Review: Wonder Woman #4
Submitted by:
Kelly Aliano, PhD, Comics News Editor
10 August 2016
**Spoilers to
Follow**
Wonder Woman #4 returns us to Themyscira, where a ship
of men has crashed, with all but one aboard already dead. It appears that the men were warriors,
sporting a red, white, and blue emblem and travelling with various
weapons. The book not only sets up an
interesting forward-moving story of Wonder Woman’s venture into the world of
humankind, but it also provides all of the necessary exposition that a reader
new to Wonder Woman would need to understand the character. As if that weren’t enough, it simultaneously
raises intriguing questions about the seeds of conflict that can be sowed via
suspicion alone.
The issue,
entitled “Year One: Part Two,” written by Greg Rucka with Nicola Scott as artist,
gives us the Diana we know and love.
Rather than simply accept the inflammatory words of the council, she
investigates the situation for herself, sneaking into the room of the lone
survivor of the crash. As you may have
already guessed, the good-looking young man tells her his name is Steve. Meanwhile, the Amazons have decided that they
must send a champion to accompany this man back to his world, as his armed
presence is a clear indication that
Wonder Woman is
exactly the kind of hero—and woman—that we would want to see in comic books
today. She fights not because she must;
in fact, a recent illness suggests that she has every right to withdraw herself
from competition. Rather, she participates
in the Games because she feels it is her duty, despite her fear of losing her
home in the process. She is brave,
loyal, and incredibly strong; for example, the final test for Diana? Being able to defend against bullets, a
subtle nod to the brutality and danger of the human world. The
Verdict: One of the best Wonder Woman stories all year, one that provides
excellent backstory that is true to the Amazon’s mythos while enriching that
narrative with relevant and meaningful thematic details.
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