Today, we get to talk about the beginning of one of my all-time favorite comic runs. I got my hands on the Absolute edition of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's Wonder Woman last week, so I wanted to revisit it.
And, well, when you have to write about a different trade every day, waste not, want not.
This run sees Diana come to the aid of a woman named Zola after an attack by Hera. As is usually the case in Greek mythology, Zeus has slept with Zola, and she is now pregnant with his child. And Zeus has disappeared, leaving the the other gods to play their own game of thrones. With Hera on her heels as prophecy unfolds, Diana has to navigate the mafioso gods to try to keep Zola safe.
That's high-level, of course, and avoiding spoilers. There are quite a few cool twists throughout Azzarello's story. They never feel contrived, though, because they are rooted in character development. Diana, Zola, even some of the gods who show up are looking for a place where they belong—for family.
I love Cliff Chiang’s art in this series so much that I bought an original page of it. His designs for its characters are imaginative and sometimes a little disturbing. Other artists come on board from time to time—Tony Akins in this first arc and Goran Sudžuka later on—and tend to match Chiang’s style fairly well. Matthew Wilson’s colors provide the real continuity between artists though. They are bright and saturated, with a sense of light and darkness that gives Wonder Woman’s world an otherworldly, magical quality.
Everyone should read this book. I was ambivalent toward Wonder Woman before reading it; after, I understood what a deep, complex character she could be when written well. And I think that there is no better thing a run of a comic can do than to make someone care about a character for the first time. Plus, it's a gorgeous book.
Collected in
- Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Blood (#1-6)
- Absolute Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, Vol. 1 (#1-18)
Credits
Writer: Brian Azzarello | Artists: Cliff Chiang (1-4), Tony Akins (5-6) | Additional Inks: Dan Green (6) | Colorist: Matthew Wilson | Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher | Covers: Cliff Chiang