwork, readers 8 and up are simply enjoying the great adventures found in each fun-filled volume. Be sure to check out other Papercutz titles such as The Hardy Boys, Zorro and Totally Spies.

My thoughts:
I was browsing at a comic book store last weekend and came across this book on the used manga shelf.  I grew up reading a lot of mysteries.  Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon were two of my favorites.  I wanted to be a detective and look for clues!  I had not heard about this line of books and was excited to give this one a try.

Nancy, Bess and George accompany Nancy's dad to India because a friend of Nancy's called her for help and then went missing.  They look for clues at the company the girl worked for and at the girls home.  Nancy ends up kidnapped, George is great with technology and Bess can fix mechanical things.  I recall that Bess was good with mechanical jobs but not what George was supposed to be good at.  The drawings depict them similar to how I remember, just updated.  Bess is blond and rounder, George has short dark hair and Nancy has longer reddish blond hair.

Since this book is intended for young readers a lot of explanation was included about how call centers for computer companies are in India, how in India they speak two languages and the a lot more.  It almost felt like the author was trying to sneak learning into the book, but I think more likely he just wanted to make sure that children understood what was going on.

I started to get worried that the mystery wasn't going to be resolved before the end of the book, but as in all the ones I recall for childhood, Nancy and her pals save the day and solve the mystery and the bad guy is apprehended.  That part reminded me a bit of Scooby Doo which is not an association I ever made before, but the kids like to solve mysteries in both.

I liked the use of technology and the way the story was brought into current times.  I haven't read a Nancy Drew book for years.  I am not even sure if they are still being written, but I wonder how they are dealing with all the changes that have happened since the series started.  I recall some of them being a bit dated when I was reading them and that was pretty long ago!  I think this new (or newer) series is a nice introduction for readers who are new to the characters.

Product Details

Pub. Date: January 2006
Publisher: Papercutz
Format: Paperback , 96pp
Age Range: 8 to 12
Series: Nancy Drew Graphic Novels: Girl Detective Series , #4
ISBN-13: 9781597070126
ISBN: 1597070122

Wonder Woman 601 Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artists: Don Kramer & Eduardo Pansica

Publisher: DC Comics

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Don Kramer & Eduardo Pansica
Covers: Don Kramer, Alex Garner

My thoughts:
This is the second comic book in the all new story line that was started last summer.  Diana is a young woman being raised in the world of men and is still coming into her powers.  In the prologue from the first issue she went to see the Oracle to ask her some questions about the past.  The Oracle takes Diana back to the island where she lived with her mother and shows her how their civilization ended.  Diana was a little girl and was sent away to keep her safe, but her mother refused to leave her people without their queen.

During the fight that followed the Amazonian's on the island were fighting with swords and armor as their attackers had helicopters and machine guns.  After their defeat, Queen Hippolyta was forced to watch as the wounded were killed and then the man in charge (who is never clearly seen but always in shadows) attempts to use the lasso of truth to find out the location of Diana.

Diana sees all this and then vows to uphold her promise to protect her people who had been dispatched from the island when the end was coming near.  During one sequence she falls asleep and dreams of herself in the costume we all know and love.  The Oracle keeps talking about how this is how she is now but not how she has always been.  Does that mean this storyline is really taking place or is it metaphysical, how there are all different realities going on at the same time and she is just experiencing a different reality but the other reality is still somewhere inside her remembered?

I don't know how comics usually go about keeping the characters fresh as years pass and things change. Wonder Woman has been around since the 1940's and must have gone through multiple changes in that time.  Is this just par for the course?  Does each episode always end with a to be continued type of ending?  Wonder Woman is the only character I ever made any effort to read or get to know so maybe different characters are done differently.  It did make me want to read the next issue to find out if she manages to save the pocket of survivors who were in hiding.  It seems like once I get caught up to the most current issue it could be frustrating to wait for the next one.  I wonder if I will be able to maintain my interest during the time between issues.

 Issue 600

Wonder Woman Burning Devastastion

The All-New Wonder Woman #600 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, GEOFF JOHNS, GAIL SIMONE & others # Art by GEORGE PÉREZ, PHIL JIMENEZ, JOE MADUREIRA & others Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ

My thoughts:
Last summer Wonder Woman got a face-lift in comic books.  A lot of things are changed up in this comic book and there is a lot of extra content in the issue.  In between each of the short stories are illustrations of Wonder Woman in various versions of her costume.  There are five different short story lines told with the last one being the opening for the new series.  Growing up I thought that Wonder Woman was the only female superhero, but in this issue she fights alongside of a ton of female heroes that I have never heard of.  I do not know if they are made up for this issue or if they were there all along and I  never took the time to seek them out.

In the story at the end that leads into the new series Diana was rescued from her island as an infant before her mother died and was taken underground to be raised by other Amazons.  She is still coming into her powers and seems to be in her late teens or early twenties and is questioning why she must stay hidden and why men are always chasing and trying to kill her.  She meets with the Oracle, who looks like a teenager in fishnet tights, a tight tank top and leather jacket.  The Oracle begins to show her where she came from and tell her details about the past that she does not know.

The beginning of the issue starts with a forward from Lynda Carter who starred as Wonder Woman on TV when she was in her twenties.  I grew up watching the series and playing Wonder Woman with my sister.  Wonder Woman was about more than fighting, she showed and can continue to show women how to be strong and capable in their own lives.

At the end of the issue there is a section from the two artists on their design and storyline.  It was interesting to read how they came to their new vision for the character and how they made this a reboot story, making it so that a rift occurred in the timeline twenty years ago so that Diana would be in the world as we see it now and made her costume more street appropriate.  They wanted to change Wonder Woman from the feel of being an older character like someones mother or grandmother, into a relatible young person today.  I am reading this new series from the beginning so I will be posting my thoughts on each issue as I get to it.  Then I managed to collect a lot of back issues so I have those to go to once I finish the most current ones.

Wonder Girl #1 Written by JT KRUL; Art by ADRIANA MELO & MARIAH BENES; Cover by NICOLA SCOTT & DOUG HAZLEWOOD

Written by JT KRUL; Art by ADRIANA MELO & MARIAH BENES; Cover by NICOLA SCOTT & DOUG HAZLEWOOD


Spinning out of the pages of TEEN TITANS comes this spotlight on Cassie Sandsmark, the wonderful Wonder Girl! Even though not every moment of Wonder Girl's life is spent being a Titan, strange adventures still follow her everywhere. In this issue, she'll cross paths with the odd new hero known as Solstice!

DC Comics 32pg.Color $2.99 US

On Sale January 12, 2011

My thoughts:

Last weekend we went to a comic book store and my daughter saw this comic sitting next to Wonder Woman. I have to admit I had never heard of Wonder Girl before but told her we could buy it and read it together at home. My thought was that if she liked the series we would be in luck since this was issue number one. I'm not sure if it is a totally new title or a new version of an older character. But we enjoyed reading it together.

Wonder Girl is a young adult and I think that may make her more relatable to younger readers. In this issue Cassie Sandsmark goes to London to visit her mother at an archeological conference. Her mother is a mortal and her father is the god Zeus. While in the museum a villain comes to steal back an artifact and Cassie changes into Wonder Girl to stop her. She meets another teenager/young adult who is also a superhero named Solstice and they fight together.

I still think it is funny how for superheroes somehow changing clothes is a disguise, even though Cassie looks the same as Wonder Girl and as herself and the same with Solstice. I never understood how Superman could put on glasses and no one would recognize him, but I guess that is part of the element of suspending disbelief. Having Cassie be a half-blood reminded me of the Percy Jackson series. It will be interesting to see where the character goes from here and I thought the author did a good job telling a story with action while also introducing a character to readers. 

The Tenth #2 Resurrected by Tony Daniel Romano

Earlier I had posted how this weekend we took our children to a comic book store.  I picked out two for myself from the discount bin.  The first one was a Wonder Woman old issue and then I tried this one because the cover reminded me of Anita Blake in Laurel K. Hamilton's Vampire Hunter series.  I think because of that I thought the comic would be similar, but it isn't really.  I also think I was looking for a comic with a strong female lead character.  Most of the ones I saw in the store seem to feature male main characters and there was a section at the front of the store that disturbed me a bit.  Most of the most sexually explicit comics were on the top shelf and I just kept looking at my kids and thinking, "Don't look up".  I really didn't want to try to explain why the cover showed a well endowed woman who was either barely dressed or not dressed at all. 

This comic is book two of a set of four and once again it seems as though the publisher or author is really expecting the readers to buy them all.  I guess they need to keep you coming back!  The main character was a strong female named Espy who can somehow feel (perhaps through ESP and that is how her name came into being) some monster she is tracking with a man who at times I thought might  not really be on her side.  Of course there was no resolution at the end since you need to buy books three and four to find out what happens to her.

I enjoyed the manga book I read a few weeks ago and graphic novels seem more like books to me.  Perhaps comics aren't really my thing.  I ordered a set of Wonder Woman from eBay yesterday figuring if I don't care for them my daughter seems to like Wonder Woman so I can give myself another chance with comics  in general and she can feel like she has her own.

Wonder Woman: Burning Devastation by Luke Paquette McLeod

This weekend we took our children to a local comic book store. Comics were something I never really got into when I was younger. No special reason, I guess I was just more interested in books. When I was in first or second grade I recall getting two Wonder Woman comics for my birthday and I had them for years. I think they may still be around somewhere. Anyway, the store had a fifty cent bin and I flipped through to see if anything caught my eye and I ended up picking out two for myself. This was one of them.

While the title on the front doesn't list it as part two of Devastation the first page of the comic says it is part two. I figured it shouldn't really matter since I would think a comic should be able to stand alone just as a book in a series is able to stand alone. What i didn't care for was the way it kept referring with an asterisk to a different issue or the prior issue, as in "*See issue #139". I guess it is a way to try to make sure that readers buy all the issues but for someone who decided to start collecting now I think it might be overwhelming to feel like you needed to go back and buy all the back issues which are then more expensive because they are no longer the current issue.

What I did like about the story was the use of Greek mythology, which I don't remember from when I was in elementary school. Since I recently worked through the Percy Jackson series with my children it was fun for us to encounter Chiron and the Oracle and to find out that Wonder Woman was gifted her powers from different gods. She has the power of earth from Demeter, wisdom from Athena and flight from Hermes. I wonder if these comics might help students learning Greek mythology cement the gods a little bit better.

I don't know if I will become a comic book collector of any kind. Even the new cover price of $2.99 seems like a lot for an issue that can be read in five to ten minutes. I can see how this could get to be an expensive hobby.