Saturday Evening Cartoons: Wonder Woman Rebirth

This week I'm tackling the first two volumes of Wonder Woman Rebirth. The stories collected in these volumes were originally published at the same time, with Volume 1 collecting the odd numbered issues and Volume 2 the even numbered ones. As the two stories inform each other in some ways and as I originally read them together, I'd figured I should review them both... 

     When DC began its New 52 relaunch way back in 2011, they tweaked the origins of many of their characters. For the Wonder Woman title writer Brian Azzarello changed the traditional story that Diana was formed from clay by her mother Hippolyta and given life by Zeus, instead she was born after an affair between the two, meaning that Wonder Woman was a demi-goddess. In addition to this she was also more headstrong and impulsive and generally more alienated from her Amazonian sisters while figures previously treated as villains, in particular Ares (the God of war) were treated as more sympathetic allies. Meanwhile, in the Justice League book, Wonder Woman and Superman became romantically involved, estranging both superheroes from their traditional love interests, Steve Trevor and Lois Lane respectively. These changes were quite divisive among fans. Personally I thought that Azzarello's run worked as a brilliant, self-contained story, but felt out-of-place in the larger DC universe. As far as the Superman/Wonder Woman romance goes, I simply wasn’t a fan.

     When last years Rebirth relaunch was announced Greg Rucka was slated as the writer for the new Wonder Woman title. Rucka had written Wonder Woman for a few years back in the early 2000’s. Being familiar with his work on the character I was excited to see what he’d do.

     The first arc, called The Lies deals directly with the changes brought about by 52. It seems Wonder Woman has been deceived by some unknown force who has changed her memories of the past, presumably part of the larger conspiracy affecting the whole DCU. In order to rediscover her past she sets out to find Themyscira, enlisting Barbara Anne Minerva, aka the Cheetah, to help her. Cheetah agrees to help only if Wonder Woman will kill the god who cursed her, Urzkartaga, thus freeing her of the curse. Along the way they cross paths with Steve Trevor, who is on a mission to take down a warlord named Cadula, one who, it turns out, worships Urzkartaga.

     Thematically, The Lies is about the damaging effect of deception and the liberating power of truth. Wonder Woman and Cheetah, it turns out, have both been greatly deceived in the past. Rucka’s new take on Cheetah is much more sympathetic than past versions. She is presented as an abusive partner to Urzkartaga. He made her feel responsible for her turning into cheetah and used this to manipulate her. Wonder Woman must not only free her from her curse but from her sense of guilt, liberating her both physically and psychologically.

     There are also themes of abuse and misogyny running through this story. In addition to the abusive relationship between Barbara Ann and Urzkartaga, Cadula is a power hungry misogynist who is using the girls he kidnapped to try and harness Urzkartaga’s power for himself. Steve Trevor is a good foil for Cadula, representing a more evolved sense of manhood. While Barbara Ann must cut her ties from Urzkartaga, Diana must reform her positive relationship with Steve.

     It is implied in this story that Steve and Diana are destined to be together. This feel a little like a corporate mandate conforming with DC’s overall program of returning characters to their roots. However, Rucka is a writer with an affinity for these characters and he makes it work really well. The scenes between the two characters are handled with great subtlety and are filled with genuine emotion. Indeed this run has been filled with moments of subtle, warm humor and character interaction.

     The art throughout this arc, by Liam Sharp and Laura Martin (colors), is pretty great. There's a real sense of atmosphere, particularly in all the jungle scenes and the way the book is plotted is really novel, utilizing vines, prison bars, and other objects for the panel separations. It’s also plotted really well. The action is well paced and has a good sense of urgency while the more intimate moments are given room to breath. Their are some real standout one and two page spreads, particularly one moment when Wonder Woman greets a bunch of people at a shopping mall because “she knows what it means to them.”

     This book is not without its problems. For one thing, while Sharp and Martin did the art for the majority of this volume the first chapter was done by two different teams. Matthew Clark (pencils) Sean Parsons (inks) and Jeremy Colwell (colors) did the first half of the story while Sharp and Martin did the second half. This change in art styles is rather jarring but, thankfully is restricted to the first chapter. It also has some pacing problems. Despite its thematic connection to the main plot of this run (Wonder Woman trying to determine her true origin) the whole Cheetah/Urzkartaga subplot can’t help but feel like a bit of a distraction from it, particularly since this volume is bookended by the main plot. The first chapter doesn’t touch on the cheetah plot at all and it’s wrapped up before the last chapter begins.

     The second volume, Year One, retells Wonder Woman’s origin. Essentially, Rucka sticks to the model set up by George Perez back in 1986. Steve Trevor crash lands on Themyscira, prompting the Amazons to break their self imposed exile from earth by sending an ambassador to them. Ultimately Diana, the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, is chosen to accompany Captain Trevor back to the world of men. What Rucka adds is a new motive for the Amazons. A seer senses that Ares has returned to earth to wreak havoc, so Diana is sent to stop him.

     Even more than The Lies, Year One fleshes out Barbara Ann Minerva. In a chapter dedicated entirely to her, we find out that she has been obsessed with the Amazons since she was a young girl, despite the discouragement from her cold, distant, widowed father. She became an archeologist in order to find evidence of their existence. She is called in by Argus to help them communicate with Diana and ultimately the two become friends. Diana’s relationship with Steve Trevor is also set up, as she helps him to investigate the mysterious terrorist organization Sear.

     Rucka does a really good job juggling all the characters. He really imbues Barbara Minerva, Steve Trevor and, to a lesser extent, Etta Candy, with a sense of real humanity. Wonder Woman herself has a real sense of wide eyed wonder and optimism. She is also a little naive, having been raised in the sheltered atmosphere of Themyscira. The bond formed between these characters feels really genuine.

     Once again the art is really great in this volume. Nikola Scott and Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colors) have a cleaner, brighter style than Sharp and Martin, one that really complements the lighter, more optimistic tone of this arc. It's also really well plotted, with the battle between Wonder Woman and the Sear goons in the mall being a standout. There's also a two page spread in chapter six that's just breathtaking.

    Year One informs The Lies in some really important ways. First and foremost is establishes the truth as an important aspect of Diana's philosophy and mission. It shows how much she misses her home and helps the reader understand why she wants to find it again. It also adds poignancy to her relationships with Steve and Barbara Ann.

     This volume mainly suffers from its place in the Rucka's larger story. Reading it in tandem with The Lies makes it hard to keep track of the story from month to month while reading it separately in trade, though somewhat better, is still awkward. Spending a whole volume away from the story set up in the first one for the purpose of establishing a back story is awkward, not to mention a little backward. In addition, the chapter covering Barbara Ann's background, though it's well written, interrupts the flow of the main story. It would have made more sense, to me at least, to parcel out this information more naturally, throughout the course of the story. Making matters worse, the pencils in this chapter were not done by Nikola Scott but Bilquis Evely whose art style is radically different. At least here its a flashback story and the art doesn't change in the middle of a chapter.

     Why the powers that be decided to publish this book in such a haphazard way is anyone's guess. Nevertheless, I think that Rucka's Wonder Woman is one of the stronger books in DC's relaunch. I would suggest reading it in trade, rather than monthly issues and I would also suggest reading Volume 2 first, as it informs the first volume in important ways and generally stands on its own better.

Score: The Lies - 8/10

Year One - 9/10