Wonder Woman #1 – The Lies Part 1

Wonder Woman #1: The Lies – Part One by Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp, Laura Martin, and Jodi Wynne. Published by DC Comics 2016.

I read the Wonder Woman Rebirth issue quite a while ago…back in October…and as I mentioned then, there didn’t seem to be a second Rebirth issue. Little did I know that the Wonder Woman series was going to continue with another #1. This was just Wonder Woman #1. Grrr – I really am still a rookie when it comes to all the changes and numbering schemes that the comic book companies put together.

In any case, I’ve finally gotten around to reading Wonder Woman #1. This title is in the DC Rebirth story arc, but seems to start in a different place than the one I read in October. This comic starts the “The Lies” story arc and moves forward with the confusion that Diana was experiencing in the Rebirth issue. Basically, she is confused about her origin and is unable to find her way home. So she seeks the help of someone I’d never think she’d approach…Cheetah who I thought was her arch-enemy.

I suppose if you’re confused about where you come from and what’s going on you might turn to someone who’s helped define you. And of course as I’ve mentioned previously, the bad guys often help flesh out the hero.

The dialog, the art, and the story all emphasize Wonder Woman’s search. She heads to the jungle to try to learn more about herself, but she knows she needs to step carefully into Cheetah’s domain. The treacherous jungle scenes and skull monuments depict a truly savage realm that Diana must fight her way through in order to speak to her nemesis. But she presses on.

Meanwhile, we met Commander Etta Candy and Master Chief Steve Trevor as they too are dealing with things happening in Bwunda, although in a less jungley and more plains section of the country. Apparently some warlord named Cadulo has been causing trouble and Steve was sent by Etta to stop him from reaching his target.

Even with my novice Wonder Woman status, I’ve heard about Steve Trevor a bit from the Rebirth book and know they had a relationship on the TV show, but I don’t recall Commander Candy. She seems to be in charge of Steve’s forces as they move in on Cadulo. And I get the feeling she might not be too keen on how close Steve and Diana are, or at least were.

The pacing in the book is pretty good. From the dialog to the layout, things move along and not only can I follow everything easily, it really gave me a sense of urgency in some scenes and caution in others. And boy, compared to some of the older Silver Age Marvel comics I’m reading, the details and realistic shading are a joy to my eyes (Silver Age is fun but this is definitely more like I’d expect from a modern comic).

I’m liking the storyline and the fact that I don’t know much about Wonder Woman and we’re learning things together makes me feel like this is a good starting point for a new reader. It’s the mystery of what’s going on that will keep me reading – what happened to Diana’s origin, how are things changing, and what are the implications? None of these are answered yet, but the fact that the questions are raised keeps me interested.

I think this is a good start to the story and to a series I look forward to continuing…I’ll give it an A.