Wonder Woman #13 – Review

By: Brian Azzarello (story), Tony Akins (pencils, Dan Green (inks), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Nothing starts off your divine reign like a pool party.

The Review: From day one, Azzarello has taken advantage of one defining feature of the Greek gods, the one that continues to capture our fascination to this day: the power struggles and family divisions within their divine community.  After reading any number of myths, you’ll notice how every time a conflict breaks out among them, sides are immediately taken.  Natural alliances arise (e.g. Apollo and Artemis), but more often than not, surprising changes of allegiances occur.

This never-ending cycle of devotion and backstabbing remains as intriguing as ever.  Apollo took his father’s throne for one reason only, and that was to protect himself.  Inviting his half-brothers and sisters to the renovated Olympus isn’t a signal of trust, but one of mutual benefit.  Aside from his sister, none of the others express much in the way of loyalty (Hephaestus claims he came only for the sake of family), and others reject Apollo’s overtures outright.  As with all fiction, the absences mean more than what’s present.

Wonder Woman #9 – Review

By: Brian Azzarello (story), Tony Akins (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Not even the god of death can keep crashers from his wedding.

The Review: As I read this month’s issue of Wonder Woman, I suddenly thought about All-Star Superman and what made it such a great, timeless story for the Man of Steel.  Writers tend to pay attention to superheroes for their power sets and fantastical backgrounds, but in All-Star, Grant Morrison managed to craft tales which got to the very essence of what made Superman beloved in the first place: a character who makes you believe anything is possible.

The reason why any of this is relevant to Wonder Woman is because Azzarello is attempting the same feat with comics’ leading lady.  We haven’t seen a lot of physical challenges for our heroine, which at first seems a waste of her strengths, but now I begin to think Azzarello wants us to put her bodily gifts aside.  The obstacles he’s set in her path may not require outstanding bouts of warrior prowess, but they’ve been no less demanding on her.

Witchblade #119 – Capsule Review

By Ron Marz (Writer) and Stjepan Sejic (Artist)

Witchblade #119 is a quick read, but it serves as a great example of everything I like about the series. By framing the story within an internal affairs review, Ron Marz really lets Sara Pezzini shine as a character. Her story of a battle with cyborg assassin, Aphrodite, is sprinkled with sarcasm and it really adds a lot to what could have been a pretty dry tale.

As for the artwork, Stjepan Sejic once again proves why he is one of the industry’s rising stars. Nearly everything in this action-packed issue looks fantastic, but it is clear more time was taken with certain panels than others. The instances of inconsistency will leave you wishing everything looked as great as the most impressive scenes.

If you are looking to check out Witchblade for the first time and don’t feel like hunting down issues #116-118, this would be a nice place to jump on. It’s a nice showcase for the strengths of the series and works well as a stand-alone story that should leave you wanting more. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny