Last year my first review was of a 'Wonder Woman' comic, so I thought, "Let's carry out this kind of tradition!". This year my first review is of 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins'.
I've waited nearly a year to get my hands on this beauty. It's been agonizing, but utterly worth it. Wonder Woman has had her origin retold again and again, not as much as Batman's origin or Superman's, but with 'The Legend of Wonder Woman', it is clear she deserves as much attention as they do, if not more so.
'The Legend of Wonder Woman' is an epic, a fantastic story. The structure and pacing - sublime. The characters - phenomenal in their own way. Simply put, it is a universal wonder. An alternative title would be, 'The meaning of life, the universe and everything in it is... Diana of Themyscira!' Renae De Liz clearly loves Wonder Woman and respects her in everything she represents.
In this retelling of her origin, Princess Diana is a mortal, like most of her Amazon sisterhood, who the Greek gods gift with girl children every ten years in thanks for their worship of them. Gods still rule the lives of the tragic Amazons, especially that of the downhearted immortal Queen Hippolyta, through different pantheons. An unknowable, cosmic force guides the young curious princess throughout her sheltered life of "peace", helping her to sense the darkness invading Themyscira from the war-torn outside world, and carry her towards her true destiny.
One loss Diana endures is being unable to return to her beloved homeland once she leaves its enchanted boundaries, in order to bring the pilot Steve Trevor back home safely after she wins a tournament. All the while she navigates through the manipulations of the gods, and of an Amazon who had caused Steve to crash land on Themysira in the first place, in a plot to overthrow Hippolyta. The poor Amazon princess's mother, and her people, end up meeting a terrible fate in her absence.
After many hardships and betrayals like those suffered by her mother before her, Diana, initially a reluctant hero, turns out to be the ancient Greek champion of WWII America, the world, of truth, justice, compassion, light, love, and the creation of the universe itself.
She can actually fly in this version of her tale!
Yep, 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' loves its strong-hearted heroine. This comic allows the feminist icon Wonder Woman to make her own decisions regarding her destiny throughout her hero's journey, giving the middle finger to the interfering gods for good measure. The story lives up to its hype and its potential, and it is glorious.
After reading the whole 350-page fantasy epic, I felt exhausted, like I'd just finished a long holiday abroad. But the memories of adventure and sunshine remain and fade and come back stronger than ever.
Aside from having nearly everything I'd want in a 'Wonder Woman' comic, such as a true hero's journey-type origin, in 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' each character has a distinct personality and arc - nobody is brushed aside and forgotten about. In the setting of America in 1944, the Second World War is put in the forefront of the story and of Diana's personal development; the horror and tragedies are not glossed over. Wonder Woman becomes an icon of love and peace for girls, and for the seemingly-hopeless world, because of her insistence that there is still good to be found, and to fight for, in all the death, violence and darkness.
The artwork is brilliant - can't forget about that, either. Renae De Liz wrote and drew the entire volume; such talent should not be overlooked and underappreciated in the comic book industry today.
One character I'd like to dedicate a paragraph to besides Diana is Etta Candy. Yeah, she is rightfully included in this version of Wondy's origin. Etta absolutely steals the show. With her endless funny and charismatic dialogue and the respectful, human way she is written and drawn, she shines in every single panel she is in. Her larger-than-life personality contrasts with Diana's silent and solemn one - upon entering man's world during World War II - making them a great friendship pair and odd couple. Etta is the one who shows the lost princess the ropes in this fish-out-of-water tale, who gives her a home, who helps her to blend in in a new environment, and who is always there for her in any situation, no matter how tense and dangerous. Etta is a true friend. Did I also mention she is the one who gives Diana the name Wonder Woman, and makes her costume? (One of the funniest moments is Etta crying out about Wonder Woman being difficult to figure out - one of the many clever feminist commentaries this comic offers). And Etta fires a machine gun from a fighter plane.
Etta Candy is unstoppable, and a vital part of Wondy's path to becoming a hero. I love it.
Steve Trevor, to my pleasant surprise, doesn't have as strong a presence, as Diana's sort-of-but-not-really-subtle love interest. He's a decent human being who befriends and helps out Diana along with Etta and her singing sorority girls. Turns out Steve is the one who teaches the superheroine how to fly a plane, and who unwittingly gives her her invisible jet. He's a nice bloke, overall.
It is excellent that Diana's mentor - her first, on Themyscira - is a fellow Amazon. A captain of the guard in fact, and an immortal like the princess's mother Hippolyta, with whom the mentor has a long, complex history with. She plays a big part in Wonder Woman's development, and in all the gloom and doom and brutality proves a positive influence.
Not a spoiler: Ares is the main villain in this origin story. He is not really shown to the reader, but he is a sure, ominous being felt and talked about throughout all the war and devastation happening in the world. He is a monster of corruption, feeding off of death, grief and hatred, and will do anything to bring about earth's destruction, taking its ungrateful humanity with it, who're without any ancient magic gifted by the gods many a millennia ago. Ares is not a shadow, a shapeshifter, or a jilted lover of either Hippolyta or Diana. He is just a vengeful war god, one of many who originated from the stars of the universe after the Big Bang. And that is perfectly okay.
Another bonus: Here we get cameos of a few famous DC Universe characters in their early days. One of which is Alfred Pennyworth, whose appearance is so unexpected and hilarious I laughed hard and had to take a little break from reading. I won't spoil anything, but it is ingenious.
Slight negatives about 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' I can point out are the numerous characters and villains to keep tract of and find relevance in the story, for this epic origin manages the feat of being a bit complicated yet simple at the same time. Hippolyta I find to be the weakest character, in her pessimism, self-pity and subservience to male gods, including the manipulative Zeus. I was like, "Holy Hera, would you stand up for yourself already, you're the queen! You're thousands of years old! Try to protect yourself and your people! Do something!" (But at least it is she who makes Wondy's famous attire and weapons, including the golden lasso, for her) And the loose ends deliberately left unresolved after the awesome climax are annoying. I know it's the first volume, but I'd like to read a superhero graphic novel that is a satisfying standalone all on its own, just once.
Still, for a fantasy/drama/Greek mythology/World War II comic built up to a such a huge, universe-sized scale, in a less capable writer's hands it could have been a disaster. Thanks to De Liz, it isn't. Princess Diana is left in the dark as well as the reader for most of the comic, as answers are slowly revealed to her, making us relate to and empathize with her more.
So, is 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins' one of the best origin stories, nay, one of the best stories about Wonder Woman to date? Hades yes! Like I said, it is an epic. One that fans of Wonder Woman would want. Action-packed, daring, haunting, colourful, well-researched, and knowingly feminist, it is pure, wonderful awesomeness of a high magnitude.
This and 'The True Amazon' are my favourite 'Wonder Woman' graphic novels. She keeps getting better and better, seemingly through the ages, her truth shining brighter in my eyes.
Like a true legend.
Final Score: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment