Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka, Vol. 2

Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka #2

by Greg Rucka

Eisner Award-winning author Greg Rucka's critically acclaimed run writing the Amazon Warrior is finally collected in its entirety, continuing in WONDER WOMAN BY GREG RUCKA VOL. 2!

The deadly Medusa comes calling, and Wonder Woman's world is turned completely upsidedown. After a terrible sacrifice, the Amazing Amazon must prove herself once again to her comrades in the JLA and to the world.

Collects WONDER WOMAN #206-217.

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

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2005

About the author

Greg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.

Reviews

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Greg Rucka's previous run on Wonder Woman was a seminal one for our favorite Amazon Princess, up there with the George Perez and John Byrne runs.

And with good reason: Rucka deftly illustrates the various aspects of Diana that make her a complete person: Amazon, warrior, diplomat, feminist, peace-maker, fruend, and so much more. He created a layered picture of what SHOULD be a complex character.

Glad these issues are finally being collected as they deserve!

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an epic volume!

AHH loved this and it took me some time to read but what an epic one! It starts with Diana going through her struggles and faces a gauntlet of challenges like whatever is going on with the gods of Olympus and more!

The highlights for me were her fight with Medusa the Gorgon and its so well done and its like one of my favorite stories and just shows Diana at her best and what she is ready to sacrifice to protect people. And then the thing with Athena vs Zeus and her fighting Briareos while blinded and just showing her tenacity and commitment to her Patron Goddess and that one was so good and finally when she goes to Tartarus to rescue Hermes its just solid writing, the whole fight sequence and story there and what Diana does is amazing!

Plus that team up with Flash to fight Zoom and Cheetah was awesome and loved that one as well and loving the revelations with Cassie and hints of big things to come down the line, it was quite awesome and just makes the story so much better.

Its one of the best volume throwing Challenges as Diana and shows her at her best like the warrior, challenger, peace advocate and so much more and I like how these different trials made her persist as a hero and then there is the art which is just stellar and makes this book look well..wondeful! One of the best Wonder woman volumes there is!

[Kyle Berk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka is just good stuff. I’ve loved every issue and both trades of it, I’d go so far as to say it’s the best Wonder Woman I’ve ever read.

It strikes a great balance between the Greek Mythology stuff and the lowly Earth narratives. And it’s all good all the time.

The art constantly shifting annoyed me as it always does but I wouldn’t call any of it horrible. Stylized yes but not horrible. I think Rags Morales and Drew Johnson do a fantastic job on the art and Sean Phillips is good but it’s an awkward shift at best because it happens right after a climactic fight.

There’s also an odd shift of characterization for Diana in the middle, but I thinks it’s due to Geoff Johns penning the issue instead of Rucka. And I like Rucka’s characterization of her more so it was noticeable to me I’m not sure if you’ll feel the same way but I will note it was an issue of Flash and not Wonder Woman.

All in all Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman trades are fantastic and I urge you to read them if you can.

5 stars.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if Greg Rucka is the best writer of Wonder Woman (I haven't read Gail Simone), but he is good. This is a great continuation of Rucka's story that sees over-arching plots revolving around Diana converge and diverge neatly. I can't wait to read the next volume. Glad I read The Iliad at the beginning of the year.

[Rylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was even better than the first I loved the stuff with Medusa and the Greek Gods. The way Rucka writes Wonder Woman is really good and you can tell he understands her character really well and what she means to people. I also like the way he blends the mythological elements with contemporary stuff. I can definitely see why this is considered one of the best Wonder Woman runs

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

… She’s all yours…

First half of this epic graphic novel by Rucka has Wonder Woman getting used to being an ambassador in New York City. Meanwhile, the 3 Gorgon sisters are trying to get to Diana. Eventually, this ends with Wonder Woman fighting Medusa as the whole world (bars, restaurants) watches.

Then comes a team-up of Reverse-Flash and Cheetah/The Flash and Wonder Woman....

Hunter.

[Davide Saladino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mani basse, la migliore run di sempre su WW.
Questo secondo volume raggiunge picchi altissimi, con la mitologia greca a far da sfondo alle vicende di Diana.
Lo scontro con Medusa è uno dei racconti più famosi della storia editoriale dell'eroina.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Wonder Woman is the sequel to Wonder Woman By Greg Rucka Vol. 1 and unlike the other Wonder Woman book I just read, makes sense in relation to the previous volume. That's not to say it doesn't have problems, but at least the story & characters were consistent. Not likable, not always logical, but sure...consistent.

But the reason this book lost a star? The illustrations. Let me show you a few.

First, the horse on the cover. I love horses. That thing was a weird chimera of horse, bird, and fish.


Bowfin for comparison:



Lets see if the artists understand the human female body:

I'd put that at a "no." Or Wonder Woman has had her spine broken.

That is absolutely a broken neck, at the least


You're drawing an undead skeleton-head Medusa. Should that stop you from giving her a hot bod & big boobs? Ha. Wait...what is *happening* with those boobs, anyway?


Illogical furry boobs? Check! Torso not connected to legs? Checkity-check!


Is...is she....POOPING OUT HER TAIL?


Boobs don't look like that unless you've had some work done. And dear god, what is happening with her bicep? Was she playing Monkey Bump?

(monkey bump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjOsE...)

That time you corseted so hard your guts moved your boobs up to your clavicle


Or you were in such a hurry you forgot to put a shirt on under your leather blacksmith apron?


What is happening with her upper torso?


What do female evil villains do when they get together? Bitch about makeup, of course


Let's cover all our bases on misogyny: remember, even 9 yr olds get to weigh in on how hot you are. Plus, dirt on girls=ugly!
Hahaha! Girls are yucky!!


Women don't really have nipples


Wonder Woman's trademark snake spine:


No bones about it, this is a terrible drawing (Get it? "No bones"? Because it looks like she doesn't have any?) Hahahaha!


Imagine, if you will, a Superman comic where he saves suicide jumpers. On the cover, they decide to show him being cradled by the woman he's saving, as he falls helplessly in her arms. Oh, what...that's ludicrous? Then why is it ok here? Also, don't forget to make sure you can see both ass cheeks, even if that's not how bodies work. ...and a broken spine. Wonder Woman just managed to regrow those bones & not all of them are in the right place


I saved the worst for last. Those boobs! That ass! That SPINE!! You know, I've seen girls mocked for not being able to draw a bicycle, but no one pays them to put their monstrosities in comics and be praised for their work.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of Greg Rucka's original Wonder Woman run collects one of the most iconic Diana moments, and then the fallout from that in these thirteen issues.

Following right on from the end of the first volume, Medousa (note spelling, she gets snooty if you get it wrong) is back in the world and out for vengeance against Wonder Woman with help from her sisters, Circe, and Veronica Cale. This five part story, Stoned, is probably a little too long, but it has that aforementioned awesome moments, which I'll spoil since it's been out for years now anyway and I can't really talk about the rest of the volume without it - in order to defeat the Gorgon, Diana pours snake venom into her eyes and blinds herself before slicing off her head. You don't get more badass than that.

There's a fallout issue called, appropriately, To The Victor, The Spoils, as Diana deals with the aftermath of her fight, and Athena moves her chess pieces into place back on Mount Olympus. I feel like some context would be nice for these bits, because it looks like this has been bubbling on since before Rucka took over the book, but it's easy to get on board.

Counting Coup is the next two parter, and sees Wonder Woman take on the entire Justice League (while blind) before being called to Olympus to take on one of the Hundred Handed Ones to allow Athena to take the throne, before we get a crossover with the Flash when Cheetah busts Zoom out of Iron Heights. This one's a bit weird, because the relationship between Cheetah and Zoom gets really disturbing really quickly, and it feels like a prelude to something else (Infinite Crisis? Or a later storyline? I'm not sure).

And finally, Diana and Wonder Girl descend into Hell to rescue Hermes, and have to taken on not just Hades, but Zeus and Poseidon as well. Fun times abound.

These stories represent a year of Wonder Woman, and what a year it is. The fact that blindness doesn't derail Wonder Woman or her mission is really well done, and her ultimate resolution for the plot is well-earned after everything that the characters go through in the meantime. You learn a lot about Diana as she goes through this hardship, and Rucka never wastes a moment to show you who she is.

The story is collected really well too; the blindness begins the volume, and then it's resolved by the end of the year, so it feels like a complete story in one trade, but with enough left hanging to make you want to pick up the next one.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Woman only gets better as Greg Rucka gets into personal moments with Diana.

Madusa is back and she is NOT happy. She wants revenge on Wonder Woman and will strike her as personal as she can. Doing a full on attack on her and her people leading to some very heavy causalities. This brings a duel between the two. The second half is filled with huge twist and Diana working her way with the gods to make a new status quo.

Overall this was a ton of fun, lot of brutal moments, excellent fights, and a fantastic ending. I'll admit sometimes the art can be iffy but overall, this was freaking GREAT. A 4.5 out of 5.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★1/2
This volume is a much needed step up in quality from the first, mostly due to the focus on Medusa, who proves to be a frightful and dangerous villain. But the book still feels a bit empty compared to much of Rucka's other work, the supporting characters aren't that interesting, and the Veronica Cale storyline seems to peter off as well.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best Wonder Woman book I have read. The Medusa storyline is great, the political maneuvering of the gods was interesting, and enjoyed the Villains United mini-prequel as well. Rucka was really doing a great job balancing the myth and superhero side of Wonder Woman. Drew Johnson also draws probably my favorite version of Wonder Woman as well. The last page of the fight with Medusa is just perfect. Highly recommend this book for any Wonder Woman fan.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Może i w DC Rebirth Gregowi powrót do postaci Diany z Temiskiry nie za bardzo wyszedł, tak lata przed tą serią, autor miał już przygodę z Wonder Woman. I śmiem twierdzić, że wyszło mu epicko.

Drugi tom wydany przez Egmont w ramach DC Deluxe zachwyca akcją, zwrotami akcji i stylistyką. Na każdej stronie praktycznie czuć, że mamy do czynienia z unikalną serią, a Diana tu rządzi niepodzielnie. Choć przejdzie istny chrzest bojowy...

Jako orędowniczka Ateny jest zobowiązania do stawienia się na każde wyzwanie walki, jakie ktoś śmie rzucić bogini. Szkopuł w tym, że w tym albumie bogowie greccy, ale i nie tylko, knują jak tylko mogą. Na Olimpie czuć, że dojdzie do przetasowania sił. Tymczasem na Dianę zaczyna polować jedną z Gorgon, sama Meduza.

Bohaterka będzie musiała stawić czoła nie tylko śmiertelnemu zagrożeniu, ale też stracie, bowiem ataki zamachowców są również wymierzone w jej bliskich współpracowników. A to nie jeden uszerbek, jaki zazna tu kobieta. Cały album zawiera dodatkowo kilka opowieści. Raz Cheetah sprzymierzy się z Zoomem, na co Wonder Woman będzie musiała poszukać sprzymierzeńca w postacią Flasha.

Dianę czeka też wizyta w Tartarze, gdzie dawni potężni bogowie szykują zamach na nową władczynie Olimpu. Stawka jest ogromna, w dodatku trzeba będzie przechwycić nie tak do końca żywego Hermesa... Drugi tom naprawdę zaskakuje rozmachem i podejściem do mitologii, w takim uwspołcześnionym wydaniu. Podobało mi się to bardzo.

Zwłaszcza, że wygląda to też mimo upływu lat, zwyczajnie bajecznie. Potrafi tu być całkiem brutalnie, ale to w końcu nie jest przyjazny świat, gdzie życie ludzkie jest kaprysem bożków. Zwłaszcza, że kolory są tu nadal bardzo żywe. Dla mnie ideał. Przede mną jeszcze jeden tom i już się nie mogę doczekać kiedy się w niego zagłębie. A po lekturze odczuwam niedosyt, szkoda że seria liczy tylko trzy książki. Ale za to jakie...

[Kaique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great volume! I think Rucka does a great job merging Diana’s Greek Mythology side with the non-Mythology side. If you have a preference for either one, I would say there’s enough to keep you satisfied either way. Although, this was heavier on the Mythology side. I enjoyed both stories the same. In “Eyes of the Gorgon” I really like the set up and the way the confrontation between Wonder Woman and Medousa was built up. I thought the fight between the two was pretty badass and it contains one of my favourite Wonder Woman moments. It’s a shame that the artwork in this story wasn’t nice at all. That fight definitely deserved better art. Luckily, the artwork in “Land of the Dead” was much better. I would say it was also better story-wise. It is a straight-up continuation to “Eyes of the Gorgon” and it wraps up the whole storyline perfectly by the end of it. I didn’t care about the part where Wonder Woman teams up with the Flash. The two of them just didn’t seem interesting together on their own. It felt a bit awkward. Still no word on when the last volume of this run will be recollected, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

[Shawna Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

There isn't much to say here. It continues from Vol. 1 and leaves a bit open for (perhaps) a vol 3 that I can't seem to find but overall it's just...well it's Clash of the Titans with WonderWoman. It's action packed, satisfying and makes Diana seem like a badass (plus you get to see Superman fire a gun...yay?) but it's more or less a rehash of Greek mythology in the vein of Xena. A sort of fan-fic version of things that isn't unique enough to do justice to the fantastic writing in Vol. 1. Certainly worth a read to round out the story but not something that will be remembered in the long run.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so freaking good. Why couldn’t Rucka stay on the book for 10 years?

The “problem” with the first book is that nothing really lived up to Hiketeia. Don’t get me wrong, the other stories were still incredible, 5-star stories in their own right, but Hiketeia is hard to beat. In this collection, I feel like the quality is a bit more consistent. All of the stories follow a more singular overarching plot, and I loved the focus on mythology. Having it be a big part of this entire collection really worked in its favor, I think, whereas the first collection sort of jumped from “real life” to myth a lot.

[Nate]

More mythologically focused than the first collection, with Diana going up against Medusa and journeying to Hades’ underworld. Both of these arcs are plenty exciting and provide solid character work for Diana and others. Which is why the Flash team-up sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s a generic fight against Cheetah and Reverse Flash, more in line with Geoff Johns’ Flash run than Rucka’s Wonder Woman. I read this in one of the Flash collections and thought it was forgettable there, too.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

From battling Medusa on live television to ambassadorial intrigue to a quest into the depths of Tartarus, this arc has everything you want in a Wonder Woman book.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Woman battles Medusa and blinds herself, Athena takes over Olympus, it's pretty awesome.

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed that one a bit more than I did the first Omni. Rucka employs some interesting story threads here and makes Greek mythology a little more intriguing. It’s still not my favourite thing to read but it’s definitely not bad.

[cc · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Carlex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and half stars

[to'c · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real nice job here, Mr. Rucka. Volume 1 was a great re-introduction to a fabulous character. Volume 2 broadens the characters involved and is a satisfactory ending to the story arcs started in Volume 1. Oh, sure, there's more to tell and not everyone will be satisfied. But I thoroughly enjoyed this two volume tale of Wonder Woman, her friends, her allies, and her enemies.

[Aidan]

I found this to be much more fun than the first volume! Rucka finds a few moments to bring out those human elements I felt the first vol was lacking, but mostly goes full throttle into greek myth action and adventure, leaving the media storyline mostly in the background, which I greatly appreciated. Rucka seems to have found the right balance between Wonder Woman’s stories in the mortal and immortal worlds and how they intertwine, and gives us more time with characters like Cassie, Circe, the Gorgons, and the Greek Gods that got me more invested in all the characters. By the time a blinded Wonder Woman was teleported to face down the 100 armed 50 headed Briareos on that splash page I was along for the ride. The art continues to hold the book back for me, but its never outright bad, if a bit cheesecakey and house style.

The one story arc I really did not care for was the crossover with Flash featuring Professor Zoom and Cheetah. Geoff Johns keeps haunting these 2000s DC books and I don’t like it one bit.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not anywhere near as good as the first volume by Rucka. there was cool stuff, medusa, the gods bickering, the jla testing blind WW, but it all was a bit without substance. everything just sort of happened around wonder woman, she wasn't a very active character. the art was pretty decent. ferdinand was one of my favorite characters in the first volume, diana's minotaur chef who seemed to love life and cooking and always worked to cheer people up. here he was given a sadness quest, wanting to change into a human so the girl he liked would like him back. but it came out of nowhere, felt so out of character and was never explained back story wise that I never really felt anything for it. so yeah, decent but not great.

[Plaidchuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definitive run for anyone that wants to read the best story arcs for Wonder Woman. Rucka updated the Olympian gods and gave them agency within the story, along with appearances by villains like Cheetah, Dr. Psycho, and Circe.

My only gripes would be Diana being a bit too much of a pawn of Athena and Veronica Cale fizzling out as a villain within the arc.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol 2 is just as good, if not better than the first. This one focuses more heavily on Greek mythology, pitting Wonder Woman against some of the most famous beings in the lore Medousa, Gorgons, Hades, etc. It also sees her face one of her toughest personal challenges yet becoming blind after fighting Medousa; though no allusion to Lady Liberty was made, that’s gotta be a thing, right?, and I think it was handled admirably. Though I didn’t need more reason to think Diana is a badass, this book supplied plenty, and I like her even more every issue. (Side note: Athena suuuuucks. No spoilers, but she seriously annoyed me. I’m kinda hoping she gets some comeuppance, but I doubt it.) The last arc has her travel to Tartarus and puts her + friends through the wringer, and it’s like reading a classic myth, except with great artwork by Rags Morales.

Speaking of the art, it’s consistently solid, mostly done by Drew Johnson. But man, the Rags Morales issues are great, and I can’t help but wish every issue was done by him. He’s obviously well known but this made me think him a bit of an unsung hero. If every issue was drawn by him, I think that would put this run over the top, and while I still think it’s great, a writer like Rucka paired with an artist like Morales would have been phenomenal and demanded a 5th star.

Also JG Jones kills it on the covers. Almost every single one is done by him, and they’re all gorgeous, and furthers the feeling of experiencing a modern Greek legend happening before you.

Loving the series, hopefully the third volume is a hit as well!

[Jasna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Woman's strength, selflessness, wisdom, love for people and the world, faith, loyalty, and more are incredibly inspiring. Greg Rucka's depiction of her in this series is my favorite. I also really liked Geoff Johns' installments in the last third of the book. Throughout this series, I appreciate the heavy mythology intertwined--it's heavier than in the Rebirth series, and the way it's done here I like more than in the New 52. I am just one of those rare non-fans of the Azzarello run... and liked it much more when the Finches took over. I think I just found Azzarello's story less interesting or compelling, and perhaps more difficult to follow. Rucka and Johns know how to tell good stories without overwhelming me with so many characters at once; they ease me into new characters while gradually having you fall in love with a few--namely, Ferdinand, Pegasus (!), the other Amazons, and most of all, Diana herself. I also always enjoy the little references to established Wonder Woman lore, like Diana Trevor, recurring characters in different roles, and the purple healing ray.

Can't wait to read the last volume of this run.

[Jefferson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu vi uma review em algum lugar sobre essa fase da Mulher Maravilha do Greg Rucka e concordei praticamente 100% com o que foi falado sobre essa fase da Diana.

O Greg Rucka misturou a fase da Mulher Maravilha em que os deuses gregos são presentes com aquela Mulher Maravilha mais heroína, humanitária. Greg Rucka quase fez a Diana que eu queria ver.

Pessoalmente eu queria ver uma história da Diana que houvesse bastante envolvimento dos deuses gregos e dos locais da mitologia grega como submundo, elíseos, tártaro, etc, misturado com uma Diana com uma personalidade mais forte, uma Diana mais violenta e guerreira.

Continuo na torcida para alguém fazer isto um dia, ou talvez já fez e eu ainda não conheço.

[Enrique del Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a reason why Greg Rucka is amongst the best WW writers; this run is so good. In these arcs I feel that Rucka gave more attention to Diana's persona, her bravery and selflessness are on display here and though it doesn't feel like much of a personal arc, it's a pretty good way to show why Diana is such an important character.

However, if there's any weak spot in this run, it's the art. It's not bad, it's just bland, forgettable, it makes the job and nothing much; Nichola Scott or Liam Sharp on Rucka's Rebirth run brought so much personality to the series, mixing it perfectly with the tone of those arcs. Sadly, the artist in these issues are just OK.

Still, this is a pretty great run of comics and I'm eager to read the last issues of this run.