Wonder Woman #58

Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artists: Cary Nord (penciler), Mick Gray (inker)
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Cover Artists: Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson
Publisher: DC Comics

Review by Nico Sprezzatura

Wonder Woman is obviously a hot property these days, but her flagship title hasn’t exactly had a stable creative team since fan-favorite writer Greg Rucka departed with issue #25 of his Rebirth run. While Shea Fontana and Steve Orlando did some good work with Diana in their brief placeholder runs, James Robinson’s year-long run (with his weird fixation on her brother, of all people) didn’t exactly give WW fans what they wanted. This week’s Wonder Woman #58 seeks to remedy that with the arrival of lauded writer G. Willow Wilson at the helm.

As alluded to above, Wonder Woman’s solo title has been in a weird rut of creative change up since it relaunched with Rebirth two-and-a-half years ago. While her Trinity counterparts Superman and Batman have have been relatively untouched in the same amount of time, the same can’t be said for Diana; Wonder Woman #58 marks the fourth distinct run since Greg Rucka, Liam Sharpe, and Nicola Scott’s began their Rebirth era. Whether or not this one will stick is anybody’s guess, but after reading #58, we should all be so lucky if it will.

Though Wilson has a background in the fantasy genre Wonder Woman generally inhabits, she’s easily best known for writing (and co-creating) Ms. Marvel, which has been consistently fantastic for close to five years. Wonder Woman is her first major DC work since 2008’s Vixen: Return of the Lion, and it makes you wonder why a creator/character match-up like this one didn’t happened sooner. On paper, Diana possesses many of the same qualities Kamala Khan is known for: empathy, selflessness, and an encompassing love for life. Thankfully, if this issue is anything to go by, it all lives up to the hype on the page.

The general premise of Willow’s first arc seems to be this: when Diana’s erstwhile lover Steve Trevor goes MIA, she sets out to help find him. This is juxtaposed with a flashback to the death (or more accurately, a death) of her nemesis Ares; without spoiling anything, the cliffhanger of this issue leads to some very interesting implications.

Wilson isn’t the only one worth praising here, as penciler Cary Nord does a great job rendering Wilson’s script with an appropriate amount of playfulness and edge that suits the Amazon princess; it’s almost reminiscent of the artists who’ve worked with Wilson on Ms. Marvel. But while Ms. Marvel clearly courts a younger demographic, Nord’s pencils (combined with Mick Gray’s heavy inks) suggest a slightly darker tone. But not too dark. Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s colors also remind me of his work on Orlando’s Midnighter (RIP), and that’s never a bad thing.

The Verdict: Buy it.

With fantastic action and authentic character beats, Wonder Woman #58 ushers the arrival of superstar writer G. Willow Wilson with hefty fanfare.

Nico Sprezzatura
nicofrankwriter@gmail.com
Nico Frank Sprezzatura, middle name optional. 24. Schrödinger's writer.

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