This is a spoiler-free review.
Wonder Woman Rebirth #1 is written by Greg Rucka with pencils by Matthew Clark, inks by Sean Parsons, art by Liam Sharp and colors by Jeremy Colwell and Laura Martin.
Summary
Diana questions her past and present as the truth starts to unravel around her and turns to Olympus for answers.
Positives
Wonder Woman is the Spirit of Truth so I love the idea of Rucka centering the story around what truth is. Is there an absolute truth or is it different and unique for everyone? Diana questions the name of Wonder Woman and what that really means to people. She used to think people meant it one way but she now she thinks it means something else. Which is the truth? What Diana cannot grasp is that both are potentially true which will be interesting moving forward.
Her character’s main strength is finding the truth so putting her own truth in question is brilliant. Diana, for unknown reasons, is remembering her pre-New 52 origin and contrasting it with her New 52 one. Both are technically true; the timeline and the world was just changed. Diana doesn’t seem to know that so she is questioning herself and her identity. I like this idea. Some characters in Rebirth are naturally going back to their old ways like Green Arrow but Diana is almost fighting against the old history coming back. It makes her doubt herself because she’s questioning her own memories.
The art is fantastic. The first half is done by Clark, Parsons and Colwell while Sharp and Martin take over the second half. Thankfully, the switch is seamless. I didn’t even realize that there were two teams. Since the art teams will be trading off from issue to issue, it is cool that both are displayed here. And it looks great particularly Olympus. I just loved the design.
Negatives
While I love the ideas presented here, it isn’t clear where it comes from. I have been reading the Wonder Woman title as well as other books featuring her and this state of mind feels random. Is it happening because of the events of Rebirth? That would explain why her old memories are coming back but it’s hinted that something else is causing Diana’s state of mind. Her depression could be the result of the recent major death or revelations made in the Darkseid War but neither of those events are ever brought up or hinted at. The concept is brilliant but the execution is a little too vague.
Ultimately, it is kind of a dull read. The ideas are fascinating and fun to think about but that happened after I finished. When I actually read it, I’m bored. A lot of it is Diana moping around her apartment while narrating. Most of her characterization is just unfiltered angst and it’s not very interesting. With the Rebirth specials of Batman, Superman and Green Arrow, I was excited when I finished. I wanted to know more instantly. With this, I will keep reading because I love Diana but I’m not that interested or excited.
This is a nitpick but I don’t know why Diana changes her costume. She’s wearing her New 52 outfit for part of the book and then decides to change to the Gal Gadot-inspired Rebirth outfit for no reason. It just happens. I love how it looks and I’m glad the change is there but it felt like it happened just so she can look like the movie version.
Verdict
This is a very disappointing issue to me. While Rucka’s ideas are brilliant and the art is great, this is a boring read. It is certainly not terrible but there isn’t a lot in the story or Diana as a character that is engaging while reading. I had some fun thinking about the story and what it could mean but when I try to read it again, I’m still bored. I honestly don’t recommend checking this issue out. Hopefully, it gets better from here.
