[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artists: Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Summary
In part three of “Year One,” Diana and Steve arrive in the U.S. where they are questioned by the military.
Positives
I like the cover quite a bit. One of the coolest aspects of the art of this series is the contrast between the two different story lines. Diana really does look quite a bit younger here than in “Lies.” The cover by Nicola Scott and Romulo Fajardo Jr. really does convey a youthful energy that lets you know this is a story about a young Wonder Woman if you didn’t already know that.
The interior is good as well; Scott does the art while the colors are by Fajardo Jr. There are a lot of neat color choices by Fajardo Jr. For example, the inside of the invisible jet is purple. That’s just neat. The art throughout is lively and colorful which makes it very enjoyable to look at.
The addition of Barbara Ann Minerva is great. If you don’t know, Minerva is the Cheetah, one of Wonder Woman’s greatest enemies. In this story, she isn’t Cheetah yet. She’s simply a professor who the military calls in to try and talk to Diana. Her addition adds a nice parallel to the “Lies” story. I am actually glad the story is alternating now. Getting this new background on Diana, Steve and Cheetah is helping that story as well as this one. They inform each other. It’s pretty cool.
I like the language barrier. Diana obviously speaks a different language but is slowly trying to learn English. I love that Minerva is the only one that can understand her and speak the language. Creating an early link between them like that is a smart move.
I like the role animals play in this story. Wonder Woman does usually have a connection with them so it’s nice to see that represented. I won’t give it away but they have an interesting function in the story that is unusual for Wonder Woman as far as I know.
Negatives
I still think this story is a little too padded. Not enough seems to happen in an issue. While I think this issue does speed up the plot a bit and I like where it’s going, it feels really slow to me. I am still somewhat bored by a lot of the issue.
Verdict
Overall, this is a good issue. Greg Rucka excels at Diana’s characterizations both as a young girl and as an adult. Adding Minerva into the origin this early is a really good idea and I’m excited to see where that goes. The art is really great as well. However, the issue is a little dull in places with a little too much focus on the military not understanding Diana. I still recommend checking the issue out; there’s a lot of good material in this one.
