A different kind of attack on a Titan…
Creative Staff:
Story: Renae De Liz
Art: Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon
Colors: Ray Dillon
What They Say:
The Titan has awoken, forcing Wonder Woman to confront her most powerful foe. Her friends would stand behind her, but they’ve got their own battles to fight!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
One of the best things about a series like Legend of Wonder Woman is that it really is a kind of Elseworlds property. I miss that branding in a big way because it kind of made it clear from the get-go that things were going to go their own way, big or small. Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon have carved out a great story for our characters so far and as we’re past the halfway point it’s shaping up to use more of the world at large. Or rather, the universe at large. DC Comics has long had some great concepts from the great beyond to work with and I wasn’t sure we’d see that in this book beyond the gods and some of the origin of the universe material. But this installment does a wonderful little twist, with some utterly gorgeous artwork, that sets the stage large.
The rise of the Titan from its mountain tomb is certain an enticing scene and I loved the color design given to it as it stood out in a great way, mirroring her own costume color design but also, because of its size and shape, felt reminiscent of Superman for me. That imposing image is definitely a powerful one but I love that we see how the ordinary folks are coping with it while Diana has disappeared inside of it. The arrival of more enemy forces has Steve heading up in a rickety plane to fight and has Etta backing him up on the machineguns. It may feel forced but it’s not as she’s been front and center for a lot of things since Diana walked into her life. And Etta is the type that feels like she’s always grabbed the bull by the horns from a very young age. While our view of the time period may be that women were more docile, there were a lot that just got out there and got things done. Etta’s a fantastic reflection of that and placed alongside the rest of the Holliday Girls in a great way because of it.
With Diana, this issue harkens back to some of the earlier material with her mother as we saw the origins of the universe. There’s almost a bit of recap here in a sense as she begins to engage with Gaea, learning that she’s one of the earliest Creators and is now among, if not the, last of her kind and that Earth is the last of her creations. She’s essentially providing that third path for Diana in order to engage in the world as Wonder Woman by gifting her power. This makes a lot of sense as we see how she touched on Diana’s own creation, providing a strong thread of continuity. There are some big picture elements here because of Gaea, but I absolutely love the way she drew in the Manhunters as her creations that have gone wrong and are now what Diana has to face to save everyone. It’s a nice nod to the Manhunters themselves and I just adore the interpretation that De Liz and Dillon bring to them.
In Summary:
The Legend of Wonder Woman has positioned our title character well and has done it while building a strong and engaging supporting cast that at times feel like they could manage their own book. Though there’s a lot of exposition to be had here, the team puts it together in an engaging and beautiful way as the design and layouts are just fantastic, taking full advantage of the digital side of it all. I’m definitely enjoying all that Diana is going through and her path to be who she needs to be but I’m also very much into what we’re getting out of the supporting side, especially with Etta, and can’t wait to see what other twists and adaptations are in store from the larger lore that they can draw from. Very good stuff once again.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 12th, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
