11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Book!, March 5, 2008
This review is from: Diana Prince: Wonder Woman - VOL 01 (Paperback)
Just in time for New Wonder Woman, DC Comics has released their classy reprint of Wonder Woman #178 to 184.
Having read voraciously DC Comics in the late 60's to late 70's, I remember the mysterious Wonder Woman. Gone was the `old' look Amazon and in was the hip, groovy, more Bewitched heroine. These 6 issues written by Dennis O'Neil, illustrated by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano, commanded my attention and elicited a wow factor I haven't had from a Wonder Woman book for a long time.
This 6 issue run takes Wonder Woman from Amazonian powered to `powerless' Diana Prince. Steve Trevor, in his capacity for the army, turns traitor to uncover the plot of Dr Cyber, and disappears. Dr Ching, an oriental master, befriends Diana, and teaches her the arts of oriental self defence. Within months, she has regained her combative edge and even learned some `wisdom'. To support herself, she opens "Dianas Mod-ly Modern Boutique", and caters to Washingtons' hippest customers. Dr Cyber has not given up on defeating Wonder Woman however, and the trail leads to Bjorland and ultimately to London. Dr Cyber retreats as Diana's flame turns jewel thief. In the midst of this, O'Neil brings in a battle of cinematic proportions. Her mother the Queen, lies in a coma induced by Ares, the God of War. Only Diana can stop the secret of inter-dimensional travel from being revealed and she leads the remaining Amazons, a host of Valkyries, and the forces of King Arthur against Ares.
Wow! All that in six issues.
The comics are full of hippy lingo. On one page, the male character utters "For a ginchy chick like you, I'd take a trip to the moon!" And even the modern fashions make their way into the book. Diana dresses like a yellow/orange parachute and immediately makes a fashion statement at the Tangerine Trolley. (Perhaps it was pass the sunglasses?) The hippy storyline is done in 2, and Tim Trench, partner of Archy Miles (think Maltese Falcon), joins the duo of Ching and Diana in their quest to free Steve Trevor.
I truly appreciated the mix of adventure in this book. War fare, espionage, and even a little hippy turns this run into a great read. Out of place however, is Diana's tear soaked statements like "Everyone I love....". The last two issues on the Ares/Amazon war are very interesting and if we were to compare it to a modern reference, Hercules and Xena come to mind. Historical figures apparently can come together from thousands of years!
The Sekowsky/Giordano art is awesome. Many of the panels show Steranko stylings. There's even a cemetary scene with a motorcyle that reminds me of Captain America #112! Even Gil Kane is mirrored in some of the art as well. The international espionage scenes look straight out of James Bond even.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
The new Wonder Woman might be good, but this is better!
Tim Lasiuta
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Groovy Masterpiece!, April 12, 2008
This review is from: Diana Prince: Wonder Woman - VOL 01 (Paperback)
The cover image says it all. This may not be the Wonder Woman you know, but Diana Prince is still something very special. Even without superpowers, this Amazon is hardly helpless. The great late '60s reprints contained in this book are a wonderful time capsule of the psychodelic era. Denny O'Neil and Mike Sekowsky's spy-fueled stories perfectly match the full color glory that is Sekowsky and Dick Giordano immaculate art. If you are a fan of Steranko's brief but wild Marvel work, please do yourself a favor and pick up this fantastic reprint collection. Diana Prince could easily give Steranko's Nick Fury a run for his money and maybe even make him forget that bodacious vixen, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine! O'Neil and Sekowsky's rebooting of Wonder Woman as a kung fu dynamo in skin tight Emma Peel jumpsuits is as visually exciting as her new espionage adventures are fun. Wonder Woman has rarily looked as sexy and stylish as she does in these groovy reprints. Highly recommended! Volume 2 can't come out fast enough for me!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The New Wonder Woman Is Here and In Register, August 8, 2009
This review is from: Diana Prince: Wonder Woman - VOL 01 (Paperback)
Volume #1 reprints seven regular issues 178-184; these were originally issued from Oct. 1968 through October 1969 (Wonder Woman was a bi-monthly title back in those days). The reprint is in color, nicely bound and printed on a slightly better stock of paper than the original release comic book. It is the same size and most importantly is in proper register so the colors fill the spaces allocated for them; which was a problem with DC issues in the 1960's. So overall it is clearly a better product than the original.
The seven stories are sequenced although stories 6 and 7 go off on a somewhat lame retrograde tangent, with Diana temporarily returning to Paradise Island, but generally keeping her Mary Quant mod fashion look. The change in clothing was the most significant change at the time of the original publication. She has become the "New Wonder Woman", shedding her Amazon powers and spending a lot of time crying (I'm not exaggerating) over the men who done her wrong or just her general female discontent.
Denny O'Neil wrote the first 4 stories which introduce "I Ching" and private detective Tim Trench; phasing out Steve Trever. Dr. Cylvia Cyber and her army of hot girls is Diana's recurring and elusive foe, running from story 2 through story 5; this four part sequence is clearly the best part of Volume 1. The Mike Sekowsky / Dick Giordano art is typical of the era; good but rushed, with the covers showing how good they can be if given the time to do detailed work.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
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