WONDER WOMAN #1

 

    Tom King hasn't written an ongoing comic since he was fired from Batman in 2019. He's still all over the place at DC, though he's mostly only been doing mini-series with obscure, B-characters. They did let him finish his Batman run with a Batman/Catwoman mini-series and he also did two other Bat books: a one-shot and another mini-series with The Riddler and a few other characters. I kind of figured they should let him write an ongoing Superman title, or maybe one of the other big DC titles like The Flash. Nope. They've given him Wonder Woman. Maybe they're still mad at him for his Batman run. I forget who even fired him. While I do like Tom King as a writer, I also admit that none of his recent mini-series have been any good. They're interesting but nothing more. And while this first issue of Wonder Woman is interesting and kind of bold, the big problem is that's it way too dark and depressing, which, realistically, is basically his calling card. Tom King books have never been fun, colorful romps. That's probably why the word "divisive" is always thrown around when talking about him. The basic premise so far of Wonder Woman is a Wonder Woman vs. The United States Government plot. It's kind of a Marvel's Civil War type of thing, but also obviously a mirror of today's real world Republicans vs. (take your pick) transgendered women, immigrants, LBGTQ. and woke politics. A woman from Wonder Woman's Amazon home kills a bunch of bikers in a pool hall and suddenly all of the Amazons are banned from the U.S. The news proclaims that it's a war against men. Wonder Woman is a wanted woman. We finally learn at the end that the new, big bad is an old guy called The Sovereign. The Sovereign sits on a throne and has a crown and also a lasso of lies. I guess this lasso of lies is supposed to represent all of the lies Trump and the Republicans have told over the years about pretty much everything. I remember Tom King posting videos on Twitter of him walking up to the Capital on January 6th, 2021, after he saw the melee on the news. He wasn't a part of the riot, just must live nearby and wanted to see what was going on. After reading this issue, I'm guessing he's a Democrat. Or, at least, anti-Trump. The artwork in this issue is tonally different than what it's about, though. The art, by Daniel Sampere, is very similar to Tony Daniel. It's big, pure Superhero comic book art. You'd think they'd be better off with something darker, because the big, colorful, superhero art doesn't mesh with the dark, brooding plot. The one good thing I'll say about this book is that it's something new and bold for a totally stale character. And I am curious where it'll go from here, which is a plus. Making the big bad an old geizer is kind of a dumb move, though, because you kind of want to have the inevitable fight between him and Wonder Woman...and what's he going to do? Jump in a robot suit to fight her? Supposedly this issue already sold out, so divisive or not, they're doing something right. **1/2