As the legend grows, the stage is set for bigger problems.
Creative Staff:
Story: Renae De Liz
Art: Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon
Colors: Ray Dillon
What They Say:
Wonder Woman has been making a big splash in the European Theater of Operations, and it’s drawn the notice of Nazi high command-and something even scarier!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Bringing Diana into her role as Wonder Woman more now that we’re about at the halfway mark of the series has it feeling like it’s in the right place. A legend often doesn’t just start with the full name and star out there in a sense but is a gradual piece. Following not only Diana’s journey but that of her people as well has helped to give it all the right context and highlighting her place in the world. So when she does begin to get involved, in disguise at first and then with the Etta designed costume, it feels like the evolution has hit in the right way. But now she’s out there in a much larger public way and that really does change things for her and what she has to face in the world. And the book feels like it’s prepared her and us properly for it.
Giving us a montage sequence of sorts in showing off the various deeds she’s doing amid 1944 with the follow-up to the liberation of Paris is something that works well. Giving it a very mixed world feeling expands on the nature of the time and how people were feeling while also highlighting the threats with pockets of German resistance trynig to slow things down with what the Allies were doing. This gives Diana a chance to showcase her abilities well in going after them and protecting citizen and soldier alike, resulting in her legend spreading even more. All of this serves to expand the time period and her place in it while also revealing a bit with those in power watching their years of work being swept away. The Germans that we deal with here are attempting to gain the momentum back but are finding their “allies” in Frau Rich and the Duke of Deception aren’t all that game since they serve another master. It’s a good nod toward where all things stand and what Diana will be facing.
Thankfully, some time is spent with Diana and Etta as they spend some time away for her to recover from all her actions. Etta is a solid link to uplifting humanity for Diana and she plays a key role in Diana’s ability to handle all of this darkness. The two together in the countryside, talking about the men in their lives and Etta’s upcoming performance works well to humanize them more and make it be more than just the war itself or Diana’s larger mission. It’s all tied in well and in a more natural way than one might expect. We also get some very good fun in regards to Pamela, something that delights me with how she gets under Etta’s skin. Mostly what we get in the back half is lighter material but it serves that purpose well with the heavier material we’ve had and nudges us in a potential new direction toward the end with a little mystery.
In Summary:
The pacing of this series is something that’s just been near perfect for me because it’s not a constant barrage of action with exposition and banter tossed in to fill in the story concepts. What we get are some great action pieces but also some very well done dialogue and interaction material – the stuff that drew me to comics as a kid to begin with. I like both but one without the other is pretty uninteresting overall. Renae De Liz continues to deliver a strong series with her storytelling and her work with Ray Dillon just floors me week after week. I’m hopeful that DC Comics gives this a fantastic hardcover omnibus at the end because it’s more than worthy of it already at the halfway mark. This continues to be a must-read series.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: March 17th, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
