Restaring this series over with a new first issue was not at all necessary, but I do get that it was done (logically) after Crisis on Infinite Earths and so DC is opting to do so again in the wake of the sequel, Infinite Crisis. This new direction for the book has a lot going for it: plenty of surprises, an iconic, traditional approach to super-hero storytelling and crisp, brilliant artwork. But the comic has its flaws as well, not the least of which is the gratuitous splash that serves as the final page of the issue. Will Allen Heinberg's new take on one of DC's most recognizable characters be well received? Well, the script for first issue is accessible enough, but I suspect DC's banking on the Dodsons' artwork to hook a core readership of boys -- which is too bad, since the book really should ought appeal more to girls.
A trio of terrorists have taken Steve Trevor, the deputy secretary of defense, hostage inside a museum filled with Themysciran artifacts. In keeping with that theme, they've demanded to negotiate with no one else but Princess Diana herself, Wonder Woman. They get Wonder Woman all right, but it's not Diana. Someone else has taken up that mantle, and she's in for a surprise as well when she discovers just who the three "terrorists" really are. In the midst of the chaos and violence of the inevitable melee, one question persists: where is the real Wonder Woman? A figure standing on the sidelines has a possible answer.
The Dodsons' artwork brings a dynamic and classic quality to the villains in this story, and the animals exude ferocity and menace. The new Wonder Woman conveys the appropriate level of majesty and power as well, and the museum backdrop not only suits the title character but is brought to life in stunning detail. When I heard the Dodsons would be handling the artwork on this book, I was a bit leery, since past efforts have focused too much on cheesecake poses for the female characters. I found that tendency wasn't too distracting here at all... until I reached the final page. How is one meant to take a law enforcement agent seriously when all of one's attention is focused on her impossible large and jutting tits? The splash comes off as ridiculous instead of the dramatic and cool reveal it's meant to be.
Superman and Batman have lineups of classic villains, rogues galleries that even those who don't read super-hero comics know of through pop culture and nostalgic memories of comics and cartoons of yesteryear. But Wonder Woman... well, she just doesn't have the same thing going for her, and Allan Heinberg recognizes that. And he sets out to do something about it. He brings villains together in this script, retools them and casts them in a light that makes them seem as iconic and menacing as their better-known brethren from the Super- and Bat-families.
Heinberg embraces a traditional, brighter super-hero-genre tone in this first issue, but the plot is pretty conventional, so much so that it comes off as simply ordinary, bordering on the cliched. The only thing in the book that's really new is revealed only on the final page. In other words, the jury's still out on this WW relaunch. 6/10
