Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Outlaw

Wonder Woman (2023)

by Tom King, Daniel Sampere (Artist), Tomeu Morey (Colorist)

After a shocking alleged crime, the U.S. government moves to keep all Amazons out of the country. What will Wonder Woman discover when she goes on a quest to uncover the truth? And what new enemies will reveal themselves?

After a mysterious Amazonian is accused of mass murder, the U.S. Congress passes The Amazon Safety Act, barring all Amazons from American soil. To carry out its new law, the government sets up the Amazon Extradition Entity (AXE) task force to remove those who don’t comply by any means necessary.

In her search for the truth behind the killing, Wonder Woman now finds herself an outlaw in the world she once swore to protect.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Wonder Woman, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

168 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2024

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst Wonder Woman absolutely shines for the majority of her panels, King's inability to progress a plot properly and efficiently unfortunately bleeds through the character work. Despite being a complete volume, the whole thing still feels like a setup piece, with nothing of consequence happening past the initial first issue. There's also too much bloated dialogue - something which mirrors much of the criticism I have with King's Batman run - which can end up feeling like a chore to get through. It's a shame that a good depiction of Diana gets bogged down by a fumbling narrative, but the story's shortcomings make it hard to rate this anything higher than a three.

triggers terminal illness

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom King writes another good one. This is a bright, optimistic, and hopeful depiction of Wonder Woman. Her ability to keep calm in the face of aggression and her determination to fight for what is right is really inspiring. Her will is expressed through the polite expression "no thank you" when defying the unreasonable demands of others. It's amazing that such a simple phrase can be filled with so much power.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom King serves up a dense, layered and somber epic for the Amazonian princess.

Once again, he has chosen the worst and most verbose person in the book to be the narrator, but even that schmuck's pompous nattering couldn't stop the power moments from bursting off of the page and squeezing my heart.

The story is a stew of all our current political ingredients, with a group of immigrants being targeted for mass deportation, cancel culture run rampant, misogyny hiding under a cloak of misandry, leaders lying and stoking fears in the public, all under the direction from a deep state figure right out of the 1%. But King stirs in some cheesy superhero fondue to keep it from getting too dark and gloomy. It's a odd mix of flavors that worked for me.

It took me twice as long to read this book as it does other graphic novels of the same length, but I still found the last page came too soon.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good volume. Colonel Steven Trevor needs a proper Marine Corps haircut!

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say. I have not enjoyed the previous Wonder Woman books. I quoted the

"No, thank you!"

From the book, but it is a thank you, Tom King!!! This has been my favourite Wonder Woman book I think ever. This is the warrior princess that has been missing from Wonder Woman previously. Fist, blades, and even tanks will fly.

A bar fight ending in fatalities has started an anti-amazonion sentiment. Now, the full power of the United States military has been unleashed to evict any Amazons on United States soil, dead or alive. However, now they will have to deal with Wonder Woman unleashed.

As much as I love the action-packed book, Diana's dialogue is not the best. The political manipulation is scarily close to what is happening in the real world right now in London as well as the US, I am guessing. Love the fights right up to the main event at the end. I can't wait for the next book.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art meets high concept storytelling but as is often the case with Mr. King it's too dang wordy. Do these guys get paid by the Narrator Square or what?


I prefer when the imagery does a lot of the talking from time to time.

[Aurelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, holy fucking shit. It's been a minute since I've read a WW comic that has truly caught my eyes and damn, it has my whole attention. This story feels so incredibly fresh, fun, but also adult, genuine to all of the arcs we've seen Diana go through the past couple of years, I can't wait for there to be a second volume to this and for this to become a series!

[ShamNoop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is glorious. Fantastic writing with a great portrayal of Diana, it’s easy to understand if you’re not all caught up on current continuity (like I’m not), and the art is just fucking great. Issue #4 in particular has a ton of heart and I’ll dare anyone who hates everything else about this to not at least like that one. I wouldn’t mind if this goes on for dozens of issues.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having written the solo adventures of Batman and Superman, it was only a matter of time till Tom King gets to write Wonder Woman, and thus King has tackled DC's holy trinity. Beginning with the 800th issue of DC's flagship Wonder Woman title, which celebrated the character and her legacy with various creators telling their own vignettes, including King and artist Daniel Sampere who introduce Trinity, the daughter of Wonder Woman.

Opening the first volume of King and Sampere's Wonder Woman with their backup from #800 was the right call, as not only the backup itself is a fun piece of character dynamics, seeing how she interacts with Jon Kent/Superman and Damian Wayne/Batman, but it gives context with the main narrative that the two creators are going to be telling. When an Amazon is accused of mass murder, the U.S. government moves to keep all Amazons out of the country, whilst Diana Prince must find her before an elite U.S. strike force does.

Not to get very political with this review, but from her inception, Wonder Woman has always been political as William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter created her to be a positive role-model and a strong female character for girls and boys, no matter how many right-wing nutjobs would like to discredit her. Considering the real-life United Nations dropped the fictional superhero as an ambassador for empowering girls and women after a brief stint that drew widespread criticism, she has always stood for peace, justice and equality, which King absolutely embraces and it is those beliefs that make her an enemy of the United States.

The first issue sets up the political tone, in which U.S. arrests of Amazons and the intention of removing parents from children, whilst showing how far the media have tainted public minds through a father who may be okay with his daughter loving Wonder Woman, but he spits vitriol that basically speaks to a fear of women and toxic masculinity. This lean towards certain political issues will bother some, especially when it comes to gender relationships (which has been explored in comic book masterpieces like Y: The Last Man), but when Wonder Woman finally shows up, it is triumphant and you know who you are rooting for.

Although King is an Alan Moore fan as evident with works like Mister Miracle and The Vision, where he is all about dark deconstruction, some of his best writing when it is he is being sincere and optimistic towards superheroes, especially when it comes to Superman and Batman. King is arguably at his most sincere here as Diana is an absolute joy to read as she isn't being depicted as a headstrong warrior who lusts for battle, though she will stand her ground, even when an army of U.S. soldiers heads towards her. Issues #4 and #5 are the standouts in showing compassionate Diana is, whether it is taking a kid with cancer out on a special day, or her attempt to protect her “Wonder Girls” by defeating them in friendly contests.

While Daniel Sampere's incredibly detailed art delivers on the superhero spectacle with our hero swinging tanks around or facing off several members from her rogues gallery as seen in the final issue, King writes the series like a political thriller, whilst you have an ongoing narration from an unseen figure who tells Trinity his side of the story. Somewhat an off-kilter spin on the superhero action story, King and Sampere create well-crafted issues that are that built on a single set-piece, whether it is the contrast between Diana's current battle with the U.S. army and her gladiatorial fight with a fellow Amazon, or her infiltration within a skyscraper.

By the time this volume concludes, Tom King is still laying out plenty of mystery for Diana, whether it is the whereabouts of the accused Amazon Emelie, or the new villain known as the Sovereign who have been secretly manipulating the U.S. government. Who knows if King is playing the long game or not with this book, but whatever the outcome, and he and Daniel Sampere are doing some of their best work here, which personifies the best aspects of Wonder Woman.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complicated one for sure but a series I really love! So you all may know my thoughts on Tom King. His batman run is by far my most hated and it changed the main canon Batman for the worst imo (some of that was editorial and not him). However, he ALSO wrote Superman Up in the Sky, Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, and so many other excellent books that I've learned to love his work, just not his Batman stuff.

That said, when I heard he was going to be writing Wonder Woman I was very intrigued to say the least. And overall I loved this volume! It's still got his unique writing style that I have a love hate relationship with in how he writes dialogue and characters. That said as usual, DC always pairs him up with some amazing artists that bring Diana and her world to life beautifully. The way they frame the action with Kings writing is masterful as each issue always has Diana doing something badass like smashing a tank, crushing a dudes robotic arm, or taking a young boy with cancer to paradise Island for a special day.

King does use swear words a lot though, especially in issue 4, where even Steve Trevor is dropping F bombs every dialogue bubble. Issue 5 was by far the best where the three Wonder Girls, Yara, Cass and Donna Troy want to help Diana but she says no and she has to beat each of them at some kind of competition. Overall, its not for everyone but I think it's a fresh take on Wonder Woman!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a Wonder Woman book (other than Elseworlds-type stories) since John Byrne was doing the book and it’s fair to say this post-umpteenth-universe-reboot Wonder Woman is a quite different character than the one I remember.

That’s not to say I didn’t like it, though. Tom King is on my ‘I’ll-read-anything-they-write’ list and, while this wasn’t my favourite thing he’s written, he certainly didn’t let me down. The story unfolds slowly but there’s still a ton of action and some really nice ‘family’ moments with the three Wonder Girls (one of whom I’ve never encountered before).

The highlight of the story for me was Donna challenging Diana to a computer game battle. Genuinely hilarious.

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Daniel Sampere art is gorgeous, but it's wasted on TK. Also, free Dami from Lizzie.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom King strikes again! He takes a good basic plot with a solid construction and drowns it all in mind-numbing pompous logorrhea... I swear, this guy likes to read his own prose.

Second point of contention: subtlety. Or rather the lack of it. King pushes open doors while proudly wearing his convictions on his sleeve. Not that I'm against the principle or his convictions, but my God, it's blunt.
King is a man who I think is intelligent and cultured and this lack of finesse disappoints me. Especially as it leads to some poor shortcuts, such as the consequences of the incident at the origin of the conflict or those of a character's suicide, which seem excessive to say the least. And I'm not even talking about Sergeant Steel, who gives the concept of caricature a whole new meaning. And the Sovereignty... I mean, Tom, are you serious?

And finally, as is often the case with King, it's too long. I understand the concept of a decompressed narrative, but it has its limits. Namely, boredom.

So despite a good basic idea (and an excellent introduction with Trinity, Jon and Damian), the execution in bulldozer mode - but in slow motion - doesn't justify more than 2*.

And then there's the artistry: Daniel Sampere blew me away, no less. His Wonder Woman is overwhelmingly majestic, with a quiet strength and a radiant goodness that imposes itself. The rest is simply beautiful, with a masterful storytelling and the beautiful colours of Tomeu Morey. 5* with flying colours.

This gives us an average of 3.5, which I will round down.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom King has an interesting voice, and I have picked up several of his stories such as The Human Target, Heroes in Crisis and The Vision. He can take small moments and lesser-known characters and build a deep story, but in this case, he takes on one of DC's Trinity, Wonder Woman herself.

Straight off the setting seems to be in the indeterminate future, as Jonathon Kent and Damien Wayne, the sons of Superman and Batman await the young Lizzie Prince, supposedly the daughter of Diana (a later reveal throws this into question). Her full name is Elizabeth Marston Prince, a nod to Wonder Woman's creator, and she is full of sass to her friends who she convinces to help her on a quest.

A disposed behind-the-scenes ruler tells the story of his fall from grace to Lizzy, and it is from his pompous and biased perspective that we get about how Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazonians became outlaws in America. When a rogue Amazonian goes on a killing spree, the public turns on all Amazonians and goes to any lengths to expel them from our country. That they so quickly turned on a hero who had been helping keep the world safe for decades, is a direct parallel that King was making about cancel culture. As the story progresses, Diana is pitted against the military operative Sgt. Steele, and she tries to undercover what truly made her fellow Amazonian sister snap. Through all this, we also saw the correlations that the author made about immigration, gender bias, media manipulation and letting hate get the best of you.

The art was superb, as Daniel Sampere illustrated her with grace, beauty and authenticity. The layouts were varied and easy to follow, with some great full-page splash pages. The fight scenes between her and the army, or with other foes were kinetic yet realistic. Plus, the colors by Tomeu Morey and letters by Clayton Cowles are top-notch, making them an excellent team.

While Wonder Woman is certainly iconic, I don't read much DC or titles specifically about her so I had to play some catch-up on understanding who was who in the story. Lizzy was a brand new character, written for this story, but there were other Amazonians and minor villains that I had to look up. While background knowledge was written into the narrative, still this large cast took some time for me to sort through. This story is not a stand-alone or a duology that King favors, so I am definitely interested in where this new series is headed and trust King to tell a story deserving of Wonder Woman! (Actual review 4.5/5)

This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2024/07/2...

[Paxton Holley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. DAMN. That was one of the best Wonder Woman stories I’ve ever read. Diana is a bad ass. She tough, strong, but also compassionate. She does what she can to avoid trouble, but when it comes, she faces it head on and never backs down.

She tells anyone trying to bring her trouble, “No thank you.”

Sarge Steel. Ugh. He’s the f**king worst…meaning he’s a great villain that you are going to H A T E. Lots of great appearances by the other Amazons and Wonder girls. What a great run by Tom King, and Daniel Sampere‘s art is gorgeous.

[Dani ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s like looking in the mirror 🥰🙂‍↕️

[Machiavelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art from Daniel Sampere, but the story itself never really landed for me. The pacing felt slow, and even though there were a few standout moments, it just didn’t pull me in emotionally. Not bad by any means — just didn’t grab me the way I expected from King. 2.75⭐️

[Carol Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Gabriele Bitossi]

Che bello tornare a leggere una Wonder Woman di questo livello.

Tom King sempre una garanzia.
Sampere a vita su WW, per favore.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The depiction of Diana's personality is excellent--her moral principles, her sense of responsibility, her civility, her strength. I especially like her response of "No, thank you." in various situations in which someone tells her to stand down. The art is also stunning. (Except for my usual quibble about Diana's impractical outfit.)
I appreciate what the writer is trying to do. However, I don't like the structure--the way it's framed as a story told to Elizabeth (AKA the Trinity, [supposed] daughter of Diana, a character I've never seen before but thought came off as more bratty than brave) by the Sovereign (the villain, one of a series of evil puppet-masters behind the scenes of American history and politics). He is so loathsome--and that is the point, but I didn't want him narrating Diana's story. The device strains suspension of disbelief, because how could he know everything she did? There are also too many sequences in which a flashback of events is paired with a current event.
The story pushes too many depressing buttons for me in the way it reflects and exaggerates real life sexism and the way gains in terms of diversity and acceptance are being eroded. So I won't be continuing with this series.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

King is treading some new ground with WW so I’m on board for a while. Hesitant about how this might end but we will see.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

І знову Том Кінґ. Хоча я час від часу повертаюся до його коміксів через його незвичні ідеї, але саме цей випадок не той. Просто його серія тайіниться (не плутати із Джеймсом Тайніном) до події «Абсолютна влада» і вирішив глянути, що там взагалі він пише. «Диво-Жінка, Том 1: Поза законом» #1-6 Том Кінґ, Даніель Сампере — це історія, що водночас захоплює і змушує розмірковувати над багато чим, але є одне «але», як буває у Кінґа.

Комікс починається з того, що невідома амазонка наче скоює масове вбивство, після чого влада США ухвалює «Акт безпеки Амазонок», який забороняє цим жінкам в’їзд до країни. Для виконання цього закону створюється спецпідрозділ, який безжально переслідує амазонок. Діана опиняється поза законом і змушена боротися не лише за себе, а й за правду. Паралельно розгортається політичний трилер, де маніпуляції, страх і ненависть стають зброєю в руках влади.

Серед сильних сторін цього коміксу — його атмосфера і сміливі політичні теми. Читати комікс цікаво, він тримає в напрузі, особливо в моменти, коли Диво-Жінка змушена діяти радикально, борючись не лише з фізичними ворогами, а й з бюрократичною машиною. Діана тут — не просто воїн, а символ справедливості та людяності.

Том Кінґ використовує образи та події, щоб висвітлити й критикувати актуальну політику, зокрема, безпідставні звинувачення, жорстоку політику щодо мігрантів та інші контроверсійні аспекти, які пропагуються в США. Він зображує сучасне суспільство, яке часто забуває про моральні основи, зокрема, коли йдеться про невинних людей. Проте, попри темну картину, комікс також показує місце для добра. Диво-Жінка втілює надію, коли виконує останнє бажання хворого на рак хлопчика, демонструючи важливість людської емпатії. Також комікс показує, як навіть у складні часи герої можуть знаходити підтримку у своїх друзях, які, попри все, вирішують допомогти їй у боротьбі за правду та справедливість.

Однак є проблеми, що завжди переслідують Тома Кінґа. Він добре вигадує історію, але часто просто душить нею. Його філософські відступи, складна закадрова оповідь та нагромадження діалогів у комплексі місцями перетворюють читання на випробування. До того ж, деякі сюжетні рішення виглядають штучно — наприклад, солдат, який накладає на себе руки через те, що Диво-Жінка перемогла армію США, принизивши його чоловічу гідність. Цей момент виглядає надто перебільшеним і погано обґрунтованим.

Що дійсно добре — це малюнок Даніеля Сампере. Він зробив історію візуально приголомшливою: динамічні сцени боїв, експресивні емоції персонажів і ефектні ракурси роблять кожну сторінку цікавою по-своєму. Сампере чудово балансує між динамікою і спокійними моментами, тому йому вдалося передати і масштаб історії, і її емоційність.

Загалом, якщо ви любите Диво-Жінку і не боїтеся трохи важкого стилю оповіді, то перша арка тривалки «Диво-Жінка» є непоганим вибором. Це цікава історія з глибокими ідеями та красивим візуалом. Проте будьте готові до типових проблем Тома Кінґа.

[Rylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i haven’t written a review in awhile but this book is definitely warranted of one. For starters, I will say King is one of my favorite writers. his Vision is my favorite comic of all time (which says a lot based on my read list). i even enjoyed his Batman, flaws and all. I was eager to see what he would bring to a character like Wonder Woman. King has a habit of making you care about characters you never really thought you would, he takes characters that are greatly ignored and recontextualizes what the reader thinks about them. and it might be crazy to some hearing me say wonder woman is a character that is greatly ignored because she is one of the most recognizable superheroes in all of pop culture. but despite this dc has had a habit of neglecting her to the point where harley quinn became their most prominent female character at one point. taking this all into consideration, king is exactly what wonder woman needed. and i think he knew that too because going into this run you can tell there was something to prove. he finally gives diana a voice she has desperately needed and fixes a lot of the inconsistencies that have plagued she and her supporting cast for years. king knows who diana is taking the best parts of her character and builds a story that is emotional and impacting. finally it feels like after years of mediocre runs and neglect from dc a writer finally took wonder woman seriously and gave her a story that is just as important as any batman or superman run. i will also touch in the art because it is gorgeous. sampere is up there with george perez and cliff chang in terms of wonder woman artists, every panel is laced with breathtaking details. at the time of this review i haven’t really enjoyed much of what dc has put out in a long time but king wonder woman proved that they can still make excellent comics with their characters. this series is more than worth the read and is the standard for wonder woman stories.

[AJ Easterday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can honestly say this is different than any other Wonder Woman story I've ever read, but in a good way!

I am used to Superman stories that explore what it means to be an immigrant, but I think this is my first time reading a Wonder Woman story that fully acknowledges that she is also an immigrant and really explores that part of her identity. And reading this kind of immigrant story in the US in 2025 really hits different. Some parts of this comic had me thinking Tom King somehow predicted the future, because the way this story published in 2023-2024 reflects what is happening to immigrants in the US right now is scary! But serious Kudos to King for not being afraid to get political and criticize the US government with this story.

At this point the only major issue I have with the story is the framing device. I didn't enjoy the introductory story in this volume that introduces Trinity as the daughter of Wonder Woman. She comes off as an extremely egotistical and annoying character in that story, so at this point, I am not a fan of her character. On top of that, all the narration throughout this volume is meant to be the villain, the Sovereign, telling the story to Trinity. And the narration is just so over-the-top and wordy. Not every panel needs narration. There are several points in this story where the narrative captions seemed totally unnecessary.

Overall, I really enjoyed this take on Wonder Woman and I am very excited to continue the series!

[A Serious Firefighter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the random urge to start rereading Tom’s current run of WW and completely forgot Circe was a villain in this (I picked a good day to also start reading Circe the Madeline Miller novel lol)

The issues can be a little wordy at times but otherwise I’ve really dug the run. The issue where WW spends the day with a little boy fan who has cancer is a series highlight for sure ❤️

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The speechifying did go on and on. There are some great parts (The masterful challenge with Donna Troy), the whole thing is a setup to the epic end battle that doesn't feel all that epic. Well done but standard comic book art, too. After some great reviews, I guess I expected something more.

[Murphy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate it 4.5✨️ if I could. Tom King's prose is just so exaggerated and so copious. Not every single panel needs a caption box! The artwork is so, so, so good that it actually can speak for itself sometimes, Tom! Otherwise, bravo!

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some things that I disagree with in this and some clear leaps in logic, but overall it was a lot better than I thought it would end up being. Tom King really needs to cut down on his monologues though. Which is the same exact problem as his Supergirl and is the main reason I’m docking a star.

Other than that the art is amazing and the story is overall pretty interesting. Still, I’ll have to see where this goes in the end especially once the Absolute Power event is over. I feel like what happens after that is what will be the most interesting.

[Beatriz Robalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu a ler um comic da WW?? Eu a gostar????