Review: Wonder Woman v2 #143-146

                Taking over Wonder Woman’s title after John Byrne’s character-defiling run, Eric Luke was tasked with the responsibility of returning the Amazing Amazon to her central mythology all while crafting exciting narratives. His first major arc centred on the creation of a new villain who would push Wonder Woman to her limits – Devastation.

                Introducing a new villain to the cast of an established superhero comic is a difficult undertaking and the majority have the tendency to fall flat but Luke rose to the occasion with his creation. Sculpted from clay and given life by the Cronus and his dark children, Devastation was conceptualized as an anti-Wonder Woman. What she lacks in morals and convictions, Devastation more than makes up for with her thirst for destruction as her name would suggest. As Devastation tears through the southern States and threatens to detonate an atomic bomb, Wonder Woman proves to be her only obstacle and she seems more than confident that she can best the Amazing Amazon. Luke’s writing is strong and he knows how to hold his reader. Devastation is a great addition to Wonder Woman’s rogue’s gallery and she can be favourably compared to classic foes like Ares and Circe. Another one of Luke’s strong suits is his consistent characterization of Wonder Woman. He presents the Amazon Princess as good-natured and as someone who prefers talking things out over violence but is willing to do whatever it takes to save the day. He also gives Wonder Woman a slight edge by having her act more territorially as she takes her fight against Devastation personally, not wanting to involve anyone else in the fight. It’s a proud and stubborn side to Wonder Woman that isn’t often shown but adds dimension to her, especially since it adds flaws to a character many see as lacking in faults.

                Yanick Paquette serves as the primary penciller for this arc. He draws Wonder Woman beautifully and respectfully featuring her looking every bit like an Amazon rather than a porn star. The art has a lot of character to it and he really knows how to construct a scene, creating a lot of stunning imagery. Matthew Clark fills in for one issue (#144) and his more detailed style is a little jarring in comparison especially in his attempts to capture Wonder Woman more realistically. It’s worth mentioning that this run would introduce the covers illustrated by fan-favourite Adam Hughes that would characterize Wonder Woman’s title for the years following. His covers here introduce each issue wonderfully and are absolutely stunning pieces of art in and of themselves.

                These four issues were a breath of fresh air following John Byrne’s eye-roll worthy tenure on Wonder Woman. Eric Luke has a firm grip on Wonder Woman’s character and gives the title an overall darker tone that works in its favour successfully convincing us that Wonder Woman is a total badass and that Devastation is an excellent opponent for the Amazing Amazon. 

Grade: B+