Monday, July 27, 2020

Wonder Woman #759 Review


Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire, and Pat Brosseau
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 29, 2020

Wonder Woman is a book that has been in constant flux since Greg Rucka bailed, way back in 2017.  So, while I did enjoy Steve Orlando's (couple) times writing the character, I am hoping that things settle down, and Mariko Tamaki can give Wonder Woman fans something special.  Let's get right into, shall we?


The issue begins with an ominous opening, and if you've been paying attention, you will know who is involved.  If you haven't, I will tell you.  It's Maxwell Lord.  Yea, that's pretty big, and I have been interested in what Tamaki is going to deal with when it comes to Maxwell.

We find out a bit after a series of great-looking spread pages, filled with dinosaurs, heroes, villains, and you guessed it, Maxwell Lord!  We get a softer side of Diana and his most significant moment together, and while I understand why, it did make things seem a bit smaller.




That's my only real complaint with this first issue.  I like the way Tamaki writes Wonder Woman, the dialogue was good, and I already mentioned the fantastic art. It's just that I wanted a bigger bang right out of the gate.  Something that made me think that I need to read the next issue.

Instead, Tamaki takes a laid back approach through most of the issue as we watch Diana moving into her new apartment, meeting her neighbor, and then going furniture shopping with her.  I wish we had gotten a little more information about Diana's current status with the government coming from Orlando's run and things like Event Leviathan. Still, I understand we will have to wait for some of the details, and I am willing to wait since Wonder Woman is one of my favorite characters.

Watch our Wonder Woman #759 Video Review


The comic continued with a tension-filled car chase that Tamaki stretched a tad too long.  It looked great, and the reveal at the end hinted at the big bad of the issue, but it still was something that a comic book fan has seen a thousand times already.  The book then ended with an atmospheric prison riot, that didn't mean much until the very end when Diana says Maxwell's name out loud, and we finally get to Wally World to find out it's closed.  Well, closed until the next issue.  



I liked Tamaki's combination of action and interaction, and I felt good about the book after reading it.  Yea, I was looking for something bigger, and I hope that some of the continuity strings are tied-up a bit more as we go, but overall, I enjoyed what we got here. 

I am a Mikel Janin fan, and while Maxwell Lord looked very much like Grayson and there was a case of some disappearing blood at the end, the issue looked great.

Bits and Pieces:

Mariko Tamaki starts her Wonder Woman run with a combination of action-movie mayhem and indie movie interactions.  It's a nice combination, though certain scenes hang around a little too long at times.  Mikel Janin makes it all pop, and the ending, while leaving the good stuff for the next issue, will have me back for just that reason.


8.0/10 

2 comments:

  1. Was i the only personally kinda thrown off everytime Maxwell Lord was called Max? Like, I know it makes sense functionally but it just throws me for a loop every time I read it. Also, we start another run with Wondy moving to a new house. How does she afford them?
    That being said, this book was a bit of a slow start but I am interested in seeing what's going on. The art was good and this was an easy read. I agree that the car sequence went longer than I would have liked. All in all, 6.5/10 for me. My bet is that the neighbor is involved or doing something.

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    1. I hope not, but Diana was a bit quick to head on out with her to shop. I didn't get into it, but I will on the podcast...Diana has moved a lot, yet seemed like the idea of furniture shopping was a foreign concept, right? I am a fan of Janin's art so my score went up from that. My biggest worry is that Tamaki's X-23 book was boring as hell and even with Laura and Gabby being 2 of my fav characters, I couldn't get through it without getting sleepy. I see a bit of that here with the extended scenes and focus on neighbor and shopping more than "Max" Lord. And yes, it bothers me!!!!!

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