It’s a brand new day for Wonder Woman fans. The highly anticipated new run from writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere debuted from DC Comics on Tuesday, September 19. But how is the book? What can you expect from the plot? And does it match up to the hype?
We reviewed the title at length — with just a few digressions — on this week’s Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
Powered by RedCircle
Wonder Woman #1 Review:
In the book, we kick off with the murder of 19 men in a bar, seemingly by a member of the Amazons. America quickly freaks out and tries to expel all Amazons from United States soil, leading to family separations, deaths, and more. Wonder Woman thinks there’s more going on – and she’s right, of course. A new villain named The Sovereign, the secret King of America, has been pulling the strings in the background.
On the overall story, Justin Tyler said called the book “one of the best relaunches” in recent memory, adding that the build-up to Wonder Woman’s reveal in a graveyard brought “a lot of anticipation.” He also noted that this was a “more intense” status quo for Wonder Woman, who has of late been dealing with more mythological challenges. Part of the reason for that? “This feels more like the other Tom King mini-series or maxi-series,” than perhaps your typical Wonder Woman book.
Pete LePage, meanwhile, said, “I like a badass Wonder Woman,” and loved the last panel reveal of the “evil overlord,” which was “fun.”
What About Tom King’s Writing Style, And The Sovereign?
One worry while reading the book? As with other Tom King stories, Wonder Woman would either never show up, or barely be in the issue. Said Alex Zalben, it “felt like Tom King’s bag of tricks, where [you] keep the main character off-screen, and the person you think is narrating is not actually narrating.” Instead, “Daniel Sampere 100% nailed the reveal” of Wonder Woman in the aforementioned graveyard scene, and King’s pacing expertly built the anticipation and tension.
Finally, on The Sovereign, Tyler noted that the villain gives off a Mark Russell-style “meta-commentary satire vibe. And I actually think that’s a good spot for Tom King to be in, doing this hard, militaristic first half, and then building up to this character reveal that’s a goofy, skinny old dude.” Tyler also called out Preacher as a good reference point for the new villain.
Ultimately, all three were “excited about this run,” and looking forward to what’s coming next. Wonder Woman #1 is now available in stores everywhere from DC Comics.
Wonder Woman #1 Official Synopsis:
THE AMAZON WARRIOR IS NOW A WANTED OUTLAW! A NEW ERA FOR THE AMAZON WARRIOR BEGINS, FROM THE SUPERSTAR TEAM OF TOM KING AND DANIEL SAMPERE! After a mysterious Amazonian is accused of mass murder, Congress passes the Amazon Safety Act, barring all Amazons from U.S. soil. To carry out their plans, the government starts a task force, the Amazon Extradition Entity (A.X.E.), to remove those who don’t comply, by any means necessary.
Now, in her search for the truth behind the killing, Wonder Woman finds herself an outlaw in the world she once swore to protect! Writer Tom King (Batman, Mister Miracle, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) and superstar artist in the making Daniel Sampere (Dark Crisis, Action Comics) join forces for this action-packed relaunch and the beginning of what will undoubtedly become a groundbreaking run on the character.
