[Editor’s note: This review does not contain spoilers.]
Writer: Andy Mangels
Artists: Judit Tondora, Michael Bartolo & Stuart Chaifetz
Summary
Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman team up when terrorists appear to be targeting victims based on government intelligence.
Positives
The cover by Cat Staggs is incredible, as expected. The level of detail she is able to put in faces never ceases to amaze me. I also like the outlines of the two heroines repeating with the red background. That choice is reminiscent of the 1970s and it looks really cool.
The interior art does a great job of capturing the tone of the shows. The issue is drawn by Judit Tondora with colors by Michael Bartolo and Stuart Chaifetz. The book really does look like the 1970s with some nice attention to detail such as clothing and buildings. The action also looks incredible. Thanks to the lack of a television budget, the artists can really show off in these scenes in a way we never got to see in the shows. I really love the colors; they do a great job of making the book jump off the page.
I am much more familiar with Wonder Woman, having seen every episode. I am aware of The Bionic Woman but have not seen much of it so I don’t know how well this represents that show. I do think this issue feels like an episode of Wonder Woman. The way it deals with politics really works for me; my favorite episodes are the ones that deal with some form of politics and real world issues such as Japanese internment camps. Andy Mangels really makes that work but it also feels like an episode in structure. It certainly is bigger than an episode of the show, which Mangels takes advantage of.
Jaime is well characterized. I really enjoyed her interactions with Diana and especially her reactions to certain aspects of Diana’s life. She’s really fun and charming throughout the issue.
Verdict
This is a solid issue. It captures the tone and style of its source material well but still works on its own.The art is fun and engaging with a potentially interesting story to go with it. There’s a lot of well paced and drawn action and it’s a lot of fun to see these two characters together. I recommend reading the issue.
