In the tradition of DC Comics celebrating Superman’s 80th birthday with Action Comics #1000 and Detective Comics #1000 celebrating Batman’s 80th, DC is honoring the third part of their legendary trinity this week with Wonder Woman #750. It’s not the Amazonian’s birthday, but it is a significant issue just the same, restoring “legacy” numbering to the series while also offering a glimpse of the future for the character as a whole. To do this, the issue offers multiple stories by multiple creators and the result is a rich, beautiful love letter not only to Wonder Woman but everything she stands for and has inspired over the decades.
Overall, Wonder Woman #750 contains many excellent stories. The first story is an easy standout: the final chapter of “The Wild Hunt” arc. It is a fantastic conclusion to Diana’s “Year of the Villain” story accomplishing a lot in its pages without feeling rushed or bloated. Not only is the arc completed in a satisfying way, Steve Orlando manages to reignite the spirit of Wonder Woman with what reads as a genuine love letter to the character. If he had stopped there it would be brilliant, but the story takes one more dramatic turn with a shocking cliffhanger which deftly sets the stage for what comes next in Diana’s story. There’s also a great thematic examination on the meaning of truth here. Truth, as we see in the story, will in fact set you free. But sometimes the truth isn’t exactly welcomed by everyone. Diana may have reclaimed the truth and stands as its greatest champion, but it’s also made her an enemy of the very people she serves to protect. It makes for an interesting analogy for our times.
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Similarly, the second story of the issue—this one from writer Gail Simone—is another standout and true delight. There is something beautiful about Diana enjoying baked macaroni and cheese with Star-Blossom and her family, but what’s even more darling is that same family offering it to Hippolyta, too. It’s possibly the most charming thing in comics ever; just go with it. What’s also endearing is seeing Diana reminded that she doesn’t always have to be the strong, capable shoulders of the world. Gail Simone knocks it out of the park with a quirky, touching and beautiful reminder of Wonder Woman’s humanity – and Colleen Doran’s art with Hi-Fi’s colors are a wonder to behold.
Perhaps one of the most moving entries of the entire issue, though, is Greg Rucka’s “Never Change.” It is a short, but beautiful, companion to Orlando’s opening story that serves to remind the reader of just how devoted Diana is to those she cares about. Nicola Scott’s art and Romulo Fajardo Jr’s colors are exquisite here, giving the story the dreamy look of wonder you’d expect for something that starts off during Mardi Gras. The story itself is also beautifully complimented by the “Bombshells” entry. Writer Marguerite Bennett with artist Laura Braga deliver an unexpected delight with various characters each telling the reader who Diana is to them. It is a pure and genuine love letter to the character, encapsulating through this alternate interpretation of the DC Universe the core truths of who Wonder Woman is.
But for all of those beautiful and excellent stories, there are some weak spots as well.
Mariko Tamaki’s “The Interrogation” is good, but it is a too-brief entry in the collection. It’s well-written—Tamaki always does a brilliant job with the way she approaches characters—but there’s just not enough there. The brief story leaves readers wanting more. The flipside of that is “Emergency Visit” by Shannon and Dean Hale with art by Riley Rossmo. It’s almost too much when the art itself makes Diana look extremely masculine and suffers from weird proportion issues, but it does have a very vintage feel, almost like you’re reading a comic strip version of Wonder Woman—save for one character exclaiming “Yeet,” which literally drags you out of the comic. This may be the weakest of the stories in the issue, with the odd language and the warped-looking art. There’s also the weird characterization of Hippolyta creating an emergency just so she could lure Diana home to, well, essentially be a mom, pestering her daughter about when she’s going to find a partner and why she hasn’t visited enough. The story and the art itself are bothjarring and don’t fit with the overall tone of the oversized issue.
The comic closes with an origin for Wonder Woman in “Man’s World” from Scott Snyder and while it doesn’t have the same overall vibe as the rest of the stories, it is still very clearly inspired by the character. It’s a fitting way to close out the issue, taking readers back to 1939. It offers a bit of a treat for the readers as it is narrated by Alan Scott as Green Lantern, though you don’t realize that until the end. It closes the issue out on a note of hope which, really what else could you possibly want from Wonder Woman?
Ultimately, Wonder Woman #750 is a beautiful tribute to the character, one that serves to remind the reader of her core values as well as why she’s perhaps one of the most popular superheroes in popular culture. She may not be from man’s world, but Wonder Woman is at her heart as human as we are. She’s the best of us – and this book offers us the best of her.
Published by DC Comics
On January 22, 2019
Written by Vita Ayala, Marguerite Bennett, Kami Garcia, Steve Orlando, and others
Art by Elena Casagrande, Colleen Doran, Jesus Merino, Gabriel Picolo, and others
Cover by Joelle Jones
