Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Wonder Woman #0

Wonder Woman #0

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Cliff Chiang

DC Comics

 

The last time I plugged this title on Entropic Worlds was with issue #11, where I delved into a more detailed discussion than usual, praising Azzarello for restoring integrity and depth to one of DC’s most important characters and elevating her to a status, both creatively and contextually, on par with any hero in comics, male or female. When I give a comic that kind of praise I usually won’t come back to it in my reviews for at least a little while in order to avoid redundancy, but when issues like Wonder Woman #0 come along I can’t help but make an exception. I expected Azzarello to turn out a compelling zero issue, I also expected it to be somewhat unique, as he is wont to do. I wasn’t expecting an episode from Diana’s youth told completely through golden age techniques, tropes and aesthetics. In fact, I am a little surprised that he was even allowed to get away with it. Borrowing bygone aesthetics to evoke the past in comics is not new, but given DC’s current dedication to present a decidedly modern universe (even actually referring to the New 52 #1s as first appearances in the Who’s Who in the New 52 feature in each issue) Its shocking that they were ok with Azzarello’s choice to present this story as if it was actually a story from a fictitious golden age comic. This is a good sign to me, it shows that the editors at DC truly trust what Azzarello is doing with the character, and hopefully his run will last for a long time to come.

The content of the story is relatively straightforward. It explores a year or so of Diana’s life during which she was apprenticed, behind the back of the Amazons, to Ares, the Greek god of war. So what, then, is the gimmick, what is the purpose for the unconventional style?  The truth is that it can’t be boiled down to one purpose, not nostalgia, not irony, not humor. Azzarello uses this format in a variety of ways throughout the comic, transitioning fluidly and effortlessly from mode to mode. At the beginning, the issue appears to be rooted in satire; Azzarello makes this blatantly clear with the outlandish title he gives to the fake comic: “All Girl Adventure Tales for Men #41.” The story opens on a similar note of humor as Wonder Woman fights off an angry Harpy which, though vicious, is much more juvenile in tone than the darker gods and monsters that have shown up in the series. However, as this issue progresses it becomes clear that we are no longer in the realm of satire. This isn’t merely a tonal shift, the character actually changes, managing to reclaim a semblance of control over her own identity by the end. The process of overcoming this ludicrous title actually works as a commentary on Wonder Woman’s journey as an individual character within Azzarello’s storyline, but also on the journey of Wonder Woman as a character in the iconic sense over the course of her publication.

Azzarello makes use of more than the tonal qualities of the golden age, he also uses storytelling techniques from the era throughout the story. Techniques such as captions with an omniscient narration, thought bubbles, and alliterative language have largely fallen out of popular use, yet Azzarello uses them to great effect, even to the point that reader may begin to wonder why they have fallen out of use to begin with. Omniscient narrators in comics often feel clunky and redundant , but here Azzarello reminds us that when used relatively economically they can create effective transitions and fill in quick exposition about setting or characters, but more importantly, that they can evoke a sense of distance and privilege that allows us voyeuristic access into a private moment in a way that first person narrations or narration free stories don’t. Thought bubbles can provide a sense of immediacy lost in first person captions, they can also interact with the visual qualities of a story well. Unfortunately they usually fail to achieve those ends, but Azzarello handles them cleverly during a few crucial dramatic moments.   The alliteration is Perhaps the most indulgent device employed here, used mostly for humor and authenticity, still, who can resist a line like “the plucky princess plunges into the icy water, leaving the horrible harpy hapless”?

Within this narrative Azzarello employs many more conventional, but still impactful, structural and visual motifs. Images of eyes and reflections appear throughout the comic, serving to support the themes of identity and belonging that have been present throughout the series and are explored quite  explicitly in issue #0.  The zero issues have promised to be full of revelations about their characters ,yet that has really not been the case, at least as far as I can tell, but in this issue there are some significant bits of information concerning Diana’s relationship with War, and the rest of the gods by extension, which may prove to be meaningful in the future of the storyline.

The only thing disappointing about this issue is that the cover had to follow the uniform design of the zero issue campaign. Though Cliff Chiang’s illustrations of Wonder Woman are always breathtaking and the one on this cover is nothing to scoff at, I imagine how fantastic his cover for All Girl Adventure Tales for Men #41 would have been and I lament the fact that it doesn’t exist. Though I am not usually one to promote the creation of variant covers, this would be the occasion for it if ever there was one.

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Wonder Woman #11

Wonder Woman #11

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Cliff Chiang

DC Comics

 

There has a been a lot of positive buzz circulating about Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman re-launch, and rightfully so, it is a fresh and exciting take on the classic hero. However, the true significance this series carries with it is rarely touched on. Wonder Woman has always been a franchise character and even though her books have never regularly sold in Batman or Superman quantities, her licenseability has always kept her series alive. That being said, this is a character that has really struggled to find a stable place in the DC Universe. Is she characterized by her role as Amazon royalty? Her allegiance to humanity? Her skills as a warrior? Her status as a female hero? She has been characterized through all of these things at different times but due to constant revisions and re-imaginings, was never really allowed to obtain the depth of character that other comics mainstays have. Furthermore, each of these characterizations is somewhat outdated and, I believe, doesn’t effectively mesh with contemporary values and attitudes. I would contend that Azzarello and company have done a remarkable job at reinvigorating the character in a way that makes her relevant as both a hero and a woman, while maintaining an iconic representation of the character that easily convinces the reader that it is as timeless a portrayal of a classic American character as any.

I mean to review issue 11 of the characters self-titled series, but I am going to do so by way of comparison with the character’s portrayal in Geoff Johns’ Justice League re-launch, the other major venue for Wonder Woman in the new DCU.  Johns takes a more traditional approach to the Amazon, characterizing her through two main qualities: her innate warrior instincts and her tragically impossible relationship with Steve Trevor, the liaison between the Justice League and the U.S. Government. This characterization works within the context of the superhero team book. On one hand the character’s warrior heritage determines how she will react when faced with a violent threat and the fact that she is just a touch more ruthless than her more idealistic teammates adds some dramatic tension to the team dynamics. On the other hand, her relationship with Colonel Trevor lends emotional sympathy to the character and has been used to drive significant aspects of that story’s narrative so far. This representation also poses problems for the character’s ultimate depth and relevance. By focusing on her Amazon heritage, her motivations are called into question – can she really be an uplifting symbol of justice and righteousness if her actions are inspired by a thirst for war and the thrill of adventure? More troubling, however, is her relationship with Steve Trevor. Much of her actions are inspired by the guilt she feels for the emotional strife she has caused the colonel. This relationship runs the risk of defining her more by the emotional emptiness of one of her male counterparts than through her own agency. To be fair, Johns is no hack and these aspects of the character are explored with some degree of subtlety; for instance, we are meant to empathize with Wonder Woman’s situation and to understand that her actions toward colonel Trevor were not done out of malice and that she does care for the man, but knows that a relationship with him would be impossible. Still, this approach straddles a very unstable line and runs the risk of identifying Wonder Woman as a product of her ancestral and social circumstances rather than a master of her own destiny.

Of course an effective foil is a necessary tool when creating a deep and lasting characterization and all major superheroes come loaded with them: Batman has Alfred, Robin, Nightwing, The Joker and countless more, while Superman has Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olson, and Lois Lane, to name a few. It could be argued that it is the dearth of a similar supporting cast that has prevented Wonder Woman from similarly taking root as not just an icon in the DC Universe but as a character with a self-contained mythology and aura. Azzarello seems to think so because he has surrounded her with such an intriguing cast of characters and built such a convincing mythology around her that it is hard to believe that they are not the result of decades of character development. In Azzarello’s series Wonder Woman’s heritage and relationships do define her, but unlike her depiction in Justice League, it is the abnegation of her heritage and her unwavering love for, and commitment to, her companions that contribute to her characterization. Azzarello has done three things that I believe create substantial depth in the series and place Wonder Woman as one of, if not the most relevant books about both women and heroism currently in publication.

First, he reimagined Wonder Woman’s origin placing her as a daughter of Zeus, thereby establishing her as an outsider to the Amazon culture but also a pariah of the Olympic realm, recently under the authority of Zeus’ spiteful wife Hera. Her skills as a warrior and her attachment to her deceased mother provide meaningful connections to her heritage, but allow her to distance herself from a society whose idiosyncratic values based on war and gender supremacy fail to hold-up as a utopia against thoughtful consideration.

Second, he populated the landscape of Wonder Woman with strikingly modern representations of Greek mythology used the way they were meant to be: as personifications of the various aspects of the world as a whole, including the sun, the moon, war, strife, and hell. One thing that pagan belief systems do particularly well is create accessible representations of complex systems and by virtue of this have been implicit in the creation of some of the most enduring, subtle, and complex pieces of literature for thousands of years. The same phenomenon allows Azzarello to place the events of Wonder Woman within the context of a larger world landscape without having to use precious space for exposition. More importantly, the characterizations of these different immortals are reflected in Wonder Woman’s own responses to them, both positive and negative.

Finally, and most meaningfully, the character with whom Wonder Woman most strongly identifies and to whom she feels the greatest

Cliff Chiang’s interior art from WW #11

commitment it is not a god, a demigod, or even a man, instead it is Zola, a self-reliant and plucky girl in her twenties from a broken home in a poor rural area who has recently learned that the baby she is carrying is the most recent of Zeus’ bastard spawn. The unborn child is believed to be prophesied to claim the throne of Zeus so naturally Zola has fallen under attack from various deities who hope to use the child as the means to their own ambitious ends. Wonder Woman has taken it upon herself to protect her unborn sibling and the brave young woman carrying it. Azzarello and his collaborators have treated this relationship in a way that brings out the best in both Wonder Woman and Zola. It allows the creators to humanize Wonder Woman as a loving and nurturing figure in the midst of an unforgiving world as represented by the gods, but also as a woman who has no qualms about fighting to protect those close to her. Despite remarkably different backgrounds and upbringings, Zola and Wonder Woman are in many ways cut from the same stone. As strong women in a world shaped by masculine power struggles, their shared status as outsiders gives them a profound respect and understanding towards one another. They are able to feed off of their shared audacity and strength and both are capable of rising to selfless heroism, even when the men around them are more concerned with playing it safe.

In this issue Wonder Woman and her allies have insisted that Zola see a doctor to make sure that there are no problems with her pregnancy. True to her nature, Zola insists on seeing her small town doctor who she trusts. Wonder Woman supports this decision but Hermes and Lennox don’t. There is a beautiful piece of dialog during the scene when Zola is visiting with her doctor. Wonder Woman and her friends are waiting outside and Lennox says “but you ‘ave friends, access to better medical –“ Lennox, who is cut off mid-sentence, is presumably referring to the Justice League. Wonder Woman responds “ I do have friends, true… and right now one of them is seeing the doctor she’s chosen to right now.” Later in the issue Zola returns the favor by trying to run Apollo, the sun god, over with a pick-up truck!

Wonder Woman by David Finch from Justice League #1

This issue was illustrated by the main series artist Cliff Chiang. All of the artwork on this series has been of high quality, but I am always particularly excited when Chiang is back behind the pen. His style is so classic and emotive that it is a perfect match for this book. His presentation of Wonder Woman is particularly powerful. There are two main approaches to wonder woman – beauty, and strength. The former tends to sexualize her a la the ridiculous David Finch cover from Justice League #1, while the latter emphasizes physicality, drawing attention away from her intellect and compassion. Chiang manages to create a Wonder Woman who is both strong and beautiful, but in a less tangible sense. Her beauty comes across in her powerful gaze and her strength is made manifest in her body language and expressions. Azzarello uses her costume sparingly; she dons a trench coat for a good chunk of this issue and other issues have foregone it completely, allowing Chiang to put it to good dramatic use when it finally does make an appearance.

Despite the rich character development and world building, this series has not been without its bells

A particularly buff depiction of the Amazon princess

and whistles. Issue #11 is no exception, giving Wonder Woman the opportunity to show off her acrobatics in a showdown against Apollo that comes complete with stunning pyrotechnics in addition to the spectacular automobile antics previously mentioned. The ongoing story has been full of twists and turns; our hero has already been to hell and bested Hades himself and the story is just beginning. Issue 11 marks the beginning of the latest chapter of this saga so it is as good a jumping on point as any. Azzarello’s run, which is hopefully far from over, will surely be an instant classic for the character and the medium so get on board now!