Worst, or Least Favorite, Stories by Your Favorite Writers

[Gaius]

Thought this would be interesting to inquire but of your favorite/preferred writers for Diana what do you think are their worst, or weakest if you think "worst" is too harsh, stories they've done? To start for two writers I've read through recently.

Rucka - "Sacrifice" or The Blackest Night tie-in mini.

Simone - "Gothamazon"

[SiegePerilous02]

Yeah both of those for Rucka I do not care for. Also everything with Cheetah and Snapper Carr. His early writing for her is night and day compared to what we got in Rebirth

For the Jimenez run, I don't care for the issues tied into Our Worlds at War because I generally dislike big crossovers infecting books in general. He did better than most, and I like some individual scenes like Hippolyta's death, but I tend to skip over those outside of those scenes. Don't care for Superman being turned into a Doomsday-monster by Circe either. Maybe it was one of the earlier examples, but that and Sacrifice being practically back to back is too much

[Gaius]

Yeah both of those for Rucka I do not care for. Also everything with Cheetah and Snapper Carr. His early writing for her is night and day compared to what we got in Rebirth

For the Jimenez run, I don't care for the issues tied into Our Worlds at War because I generally dislike big crossovers infecting books in general. He did better than most, and I like some individual scenes like Hippolyta's death, but I tend to skip over those outside of those scenes. Don't care for Superman being turned into a Doomsday-monster by Circe either. Maybe it was one of the earlier examples, but that and Sacrifice being practically back to back is too much

I felt like saying that for Jimenez also since I'm going through his stuff right now, though like with Rucka and "Sacrifice" I think he did the best with what he could despite tie-ins generally being terrible.

Felt like the omnibus I have they could have just included a text summary of OWAW, the scenes of Hippolyta's death, and little of value would be lost.

[SJNeal]

While I loved most of what Jimenez did, the Skartaris/Villainy Inc. arc didn't do much for me. I've never been a Warlord fan, and have always found most of WW's Silver Age villains to be a little too silly for my tastes.

My other favorite is Messner-Loebs, and while he didn't have a "worst" arc in my opinion, his run was really hindered by atrocious art at several points. Pretty much any issue that wasn't Deodato or Moder was meh in the art department...

[Gaius]

While I loved most of what Jimenez did, the Skartaris/Villainy Inc. arc didn't do much for me. I've never been a Warlord fan, and have always found most of WW's Silver Age villains to be a little too silly for my tastes.

My other favorite is Messner-Loebs, and while he didn't have a "worst" arc in my opinion, his run was really hindered by atrocious art at several points. Pretty much any issue that wasn't Deodato or Moder was meh in the art department...

I recently got the first volume of the Messner-Loebs run and while I haven't read it yet, yeah when I glanced through it some of that art left a lot to be desired.

[SJNeal]

I recently got the first volume of the Messner-Loebs run and while I haven't read it yet, yeah when I glanced through it some of that art left a lot to be desired.

Yeah. Jill Thompson is on the first few issues, and I love her on something like The Sandman, but she's just not a superhero artist. Then you have Paris Cullins on the Space Pyrates arc, which is amazing if you can get over the fact that none of the characters looks the same from one page to the next! I actually grew to really like Lee Moder, despite his cartoony style.

So basically start that book with an open mind. The stories are far superior to the art.

[Frank]

Messner-Loebs is one of my favorite WW writers, yet I really disliked the Zero issue and it's recasting of early Hippolyta as scheming and almost trivial. I realize that was a lynchpin to the whole "I'm going to make sure my daughter loses the contest and one of those Banas will die as WW" storyline, and I was all for Hippolyta having some flaws, but I really didn't like that choice. However, his Diana remains one of my favorites.

I generally enjoyed Simone's run (and I love some of her other work, like Welcome to Tranquility & Secret Six), I haven't read it in a long time, and there was a period later on that had much I didn't care for - somewhere around Warkiller/Genocide/Gods in space suits/Cheetah in a business suit. I remember some cool things around that time, like giant sharks, the revamp of Astarte, and a really great moment between Diana & Donna, but if memory serves, what started as a tight, strong run became kinda messy, punctuated with good moments.

I loved the Azzarello run, but I hated having rape & murder become an Amazonian cultural norm. Also, as much as I enjoyed the majority of the Demon Knights title, I was nauseated that the cultural norm of raping and murdering sailors was acknowledged by Exoristos. I really wanted that to remain contained to the main title. And at least it's not survived beyond Rebirth.

[Gaius]

Messner-Loebs is one of my favorite WW writers, yet I really disliked the Zero issue and it's recasting of early Hippolyta as scheming and almost trivial. I realize that was a lynchpin to the whole "I'm going to make sure my daughter loses the contest and one of those Banas will die as WW" storyline, and I was all for Hippolyta having some flaws, but I really didn't like that choice. However, his Diana remains one of my favorites.

I generally enjoyed Simone's run (and I love some of her other work, like Welcome to Tranquility & Secret Six), I haven't read it in a long time, and there was a period later on that had much I didn't care for - somewhere around Warkiller/Genocide/Gods in space suits/Cheetah in a business suit. I remember some cool things around that time, like giant sharks, the revamp of Astarte, and a really great moment between Diana & Donna, but if memory serves, what started as a tight, strong run became kinda messy, punctuated with good moments.

I loved the Azzarello run, but I hated having rape & murder become an Amazonian cultural norm. Also, as much as I enjoyed the majority of the Demon Knights title, I was nauseated that the cultural norm of raping and murdering sailors was acknowledged by Exoristos. I really wanted that to remain contained to the main title. And at least it's not survived beyond Rebirth.

I recently read through the omnibus collection of Simone's run and would agree with some of this, though I've said elsewhere the stuff holding her run back in my view is that she inherited a mess from Infinite Crisis and Amazons Attack.

Though yeah, those space suits the Gods were wearing are some eye sores.

[DisneyBoy]

They were very Star Trek.

I hate to poop on Perez, but War of the Gods was incomprehensible. I haven't a clue what the real story was beyond Circe pitting Gods against each other somehow, turning Hippolyta into the ShimTar, killing Diana....but then Diana coming back and Circe being killed....by Hecate...I think....?! Plus a bajillion cameos thrown in.

Please, if you got the story, break it down for me.

I agree on the Warlord stuff, but then I also disliked Jimenez gathering all the girls in the DCU together for that Circe event. After OWAW, the book didn't need more cameos and useless guest stars.

[Natamaxxx]

I remember liking most of the Messner-Loebs run back in the day, with the notable exception of the Taco Whizz era. Her involvement with some shady P.I. & the Juliana Sazia mob stuff seemed too pedestrian for her. Needing Superman to stop her from rampaging through the city looking for a kidnapped Vanessa was a particular low point.

I didn’t immediately love the introduction of Artemis and the new contest, but was solidly back on the book when Diana took on Cheshire, Cheetah and Poison Ivy all at once. That was pretty cool.

[Perseus]

Rucka's second run just didn't really have the action/adventure angle that I look for in a Wonder Woman story. He gets her character, her personality right, I never complain about his dialogue. But, Diana didn't seem powerful to me and she spent some time in a mental hospital, which you'd think that Steve and/or Etta would want to keep Diana close to them, not put her into what amounts to a nicer Arkham. In terms of her powers, I mean she didn't seem that impressive, I'm not expecting her to toss planets in her first run in the new status quo universe (though that would be pretty cool) but come on, toss me a bone you know. She fought "Ares" which was a cool moment till the twist.

I personally hate Azz's run but there were some nice additions to the mythos. First Born is a great addition to her villains list, personally speaking. Having Diana summon her sword/shield from her bracelets was a cool add on to its powers. Diana interacting with Hephaestus and Hera was nice, more of that please. Zola could maybe come back as her own character.

[SJNeal]

I remember liking most of the Messner-Loebs run back in the day, with the notable exception of the Taco Whizz era. Her involvement with some shady P.I. & the Juliana Sazia mob stuff seemed too pedestrian for her. Needing Superman to stop her from rampaging through the city looking for a kidnapped Vanessa was a particular low point.

I didn’t immediately love the introduction of Artemis and the new contest, but was solidly back on the book when Diana took on Cheshire, Cheetah and Poison Ivy all at once. That was pretty cool.

That Superman story was actually guest written by Christopher Priest. An yeah, it wasn't great. Especially the art.

However, I've always assumed he was working from a plot provided by Messner-Loebs based on the fact that it ties into the larger arc, as opposed to being a self-contained fill-in