A review by katecassi
Wonder Woman by George Pérez Vol. 1 by George Pérez
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was my introduction to Diana as a comic book character, which is apparently not the way to go according to other reviews, but whatever. I barely know how to navigate the DC universe. She’s a great character, and these comics for sure have some beautiful art and visuals. I enjoyed the first Ares arc, and it gave us some lovable side characters.
The second arc was…less enjoyable. I don’t understand why Cheetah was there. I mean, it’s comics, I’m assuming she plays a bigger role in a subsequent arc, but her appearance was so disjointed from the larger story of the arc that I’m struggling to understand why she had to be introduced here at all. The incredibly antiblack caricature of Chuma also jarred me out of the story pretty hard, so I guess it’s a good thing they both disappeared halfway through. I also have to say that the resolution of the Amazons’ suffering at the hands of Heracles was disgusting. Personally I would’ve had the Amazons shoot him out of a cannon or flay him alive instead of happily hailing their rapist and enslaver as a friend, but I guess that goes against the book’s theme of forgiveness or whatever.
Ultimately, it was fine before it got to all the antiblackness with Cheetah and Chuma and the…everything with Heracles. I suppose I can see why Pérez’s version of Diana was so beloved, but I’m sure there are much better Wonder Woman stories out there.
The second arc was…less enjoyable. I don’t understand why Cheetah was there. I mean, it’s comics, I’m assuming she plays a bigger role in a subsequent arc, but her appearance was so disjointed from the larger story of the arc that I’m struggling to understand why she had to be introduced here at all. The incredibly antiblack caricature of Chuma also jarred me out of the story pretty hard, so I guess it’s a good thing they both disappeared halfway through. I also have to say that the resolution of the Amazons’ suffering at the hands of Heracles was disgusting. Personally I would’ve had the Amazons shoot him out of a cannon or flay him alive instead of happily hailing their rapist and enslaver as a friend, but I guess that goes against the book’s theme of forgiveness or whatever.
Ultimately, it was fine before it got to all the antiblackness with Cheetah and Chuma and the…everything with Heracles. I suppose I can see why Pérez’s version of Diana was so beloved, but I’m sure there are much better Wonder Woman stories out there.