Ricky Church reviews Absolute Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chang Vol. 1…
In these tales from the start of DC—The New 52, Wonder Woman learns that Queen Hippolyta has kept a secret from her daughter all her life—and when Diana learns who her father is, her life will shatter like brittle clay. The only one more shocked than Diana by this revelation? Bloodthirsty Hera—so why is her sinister daughter, Strife, so eager for the truth to be told? This Absolute edition collects WONDER WOMAN #1-18 and #0.
DC’s New 52 reboot had its fair share of controversy as character’s histories and relationships were erased and creative teams seemed to constantly shift titles while the books themselves ranged in quality. One title, though, that was always at the top of its game and had one of the best teams of The New 52 was Wonder Woman with Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chang. Now DC has collected the first three volumes of their run in an oversized Absolute Edition. Now is it worth the addition to your library?
Collecting issues Wonder Woman #1 – 18 and #0 of The New 52 series, we see Diana trying to protect a young woman named Zola from Hera’s wrath after they discover she had an affair with Zeus and is carrying his child. This puts her in an alliance with and against several of the Olympus gods as she swears to protect the life of Zola and that her child, all the while the children of Zeus and Hera plot to rule Olympus themselves and prevent a prophecy from coming true.
Azzarello’s run on the title had one overarching story, but each volume could still stand on its own. For fans of Wonder Woman, it’s definitely nice to have half of the story in one book and its presented beautifully. The oversized Absolute lets you really examine the artwork of Chang and Tony Akins, who periodically takes over art duties from Chang. Both their styles mesh together pretty well, especially when combined with the vibrant colour work from Matthew Wilson and Nick Filardi.
Azzarello has a good handle on Diana’s character, showing how compassionate she is to everyone around her as well as her prowess in battle. There is a lot of heart to Diana through these stories, but her supporting cast is quite memorable as well. Azzarello reworks the Olympic gods into a very dysfunctional family, making their relationships and machinations something akin to Game of Thrones as they ally and plot against each other. Some of these takes are much more rooted in Greek mythology than past Wonder Woman stories as well. There are plenty of references for those who know Greek history to enjoy.
Of course, The New 52 Wonder Woman title didn’t escape controversy. There are a couple elements in this that some fans didn’t particularly appreciate, such as Diana’s new origin. One thing that struck me was how the Amazons play so little into the story and are unlike their past iterations. Rather than being a warrior race that loved and supported each other, the Amazons depicted here never quite accept Diana as one of their own, instead ridiculing her for being made of clay or performing other unsavoury acts. Still, its not enough to turn one off the book, but was one element of the reboot that didn’t jive well.
Azzarello does make up for this though with his story pacing and portrayal of the other characters. A I said, there is a Game of Thrones feel to the characters, perhaps none more so than Apollo, but where Azzarello really struck gold is with his interpretation of Ares, or War as he is called in the story. Rather than being a god bent on the destruction of mankind and Diana’s nemesis, he is instead her former mentor and depicted as an alcoholic, wizened man tired of witnessing war and the complicated family politics. It is one of the new interpretations that Azzarello does really well with (plus there’s the fun fact Chang based his look off of Azzarello’s actual look).
Also collected in this Absolute Edition is a large gallery of sketches and cover art from Chang as well as the script with sketch pages for Wonder Woman #0. It’s a great addition to the book and its cool to see the variety of character designs Chang played with. The book itself is presented and bound nicely with little to no gutter loss for the imagery or dialogue, making the reading experience an easy and enjoyable one.
Absolute Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chang Vol. 1 is a great addition to have for fans of Wonder Woman, Azzarello or hardcore collectors. This was one of the best runs in The New 52 and didn’t rely on the greater DC universe, but simply focused on Diana and her world to tell its story. The artwork is great all round and the bonus material is well worth the price too. This is definitely a worthy collection for DC’s Absolute line.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church
