Review: Wonder Girl #1

One of the biggest surprises to come out of the some you win / some you lose event that was Future State was the Wonder Woman books by writer / artist Joëlle Jones. Now that everything is back in its kind of right place, Yara Flor is back, albeit demoted back to girl, in order to differentiate the book from her big kind of sister book.

This book is a little bit of an re-introduction to Yara, seeing as she appeared in a raft of Future State books. A very talkative plane ride gives the readers a chance to get up to speed. Yara’s actions, returning to Brazil set in motions a prophecy that impacts the pantheons of gods and Amazons. Where Yara fits is up for debate; it will be fun to see especially given the cliff hanger at the end of this first book.

After her run on Catwoman which maybe wasn’t big hit that fans wanted, Joëlle Jones returns to Yara who is essentially a new character. This means that Jones has doesn’t need to fit into any existing ideals or paradigms. Jones therefore has a something of a blank state to work her magic. Yara has an impact on the existing DC gods and Amazons; Jones attacks this idea with gusto from the outset. The dialogue works for the most part; the airport scene may seem a tad overblown, I think it is actually well observed from a nervous home returnee. There are elements that I am unsure about, mainly the fact the non-powered character seems to “sense’ the impact of Yara returning home, though it is nice to see Nightwing’s pup again.

Jones is probably more known as an artist and here, her talents are well showcased. Strong body poses, good facial elements with good character interactions. There are some nice moments between Yara and Joáo. It is a book that is full of characters, each getting a fair amount of panel time. Jones longtime collaborator colorist Jordie Bellaire continues to prove that she is one of the best colorists in the business; look at the final few pages adn you certainly get a sense of depth. Finally, Clayton Cowles delivers an easy going font, which you will have come to expect by now.

A hit over a couple of issues, Yara Flor now has the added weight of an ongoing monthly book on her young shoulders. Marvel seems to be head and shoulders ahead of DC when it comes to delivering good female led books. Maybe Joëlle Jones and Yara Flor can start to eat into that lead.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Joëlle Jones
Art by; Joëlle Jones
Colors by; Jordie Bellaire
Letters by; Clayton Cowles
Published by;DC Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network