The true brawl begins.
Creative Staff:
Story: Renae De Liz
Art: Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon
Colors: Ray Dillon
What They Say:
As Diana tries to keep the Titan from destroying the families in the battle zone, she calls upon the magic of Gaia.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s been a good week for the Legend of Wonder Woman team and the fans as the title is certainly riding high on its Eisner nomination and now word from DC Comics is that a second volume has been given the green light. That means even more fun for this cast of characters and creative team in our future beyond this. Having thoroughly enjoyed this series to date, knowing that there’s going to be a good bit more to come is really heartwarming and reminds you just how much what you read on a weekly basis like this can mean when you think of losing it. The series has done some good work recently with the new interpretations of events and the use of the Manhunters and it also gave us a pretty exposition heavy installment the last time around.
And that essentially means we get an action oriented piece here, which is most definitely not a problem. With Diana having powered up and learned so much about the Titan and its origins, she’s ready to go at it and do what’s needed. So’s Steve, of course, but it’s great to see how Etta reminds him that they’d only get in the way and that she’s far more capable than either of them are. It’s a nice mild way of putting things where they should be rather than forcing his assistance. Considering what Steve and the others accomplished previously they already did a whole lot and have fought the good fight. But it’s also understandable that desire to help, especially since Diana has helped Steve in a number of ways so far. It may just be a page or two overall to deal with this but it works very well to shuffle the supporting cast off to the side and just allow Diana to be Wonder Woman and do what needs doing.
The action component of the book is strong here as De Liz and Dillon really shine as they show how Diana struggles and fights, learns the ins and outs of what it means to attack this kind of creature. It really goes back to the concept of understanding your enemy, which in turn means you love your enemy in a sense, and just doing what’s needed to stop them from causing further harm. The layouts are fantastic and there’s a great sense of power throughout it, especially in that final page with the push down element. De Liz has certainly done some great work with the art over the course of the run as has Dillon, but it really must be said regularly just how important the color design is here. This is not something that would look as good in print as it does digitally nor if it had used a more “traditional” color design. The pop and vibrancy is just perfect here and makes this a very rich experience.
In Summary:
The Legend of Wonder Woman series is the kind of book that works really well in a couple of different ways. It’s utterly delighting me from week to week with great tales as it digs into this new legend of the character and those around her. While I’m not demanding more weekly books by any stretch, this kind of book is ideal in this way. The other side of it is that as a complete hardcover later this year, it’s the exact book you get copies of and share with a range of people to make them realize the excellence of the character and her potential. And for many it will be an introduction to this creative team that is getting a lot of well-earned recognition. This installment hits us with a lot of action and some great layouts and ways of bringing it to life, making me want even more of it. Very recommended.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 19th, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
