Just in time for the blockbuster hit of 2017, Wonder Woman! Gal Gadot brings the Amazonian to life on the big screen while some of the best talents in comics bring her to life on the page. This collection brings together the biggest and greatest battles and moments in Wonder Woman's history as a DC Comics superhero, spanning over seven decades!
George Pérez (June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic books artist and writer, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.
This is my first graphic novel, and I did enjoy the art in it! This book contains the greatest battles of Wonder Woman. It is a compilation of seven comic book scenes, all sharing a different battle of Wonder Woman, and a different kind of art.. But even though I enjoyed the art, as a first one, this didn’t make me happy.
The stories are put in this compilation chronologically by when they were made, starting from a scene that was made in 1987, until the last one, which was made in 2013. I will give a brief comment on all of them - in order:
‘’Power Play’’ from Wonder Woman #6 (1987) Plot & Pencils: George Perez, Script: Len Wein, Inks: Bruce Patterson, Colors: Tatjana Wood, Letters: John Costanza, Cover: George Perez
The first story is a scene where Diana is fighting the god of war - Ares. As a first one, it is not the best descriptive piece of information - so for a person that haven’t heard about Wonder Woman before, this one won’t be of any use. I also didn’t quite enjoy the art in this one.
‘’And for the first time in his immortal existence, the war-god weeps… for, without those alive to worship him, Ares’ power swiftly wanes…’’
‘’In The Forest Of The Night’’ from Wonder Woman #119 (1997) Story & Art: John Byrne; Colors: Patricia Mulvihill; Cover: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
In this scene, Diana is on a mission to save officer Michael P. Schorr of the G.C.P.D. from the cheetah that used to be Barbara Minerva. Diana manages to convince Barbara to win the battle with herself and become human again. Even though I didn’t quite enjoy the art - I did enjoy the story itself. It was a great lesson of fighting for who you are within, and winning battles with yourself and not surrendering to anything that might be in your way. We also get to have a little sneak-peak of how Wonder Woman started existing in the first place.
‘’Yes, Mike, it is not widely known, but I was not born as mortals are, my mother sculpted a baby from the clay of Themyscira and the Gods themselves breathed life into that clay. ‘’
‘’Stoned: Conclusion’’ from Wonder Woman #210 (2005) Script: Greg Rucka; Pencils: Drew Johnson; Inks: Ray Snyder; Colors: Richard & Tanya Horie; Letters: Todd Klein; Cover: J.G. Jones
This one is a gladiator battle between Wonder Woman and Medusa. I really enjoyed this one, the art was amazing and we even get a few scenes with Circe-witch on it. I love how Wonder Woman is presented to be smart and the sacrifice that she made was very brave. Such a powerful story! Amazing!
‘’Sacrifice: Part four’’ from Wonder Woman #219 (2005) Scripts: Greg Rucka; Pencils:Rags Morales, David Lopez, Tom Derenick, Georges Jeanty & Karl Kerschl; Inks: Mark Propst, BIT, Dexter Vines, Bob Petrecca & Nelson; Colors: Richard & Tanya Horie; Letters: Todd Klein; Cover: J.G. Jones
Superman has been brainwashed and wants to kill Diana. Not much happens apart from Wonder Woman and Superman fighting. I didn’t like this one, only because of one quote that says:
‘’You’ll forgive me for saying it, princess, but you look good on your knees…’’
‘’A Murder Of Crows: Part Two - Throwdown’’ from Wonder Woman #41 (2010) Script: Gail Simone; Pencils: Chris Batista & Fernando Dagnino; Inks: Doug Hazlewood & Raul Fernandez; Colors: Brad Anderson; Letters: Travis Lanham; Cover: Aaron Lopresti
Even though the beginning features Achilles and Patroclus, after a page or two we don’t see them anymore, and I am standing like… what’s the point in mentioning them in the first place then? This piece of art contains a battle between Power Girl and Wonder Woman, and how Power Girl can never be like Wonder Woman, unless, of course, she has no other choice.
I liked this one, maybe the most, even though the art was just average...
‘’Justice League: Part Three’’ from Justice League #3 (2011) Script: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Jim Lee; Inks: Scott Williams; Colors: Alex Sinclair, HI-FI & Gabe Ettaeb; Letters: Pat Brosseau; Cover: Jim Lee, Scott Williams & Alex Sinclair
This piece of art was different than anything else in this book. We see a lot of famous heroes fight, like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and of course, Wonder Woman. The art is really colourful, which I enjoyed, but the story was confusing. See, it started from the middle of a comic book, and then ended unfinished. It only covered the part where Wonder Woman appears, but it confused me and I didn’t enjoy the story as much. Again, I didn’t like the way how they express themselves to a woman. They see Wonder Woman and they call dibs on her. Really?
‘’Goddown’’ from Wonder Woman #23 (2013) Script: Brian Azzarello; Art: Cliff Chiang; Colors: Matthew Wilson; Letters: Jared K. Fletcher; Cover: Cliff Chiang
A very confusing chapter, and I didn’t enjoy it at all. It was about Hera and her children, and Wonder Woman protecting them. Even though this is the newest made, it didn’t seem like it, and the art seemed old-style.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy it as much, and it wouldn’t be something I’d choose in the future. I’d rather go with a proper beginning-to-end story rather than a compilation next time.
This is an anthology of Wonder Woman stories from the 80s to "The New 52".I just loved reading the '80s stories and then enjoyed them all very much even though I'd read the last two in recent years. A lot of different Wonder Woman through the ages, personality and costume changes but all of these stories show her as a warrior completely sure of herself. A fun and enjoyable retrospective of Wonder Woman.
**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
This is a collection of some of Wonder Woman's greatest battles. It's not the best book to pick up if you want to know more about Diana's story, but it's perfect if you want to see her fight and what she stands for. And to check out some really cool art from many different artists.
Not only does Wonder Woman know how to kick butt, but she's also compassionate and caring. She wants to keep people safe and believes in redemption. I loved seeing her humanity and how she defends others.
And let's face it, even blindfolded this woman is strong as hell, her fight with Medusa was one of my favorites, and what she does at the end is just brutal. The art in that one is also amazing, her outfit is pure perfection.
I also loved the parts including members of the Justice League. Aquaman looked pretty badass here.
I recommend to check this out even if you don't know much about Wonder Woman, seeing her fight is pretty amazing.
"You're strong." - Superman "I know." - Wonder Woman
It's just too bad that this collection does not serve casual or burgeoning WW fans particularly well. Released in early 2017 (probably not a coincidence that it arrived scant months prior to the big screen blockbuster with Gal Gadot) this is a grab-bag edition. Often the stories are 'part 3' or the 'final fight' without including any preceding storylines. So while the content was good - "A Murder of Crows" and a Justice League piece were sort of memorable - the assembly otherwise was not.
I received this from Edelweiss and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.
Meh. Out of the 70 years Wonder Woman has been around, these are her greatest battles? Nah,although I did like the story in which she fought Max Lord. Brutal.
So I've come back to Wonder Woman after years away. This collection is various battles from various storylines. Think of each section as its own story.
I really liked the story with Medusa because it just shows that Wonder Woman is far better than those silly boys. And she knows fighting isn't all just pummelling. It is also mental.
This is a interesting compilation of battles throughout Wonder Woman's history. Because these are single issues from longer arcs, some of the stories felt a bit hard to get into. There was normally enough info so you could follow the story, but it was hard to get invested in characters you only know from a few lines of exposition. Also, because there were various writers, the quality varied from excellent (ie Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, etc) to...not so excellent (::cough::Gail Simone::cough::). But, if you just want a mix of Wonder Woman's Greatest Hits, I think these seven stories won't let you down.
**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Um livro que oferece precisamente o que promete : a Mulher Maravilha, em combate. Claramente a aproveitar a onda de interesse desperta pelo filme da personagem, alimentando a curiosidade. Alimentando, mas não saciando. Este livro reimprime batalhas da personagem, mas fá-lo de forma descontextualizada. São fragmentos de arcos narrativos, na parte que culmina em combates épicos. Divertido, mas um mau serviço para se ficar a conhecer melhor a personagem. Dois pontos curiosos: não é só Batman o único herói capaz de derrotar o Super-Homem (leitores de The Dark Knight Returns percebem); a cena de Diana encantada com o sabor de um gelado no filme foi decalcada de um episódio das suas aventuras em comics.
Sometimes I really wish when a collection like this is put together, it would include context for the included stories.
So let me try.
It begins with Wonder Woman #6 from 1987. This was a relaunch following Crisis on Infinite Earths one of the first and among the most famous event comics ever created. Following it, DC did its first major reboot. John Byrne's Man of Steel is usually the comic that comes to mind when thinking about this period, but George Perez (who made his name drawing the immensely popular New Teen Titans comics of the '80s) in the pages of Wonder Woman also did some significant work. In this concluding issue of his first arc, we see Diana defeating Ares, the Greek god of war, to help set up her role as a superhero in the modern world. Perez uses real conflicts happening at the time he worked on this (sadly we can see most of them still being a problem today, in one form or another), as Ares instigates them to, well, crisis level. He distinguishes Diana as not just a warrior but a thinker, whose goal is to bring peace to mankind. This is a version of the character that persists to this day.
Wonder Woman #119 (1997) is actually created by Byrne, who continued for years to be a touchstone in comics (like Perez he made his name in the '80s, with the other popular team of that time, the X-Men), and as such was given a run with Diana, too. This particular story riffs on the then-recent event comic Underworld Unleashed, the basics of which Byrne neatly sums up in his story. Like Perez, he also prefers Diana as a thinker, figuring out how to get one of her perennial foes, Cheetah, back under control.
Wonder Woman #210 & 219 (2005) are both written by Greg Rucka, whose run wasn't properly appreciated until years later. He's since completed another one in the current "Rebirth" era. The first issue gives a glimpse of what his first run was like, which became known as the "embassy era," since he made Diana more directly a diplomat than before or since (and because she literally had an embassy). The minotaur glimpsed in the story was a signature supporting character, someone Diana worked beside in the embassy. Once again Diana uses her smarts to win a fight. Blinding herself stuck around for a few issues, by the way.
The second issue is one of the defining moments in modern Wonder Woman stories, and certainly controversial, in exactly the way Man of Steel has proven for Superman, and for the same reasons, as you can see by how it ends. This was used as part of the setup for Infinite Crisis, a sequel to the event comic I mentioned earlier (in case the similar title doesn't make that obvious). Fans argued that it was a terrible thing to do to Diana, making her a murderer, but as you can see, there's a lot going on. First, she's shown as a match for Superman, and unwilling to unleash all her strength, even. It's a big statement about the character, right there. Second, killing Max Lord seems like the opposite of the conclusions the other stories in this collection make about her. But is it really? I'll leave it to you to decide.
Next comes Wonder Woman #41 (2010). This was several years into a relaunch necessitated by Diana's "damaged" reputation, putting the focus back on what "works" for the character. Anyway, Gail Simone took over after brief runs by author Jodi Picoult and screenwriter Allan Heinberg (his major contribution to comics? creation of the Young Avengers, whose original incarnation lives on in the form of Kate Bishop, Hawkeye). I had my problems with Simone's run. Fans love her, generally, but I didn't think she lived up to the potential Picoult and Heinberg suggested for the new era. But this issue reflects well on her, and clearly hardens back to Diana's preference of brains over braun.
Justice League #3 (2011) is part of the "New 52" era, another company-wide reboot, and depicts much of what the current slate of movies is drawing from. You can see where the Wonder Woman movie itself lifted the funny scene of Diana discovering ice cream.
Wonder Woman #23 (2013) is from the same "New 52" era, from Brian Azzarello's run, widely acclaimed as one of the character's all-time best. You get a good sampling as to why, here.
I would say that this is a good survey of Wonder Woman comics history, and shows newer fans how the character has been depicted and used through the years. It just needed a little explaining.
Entertaining, and a decent look at some of the key creative teams chronicling Diana's adventures in recent years. However, these sorts of "best of" comic collections are rarely satisfactory due to their very nature: you only get chapters of much longer stories, and those are usually end chapters at that. No matter how good the payoff, without its setup something important goes missing. An emotional connection to any of the characters is all but impossible. It's fun reading; it just feels a little hollow.
Wonder Woman will always be my favorite hero. This was a fun highlight reel of some of her greatest battles. Fun read for a quiet day, especially while also reading another book about her history. Going back and reading the comics at the same time adds to the enjoyment.
It’s a bit strange to read some of these stories out of the context of their larger continuing arcs but it is a good way to experience some of the tremendous action packed WW art that has been created over the years.
Overall a great compilation that points at the best of what Wonder Woman can be as a hero…unless it's the new 52, then she's kind of indistinct from the grimdark edgy nonsense.
I received a free copy from the publisher thorugh NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a collection of several different stories of Wonder Woman's battles throughout the years. I personally wasn't exactly a huge fan of some of the older ones and enjoyed the newer ones much more, but if you want to get an overview on Wonder Woman as a character before the movie comes out, this is a great collection to pick up. It comes out today, February 14.
While there are some great battles here, almost all of them are finales of multi-issue arcs. New readers especially will be somewhat confused. Most of the stories are collected in other trades, I urge everyone to find them there. That being said, all of the stories are post Crisis. The Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello stories can be found in their own collections and are from the 2 best runs ever in Wonder Woman's history in my opinion. John Bryne's take on WW is hit or miss and widely overlooked nowadays even though he did create the current Wonder Girl, Cassie Sandsmark. We also get the end of George Perez's first WW story. It holds up OK. And a fight with Power Girl from Gail Simone's underrated run on WW. For some reason, there's also a Justice League issue here from the first new 52 story. If these stories are new to you, I suggest instead of reading this, you search out the original trades that contain these issues.
Received an advanced copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Such a fun collection of so many great different fights with Wonder Woman. Seeing her battle so many different foes in just one collection really made me want to read more and more. I will definitely have to try to check out some of the older stories because I got very curious about some of these fights.
Reading about Diana fighting against Superman (and nearly killing each other) or her fighting next to Power Girl against evil children amongst many other different stories showed me quite a few things I didn’t know about Wonder Woman yet. I haven’t read a lot of her stories yet, sadly (I actually only really started with the Rebirth series) so there’s so much still for me to discover and this served as some kind of guide to where I should pick up some of her older stories.
Derleme bir kitap olduğu için seçilmiş sayıların hikayelerini anlamak çok mümkün olmuyor. En azından birçoğu için durum bu. Farklı dönemlere ait savaşlarını okumak çoğunlukla keyifliydi. Kimi zaman pasifist davrandığını kimi zaman süper güçlülerle dövüştüğünü kimi zamanda da fanilere kuvvet uyguladığını görmek farklı bir deneyim sunmuş. Son hikaye dışında çizimler çok başarılıydı. Benim favorim 2000'lerdeki bölümler oldu dönemin sık kullanılan renkleri ve çizim teknikleri dolayısıyla. Keşke New 52 Justice League bölümü olmasaymış bu kitapta. Wonder Woman üzerine odaklanılmış bir sayı bile değildi.
POWER PLAY - Has the potential to be movie made, if it’s not already. Zombie soldiers. Ares being an absolute mofo. I love the contrast of his and Diana’s colours and how some panels would only use a single primary colour to pop the scene out. The resolution didn’t feel rushed.
IN THE FOREST OF NIGHT - There were a lot of things happening. Aside from Wonder Woman 1984 movie, I’m not familiar with Cheetah’s backstory. The art style is less vibrant than some of the other compilation in the comic book. The story itself - Diana using reason and logic and not just punching her way *cough cough* was nice.
STONED - The concept is simple: Wonder Woman vs Medousa. The execution is amazing. Each panel raises the stakes. The POV switches from the battle to millions around the world watching! Some think it’s a fake. Some are rooting for WW. Considering Medousa has the ability to petrify with a single glance, Diana’s strategy showcases her brilliant mind and dedication to the human spirit The ultimate epic decision to sacrifice coupled with the lines: “One mortal life is worth more.” I definitely want to get this issue in the future.
SACRIFICE: PART FOUR - I think if Homelander from The Boys and the kid from Brightburn has taught us one thing is that Evil Superman is a very scary BBEG. Who knew in a world where Lex Luther exists, we’d be terrified of a man call Max Lord. My only gripe with this story is literally 6 panels in and you know what you have to do, Diana. But no before she could persuade the mind controller, Superman is at it and he is a force to be reckoned with. The artwork is sophisticated. I like the creative use of a splash page when she ‘splash down’ and the different use of colours to make text in the bubble stand out in some heavy scenes.
A MURDER OF CROWS: PART TWO - A dangerous mob. Strange boys in hats. Power Girl (which, to my understanding, is Supergirl? Same same but different?). I like the respect these two female characters have for each other.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: PART 3 - Theres a huge spread featuring Diana and Green Lantern goes “dibs”. Girl, same. This story is similar with the Zack Snyder’s Justice League featuring Darkseid. It’s such a beautifully drawn comic. The colours are vibrant and each panel has something to add. There’s a shot of Green Lantern, Superman, Flash and Diana with rain belting down that’s such a good snapshot. Victor’s transformation from man to machine is fascinating with the text screaming out “AAHH0101010000010111” It has the least amount of Diana (considering it’s an ensemble piece) so there were no scenes showing her skills. There’s more dedicated to Green Lantern.
GODDOWN - I feel like I’m missing a lot without context. Diana and War are warrior buddies. The art style isn’t as splashy as the previous ones but I supposed that’s a stylistic choice due to the somber mode. The story has a sad ending.
A collection of stories running through the 80s, 90s, 00s and all the way up to 2013. Here we see Diana fight against her mightiest foes such as Ares, Cheetah, Medousa and the armies of Darkseid, as well as going toe-to-toe with other heroes such as Superman and Power Girl.
This is very much a 'does what it says on the tin' situation as these stories drop us into the action usually mid-story arc just for the fight highlights. This means that we get a really interesting range of battles for the Amazon princess, but it also means that pretty much none of the tales on offer here constitute a complete self-contained story. This means that, as a reading experience, this collection feels severely lacking in the narrative department.
However, some of the fights here are genuinely really good. I've always liked the one from the Countdown to Infinite Crisis arc where Superman is mind-controlled by Max Lord and Wonder Woman is the only hero who has any chance of stopping the Last Son of Krypton. I also enjoyed the one where (again through mind control/manipulation) Power Girl fights Diana. Across the course of their battle we get a genuinely interesting chance to compare and contrast these two powerhouse heroines, whilst also seeing their mutual respect develop. It's odd that those should be my favourite moments of this book, however, because I usually hate 'hero fights hero for contrived reasons' stories.
If you just want to see Wonder Woman in action then there's a lot for you in this book but, personally, I prefer a good narrative and that's not something really on offer here.
Like it says on the cover, this is the greatest battles of that great lady known as Wonder Woman.
Basically this feels like a boxing/pro-wrestling collection of some of the best fights Wonder Woman has ever faced.
Wonder Woman is an Amazon, a woman bred for war, but she is not a savage. She craves a good fight not for the pleasure of blood but for the preservation of life. So she fights with skill and intelligence as well as brute strength and speed. Those that fall under her fists, feet, lasso, shield, spear, sword, etc, are all worthy adversaries that put up a great fight for the pages.
But to be honest while I am glad some of these fights are included, some fights are grossly absent. This collection includes her debut in the Post Crisis of Infinite Earths against Ares, Cheetah some time after Neron's deals, Medusa, Superman prior to Infinite Crisis, Powergirl, Parademons in the New 52 Justice League Origin, and New 52's First Born.
Basically twenty years, I know the Bronze age, Mercury age and New 52 Comic eras have made the battles more dramatic and stronger I can't help but wonder what else is missing from the other 55 years. How about her fights against Circe, Baroness Von Gunther, Flashpoint Aquaman, etc.
Ares, Medusa, Cheeta, Power Girl, Superman, and a host of others (including the vengeful children of Ares!) face off against Diana of Themyscira, better known as Wonder Woman. This book takes seven single issues from the past thirty years and gives readers almost literally Wonder Woman's greatest hits. The stories are epic and entertaining, showcasing not only her amazing strength and agility but also her intelligence and integrity. She is a powerful fighter and often makes tough sacrifices in order to save the mortals of Earth.
The art ranges from good to great and the writing is very well done. Highly recommended!
This is a collection of stories from different eras with different writers, only one of whom was a woman, and different villains, including friend turned villain Cheetah and sometime lover turned villain Ares. While not the greatest stories I've ever read, it's a fun introduction to Wonder Woman for someone whose only previous encounter has been the movie. However, if you're a longtime Wonder Woman fan, I think it's safe to skip this one unless you're looking for a complete collection. You've read the stories in here and in a better, more complete presentation as they were originally presented.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
An entertaining read, and a good sampling of Wonder Woman as she's been written and drawn from the 80s to current age. However, since this was a compilation graphic novel, all of the battles were single issues that were the climax of their stories. If you're wanting a complete story, this is not the graphic novel for you. While the sampling of stories was good, I was a little surprised that most of the stories were from the 2000s. I'm sure Wonder Woman has had some great battles in her comics since the 1940s, and I would have liked to see a wider range of time periods covered in this "greatest battles" collection.
Overall a solid group of stories. I think they probably could have picked some better "Battles" but for a price of 9.99 I can't really complain. Solid value for your buck. They picked an issue from some of the more known Wonder Woman runs, John Byrne, Gail Simone, etc.. I applaud DC for putting out some cheap collections for newer fans to be able to read a couple of older stories without breaking the bank.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher
This graphic novel is one of my favorites that I have read so far. The imagery, details, and wording is amazing. It shows the intensity of each panel, giving you a ride of emotions. In the novel, it takes you through the battles of Diana and how she overcomes and fights gods, monsters, villains, and even her friends. It shows how even if she is struggling to continue fighting, she gives every ounce of her strength until the end. Like when she fights Ares and Medusa, she was trapped, down on the ground, but she still continues to fight, even at the brink of death. Even when it comes to fighting her friends, She shows her control of her strength and power, showcasing the responsibility and concern she has even against her own friends. So, I recommend this novel because it takes you on a ride of excitement and anticipation. It was great going along with Diana through her greatest battles.
A mixed bag. Some good bits, some 'why did you choose that story'? And some artwork that really is so sexualised it's ridiculous. Certainly the stories show several sides to Diana from the 80's onwards, and her strength, skills and compassion are all displayed. I think because it gets so disjointed, some of the later stories are not really showcased at their best as an instalment. They should have been whole stories throughout.