Cover Girl - Wonder Woman Earth One volume 2 (2018)

  

Front Cover of Wonder Woman Earth One volume 2

Score (out of 5 Capes)

Packed with elements from across Wonder Woman's storied history, this is another piece of a stunning reimagination of our favorite Amazon princess, filled with page after page of jaw-dropping images.

My Review

Writer Grant Morrison and artist Yanick Paquette return for the second volume of their original graphic novel series reimagining Wonder Woman's origins.

True to their vision from book one, they draw elements from across Wonder Woman's long and storied history, pulling from Golden Age tales here, Silver Age there, and even more contemporary elements and themes.

It starts off with a 1940s-era Nazi raid on Paradise Island. The Nazi troopers and seamen, regular foils in our hero's earliest appearances, are led by the tall, blond haired and blue-eyed woman calling herself the Uberfraulein.

She temporarily gains the upper hand, even stealing the magic girdle of invulnerability from Queen Hippolyta. But in the end, she bows in submission to the loving authority of the queen she sought to destroy.

This concept of submission to loving authority first arose in volume one, and was presented in contrast to how Steve Trevor hears it clashing with his core values formed in his freedom and individualism. It gets a much deeper look in this second volume.

It comes through most intensely in the exchanges between Diana and Doctor Zeiko, revealed to be Dr Psycho. The villainous character has had a range of powers and motivations, dating all the way back to the earliest Wonder Woman comics. Here, he is a brilliant manipulator, tasked with making special use of his skills and talents on Diana.

She indulges many of his curious questions, even demonstrating her bracelets while he fires a gun toward her - at her insistence of course! But the truth and honesty gets especially strained on the topic of submission and when the lasso of truth comes out.

Over the course of the book, Diana goes from globally admired - with baseball hitting demonstrations and cover profiles on magazines - to feared and hated. The full-page spread of magazine covers is delightful!

But when Uberfraulein returns to her original programming, throws off her submission to loving authority and again attacks Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman must return to Amazonia and take on a whole new role in preparing her people for the challenges ahead.

Morrison continues to play with a large number of loosely woven plot threads. I admire how well he sprinkles reimagined villains from both long history (Dr Psycho and the Nazis) to much more modern ones (Maxwell Lord pulling strings behind the scenes). The sheer size of the collection of plot threads means that this book cannot be the end - we need the third volume to see if he can tie the whole package together.

Artist Yanick Paquette continues to lift the story to new heights with stellar visuals. There is a beauty in the faces and body language of the good guys, and an emerging darkness in others with less virtuous motives.

His panels and pages flow together with such dynamic power, each one packed with detailed backgrounds and attention to the smallest details. A truly magnificent work, a testament to his craft!

We are left with a strong and satisfying final page, but we know that more books must follow, for too many balls are in motion to feel like this could possibly be the final word.

What I loved

Wonder Woman wears a more culturally-influenced garb

The book is every bit as gorgeous as volume one. Yanick Paquette does another fantastic job at filling in backgrounds with spectacular scenery. It is most noticeable in Paradise Island settings, but his creative attention to every beautiful detail oozes from every pore of this book.

One of my personal favorites is the outfit Diana chooses for her rescue mission of a man held prisoner by some Middle Eastern terrorists. Pause and admire the overall look and the finer details. 

The red, gold and blue tones, in step with her other outfits; the symbols of stars and feathers, too; the accommodation to cultural sensitivities, with the flowing sleeves and the head and face coverings; even the stars-and-rainbows along the seams of the robe, that call to mind some of the scene-transition bursts in the 1970s Wonder Woman TV show.

What I didn't love

How easy it is to lose your best defensive shield!

Imagine you had a defensive tool that made you invulnerable - a shield, a force field, maybe a magic girdle as worn by Queen Hippolyta. You would want to ensure that it could not be disabled or stripped from your possession without great effort.

How shocking, then, to twice in these pages see Hippolyta so easily stripped of her wonderful magic girdle. Wearing it, as she does, outside her clothing and tied with an easily broken or untied knot, it turns out to be a simple enough matter to rip it from her possession.

Now, spoiler alert, the second occurrence shown in the above panel may not have been unexpected, possibly part of a larger plan. But the first time Paula the Uberfraulein confronted the queen, she pulled the same stunt in the middle of the battle.

Do we need a lesson in double-knots?

Related Reviews

Wonder Woman Earth One Book One

Wonder Woman Earth One Book Three (coming soon)

Teen Titans Earth One Book Two

Quick Reference Details

Writers:   Grant Morrison
Artists:  Yanick Paquette
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Oct. 9, 2018
Parental Rating: Teen

Back Cover of Wonder Woman Earth One volume 2

A Paradise of Rebooted Origins - Review of Wonder Woman Earth One vol 1 (HC 2016)

  

Front cover of DC Comics original graphic novel Wonder Woman Earth One volume 1

Score (out of 5 Capes)

My Review

DC Comics loves to reinvent itself and its characters, a pattern that has only accelerated over the years. Transitions from Golden Age to Silver Age to Bronze Age of comics all came with radical new takes on characters, canon and continuity, over a period of decades.

Then through the Crisis-themed cross-over events, the New 52, into Rebirth, and continuing with the modern All-In and Absolute books, the reinventions have been happening every couple of years instead of decades.

The Earth One standalone graphic novels have always stood on their own - rather than a reboot or a ret-con of established continuity, they strive to reimagine key elements of their subjects and their history across the various incarnations and reassemble them into compelling new takes.

Writer Grant Morrison, in his new origin tale of Wonder Woman, does exactly that. He pulls themes, characters and elements from Golden, Silver and more modern Wonder Woman canon, mixes in some contemporary considerations, and produces a fascinating new stage for this long-standing and much-loved hero.

He takes us way back, to a time not only before Diana was born but before the Amazons established their society on Paradise Island. Back to a confrontation between Queen Hippolyta and mighty Hercules, a seminal event leading to their self-imposed isolation.

Then, jumping ahead 3,000 years, Paradise Island is a land of rich architecture and advanced technology. The women have built a society defined by a blend of strength and beauty, simplicity and sophistication, undergirded by submission and authority bound together by love.

The foundations of their society, especially in the eyes of Diana, are challenged and shaken by the arrival of Steve Trevor, an African-American pilot sent on a spy mission by the American military leadership. But his wounds are so grievous, and their advanced healing abilities so incapable of helping a human man, that Diana returns him to the USA for treatment, ultimately saving his life.

But in the process, Diana becomes a figure of both inspiration for those who aspire for a more just and equal society, and of suspicion for those who hold the reins and enjoy the spoils of power, especially patriarchal power.

This whole tales is structured as a series of flashbacks and explanations that emerge from the Trial of Truth; Diana is accused of being a prodigal child who has exposed Paradise Island to the rest of the world. It is an unfortunate choice that misses on too many points.

From trial to pre-Trevor moments to civics lessons to Amazonian shock and dismay at the contemporary gender dynamics, so many separate threads are swirled together in the narrative. Too often, the transition between them is sloppy, the cues for the reader inadequate to prevent confusion and frustration.

Where this trial-centric approach works most is in illustrating Diana's embrace of the hand-in-hand pattern of submission and authority. The theme is revisited several times throughout this book, and the ones that follow. While it sounds very much out of step with the American cultural ideals of freedom, individualism and democracy, Morrison presents people's embrace or rejection of the ideas and their underlying principles in very compelling ways.

With his absolutely incredible visuals, artist Yanick Paquette does his part to clarify and smooth out the seams, transitions and gaps in the narrative. Subtle shifts in style, more pronounced shifts in colours and shading, amazing panel borders and visual flow all do their part to show us the clues needed to move between plot threads.

And throughout, Paquette's images remain stunningly detailed. Panel after panel contains so much background detail. It well portrays the island's architecture and natural beauty, the variety of fashion styles favoured by the Amazons and more. You will find yourself lingering over so many pages, drinking in their beauty. 

Paquette's pictures alone make this book worth your time. And Morrison does some bold things with elements of Wonder Woman's past. It does not all hold together but on the whole, this is a solid first book of the three planned graphic novels for Wonder Woman's Earth One reimagined origins.

What I loved

A beautiful and highly detailed panel

Yanick Paquette's visuals are so breath-taking! In a typical super-hero story, we would get the occasional full-page or stand-out panel with loads of attention to the little details in the background.

Here, though, Paquette packs page after page and panel after panel with intricate details - Paradise Island scenery or classical architecture and statuary, nature bursting with flowers and wildlife, people with a variety of fashions.

He must be allergic to rectangles and the standard 6 or 9 panel page layouts; nearly every page has a rope or stars or other shapes containing the pictures themselves.

We readers cannot help but let our eyes wander across the scene, drawing out the sheer pleasure of reading this beautifully drawn graphic novel!

What I didn't love

A sample of the confusing overlap of plot elements

There are several time and plot lines woven together in this book. At key intersection points, like the one pictured above, the handoff from one to another is sloppy and confusing.

Grant Morrison has shown some real writing chops in his storied career. In this work overall, he does terrific work reimagining so many factors from Wonder Woman's history. 

So it is disappointing to see him fumble these shifts, requiring the reader too often to wait till the next page to figure out which of the times and places we've landed in. Whether it needed a few more revisions in the writer's room or tighter editorial guidance, the unfortunate result is a choppy flow and too many moments of confusion for the reader.

Related Reviews

Teen Titans Earth One Book 1

Teen Titans Earth One Book 2

Wonder Woman Earth 1 Book 2

Wonder Woman Earth 1 Book 3 (Coming Soon)

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Grant Morrison
Artists:  Yanick Paquette
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  April 12, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of DC Comics original graphic novel Wonder Woman Earth 1

To Hell and Back with a Friend - Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over (2025)

  

Front cover DC Comics TPB of Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over

This book collects the following comics: Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over issues #1-6

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A charming story of love, friendship and family, set amidst the trials and tribulations of Fire and Ice and their journey into Hell and back. It is fun but does not reach the overall level of cleverness of the original.

My Review

In their 2024 limited series Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville, Fire (Beatrice) and Ice (Tora) were banished to Smallville as a timeout to work on their dedication to serving others with their super-human powers.

Author Joanne Starer, who wrote that previous series, returns the pair to Smallville, this time to sort out what to do with their powers, which were swapped during the events of the Absolute Power mini-series. She trims the size of the supporting cast to just eight or so, and amps up the chaos.

The swapped powers introduces some mild initial chaos, as Fire and Ice wrestle with the different offensive and defensive strategies inherent in blasts of flame vs walls of ice.

But, like in their previous series, these ladies like to have fun. When Fire finds some of Zatanna's magical artifacts at a house party and accidentally adds body-swapping to the mix, the chaos hits another gear. Fire lands in Ice's body and vice versa. Wheel-chair-bound Charlie and super-intelligent ape Grodd's little sister Linka swap. Villain wanna-be Mo and persuasive-talker Honey swap. And all Hell breaks loose.

Unfortunately, to put things back, Fire needs a magical bracelet that is in the care of some of the denizens of Hell. So she and Ice set out to battle the hordes of demons and temptations, retrieve the magical cure and restore sanity to Smallville.

These characters have been through Hell before, in 2005's JLA Classified series, collected in the TPB I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League. Starer does a nice job of tying this tale together with those earlier ones, and with the ladies' internal battles with their personal demons and haunting history.

One minor annoyance is the almost complete lack of of the demon Etrigan's famous rhyming way of speaking. While the rhymes also disappeared in that JLA Classified story, it was a running gag and kept slipping in and out. Here, it gets one brief note then disappears. It is disappointing that Starer did not spend more time nailing the Etrigan character.

For all the drama and emotional impact of the Hell scenes, the Smallville scenes come across as lame comedic relief or eye-rolling distractions. The supporting characters can't carry these secondary scenes. It is also both a relief and a shock at how quickly all the loose ends are wrapped up, too abruptly in my opinion.

Artist Stephen Byrne handles all the visual duties, from pencils to inks to colours. In keeping with the tone of the earlier series, the look and feel of Byrne's images calls to mind classic Archie Comics.

The colours are especially notable in the variety of skin tones in these diverse characters. From Tora's Nordic pale whiteness to Bea's Latina complexion, to the different shades for supporting characters like Honey, Charlie and Tamarind, Byrne put lots of time and attention into their skins.

Byrne also carries the distinct dressing preferences of the heroes into whichever body they occupy. Ice's hair becomes extra-long when Bea is in the body, and she bares lots more skin. Fire wears a hefty green-flame sweater when Tora in in that body. Nice touch. If only such visual cues carried over to the other body-swapped pairs.

A real highlight of the collected TPB format is the inclusion of all the alternative covers, Different artists lend their time and skills and really run with the playful side of the swapping theme. I also love all the different fashions these ladies model on the different covers!

Overall, this is a solid tie-in with some of the key developments in the DC Comics All-In cross-over. Some nice artistic touches, if overly simplified in places; and some intriguing ideas in the writing, despite a few gaps. A recommended read for fans of these characters.

What I loved

Fire sees through the tricks thrown at her in Hell

In a plot filled with body-switching and un-switching, the relationship between Bea and Tora, whichever one is Fire and Ice at any given moment, remains a central anchor throughout.

It affects their actions and decisions in Smallville.

And, more crucially, it helps them see through the demonic trickery they encounter while in Hell. Bea and Tora know and understand each other so well that they can identify an imposter. At least eventually.

I love that this collection is more than just the adventures of two friends; the different aspects of that friendship itself takes centre stage. Author Joanne Starer packs emotional wallop into several of these scenes. In the panel excerpted here, Bea's strength of conviction and dedication to her friend stand out. It all adds depth to the tale and to these two characters who are better together than apart.

What I didn't love

Linka, Charlie, Superman and Grodd discuss body-switching

The Freaky Friday ("Furry Friday"?) body-switching gets more than a little tiring over the course of the series. 

Fire and Ice had their powers switched in Absolute Power #4 and extending that to a full body swap was a natural, if somewhat predictable, plot twist. But why stop there? Why not also pair up several minor characters and swap them too? 

Why not? How about because these are not well-established characters, making the reader's job to distinguish between them more difficult. 

Why not? Maybe because some of the body-switched characters do have meta-human powers of their own, but the narrative is inconsistent about whether the power transfers in the swap, as in the panels above with Charlie and Linka, or stays in the original's body, as with Honey and Mo. And if you don't know who they are, that just proves my first point that the swapped characters are not well-known enough.

Related Reviews

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville

All In Saga

I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Joanne Starer
Artists:  Stephen Byrne
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Jan 27, 2026
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over

Splitting Alpha from Omega - Review of All In Saga (2025)

  

Front cover of All In Saga by DC Comics

This book collects the following comics: Absolute Power #4, DC All In Special #1, Justice League Unlimited #1, Batman #153, Superman #19, Wonder Woman #14 (all 2024-25)

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A fun if uneven launch of an exciting new direction in the DC Comics universe.

My Review

The All In initiative from DC Comics promised to reimagine the characters in exciting new directions. It would launch whole new titles, under the Absolute Universe umbrella. And it would bring significant changes to the existing in-continuity heroes and titles.

This trade paperback collects in one handy volume the key moments that kicked off the All In saga.

Leading the charge is Absolute Power #4, the conclusion of the four-part limited series in which Amanda Waller tried to strip the powers from all Earth's mighty heroes. The fourth and final book in that series pits the heroes against Waller's forces, a final desperate assault to try and stop her.

Artist Dan Mora provides powerful images. Whether in the dark corners and confrontations or sparkling and electrified moments, his images are striking and ferocious, with everything from colours and inks to layouts and intense closeups driving the emotional impact. Mark Waid's story is taut and tense, keeping readers on the edge of our seats. He successfully builds toward the climax and conclusion, leaving us almost breathless.

This is a critical tale for half of the All In project - it sets up the new start for Justice League in particular, as well as several other titles that DC would release in the coming months.

Where it misses the mark, unfortunately, is that it works better as a final chapter for Absolute Power than as a starting point for the All In Saga TPB. By leaving out the first three chapters of the limited series and dropping us only into the final chapter, we struggle to understand what is going on and to keep up with all the shifts in scene and the many overlapping plot threads.

Once you push through the confusing bits, it sets up nicely the next key chapter, the DC All In Special. Co-written by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder, the two halves of this one-shot converge on a common moment from two very different angles and in two very different narrative styles. Well done to the duo for pulling it all together in a coherent whole.

The "Alpha" chapter comes first in this collection. The visuals, drawn by Daniel Sampere, are bright and fun, packed with cameos. After surviving Amanda Waller's power grab, the heroes of the Earth decide to radically expand the Justice League and kick things off with a first meeting of the membership on their shiny new satellite. Things go sideways, though, when Darkseid shows up, fused with The Spectre.

One of my favourite parts is the prominent role played by Booster Gold. I am a Booster booster, as seen in my many other reviews of his books and appearances. In recent years, he had been under-used and largely portrayed as a buffoon when he did show up. So to see some maturity on his part and some actual respect from others (well, Superman at least) is a pleasant change. He is the logical choice to explore the rift left behind by Darkseid, and since his part of the story is left hanging, one wonders what might be next for this character.

Wes Craig handled the art duties for the second half, the "Omega" section. It is as dark and foreboding as the "Alpha" section is bright and cheerful. The heavy inks and blocky faces and poses are reminiscent of some Kirby or Romita work and are well-suited for the story about how Darkseid came to that confrontation with the newly reconstituted Justice League.

I love the Alpha/Omega framing of this story. It brilliantly sets up the split between the newly launched Absolute Universe, and the profound changes portrayed in the regular DC Universe titles. We readers are left thinking: Oh boy, this is going to be fun!

That excitement carries over into the third story in this collection: Justice League Unlimited #1. Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora continue their partnership after the Absolute Power limited series with the relaunch of a new and radically expanded Justice League.

With the new satellite as their base of operations / clubhouse, the disembodied AI of Red Tornado coordinating the hundreds of members, and Boom-tube tech replacing the old-fashioned transporters, this series feels poised for greatness.

Mora easily meets the challenges of visually distinguishing between the large cast of characters and different fronts of action. Waid deftly weaves many twists and emotions into the distributed action locations. It is an exciting first issue. I do worry that too large a cast of characters will lead to marginal and ever-revolving cameos, but this is a strong start.

Next up is Batman #153. Writer Chip Zdarsky does a solid job of casually weaving into the narrative some of the changes in the new All In direction. Some get prominent play, like the Riddler's new Nygmatech organization - and Batman is duly suspicious of its mission. Others are more subtle, like ex-Commissioner Gordon's new Private Eye role and the many changes in the Wayne Enterprises world. A little action, a little introspection, a little setup, a nicely balanced restart.

Superman #19 is less successful. Joshua Williamson, co-author of the All In one-shot special, certainly knows what the goals of this reset are. But while the elements are familiar and exciting, the overall effect is more jarring than the smoothly integrated Batman chapter or the cascading exposition of the Justice League reset. 

Lois Lane has Superwoman powers and the backing of an entire SuperCorp behind her. This alone feels too drastic a shift, despite its links to past Superman and Supergirl stories. Then Doomsday, Time Trapper and Atomic Skull all packed into one tale means that the villains need to compete for space on the page and reader attention. Without even mentioning the shocking twist on Time Trapper at the end. It all leaves the reader feeling like the Superman creative team is trying too hard.

I do love Dan Mora's accompanying images, though. The fiery end-of-time confrontation, the fight scenes, all are spectacular. But what really stands out are his facial expressions on Lois Lane. From hard-driving editor-in-chief to her fear and worry as she remembers Superman's first confrontation with Doomsday, to the sheer joie-de-vivre on a two-page spread as she flies to the rescue, Mora's portrayal of her is top-notch.

The collection closes with Wonder Woman #14, written by Tom King and drawn by Daniel Sampere. It is by far the slowest of the stories collected in this book, a melancholy and reflective walk through the stages of grief and hope and new starts. King deftly sets up a bold new direction for the Amazon princess. Its maternal and emotional overtones set it up to be a fascinating counterpoint to the new Absolute Wonder Woman.

The structure of the story presents some fascinating constraints and challenges on the visual side of the storytelling. Sampere does a phenomenal job rising to meet those challenges. With solid-black day counters bisecting most pages, he makes some skilled choices in how to carry the story forward. And he handles in a very believable way the wide range of emotions demanded by this tale.

One single issue from six different titles are brought together in this collection. While they do not always work, the overall effect is a solid new direction for the DC Universe, especially the core characters of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League. This is gonna be a fantastic ride!

What I loved

The return of the powers is a spectacular
2-page spread in Absolute Power #4

One of the plotlines of the Absolute Power mini-series is that the powers of many heroes have been transferred from them into Amanda Waller's Amazo robots. When the climactic moment arrives, the powers return from the now-disabled Amazos to the heroes. It is a key moment, appropriately celebrated in this dynamic two-page spread.

I love the moments captured here. Each image is diverse and spectacular, befitting this key turning point. It also sets up some future All In storylines as the return of powers was not perfect.

I prefer the Graphic Novel format for my comics-reading, but this spread illustrates one of the limitations of the format: it is almost impossible to spread the bound pages wide enough to appreciate the full effect. 

What I didn't love

Excerpt from Superman #19 showing Supercorp

As discussed above, All In divided the DC universe in two, with new titles of re-imagined characters in the Absolute side, and new starts in the in-continuity titles. Yet Superman #19, the purported new start for the Superman title, feels like we have been dropped into the middle of something.

While the Superwoman powers are clearly still new to her, Lois Lane has a support team that is organized and well-funded enough to have a spectacular high-rise on the Metropolis skyline, recruited and trained staff, monitoring and management tech in place.

It leaves the reader with the impression, not of an exciting new direction, but rather that something was missed along the way. Enough is explained to fill in the details of this new angle on these heroes, but confusion remains about how did we get here?

Related Reviews

Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over (coming soon)

Absolute Batman: The Zoo (coming soon)

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, Tom King
Artists:  Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig, Dan Mora, Jorge Jiminez
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  April 29, 2025
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of All In Saga by DC Comics