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| 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
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| 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
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| 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 (Coming Soon)
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
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| Back cover of DC Comics original graphic novel Wonder Woman Earth 1 |
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