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ladydewinter's review
2.0
I tried liking this one, I genuinely did. But there's only so much you can do, and in the face of a really oddly paced plot and more than erratic characterization all I can say that I, um, didn't like it.
Now, I haven't read *that* much of Wonder Woman, but if that book had been the first I read? It would have been my last. A lot of it is just Jodi Picoult being Jodi Picoult, that is, her taking an issue (like finding out who you are, or trying to show your mother you're grown up, but that latter bit kind of came out of the blue and you never really got the sense that actually was her mother) and milking it for all the melodrama it's worth and then some. (Yes, I am still bitter about the ending of My Sister's Keeper.)
It did have some fun moments, like the ones in the villain bar, but even they felt out of place. For me, this just lacked coherency. And decent characterization. And I mean, sure, Tom is hot and all but that flirting/ attraction didn't feel very organic, it felt forced (which is even more weird because it could have felt organic). In the end, though, this is just part of me catching up on what Diana's been up to, and I doubt I'll read this one again.
Now, I haven't read *that* much of Wonder Woman, but if that book had been the first I read? It would have been my last. A lot of it is just Jodi Picoult being Jodi Picoult, that is, her taking an issue (like finding out who you are, or trying to show your mother you're grown up, but that latter bit kind of came out of the blue and you never really got the sense that actually was her mother) and milking it for all the melodrama it's worth and then some. (Yes, I am still bitter about the ending of My Sister's Keeper.)
It did have some fun moments, like the ones in the villain bar, but even they felt out of place. For me, this just lacked coherency. And decent characterization. And I mean, sure, Tom is hot and all but that flirting/ attraction didn't feel very organic, it felt forced (which is even more weird because it could have felt organic). In the end, though, this is just part of me catching up on what Diana's been up to, and I doubt I'll read this one again.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure why this series gets such a bad rap. I really like it. Good characterizations, great art and an interesting story.
bibliocat4's review against another edition
4.0
I never really read Wonder Woman so I only read this one because Jodi Picoult wrote the story but I really did like it except for the bustier!
akuhlma03's review against another edition
2.0
I have read every single book by Jodi Picoult, but I read this book for a challenge. I cannot say I really enjoyed it as I do not read comic/ graphic novels and I was actually surprised that she wrote this book as this is not her typical genre.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Having never really read or watched anything about Wonder Woman before, and actually never having read anything by Jodi Picoult, I came into this story without expectations, other than the art seemed vivid, colorful and distinct. I definitely enjoyed the art, and found the story interesting too. I appreciated that in Picoult's foreword, she said she tried to get them to put Wonder Woman in something with straps, because all women know you can't fight in a bustier. No go. I noticed several panels, too, where, while doing something otherwise not sexual, Wonder Woman is displayed in ridiculously sexual positions--legs splayed, buttocks in the air, cleavage on display, etc. Those elements distracted me a little, but overall I enjoyed the story. There was a lot of navel gazing and internal debate, but without Wonder Woman background, I don't know if that's distinct to Picoult's writing, or if it's just how Wonder Woman is. Sometimes the ruminations felt a bit repetitious, but for the most part, I liked this the same way I liked the second Captain America movie, in that it took characters who seem almost too "good" to relate to, and makes them question their motivations and really face what they are doing and why. It makes the story richer for me. I enjoyed Nemesis and his banter as well, and found Circe and Hippolyta to be interesting adversaries/ complications for Diana. I would read more Wonder Woman, and/or see the movie (if they ever finally make one), based on my enjoyment of this series.
baranorewen's review against another edition
2.0
First of all, this is technically a second story arch in a series. There is however a "Previously on Wonder Woman" page, where you can read what happened in the first novel. Basically, Wonder Woman did something that society and the other heroes don't particularly agree with, and she has to go into hiding. She is working as Diana Prince and is given the assignment to bring Wonder Woman in for her crimes.
It's interesting to see how Wonder Woman handles a "normal" human life. There is very little that she understands intuitively. Amazons are obviously an entirely different sort of culture and that was the last time she was "normal." At one point her mother is brought back, and the kinds of issues she has with her mother are very human. She's struggling to differentiate herself as well as to learn who she is in this human world.
Unfortunately, the crap that happens after she's in her Wonder Woman gear is simply ridiculous, and poorly done. It felt like Jodi Picoult gave DC her ideas to make Wonder Woman more relatable, and they said "Gee, Picoult wants to make Wonder Woman more relatable to real women. I guess we could do that. Especially since then we can go right back to her being a sex object and never think of her as anything more ever again." It was bastardized Picoult.
It was interesting, (especially because I am a Picoult fan) but not awesome.
This review is also posted on RATS.
It's interesting to see how Wonder Woman handles a "normal" human life. There is very little that she understands intuitively. Amazons are obviously an entirely different sort of culture and that was the last time she was "normal." At one point her mother is brought back, and the kinds of issues she has with her mother are very human. She's struggling to differentiate herself as well as to learn who she is in this human world.
Unfortunately, the crap that happens after she's in her Wonder Woman gear is simply ridiculous, and poorly done. It felt like Jodi Picoult gave DC her ideas to make Wonder Woman more relatable, and they said "Gee, Picoult wants to make Wonder Woman more relatable to real women. I guess we could do that. Especially since then we can go right back to her being a sex object and never think of her as anything more ever again." It was bastardized Picoult.
It was interesting, (especially because I am a Picoult fan) but not awesome.
This review is also posted on RATS.
lanikei's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would have appreciated this book more with ANY background on Wonder Woman. I bought it at a booksigning and I thought it would be neat to have Jodi Picoult sign her comicbook.
The art is nice, and the story is interesting, but unfortunately I don't know any of the Wonder Woman canon so I'm a little lost.
Still, glad I picked it up and got it signed.
The art is nice, and the story is interesting, but unfortunately I don't know any of the Wonder Woman canon so I'm a little lost.
Still, glad I picked it up and got it signed.
jbells7's review against another edition
4.0
Now, I would not deem myself as the biggest reader or lover of the graphic novel genre, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this. Having never read a Wonder Woman story before, I came into it with only the basic knowledge of her origin story, but Jodi Picoult, I found, focused more on how Wonder Woman searches to find humanity within herself, which made for a very interesting character. Especially for a new reader, such as myself. The artwork was also stunningly done. It was also left on a very good cliffhanger, so I am almost certain that I continue!
nmcannon's review against another edition
3.0
Like many other patrons of my local library, I saw the Wonder Woman movie and was like "I'd read the frick frack outta that as a comic" and browsed the library shelves. This is what I found and daaaaaaannnngggg this is pretty sweet.
Picoult's introduction hit the nail right on the head for what her story is about: it's about Diana struggling to be a mortal, when she's immortal, and trying to figure out if trying to fit in is a worthwhile endeavor. She always has her past and the Amazons to fall back on, but her undercover position presents an opportunity to be someone entirely new and human. The motif of love & murder being the two traits that unite Amazons and humans just tickles me pink.
While these are worthwhile and interesting themes, I feel like a few plot beats are missed, probably because this is Picoult's first time comic writing. Circe and Diana as characters are fantastic and dynamic, but Circe's plan makes little sense in its convolution. It seems like Circe just wants to stir the pot and have a bunch of fit ladies fight each other because...why not when you're 5,000 years old. Diana's attraction to Nemesis didn't super make sense either, unless there's a lore point I'm missing where Diana has an attraction to lawful neutral blondes. The resolution was also unclear, though the fighting ended. Because of these problems, I dropped the review star count.
However, if you want great characters, beautiful art, and kickass ladies being kickass, this book is just good enough to keep me coming back for more.
Picoult's introduction hit the nail right on the head for what her story is about: it's about Diana struggling to be a mortal, when she's immortal, and trying to figure out if trying to fit in is a worthwhile endeavor. She always has her past and the Amazons to fall back on, but her undercover position presents an opportunity to be someone entirely new and human. The motif of love & murder being the two traits that unite Amazons and humans just tickles me pink.
While these are worthwhile and interesting themes, I feel like a few plot beats are missed, probably because this is Picoult's first time comic writing. Circe and Diana as characters are fantastic and dynamic, but Circe's plan makes little sense in its convolution. It seems like Circe just wants to stir the pot and have a bunch of fit ladies fight each other because...why not when you're 5,000 years old. Diana's attraction to Nemesis didn't super make sense either, unless there's a lore point I'm missing where Diana has an attraction to lawful neutral blondes. The resolution was also unclear, though the fighting ended. Because of these problems, I dropped the review star count.
However, if you want great characters, beautiful art, and kickass ladies being kickass, this book is just good enough to keep me coming back for more.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
3.0
YESSS. Wonder Woman is drawn strong, statuesque, and even her fibbie suits can't quite conceal her defined muscles. I was wary that getting Picoult to write a comic about a lady superhero was a marketing gimmick, and perhaps it was. I don't much care why they got Picoult to write this trade; I'm just glad we got a series of WW in which her morality, her strength, and her relationship with the Amazons took precedence over her love life or the latest godawful title-spanning "epic" crisis. Let WW stand on her own!
The plot itself is a bit fuzzy (though really, no worse than what I read in most titles), but the dialog is funny and realistic, the art is great and dynamic, and the characterization coherent and interesting. Well worth a read.
The plot itself is a bit fuzzy (though really, no worse than what I read in most titles), but the dialog is funny and realistic, the art is great and dynamic, and the characterization coherent and interesting. Well worth a read.