Scott's Take: Wonder Woman Vol 1: Outlaw by Tom King, illustrator Daniel Sampere

Wonder Woman Vol 1: Outlaw by Tom King, illustrator Daniel Sampere, deals with a complicated situation. During a bar fight, an Amazon allegedly kills several dudes. Somehow, the media and the government turn it into an indictment on all Amazons. All Amazons are ordered to leave the country by the United States government. The government creates Amazon Extradition Entity to hunt down any Amazons who refused to leave the country. Amazons like Wonder Woman. She is attempting to uncover the truth of what really happened and why. Of course, things get complicated fast.

 

Wonder Woman has not had a big-name writer in years until now. Frankly, DC has mishandled the franchise for several years. The last few runs were not bad, but they were not good. They were just okay. Each writer tried something different and none of it worked.

 

This run, so far, is both acclaimed and criticized in equal measure. More importantly, it is getting talked about. That is far more than I can say about previous runs. People are interested, they care, and they are actually reading it. This time, the interest is expanding past the usual base as many people are making this their first Wonder Woman book. I enjoyed it, but I also agree with the criticism.

 

The two main villains are sexist and dumb. They underestimate Wonder Woman to such a large degree, that might be the point. But the idea that even a sexist would come up with a plan of sending basic infantry with tank support against Wonder Woman who fights gods, monsters, and supervillains, and expect to win is laughingly bad. The idea that Steve, on and off boyfriend, is depicted as concerned for her against these enemies is dumb. Yea, babe, I saw you wreck a god just a few months ago, but these guys with guns are a concern.

 

Tom King never writes a character like anyone else. Tom King writes his version of a well-established character so everyone is either going to be slightly off or way more off.  All the character development to make several of her rogue’s more frenemies over the last years seems to be gone here. The government is always bad or incompetent. One expects that as he always does this because he is a former employee of the C.I.A. and clearly has issues with his employment and expresses that in his work.

 

Wonder Woman Vol 1: Outlaw does have its positives as well. The art is incredibly good. Daniel Sampere does some really impressive work. The fights are action packed, Wonder Woman is complicated, she is kind but fierce, her rogue’s gallery is used well even if character development has been changed back to what was previously done in some cases. The new villain is interesting commentary on the country.

 

The Wonder Girls actually are all here and play a role. Most of the time the Wonder Girls are usually either not in a run or only one of them. All four have a role to play. There are some humor moments too. Tom King is clearly a fan of Wonder Woman and has done his research. Not many people remember that Wonder Woman has a pet kangaroo, for example, as the Kangaroo is allowed a small cameo.

 

I am looking forward to reading the next volume called Sacrifice which is coming out in November. Despite DC planning on rebooting a lot of the lines later in the year for their new All In (the new banner/marketing term for the DC books which has nothing to do with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his rants) campaign, this title is one of the few which should not see major shakeups as DC is happy with the product.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YqTtDe

 

My paperback reading copy came from the Timberglen Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024

Scott's Take: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths by Joshua Williamson

 

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths by Joshua Williamson (Author), Daniel Sampere (Illustrator) collects the main titles for this event. The tie ins which are referenced throughout the book in little dialog boxes saying go to this boor or that to continue the plot thread are not collected here.

 

In this event, the most of the members of Justice League are murdered. With every villain on the planet knowing the Justice League is dead, the bad guys have declared open season on every remaining hero. Deathstroke is leading an army of villains with one simple mission--- kill every hero. It’s up to the sidekicks and legacy heroes to save the world. Led by Nightwing and Superman’s son, can the remaining heroes protect the planet?

 

Featuring heroes like Supergirl, Black Adam, Damian Wayne,  Hal Jordan (one of the few big name justice league members who survived as he was not part of the current team), and others,  the spotlight is on the lower profile heroes than the usual main heroes of the DC Universe. The art is epic and really showcased in the massive number of great fights. Early on readers are treated to Nightwing going hand to hand with Deathstorke as well as Jon Kent having to face off with Cyborg Superman. Those are just two of the early fights that are featured in this book.

 

There are also some really emotional moments like Nightwing leading a candle light vigil for the fallen heroes while Supergirl holds Lois Lane up. Or when Hal Jordan learns that all of his friends are dead after returning from outer space and looking for his former teammates. The return of another superhero team that has not been used in a long time is handled incredibly well.

 

The plot is rushed a bit in this stand alone read. The tie ins are where they really let the events breath better. Overall, this is a pretty cool event book if you like the lower profile heroes with cool cameos with various smaller heroes like Frankstein (yes, that Frankstein) and more. 

 

My reading copy came from the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023