The final arc begins.
Creative Staff:
Story: Trina Robbins
Art: Christopher Gugliotti
What They Say:
“Island of Lost Souls” part 1 of 3! Diana’s compassionate heart is tested when Dr. Barbara Minerva appears, begging for assistance as she seeks out the last remaining source of Urzkatarga.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Sensation Comics is sadly drawing to a close with the start of this new three issue arc, the first we’ve had since the series went on hiatus back in August. The series has been one of my favorites out there the last year or so and I’m definitely sad to see it go since it brought out so many interesting stories of Diana and others that simply can’t be told in the ongoing book – an ongoing book which I have zero interest in. So this arc is pretty much the last I’ll see of the character for the most part in these creative forms that we’ve had. And going by what we get in this chapter we’re in for a real treat from Trina Robbins and Christopher Gugliotti.
The premise is simple enough in that Diana, lounging around at home, is suddenly attacked by Cheetah. Or at least that’s her first instinct as she quickly learns that Cheetah, aka Barbara Minerva, has come to Wonder Woman to seek out help. We get a touch of her origin story of how she gained her transformative powers and the downside to it that leaves her in pain and an invalid. With a serum she uses to help manage the transformations, she’s now in real danger as the forest whence it came from has been cleared and there’s only one place left in the world of it off the coast of Borneo. Being in as much pain as she is, she can’t get it herself and relies on the compassion of Diana. Which is a given, of course. So off they go on an adventure where we discover that there’s a lot more to the serum, and what it can do, than either believed.
I haven’t read anything from Trina Robbins in far too long, mostly since I’ve only recently really gotten back into comics and haven’t reconnected with a number of favorites. So getting a Wonder Woman story from her here is definitely great .She captures both sides well and puts a human touch on it all without completely falling on the usual approaches. I was amused that with Barbara in distress, Diana gets her a hot beverage. This issue was my first experience with Christopher Gugliotti’s artwork and it’s definitely great, especially combined with his coloring work. There’s something that does naturally make it more cartoonish, but it’s ideal for this particular storyline and series as it gives it a real life and energy. I loved the facial expressiveness and just the dynamism of the layouts and how the characters moved across it.
In Summary:
While there’s a sadness in going into this arc knowing that the book is coming to a close, Sensation Comics looks to go out with a great storyline from a great creative team. Though Cheetah isn’t a favorite of mine and it’s felt like the character has largely been static all these years, she’s been a good part of this series as a whole and we’ve seen some good interpretations of her. Robbins and Gugliotti have put together a fun opening installment here that has me excited to see the remainder of it and go out on a high note.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: October 15th, 2015
MSRP: $0.99
