Wonder Woman Reviews: August 17, 2011

Two Wonder Woman specific titles were released this week. The first was DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman - The '90s. The second was Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies issue #03. Since I haven't previously reviewed any of the Flashpoint: Wonder Woman miniseries, I will be reviewing the entire run. But, let's start with:

DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman - The 90s
Written by: William Messner-Loebs (credited as Bill Messner-Loebs)
Art by: Lee Moder (interior and cover), Daniel Green (ink), Chris Beckett (interior color), Wes Hartman (cover color), Dezi Sienty (letters)
Wonder Girls
August 17, 2011
DC Comics
Rating: 3.6 out of 5

Diana is put in charge of a girls club, five young girls who call themselves the Girl Blossoms. The girls normally just spend their time reading magazines, listening to music, and shopping. But Diana has different plans for them. In an attempt to show the girls what it was like for her growing up, Diana makes them run, swim, jump, and generally be a lot more active than they are accustomed. Later, when Etta Candy points out that Diana is sort of bullying the girls, Diana attempts to do what the girls want (play with dolls, read magazines). But the girls will have none of that!

When I first read this issue, I found it to be...very fluffy. It felt like 100% filler, with no real purpose. But upon reading it a second time, I realized that I really liked it. These young girls are pushed out of their comfort zone and find out of what they are truly capable. The writing was strong and the story taught a valuable lesson. My biggest complaint is that, at times, it felt very much like Wonder Woman's After-School Special. Perhaps that was the message they were going for? The art in this issue was honestly some of the best work from the DC Retroactive run. Though I haven't been exposed to any of Lee Moder's previous work, I am now really interested. The fact that he has a run on Wonder Woman certainly helps.

I really loved Diana in this issue. There are rarely times that I don't like her, but this issue featured some great moments (two of which I've included here). A lot of writers choose to make her very serious all time time. Some writers try to keep her solely as the Regal Princess and Warrior. Not a lot of writers are prepared to show her humorous side. But William Messner-Loebs isn't afraid. I wish we could see more of Diana's humor.