Odyssey of the Amazons #1 Review

Forever

Written by: Kevin Grevioux
Art by: Ryan Benjamin, Richard Friend, Tony Washington, Tony Avina and Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 25, 2017

I love Wonder Woman and everything about her.  Does that extend to the history of the Amazons?  Well, I can't say that I ever really thought of that.  Sure, I have read books where we get quick peeks at it all, but that is all about getting to Diana and the stuff I love.  This book (as far as I know) isn't heading that way and settling in on the pre-Diana history. Sounds intriguing and the mystery of it all has me pretty excited.  So, now that I've read it, is it any good?  Let's find out...


The issue opens with narration that seems to set up a story told like an epic from days past.  The first thing most readers will notice is how well this book looks.  It really looks great throughout and I wish I could say the writing kept pace.

Actually, pacing is one of the biggest problems of this book.  It is so up and down without any real flow to tie it all together.  As for the story, the Amazonians are traveling the world looking for other immortal women to join their ranks and return to Themyscira with them. Hessia is leading them and it's easy to see early on that a good amount of the women would rather just get back to Themyscira and live out their lives in peace.

Unfortunately, their lives are full of war, death and destruction and when some of their own are kidnapped by winged men from Norse mythology, Themyscira seems even further away.  After a visit from  the Fates, bickering and a shipwreck, the surviving women end up in the dark North and it doesn't look good.

Listen, I tried to give you a rundown of the issue the best I could, but to be honest, this book really is a convoluted mess.  Kevin Grevioux just throws characters and names at the reader without any setup or substance so the minute they leave the panel, it's hard for them not to leave your mind.  There really are way too many characters not doing enough here to help me make sense of it all, let alone like it.

I said it above and I will repeat myself here...this book looks great.  The character designs are reminiscent of the awesome Legend of Wonder Woman book, but this story pales in comparison.

Bits and Pieces:

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but this first issue was a complete mess of non-characterization and weak storytelling with real pacing issues.  The art was great, but there is nothing here I could recommend whatever type of fan you are.

4.0/10