Wonder Woman #601
Reviewed live at Comic-Con by Otomo
Yesterday during his spotlight at Comic-Con, JMS teased the fact that he had tried to get DC to bring copies of Wonder Woman #601 to everyone who came to the panel, and the company had declined. In response, JMS hired professional voice actors from a crew put together by Pat Tallman, of Lyta fame from Babylon 5. The culmination of which allows me to deliver a review of Wonder Woman #601 in advance of its release next week.
There are spoilers ahead about the arc and about this issue, so for those who want to have the issue spoiled, stop reading now.
Issue #601 is one of the most entertaining comics I've read this year (which was helped by astounding voice acting of the character parts), and looked great up on the big screen. JMS rides the line of street level action and mythology masterfully, for the start of what's shaping to be a great tale.
For those who were worried about Wonder Woman from the costume change and the introduction to a new alternate universe in #600, you should be relieved as this issue references the "real" DCU, with some panels where the Diana in this universe is shown her role as Wonder Woman in a vision (classic costume and all). In the beginning it is made clear the Oracle knows that two universes exist, and that there was a divergence caused by supernatural forces. Over this run, it will be up to Diana to discover what's going on with the world, why it's "wrong" and who caused it.
The first half of the issue really set the stage for the entire universe we're in now, explaining how this world came to be and who Diana is in it while giving it in the form of a vision to Diana. As hinted in all of the previews, Paradise Island has been destroyed, most of the Amazons are dead and there are a few survivors hiding throughout the world. There is a group of men hunting them all down, though we're not told why as of yet.
To keep some surprise to the book, Diana gets involved with a plot around them and it becomes very interesting from an Action perspective. I will tell you that Wonder Woman jumps onto a plane that is taking off and hangs on for the ride in classic form.
The premise is very interesting, and the scope of the book is a big contrast from his Grounded story in Superman, showing again that JMS can write a wide breadth of content. He mentioned in his panel that this villain in #601 is not the end-all of this arc, and that there will be a series of villains that grow in both scariness and mythological proportion throughout the arc.
The art is beautiful, and comes across great on the big screen. Don Kramer has an excellent way with details, and when the pictures are blown up that large it is a testament to his talent. Art wise, it's one of the best that DC has to offer, making what should be a great team for the arc.
Perhaps it was partially the stellar voice acting and presentation, but as a story itself, Wonder Woman #601 generates a lot of excitement from the book. Though there is the controversy over the new costume, I believe it will soon be forgotten once people get into the meat of this story. This book is highly recommended for next week, and boasts my first perfect score given in a review.
Rating - 10/10
A Review by Jon Del Arroz / Otomo
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