Review: While I cross my fingers for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie to not be the epic failure of recent DC movies this summer, I thought to brush up on some Wonder Woman comics. Thompson provides a riveting and unique origin story of the most famous female heroine of all time. Thompson draws from Greek myth to recreate Wonder Woman symbol as we now know it thus making her even more appealing.
Princess Diana is born from her mother’s longing and the sympathetic tears of the Olympian gods. Diana is doted upon. As she grows, so do her incomparable skills, her unrivaled courage, and her overbearing arrogance. This is definitely not the Princess Diana that we know and for most of this graphic novel I had a hard time rooting for her. Princess Diana's hubris reaches its height as the great Amazonian prepare for a contest of skill and strength. Like the impetuous brat that she is, Princess Diana stops at nothing to be the victor of the contest while unleashing horrific calamity in her wake causing many Amazonian warriors to lose their lives and to gravely injure themselves. Now that Princess Diana has fallen in the eyes of her mother and her admirers, she must prove herself worthy as a heroine and most importantly an Amazonian princess. While Wonder Woman's story has always been grand, Thompson manages to transform a demigod to a simple human on the path of redemption.
The illustrations match the grandeur of the tale, but I felt at times they were inconsistent. Thompson easily captures Princess Diana's androgynous figure but at times it was a bit too garish for me. There is also an undertone of queerness to the story as Princess Diana seems to be drawn to one particular woman but it is not really explored like I had hoped. Overall this is a refreshing and solid standalone story of one the iconic figures of comics.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong violence in the book. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.
If you like this book try: Wonder Woman series by Brian Azzarello
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You always find such interesting books. Is this one in your library?
I'm also crossing my fingers that the movie rocks. :) This one sounds like an interesting take on her story. Sad to hear about the illustrations not enhancing the book as it should.
Yeah, I'm right there with you hoping this Wonder Woman movie is good. I do like who they cast as Wonder Woman anyway. As for this comic, it sounds like it would be a good opportunity for me to brush up on her mythology as well.
I'm not a fan of movies based on comic books - I think the only one I've liked is X-Men - so I know absolutely nothing about Wonder Woman. This sounds interesting even if some aspects aren't explored properly.
Boo for the inconsistencies but yay for the story overall. I loved watching Wonder Woman as a kid and I think this would be a lot of fun.