Winning comes by understanding.
Creative Staff:
Story: Renae De Liz
Art: Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon
Colors: Ray Dillon
What They Say:
As their training sessions grow more intense, Alcippe teaches Diana about life as well as battle. And as Diana becomes a young woman, the island they both love continues its fall!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Legend of Wonder Woman has been a pretty strong series so far, though I continue to view it as a work that will be best judged as a whole and likely rate a good bit higher, as each individual tells of certain lessons and growth elements for Diana while not making it an entire morality play. It’s a careful balance and one that has to be struck, but also one that’s central to Diana’s own growth with who she is supposed to become one day. There are a lot of variations on her youth out there in comics and elsewhere and this one is definitely finding its place in a really appealing way. This is a series that feels like it should end up being stocked eventually in both the adults and children’s section as it should be thoroughly enjoyed by both.
Now that Alcippe has agreed to teach her, we get to see what the last three months have resulted in. In a way, it says more about Alcippe than it does Diana as Diana hasn’t really grown or achieved much nor does it seem like she’s received much wisdom either. Alcippe’s agreement in training her was bound to the way Diana was like her in being aware that something dark is out there, slowly threatening the island. But Alcippe is a harsh teacher and isn’t doing things in a way that’s conducive Diana actually learning. Diana isn’t doing herself any favors either in not growing and trying to adapt what she can from her and the teachings she’s seen elsewhere. When sent to capture a particular animal, Diana ends up attempting to kill it instead after she fails at capture. This is a really well done teachable moment because it digs into how the stories of the past continue to define us in the present – even if we aren’t that way anymore. It pushes Diana more towards the concept of understanding one’s enemy in order to win over them – or win them over.
What’s good to see here is how Diana ends up confronting Alcippe over the way she’s being treated by her. There’s things that go back a ways here, which we got a glimpse of before, and she calls her out over it in a strong way to try and understand why Alcippe dislikes her to say the least. It goes back to what she and the other immortal Amazons gave up and did all those generations ago and how Hippolyta had an emptiness in her and did so much, betrayed so much, that it left its own generations of anger and frustration. It’s cursing the child for the parent and Alcippe’s recognition of that is well played here, even if it does go predictably. Sometimes the execution is what it needs and the combination of Diana’s forward but properly phrased question and Alcippe’s recognition of her own problem alongside the lush artwork sells it in that old school mythological sense.
In Summary:
The story moves solidly through more of Diana’s early childhood years and looks to nudge us to the early teenage years next by the end of it. The focus on her and Alcippe and a greater understanding of how to deal with strategy is well played here as the two have different approaches that can really complement each other and Diana’s own growth. This issue also gives Hippolyta some time as she struggles with having a daughter like this, which she’s likely experienced with other Amazons over the years but never so personally as she does with Diana. The book does a lot of good stuff and it’s all just so beautifully put together by the team here with the character designs, the great settings and the fantastic coloring that it simply makes me grin from page to page to soak up the look of it overall. It’s a great looking work that’s going to make for a strong overall storyline.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: December 3rd, 2015
MSRP: $0.99
