Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1 Review

Writer: Greg Rucka / Artists: Matthew Clark, Liam Sharp / DC Comics DC Comics’ queen has finally returned. As any Wonder Woman fan knows, it’s no secret that the daughter of the Amazons has been suffering in comics for years, whether it’s from the constant change of hands, lack of creator ability to communicate her feminist roots, or just an outright disregard for key facets of Diana’s character that have endeared her to entire generations. Rather than another tired rebooting of Themyscira’s greatest, however, BNP favorite Greg Rucka unabashedly grabs the Minotaur by the horns and confronts Diana’s confused past in one of the best executions of full issue monologues I’ve read in comics for a minute. As the writer of my favorite Wonder Woman comics portrayal, Gail Simone, says:

No superhero character’s name encapsulates what they should be more. It’s WONDER. WOMAN. Get those two things right and you’re IN. — GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) January 20, 2016

And thank the Olympian pantheon, we get both. Gentle. Strong. Brave. Regal. Rucka’s Diana confronts the question of her identity with both the righteous indignation of a devotee to truth and the humility of a hero who recognizes uncovering reality is her responsibility and burden alone. That is what we’ve been missing for so long from Wonder Woman; a being who has never failed to act from a place of love and a desire for peace in order to allow this love to prosper, whether it’s in defense of her sisters, mankind, or the innoce…