Wonder Woman #750 Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Koriand'r]

Some take-a-ways, Orana is back in continuity, so is Exoristos, Astarte, Amazonium, Megalodons and apparently Hippolyta can just pop up in Man's World anytime she wants to thanks to the Sandals of Hermes. Ares is a confirmed bad guy again and locked back up on Themysicra. Without Dr. Psycho's influence Vanessa is a contrite paraplegic and no longer the Silver Swan. Themyscira will probably get tech upgrades in the near future to defend against the outside world. The Rebirth origin isn't canon with NO explanation. Diana doesn't serve her gods anymore. She's on her own but why she still has the powers they gave her I don't know. There are A LOT of missing years and pieces of the puzzle that need to be addressed. The new timeline is already a fail for me.

[FutureWonder]

Yikes...some of the art was U-G-L-Y.
Riley Rossmo and Bryan Hitch need to stay away from Wonder Woman.
Hitch's version of Diana was particularly...unsightly.
And he can do so much better...
Even the anatomy in that panel of her flying was all kinds of off.

And I know this is an unpopular opinion but...I hate Nicola Scott's take on Diana.
I also profoundly dislike how Scott draws Circe (she looks like a child...she actually reminds me more of Devastation than Circe).

[JackBNimble]

Some take-a-ways, Orana is back in continuity, so is Exoristos, Astarte, Amazonium, Megalodons and apparently Hippolyta can just pop up in Man's World anytime she wants to thanks to the Sandals of Hermes. Ares is a confirmed bad guy again and locked back up on Themysicra. Without Dr. Psycho's influence Vanessa is a contrite paraplegic and no longer the Silver Swan. Themyscira will probably get tech upgrades in the near future to defend against the outside world. The Rebirth origin isn't canon with NO explanation. Diana doesn't serve her gods anymore. She's on her own but why she still has the powers they gave her I don't know. There are A LOT of missing years and pieces of the puzzle that need to be addressed. The new timeline is already a fail for me.

I'm very excited and happy that Amazonium is back! And reforged bracelets/vambraces no less. As well as Orana and Exoristos (I really need to know more of her backstory and subsequent return from exile).

I hope the Amazons get tech upgrades soon and really play into that old world/new world aspect a bit more.

[JackBNimble]

You took the words right out of my mouth re Hitch’s version of Diana. I get it—he’s intentionally working from an HG Peter model—but still, Peter’s version always had a pretty face. (And Hitch’s Diana also looks like someone gave her a bad haircut on purpose.)

For me, it was a failed attempt. I haven't been a fan of Hitch's work since JLA Heaven's Ladder. Is it because he was paired with a better inker/colorist?

It reminds of when John Byrne started to ink his own stuff. Without Patricia Mulvihill completing his work, it never did look as good.

I completely agree...Hitch usually does much better. This was cringe worthy.

Whoever approved that ought to be drawn and quartered.

Yikes...some of the art was U-G-L-Y.
Riley Rossmo and Bryan Hitch need to stay away from Wonder Woman.
Hitch's version of Diana was particularly...unsightly.
And he can do so much better...
Even the anatomy in that panel of her flying was all kinds of off.

And I know this is an unpopular opinion but...I hate Nicola Scott's take on Diana.
I also profoundly dislike how Scott draws Circe (she looks like a child...she actually reminds me more of Devastation than Circe).

At least Rossmo had a more stylized approach, which I can appreciate. Hitch's depiction of Diana was just horrible. Agree the proportions and anatomy perspective was all wrong.

[wonder39]

This whole ish was a mess to me. I only liked the story with Diana, Cheetah, and Circe.
HATE Diana being in WWII (unless it's Earth Two). Most of the art was horrendous. Most of the storiescwere pointless. Sad....

[kjn]

Some thoughts on the various stories.

Orlando and Merino: I liked the way Diana regained the Golden Lasso, but a lot of the story otherwise falls flat. The dialogue feels more like contending declarations than conversations, and there is little personality. And nearly everything in the story feels unearned. Hera has never had any real relation with Diana (outside of Azzarello that is). The references to past stories are only that: empty references since they lack impact on this story, nor does Orlando put them in a new light. And Diana doesn't need a sword or shield.

I liked Merino's art in JLD, but it feels like it has become poorer in Wonder Woman and over time. It feels stiff and with poor proportions.

Simone and Doran: The return of Star Blossom. A nice story of loss and the need for friendship and family. Not as delightful as the first Star Blossom tale, but nice enough. Doran does a great job at expressing action and joy, but the more quiet feelings of companionship and sorrow feel more stiff than heartfelt.

Tamaki and Casagrande: I liked the original setup, and it was quite fun to see Diana expressing annoyance, but the story depended entirely on reveals and turnabouts.

Rucka and Scott: This felt like a natural continuation from Rucka's Rebirth run. Nothing really new, but well told. It helps that I like the capricious Circe of Rucka more than the power-obsessed and malicious Circe of Pérez and Tynion.

Garcia and Hester: I'm of two minds of this one. The first is that I loved the additional images of pieces of life on Themyscira that we got. Osia's points about parenting and healthy pride also felt relevant. But the way Garcia presented the thinking about Man's World flet more than a bit one-note. Art worked well.

Hale, Hale, and Rossmo: A more silly story about Diana and her relation with Hippolyta. However, I don't think its funny and serious elements really manage to gel.

Bennett and Braga: More vignettes than anything else, with Bombshells characters expressing how they view Diana. Beautifully told, as can be expected from Bennett, but Braga's waify characters feels out of place with the Bombshells aesthetic of robust earthiness. This is also the only story to feature Steve Trevor.

Ayala and Nahuelpan: More a brief character study of Silver Swan. Decently told, but Silver Swan and Cheetah are arguably too similar characters here. Also, there is an ableistic streak in the story, where the only "good" life for a disabled person is suffering, and overcoming disability turns you evil. To be fair, this is built into Silver Swan, and unpacking and disentangling that in such a short package is nigh impossible.

Snyder and Hitch: Wonder Woman saves Roosevelt in 1939. The end. A hint at Green Lantern at the end. Hitch does action well, but some of the poses feel anatomically impossible (see e.g. the frame of Diana flying/jumping after saving Roosevelt, and how she holds her right arm), and the way he styles her hair isn't flattering.

In a way, I get a vibe of Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman, with the variation in styles and with short tales. But it didn't really feel like a celebration of Wonder Woman's history. I also think that a lot of the stories were too similar in tone, in being sombre and introspective, and like they felt like being told at a distance from Diana. Only the Hales's and Simone's stories broke from that pattern.

Another thing: we had two Cheetah stories, one Silver Swan story, two stories set right at/around her introduction to Man's World, one Ares story, and one monster-of-the-week story. But nothing with Etta Candy, and nearly nothing with Steve Trevor.

ETA: Gah. I don't want to be so negative. Most of the stories were perfectly fine. But taken together the result was rather unimpressive.

[Flash Gordon]

I thought this entire book would be a Wonder Woman back in the 30s story, with a couple back ups. Let down.

[Dr. Poison]

Overall this was a mixed bag but that was to be expected with a variety of creators. Orlando's story was my favorite of the bunch. I thought he tied up a lot of loose ends set up by Rucka and Wilson as best as he could. I like the way Orlando had Diana get her bracelets back. The guest appearances by Orana and Hippolyta were a nice way to wrap up the story. My 2nd favorite story was Rucka's although it seemed quite rushed and in the end, inconsequential. Snyder's story was a nice tease. I hope he has more coming to flesh it out. The Bombshells story was quite good too but I'm not sure why an alternate continuity story was featured in this book. The rest of the stories were "meh" to "blah" with the art in most of them being less than captivating. I have to say none of the pin-ups were all that great. Even by some of the better artists like Sharp, Fradon, and Garcia-Lopez. I wonder if they were rushed?

[Largo161]

Simone and Doran: The return of Star Blossom. A nice story of loss and the need for friendship and family. Not as delightful as the first Star Blossom tale, but nice enough. Doran does a great job at expressing action and joy, but the more quiet feelings of companionship and sorrow feel more stiff
.

Wait ...this is a new Star Blossom story? The artwork looked so familiar that I skipped over it, thinking it was the one I’d read in some other compilation.

[kjn]

Wait ...this is a new Star Blossom story? The artwork looked so familiar that I skipped over it, thinking it was the one I’d read in some other compilation.

It is most definitely a new Star Blossom story.

[Vordan]

Issue was alright. I liked Orlando and Rucka’s stories. I haven’t read Simone’s run so I didn’t really “get” all the references but I do want to go read her run now.

[Pinsir]

I'm still processing but it felt a little loose in the caboose. The continuity was all over the place.

My thoughts exactly. Some of these stories felt like leftovers from the Sensational Comics digital series.

There wasn't a story I liked at all in this.

[Doctor Bifrost]

Poor Donna Troy.

(I'd add "poor Cassandra Sandsmark," but I have my priorities.)

[SiegePerilous02]

Just bought mine on Comixology a bit ago and read a couple stories.

Loved the Rucka/Scott one naturally. It wasn't earth shattering, but a nice self contained story that sums up the dynamics between Diana, Cheetah and Circe. Really wish they were still on the title, I could read their stuff forever.

I also liked Vita Ayala's story. No easy task salvaging the mess Robinson left for Vanessa, but this was a respectable attempt with a limited number of pages. I have to agree with Kjn that Vanessa and Barbara Ann's predicaments are too similar at this point. That could have lent itself to a story telling strength though, running parallels between the two and their relationships with Diana, who would be able to save Vanessa and can never quite save Barbara. I also liked Ayala's previous Cheetah story, and wouldn't mind her getting more shots at the characters.

Orlando's resolution to the Cheetah story was also solid. I'm glad he was able to wrap up the lingering plots left by Wilson. And I liked the Orana cameo.

[Psy-lock]

Pretty mediocre. No Etta, Donna and Cassie. Almost no Steve. And only the usual suspects from the Rogues Gallery are utilized: Cheetah, Ares, Circe and Silver Swan. The stories are ok. Orlando's was a decent resolution (though I don't get why Hera is suddenly so important to Diana, wouldn't Athena be more fitting?), Rucka's was a good one shot. Vanessa's redemption really should've been an arc instead of one issue, but it wasn't badly done. The rest were meh.