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Wonder Woman (2016)
Wonder Woman, Vol. 9: The Enemy of Both Sides
At the urging of Aztek, Diana and Artemis join her for a trip to Mexico, but there’s no sightseeing on the agenda. Instead, they must rescue a long-lost Amazon who’s being held captive by rogue deity Tezcatlipoca, who’s trying to break into our world. Can these three heroes save the missing Amazon, stop a raging god and not kill one another in the process? Find out in these stories from WONDER WOMAN #51-55, JUSTICE LEAGUE GIANT #1-2 and WONDER WOMAN 75TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 3, 2020
When I saw Steve Orlando was writing this arc, I cringed a bit. I've never really been a fan. The stand-alone issue that begins the book is probably the best thing he's ever wrote. Diana goes to visit one of her villains in prison each month until she's released showing her kindness for the first time. The art by Laura Braga is fantastic. Then in the next story Wonder Woman teams up with Aztek and Artemis to fight one of the Aztec gods. It felt like an unused story from Orlando's Justice League of America run. It was OK until they went back to Artemis's home to stop a civil war. Then it turned into a slog. I feel like Orlando never got the Diana / Artemis dynamic quite right. The dialogue between them felt stilted. ACO and Raul Allen handle the art. ACO always has these weird panel structures that float randomly across the page. I think they are difficult to follow.
The second half of the book is an anthology of stories from Wonder Woman's 75th Anniversary and and Justice League Giant #1-2. As with all of these anthologies some stories are great while others are just "meh". I did like how they published a bunch of unused cover ideas from when Brian Bolland did all the covers for about 4 years in the 90's. They are gorgeous.
The second half of the book is an anthology of stories from Wonder Woman's 75th Anniversary and and Justice League Giant #1-2. As with all of these anthologies some stories are great while others are just "meh". I did like how they published a bunch of unused cover ideas from when Brian Bolland did all the covers for about 4 years in the 90's. They are gorgeous.
August 6, 2019
This is a surprisingly solid collection of Wonder Woman stories, especially considering how low the title dropped right after Greg Rucka left. Steve Orlando's five issues received a lot of praise (the main reason why I decided to check this volume out — I keep trying to give the guy another chance because I keep hearing how good he is from other people), and actually his very first issue here is absolutely fantastic — it's a one-off story about Diana's growing relationship with a villain prisoner, and it captures everything that's great about Wonder Woman's character in one very cool story. This was definitely the best writing I've seen from Orlando so far. The next four-issue arc co-stars Aztec and Artemis and starts out pretty cool before devolving into some messy superhero punch-ey thing, but it was still entertaining enough and I didn't hate it. The other half of this chonky volume is padded with shorter stories from backups and the 75th anniversary anthology, and it's the usual fair — some stories are good, some are meh. I really enjoyed the Greg Rucka-written interview of Diana by Lois Lane, that was a cool little segment. Gail Simone's short was excellent, as well. Tim Seeley's final two stories were probably the weakest of the bunch, the guy comes up with some boring-ass plots and doesn't have a very good grip on both Steve Trevor and Diana as characters. The volume is also padded with some amazing pin-ups from artists like Liam Sharp, Jenny Frison and Brian Bolland, and the interior art throughout is mostly great here as well, especially in the Steve Orlando issues. Overall, I had a reasonably good time reading this volume, which is more than I expected.
April 9, 2022
This was a solid collection of WW stories and its okayish I guess.
The first 5 stories are awesome as we see Diana visit one of her old enemies Moonfly and well we see how she changes her and its one of the best stand alones issues easily and then we have a part where she teams with Aztek and then Artemis to fight the Aztek god, Tezcatlipoca and its a 2 issue thing and I love the way the whole fight is there and in some way homages Morrison's runs and I love the way the writer brings th econtinuity together and then we have them going to Bana-Mighdall's chosen place of Qurac and over there Diana must fight Rustam (from JL vs SS) and the new Queen Faruka, and navigate the politics there and will she be able to do it peacefully?
Yep so that was the good one and then its the 75th anniversary special and yeah it ranges from bad story to really good, I didn't find most of them good but like the one with Paula gunther was good and her fighting in the 1940s and meeting people then was fun and the later stories were mostly forgettable and kinda disappointing but the covers were nice I guess.
So yeah half of the book is a collection of stories and shows Diana on her mission of truth while the other half is an anthology and ranges from good to bad, mostly latter but still a good read overall with some great art.
The first 5 stories are awesome as we see Diana visit one of her old enemies Moonfly and well we see how she changes her and its one of the best stand alones issues easily and then we have a part where she teams with Aztek and then Artemis to fight the Aztek god, Tezcatlipoca and its a 2 issue thing and I love the way the whole fight is there and in some way homages Morrison's runs and I love the way the writer brings th econtinuity together and then we have them going to Bana-Mighdall's chosen place of Qurac and over there Diana must fight Rustam (from JL vs SS) and the new Queen Faruka, and navigate the politics there and will she be able to do it peacefully?
Yep so that was the good one and then its the 75th anniversary special and yeah it ranges from bad story to really good, I didn't find most of them good but like the one with Paula gunther was good and her fighting in the 1940s and meeting people then was fun and the later stories were mostly forgettable and kinda disappointing but the covers were nice I guess.
So yeah half of the book is a collection of stories and shows Diana on her mission of truth while the other half is an anthology and ranges from good to bad, mostly latter but still a good read overall with some great art.
December 28, 2018
Not the train wreck I was expecting.
World: The art is solid, Aco being the highlight of the artists. His take on the Aztex pantheon and the detail in the art design is impressive and I enjoyed it more than I should have. The world building is solid. I can't speak for the South American imagery we see and whether Orlando is respectful of the culture and dealt with them the proper way, but from my naive and Asian eyes I saw some wonderfully creative and pretty cool mythology that I wish was better executed. The idea of the world building was good but the writing was janky and choppy as all hell and I was a bit lost in the world building, I wished we had more of it and it was better told. Then we have the Bana Mighdall which I also enjoyed as it allowed for a different type of Amazon and another different culture to play with. Overall the world building I dig, I just hope that it was respectful.
Story: Three stories here and all are really choppy and not really that well written. If you've read Orlando's other series you'll know what to expect and it's on display here. His stories are great in idea and not so great in actual writing. The first story with the prison visits should be a wonderufl look at the love and kindness of Diana and on paper it is done well but as I said the writing is choppy, the dialog stilted and therefore the emotional impact we should be getting as readers does not hit. Then we have the Aztec story which once again I really like the locale and the DC characters that Orlando pulls from but the story is also choppy. I hope that the cultural aspects of that story are respectful as I've also read Asian cultures done poorly and also done well before by DC so I don't know where this falls into. That being said I really liked the design of the Gods and the style of the heavens it's pretty cool, I wish there was more of that. The third story is a good continuation of Artemis story from Red Hood and I enjoyed the look at this splinter Amazon culture, once again I wanted more world building but overall this is the best story of all of the stories. It's basic and written solidly if cliched. I liked the idea of how it was resolved but once again the writing does get a bit choppy but overall it's the best of the three.
Characters: I like Diana here, she's loving and kind and hopeful and this is the type of Diana I want, there is not a lot of development here but just her reacting the way the current Diana should be acting and that's fine. I love that Artemis is in this book and I want more of her, I wish the banter between her and Diana was more organic and less stilted and contrived. The villains for this arc were okay, basic and did their jobs. Aztec I want more of but I wonder how DC could make that work.
Overall it was not as bad as I thought it would be, it's still not really well written but it does use some DCU pieces that I enjoyed.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is solid, Aco being the highlight of the artists. His take on the Aztex pantheon and the detail in the art design is impressive and I enjoyed it more than I should have. The world building is solid. I can't speak for the South American imagery we see and whether Orlando is respectful of the culture and dealt with them the proper way, but from my naive and Asian eyes I saw some wonderfully creative and pretty cool mythology that I wish was better executed. The idea of the world building was good but the writing was janky and choppy as all hell and I was a bit lost in the world building, I wished we had more of it and it was better told. Then we have the Bana Mighdall which I also enjoyed as it allowed for a different type of Amazon and another different culture to play with. Overall the world building I dig, I just hope that it was respectful.
Story: Three stories here and all are really choppy and not really that well written. If you've read Orlando's other series you'll know what to expect and it's on display here. His stories are great in idea and not so great in actual writing. The first story with the prison visits should be a wonderufl look at the love and kindness of Diana and on paper it is done well but as I said the writing is choppy, the dialog stilted and therefore the emotional impact we should be getting as readers does not hit. Then we have the Aztec story which once again I really like the locale and the DC characters that Orlando pulls from but the story is also choppy. I hope that the cultural aspects of that story are respectful as I've also read Asian cultures done poorly and also done well before by DC so I don't know where this falls into. That being said I really liked the design of the Gods and the style of the heavens it's pretty cool, I wish there was more of that. The third story is a good continuation of Artemis story from Red Hood and I enjoyed the look at this splinter Amazon culture, once again I wanted more world building but overall this is the best story of all of the stories. It's basic and written solidly if cliched. I liked the idea of how it was resolved but once again the writing does get a bit choppy but overall it's the best of the three.
Characters: I like Diana here, she's loving and kind and hopeful and this is the type of Diana I want, there is not a lot of development here but just her reacting the way the current Diana should be acting and that's fine. I love that Artemis is in this book and I want more of her, I wish the banter between her and Diana was more organic and less stilted and contrived. The villains for this arc were okay, basic and did their jobs. Aztec I want more of but I wonder how DC could make that work.
Overall it was not as bad as I thought it would be, it's still not really well written but it does use some DCU pieces that I enjoyed.
Onward to the next book!
July 21, 2019
It's that time again, as Wonder Woman enters a weird 'between creative teams' time. This time, we get Steve Orlando take over for five issues, doing what he does best.
The first issue of the run is a one-off about Diana's attempts to rehabilitate one of her villains which is about as Wonder Woman as you can get. The compassion and the love that Diana has bleed off the page, and Orlando really gets what makes her special compared to her counterparts in a way that other writers often miss. Laura Braga tackles this one off, and really sells the emotions involved.
The other four issues are based around an Aztek team-up that also drags in Artemis of the Outlaws as well. This one's a little out-there, and feels like a left-over from Orlando's Justice League Of America run, but it's pretty good fun. If you liked Orlando's Midnighter run, this'll feel very familiar, not least of which because ACO and Raul Allen's visuals are extremely reminiscent of that title. Their non-traditional art styles really make anything either of them are involved in become something extremely special, so even if the story's a bit nonsensical at times, the beautiful art sells it anyway.
Also included here is the Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special, and some stories from Justice League Giant #1-2, which are your basic anthology fare. I'm more impressed by the sheer amount of stories collected here, because considering this could have created an entire trade of its own to have it all included here is a nice bonus.
The Enemy Of Both Sides might be sandwiched between two longer runs, but that doesn't mean it deserves to be skipped. It's a little unconventional, and a little bonkers, but the fantastic art, sheer value for money, and the excellent lead issue are all good reasons to make time for it.
The first issue of the run is a one-off about Diana's attempts to rehabilitate one of her villains which is about as Wonder Woman as you can get. The compassion and the love that Diana has bleed off the page, and Orlando really gets what makes her special compared to her counterparts in a way that other writers often miss. Laura Braga tackles this one off, and really sells the emotions involved.
The other four issues are based around an Aztek team-up that also drags in Artemis of the Outlaws as well. This one's a little out-there, and feels like a left-over from Orlando's Justice League Of America run, but it's pretty good fun. If you liked Orlando's Midnighter run, this'll feel very familiar, not least of which because ACO and Raul Allen's visuals are extremely reminiscent of that title. Their non-traditional art styles really make anything either of them are involved in become something extremely special, so even if the story's a bit nonsensical at times, the beautiful art sells it anyway.
Also included here is the Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special, and some stories from Justice League Giant #1-2, which are your basic anthology fare. I'm more impressed by the sheer amount of stories collected here, because considering this could have created an entire trade of its own to have it all included here is a nice bonus.
The Enemy Of Both Sides might be sandwiched between two longer runs, but that doesn't mean it deserves to be skipped. It's a little unconventional, and a little bonkers, but the fantastic art, sheer value for money, and the excellent lead issue are all good reasons to make time for it.
December 19, 2018
The first story was okay.
I promise you that I did not look at who wrote the rest before determining that it was garbage. My hatred for Orlando's ineptitude knows no bounds, and once I saw he penned the trite remainder of this book, I only had more proof that he needs to be given characters no one cares about, or maybe he should retake the career test in high school and leave poor comic readers alone.
I promise you that I did not look at who wrote the rest before determining that it was garbage. My hatred for Orlando's ineptitude knows no bounds, and once I saw he penned the trite remainder of this book, I only had more proof that he needs to be given characters no one cares about, or maybe he should retake the career test in high school and leave poor comic readers alone.
August 16, 2022
This is a hefty volume of Wonder Woman goodness. We have two main stories followed by a whole lot of anthology stories, so you definitely get your money's worth in this one.
First we have Diana visiting a prisoner over a long time, and we see how - slowly, over time - the villain begins to appreciate and more importantly, respect Diana. I really liked Steve Orlando's take on Wonder Woman as he amps up the compassion driven side of Diana for this story. You really get the sense that she is truly caring and really wants to just help people, even if they were villains at one time.
Next is a story with Aztek, who I think is a pretty awesome character. She recruits Wonder Woman and Artemis to fight alongside her against Tezcatlipoca who is holding Atalanta, a rouge legendary Amazonian captive. After they rescue her, they head over to stop a war from occurring between all of the rouge Amazonians against a middle eastern nation. Again, Wonder Woman's compassion shines through as she uses the power of her lasso to make different people see clearly, and not just with anger and violence.
Then we have the anthology stories which, like many anthologies, some stories are good and others are ok to not good. It's a bit of mixed bag but I would say there's something for everyone here.
A really good volume of Wonder Woman with plenty of content. Highly recommended for fans of WW.
First we have Diana visiting a prisoner over a long time, and we see how - slowly, over time - the villain begins to appreciate and more importantly, respect Diana. I really liked Steve Orlando's take on Wonder Woman as he amps up the compassion driven side of Diana for this story. You really get the sense that she is truly caring and really wants to just help people, even if they were villains at one time.
Next is a story with Aztek, who I think is a pretty awesome character. She recruits Wonder Woman and Artemis to fight alongside her against Tezcatlipoca who is holding Atalanta, a rouge legendary Amazonian captive. After they rescue her, they head over to stop a war from occurring between all of the rouge Amazonians against a middle eastern nation. Again, Wonder Woman's compassion shines through as she uses the power of her lasso to make different people see clearly, and not just with anger and violence.
Then we have the anthology stories which, like many anthologies, some stories are good and others are ok to not good. It's a bit of mixed bag but I would say there's something for everyone here.
A really good volume of Wonder Woman with plenty of content. Highly recommended for fans of WW.
January 23, 2019
Basic plot: WW rescues Atalanta from an Aztec villain, then helps Atalanta save an offshoot group of Amazons.
This story felt fairly bland. The best part was the stand alone issue at the beginning that dealt with Diana visiting a former villain and helping to reform her through friendship. The character was consistent throughout, but the plots were a bit jumpy and again, bland.
This story felt fairly bland. The best part was the stand alone issue at the beginning that dealt with Diana visiting a former villain and helping to reform her through friendship. The character was consistent throughout, but the plots were a bit jumpy and again, bland.
September 7, 2019
The gorgeous cover, drawn by Artgerm, would tend to lead you to believe that what follows is going to be absolutely gorgeous. This is not the case however... the story isn't bad (merely odd and semi-convoluted) and the artwork is fine, I went into it all feeling slightly mislead.
Volume 9 primarily deals with the rescue of Atalanta from Tezcatlipoca, using the team of Diana, Artemis, and Aztek. They take on this ancient Aztek goddess with the help of the other nation of Amazons known as the Bana-Mighdall, and there is another storyline about whether or not that nation should have a permanent home or go back to their nomadic roots.
Directly leading into the story with Justice League Black called "The Witching Hour", this Volume seems like a lot of filler. When you add on the short story heavy 75th Anniversary stories, Volume 9 seemed very over padded.
Again, like so many Volumes I've read lately, not horrible, but not amazing either. (Am I just too wowed by what is going on in X-Men? LOL)
Recommend, but only for progression.
Volume 9 primarily deals with the rescue of Atalanta from Tezcatlipoca, using the team of Diana, Artemis, and Aztek. They take on this ancient Aztek goddess with the help of the other nation of Amazons known as the Bana-Mighdall, and there is another storyline about whether or not that nation should have a permanent home or go back to their nomadic roots.
Directly leading into the story with Justice League Black called "The Witching Hour", this Volume seems like a lot of filler. When you add on the short story heavy 75th Anniversary stories, Volume 9 seemed very over padded.
Again, like so many Volumes I've read lately, not horrible, but not amazing either. (Am I just too wowed by what is going on in X-Men? LOL)
Recommend, but only for progression.
November 18, 2022
Wonder Woman Volume 9, “The Enemy of Both Sides” is a bit of a “kitchen sink” collection, if you know what I mean. Steve Orlando writes the four-issue title run, involving a Mexican super heroine named The Aztek, teaming up with Diana and Artemis to battle ancient gods from another dimension. Again. (Didn’t we read something like this in the last volume?)
Anyway, the rest is a bunch of stand-alone short stories written and drawn by multiple writers and artists. Some of them are good, some are great. (My faves: a World War II-era story by Renae De Liz, and a humorous rip on IKEA stores by Hope Larson, writer, and Ramon Bachs, artist)
Despite some ups and downs within the past couple volumes, this series continues to be one that I enjoy consistently, and it’s not just because I have a crush on Diana (although that’s part of it)…
Anyway, the rest is a bunch of stand-alone short stories written and drawn by multiple writers and artists. Some of them are good, some are great. (My faves: a World War II-era story by Renae De Liz, and a humorous rip on IKEA stores by Hope Larson, writer, and Ramon Bachs, artist)
Despite some ups and downs within the past couple volumes, this series continues to be one that I enjoy consistently, and it’s not just because I have a crush on Diana (although that’s part of it)…
April 24, 2020
The book series seems to be taking a bit of a break, and focusing on the Wonder Woman character and showing her compassion to those who are misguided and hurt by events in "man's world." Maybe if more comics did this, and got back to their roots, the industry would be booming with the marketing boost from the success of the movies.
February 21, 2020
While this may seem weak on plot to some because it's not a linear collection, I loved the assortment here or old and new, and the interview between Lois Lane and Diana was refreshing and endearing. For true Wonder Woman fans only!
March 21, 2022
That first issue with Wonder Woman visiting a Mayfly to give her a second chance was amazing, a standout story. It's great to see Diana's character back.
The Aztek & Amazon stories were interesting and the I really like the art, it looks cool and the colors & details looked neat. It's great to see Wonder Woman books including mythology other than Greek from time to time. The only thing I wasn't sure about is how respectful the portrayal of Native American gods & lore was, it didn't seem bad but it's not my culture so it's not for me to decide. Seeing Artemis and a group of renegade Amazons was nice as well. I wish there was more time to develop these stories because it felt a little rushed and like too much story condensed in too little space, but this was kind of unavoidable with this volume being a transition period between writers. I was still more interested in these stories than the majority of the previous 3 volumes, I don't get why this has a lower overall rating than those trades.
The 75th anniversary issue was also in the volume 3 Deluxe Edition so I only skimmed it, some stories are I liked more than others.
The Aztek & Amazon stories were interesting and the I really like the art, it looks cool and the colors & details looked neat. It's great to see Wonder Woman books including mythology other than Greek from time to time. The only thing I wasn't sure about is how respectful the portrayal of Native American gods & lore was, it didn't seem bad but it's not my culture so it's not for me to decide. Seeing Artemis and a group of renegade Amazons was nice as well. I wish there was more time to develop these stories because it felt a little rushed and like too much story condensed in too little space, but this was kind of unavoidable with this volume being a transition period between writers. I was still more interested in these stories than the majority of the previous 3 volumes, I don't get why this has a lower overall rating than those trades.
The 75th anniversary issue was also in the volume 3 Deluxe Edition so I only skimmed it, some stories are I liked more than others.
October 27, 2020
Alright... so the main story ("The Enemy of Both Sides"), I didn't really care for. It just felt like action without much substance behind it. I mean, it was fine... but I honestly had to force myself to read it. I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for that kind of story, but there was no point where I really felt connected to the plot. That said... I ADORED the special stories at the end: They all perfectly captured Wonder Woman. I particularly liked the one where she helped Superman and met a little girl who had powers and wanted to be a hero, and the one where a villain was rampaging his way through "Idea" (read: Ikea). I loved how the art varied and how each story looked at different aspects of Wonder Woman: They all really captured the compassionate, strong, and fierce role model that she is. And the cover arts were AMAZING! If it wasn't for that all of that, this volume would probably get 2-stars. But I enjoyed the other stuff so much it doubled this book's rating.
May 4, 2020
An underrated Wonder Woman story that shows writer, Steve Orlando, has a great understanding of the character. Beginning with a one-shot, Diana believes her enemies are deserving of redemption and friendship. In "The Enemy of Both Sides," Orlando explores the mythos and people of the Bana-Mighdall and how they have changed since created by George Perez in the 1980s. It would have been nice if Orlando could have had more time to unpack the politics of the once-migrant Amazons as they debate becoming settled.
September 4, 2019
What an absolute clusterf**k of a mess!!! This is like if Salvador Dali, Timothy Leary, and Joseph Campbell smoked a bunch of crack, tossed a bunch of ink on a paper and called it a story! Actually, I’ll be honest, that sounds about 10 times better than what this is! This is absolutely incoherent!
The first story was solid, great, passionate, I loved it... and then, the rest of the book happened! 🤔😕
I only give 2 stars because of the first story!
The first story was solid, great, passionate, I loved it... and then, the rest of the book happened! 🤔😕
I only give 2 stars because of the first story!
March 30, 2020
Eu demorei bastante para retomar as histórias em quadrinhos seriada da Mulher-Maravilha. Isso porque eu já havia lido muita coisa do início desta série em scans pela internet. Este encadernado, que corresponde à fase de Steve Orlando na princesa amazona serve como um intermediário entre as fases de Greg Rucka e G. Wilow Wilson. Ele retoma personagens como a Aztek, de sua fase na Liga da Justiça da América e a Ártemis e a origem de suas armas. Orlando não é um dos escritores mais visados da DC Comics, por isso acabam colocando ele para atacar nesses tie-ins ou entressafras de criadores. Geralmente ele se sai bem naquilo que se propõe a fazer. Este arco, no entanto pode ser dividido em duas partes: a que não deu muito certo, que é enfocada na Aztek e a que se saiu bem, que é a enfocada em Ártemis, Atalanta e as amazonas de Bana-Mightaal, que estão fixadas no território do Qurak. Os desenhos de ACO e companhia servem muito bem para a história e as cores utilizadas pelas va´rias equipes de coloristas são muito bem desenvolvidas. Agora é esperar, então, pela fase de G. Willow Wilson que não sei bem o que aguardar.
May 22, 2020
Actual Rating: 4.5/5 stars
September 8, 2020
Vol. 9, Part 1:
The art is so pretty! Really enjoyed the art by Laura Braga on The Fifty-Second Visit and then Aco's art on the Enemy of Both Sides, Parts 1 & 2.
I'm not a fan of Steve Orlando and found the writing here to be weak. I liked The Fifty-Second Visit as a stand alone, but found some of the dialogue to be stiff... Ignoring that, in concept it was a good WW story & it felt true to Diana's character. 4 star story!
But then I found Enemy of Both Sides to be a total bore. It was kinda convoluted, the dialogue was stiff the whole way through, and the story's tone shifted (and the art changed) in Parts 3 & 4 with Rustam and Queen Faruka II with a very poor transition from the Aztec story of Parts 1 & 2. 2 star story.
Vol. 9, Part 2:
The second half of this book is a collection of short stories from Wonder Woman's 75th Anniversary Special and Justice League Giant #1 & #2, making the collection art and writing all over the place.
I found Predators written by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl, & art by Michele Assarasakorn to be the most powerful of the stories: WW confronts a poacher with the mate of the tiger he killed. The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz was the worst (details below). And everything else fell in the middle somewhere.
Democratic Design by Hope Larson & Ramon Bachs was stupid: an "Ikea" rampage by Human Tank... but The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz was actual garbage and here's why (tangent time):
The story takes place in Poland, January 1945. Diana is on a Nazi airship (sure), and tries to talk round Baroness Von Gunther into dropping her evil Nazi plans (sure), and ends up fighting with Red Panzer (a Nazi machine man; sure). Red Panzer shoots down some American pilots with his cannon arm (sure), but Diana saves them (yay!) and there's a bunch of melancholy text boxes about the evils of men Diana will always have to fight against. Diana finds herself flying over Warsaw...
Text reads: "The city of Warsaw had finally been liberated. But destruction of life still whispered amonsgst its ruins. However, even in the darkest places... ...Light still shone through."
Ok, amonsgst is a typo, fine, whatever.
Diana finds a lone woman digging through the snow and debris, and that woman introduces herself as Irena Sendler(!!)! I love Irena Sendler. She is a real life hero, who was credited with saving 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis. You should all read the book Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto. I did, which is why I hate The Legend of Wonder Woman so much.
In the comic we see Irena dig up a jar, and she says to Wonder Woman: "Inside are names and locations of the rescued children awaiting someday to be reunited with their families."
Now, here's an excerpt from the book Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto:
The audacity of De Liz and the re-writing of history in this comic is just astounding. Did they not have an editor?
How in the world can they 1. just rewrite Irena Sendler's story & 2. not even mention the word "Jew" or "Jewish" in relation to the Warsaw Ghetto or the Jewish children Irena saved?
After failing to find these records IRL, Irena tried to recreate them and then spends the next few decades trying to reunite Jewish families with their children; most of those children ending up lost to their religion, culture & heritage.
The comic ends by Diana realizing that Baroness Von Gunther was really being blackmailed by the Nazis & Diana rescues Von Gunther's kidnapped daughter & the day is saved & the story is shit.
The Variant covers by Jenny Frison are works of art. 5 stars for them.
2 stars for this book, Vol. 9.
Negative stars for the story The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz. Can anyone get me in touch with a senior editor at DC, because I have what to say?
The art is so pretty! Really enjoyed the art by Laura Braga on The Fifty-Second Visit and then Aco's art on the Enemy of Both Sides, Parts 1 & 2.
I'm not a fan of Steve Orlando and found the writing here to be weak. I liked The Fifty-Second Visit as a stand alone, but found some of the dialogue to be stiff... Ignoring that, in concept it was a good WW story & it felt true to Diana's character. 4 star story!
But then I found Enemy of Both Sides to be a total bore. It was kinda convoluted, the dialogue was stiff the whole way through, and the story's tone shifted (and the art changed) in Parts 3 & 4 with Rustam and Queen Faruka II with a very poor transition from the Aztec story of Parts 1 & 2. 2 star story.
Vol. 9, Part 2:
The second half of this book is a collection of short stories from Wonder Woman's 75th Anniversary Special and Justice League Giant #1 & #2, making the collection art and writing all over the place.
I found Predators written by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl, & art by Michele Assarasakorn to be the most powerful of the stories: WW confronts a poacher with the mate of the tiger he killed. The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz was the worst (details below). And everything else fell in the middle somewhere.
Democratic Design by Hope Larson & Ramon Bachs was stupid: an "Ikea" rampage by Human Tank... but The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz was actual garbage and here's why (tangent time):
The story takes place in Poland, January 1945. Diana is on a Nazi airship (sure), and tries to talk round Baroness Von Gunther into dropping her evil Nazi plans (sure), and ends up fighting with Red Panzer (a Nazi machine man; sure). Red Panzer shoots down some American pilots with his cannon arm (sure), but Diana saves them (yay!) and there's a bunch of melancholy text boxes about the evils of men Diana will always have to fight against. Diana finds herself flying over Warsaw...
Text reads: "The city of Warsaw had finally been liberated. But destruction of life still whispered amonsgst its ruins. However, even in the darkest places... ...Light still shone through."
Ok, amonsgst is a typo, fine, whatever.
Diana finds a lone woman digging through the snow and debris, and that woman introduces herself as Irena Sendler(!!)! I love Irena Sendler. She is a real life hero, who was credited with saving 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis. You should all read the book Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto. I did, which is why I hate The Legend of Wonder Woman so much.
In the comic we see Irena dig up a jar, and she says to Wonder Woman: "Inside are names and locations of the rescued children awaiting someday to be reunited with their families."
Now, here's an excerpt from the book Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto:
In the spring of 1945, not long after Adam and Irena returned to Warsaw together, Irena and Janka met on a warm sunny afternoon in the ruins of Jaga's old back garden to look for the buried records on which the names and addresses and true identities of as many as 2,500 Jewish children had been recorded. They had a large, unwieldy shovel. It was just midday, and the women wore sturdy boots as they picked among the bricks and rubble. The house had been destroyed in the uprising and since then looted, and the garden was a tangle of twisted metal and brush. In 1945, Warsaw was bleak and treeless. They searched that day for hours, but it was hopeless. the lists, along with Irena's wartime journals ans account books, like so much else in the city, were lost forever, destroyed in the inferno and destruction of the Warsaw uprising. (page 255-256)
The audacity of De Liz and the re-writing of history in this comic is just astounding. Did they not have an editor?
How in the world can they 1. just rewrite Irena Sendler's story & 2. not even mention the word "Jew" or "Jewish" in relation to the Warsaw Ghetto or the Jewish children Irena saved?
After failing to find these records IRL, Irena tried to recreate them and then spends the next few decades trying to reunite Jewish families with their children; most of those children ending up lost to their religion, culture & heritage.
The comic ends by Diana realizing that Baroness Von Gunther was really being blackmailed by the Nazis & Diana rescues Von Gunther's kidnapped daughter & the day is saved & the story is shit.
The Variant covers by Jenny Frison are works of art. 5 stars for them.
2 stars for this book, Vol. 9.
Negative stars for the story The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz. Can anyone get me in touch with a senior editor at DC, because I have what to say?
January 3, 2022
She was sent as a gift to the world of men in order to show them what it means to live in harmony. So why does she often find herself in the midst of a battlefield?
Wonder Woman is back. In between the usual fisticuffs and other shenanigans, we get a deeper look into how the Amazonian warrior thinks and feels. While her demigod nature is often touted, what we see here is a woman who desperately strives for peace above all things.
Sometimes her determination falters. Sometimes she questions whether she’s accomplishing any real good. Sometimes her adversaries as well as her allies challenge her beliefs. But we are made to comprehend her feelings as she tries reaching out to opponents who willfully attack her with all the petulance of tantrum-throwing children, of those who seek revenge when they could easily escape and of those who come around to her way of thinking because she extends mercy instead of vengeance.
Wonder Woman’s qualities shine in this novel. There isn’t just the expected clemency but a continued awe and curiosity about the world around her. She wants to understand why people do what they do and, with the golden lasso at her side, she has an easy shortcut to bringing people to terms with their own inner motivations and exposing their lies to the light of the world. Of all of her gifts, perhaps we envy that one the most. Who hasn’t wished for such a device to make others confess the gritty truth underneath the slick surface of lies and deceit?
But the Amazonian princess doesn’t always rely on such a facile trick. Often, she wants her opponents to come to the hard truths on their own, which is a much more difficult road to travel.
While there are the expected battles of this glorious Olympian, we get plenty of quiet moments that resonate with their own special power. It’s always terrific to read about the woman behind the red, blue and gold costume and this anthology reminds comic readers why Wonder Woman continues to thrill her fans after 75 years.
Wonder Woman is back. In between the usual fisticuffs and other shenanigans, we get a deeper look into how the Amazonian warrior thinks and feels. While her demigod nature is often touted, what we see here is a woman who desperately strives for peace above all things.
Sometimes her determination falters. Sometimes she questions whether she’s accomplishing any real good. Sometimes her adversaries as well as her allies challenge her beliefs. But we are made to comprehend her feelings as she tries reaching out to opponents who willfully attack her with all the petulance of tantrum-throwing children, of those who seek revenge when they could easily escape and of those who come around to her way of thinking because she extends mercy instead of vengeance.
Wonder Woman’s qualities shine in this novel. There isn’t just the expected clemency but a continued awe and curiosity about the world around her. She wants to understand why people do what they do and, with the golden lasso at her side, she has an easy shortcut to bringing people to terms with their own inner motivations and exposing their lies to the light of the world. Of all of her gifts, perhaps we envy that one the most. Who hasn’t wished for such a device to make others confess the gritty truth underneath the slick surface of lies and deceit?
But the Amazonian princess doesn’t always rely on such a facile trick. Often, she wants her opponents to come to the hard truths on their own, which is a much more difficult road to travel.
While there are the expected battles of this glorious Olympian, we get plenty of quiet moments that resonate with their own special power. It’s always terrific to read about the woman behind the red, blue and gold costume and this anthology reminds comic readers why Wonder Woman continues to thrill her fans after 75 years.
March 12, 2021
The first story by Steve Orlando with the character Moon Robinson is a nice, tight character development arc and female relstionships. After that, most of the first half (?) of this volume is a story by Steve Orlando involving some neat alternate Amazonian groups and ancient civilization powers. I enjoyed the art and appreciated the ambition here to branch Diana out into these spaces. However, i found myself needing to reread so many pages. Lots of obscure name dropping and a saturation of fights. I tend to see saturated fighting among modern male writers outside of Greg Rucka (my favorite WW writer).
The second half of the volume is a bunch of small stories by various writers and artists. Most of art is solid. One of them was awful. The writing generally was good to great, but there were a few noticably weaker stories as well. Unsurprisingly my favorite of the bunch is Rucka's Lois Lane-WW interview.
I'm glad to be done with Jason and to highlight different aspects of Diana's character in these stories. Some of them just felt a little too short, though.
To be real, I just long for the first part of Rebirth with Rucka's arc.
The second half of the volume is a bunch of small stories by various writers and artists. Most of art is solid. One of them was awful. The writing generally was good to great, but there were a few noticably weaker stories as well. Unsurprisingly my favorite of the bunch is Rucka's Lois Lane-WW interview.
I'm glad to be done with Jason and to highlight different aspects of Diana's character in these stories. Some of them just felt a little too short, though.
To be real, I just long for the first part of Rebirth with Rucka's arc.
November 6, 2019
This is a mixed bag of stories with no connecting arc or theme. The first story is the best, showing Diana interacting with an imprisoned villain over the course of many years in a way that's difficult to imagine for many other superheroes. That's followed by a story that uses the interesting idea of having Wonder Woman face the Aztec gods for a change, but that does nothing much with that idea beyond a punch-up. Next up, she tries to stop a war between a group of renegade Amazons and a Middle Eastern nation, which has its heart in the right place, but doesn't deal with the characters long enough to develop anything. The collection is rounded out by a set of short stories by a number of different writers and artists, some of which are good, and some of which aren't. There are some individual gems in here, bringing out what makes Diana distinctive (the interview with Lois Lane, written in straight text, is one such) but it's too choppy to be successful as a whole.
June 11, 2021
This volume starts out being confusing. You would need to read Volume 5: Heart of the Amazon to get context into the relationship between Mayfly and Diana. But I don't understand what is the purpose of Diana meeting Moon over years. It does not seem like this is expanded upon in later runs or volumes.
The next issue is as confusing because the fight with the Dark Shadow god seems to be glossed over. I liked the love hate relationship Diana has with Artemis.
She reminded me of Artemis in the Mike Deodato run. I did like Aztek. The art was okay.
I was surprised at how many pages this volumes has. It turns out the second half is a Wonder Woman anniversary special with short stories, an interview (not easy to read and I did not enjoy it which is shocking because Greg Rucka wrote it) with Lois Lane and bonus material. There is even an excerpt from Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson. Wonder Woman fans will enjoy this.
Just an okay volume. The next instalment is Wonder Woman & Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour and that is wayyy better.
The next issue is as confusing because the fight with the Dark Shadow god seems to be glossed over. I liked the love hate relationship Diana has with Artemis.
She reminded me of Artemis in the Mike Deodato run. I did like Aztek. The art was okay.
I was surprised at how many pages this volumes has. It turns out the second half is a Wonder Woman anniversary special with short stories, an interview (not easy to read and I did not enjoy it which is shocking because Greg Rucka wrote it) with Lois Lane and bonus material. There is even an excerpt from Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson. Wonder Woman fans will enjoy this.
Just an okay volume. The next instalment is Wonder Woman & Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour and that is wayyy better.
May 31, 2021
I think Steve Orlando really nails who Wonder Woman is as a character but I felt like the actual plot of the story was super underwhelming. As most people are saying in the reviews, the one off issue at the start is by far one of the best issues in the whole rebirth series but the 4 part story afterwards was just eh. The art and colors on the other hand were absolutely fantastic. The 75th anniversary issue I reviewed in the deluxe volume 3 of WW rebirth but to quickly sum up, I think it's the best of the anniversary issues that DC has put out so far. I really enjoyed almost all of the stories in it, only one or two really board me. Finally, the Tim Seeley backups at the end were really eh as well. Nothing really there and doesn't do anything to further the series.
January 11, 2020
I usually try to avoid giving a Wonder Woman graphic novel only one star, but this one deserved it. DC decided to bundle the forgettable 75th anniversary issue with some unconnected stories and a jumbled mess of artwork and none of it worked. The Aztec inspired story was convoluted and wordy and lacked any of the emotional impact that a good WW story always has. The 75th anniversary add-on didn't help. These brief stories with multiple artists was an Ok read but not really one worth preserving - although all the stories were truer to a good WW story than the Aztec mess. This book is neither good nor bad - it is an embarrassment.
May 18, 2020
This was a fine collection of Wonder Woman comics, not fantastic, but not as bad as some of the previous volumes. My understanding is that this volume is a bridge between two other creative teams. What I had read before this one was pretty bad, and after this volume G. Willow Wilson took over (but left pretty soon, sadly). As a fill-in, it does a decent job. There are three main stories, plus a bunch more short stories by many different artists and writers from the 75th anniversary special that is also included. Definitely not the place to start with WW, but a fine volume if you're familiar with the character and her history.
May 17, 2020
I really enjoyed the main story arc of this book. Admittedly, it wasn’t the story itself I liked so much, but rather the characters and their interactions that were particularly striking. This volume also collects the 75th anniversary special, which I ended up skimming because I’ve read it before and was not a big fan of it. Overall this wasn’t my favorite edition of Wonder Woman but it was enjoyable and hopefully marks an upward trend for the series, which has been sloping downwards as of late.
January 1, 2021
Such a gorgeous cover, and a lot of beautiful art too. Sadly only a couple of good stories. I really liked the first issue, and felt it a promising start, but after that it got weird and boring. Approximately half of this is random one-offs (art aside), which must've been included in some other collection because I'd already read nearly, if not, all of them. Some were interesting, some I didn't care for. Overall, pretty lackluster as a collection, though worthwhile to read at least the first issue as well as some of the one-offs.
August 3, 2020
A significant portion of this collection is taken up by the 75th Anniversary Special, which I already read in the Deluxe Edition Book 3, and remembered to be a somewhat entertaining diversion. The two additional Tim Seeley stories feel rushed and just okay.
The first half of Orlando's arc makes no sense whatsoever, though the art was lovely. The second half fares slightly better, simply by being more coherent. If this book was just his arc, I'd drop the grade.
The first half of Orlando's arc makes no sense whatsoever, though the art was lovely. The second half fares slightly better, simply by being more coherent. If this book was just his arc, I'd drop the grade.
January 27, 2026
Steve Orlando takes over the reigns of Wonder Woman and its incredibly boring. We get two different cultural wars and neither excites. Both are so hard to get through as Diana teams with Artemis, Aztek, and more. The anniversary issue was much more enjoyable as it actually seemed to show who Diana is. The art was by a multitude of artists and was really nice. Overall, this whole book was a giant filler issue that last 200 plus pages.
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