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Wonder Woman: Earth One #2
Wonder Woman: Tierra Uno Vol. 2
La esperada secuela de la novela gráfica original que triunfó en The New York Times llega con Wonder Woman: Tierra Uno vol. 2, realizada por el aclamado equipo creativo que conforman Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette y Nathan Fairbairn.
Diana de Isla Paraíso se pasó años anhelando dejar atrás el único hogar que conocía para buscar aventuras más allá de sus costas. Ahora, tras un profético encuentro con Steve Trevor, piloto del ejército estadounidense, la guerrera amazona ha llegado al Mundo del Hombre, y está lista para lo que este le depare.
Pero ¿está preparado el mundo para Wonder Woman? El gobierno de Estados Unidos, un nido de disensión y conflictos ajenos a Diana, la considera un peligro para la sociedad. ¿Cómo llevará a cabo su misión de paz y amor en un mundo que se estorba a sí mismo? Claro está, siempre que no haya fuerzas insidiosas acechando...
Diana de Isla Paraíso se pasó años anhelando dejar atrás el único hogar que conocía para buscar aventuras más allá de sus costas. Ahora, tras un profético encuentro con Steve Trevor, piloto del ejército estadounidense, la guerrera amazona ha llegado al Mundo del Hombre, y está lista para lo que este le depare.
Pero ¿está preparado el mundo para Wonder Woman? El gobierno de Estados Unidos, un nido de disensión y conflictos ajenos a Diana, la considera un peligro para la sociedad. ¿Cómo llevará a cabo su misión de paz y amor en un mundo que se estorba a sí mismo? Claro está, siempre que no haya fuerzas insidiosas acechando...
136 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2018
33 people are currently reading
857 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,792 books4,573 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
May 25, 2025
What a disappointment. I did not like the first volume of Wonder Woman Earth One, so I can't really blame anyone for me not enjoying this one. I figured it could not be as bad as the first one, and in fairness, it is not, but it is close. The story or lack of story is boring. The whole thing is disjointed and jumps from place to place. I actually 're-read pages not because I enjoyed them but because I did not think that I could have missed so much between pages.
To be honest, I really do not understand what the point of this story was. I have to say it is probably the most boring Wonder Woman books I have read. The main bad guy seems to set out to prove that for all of her strength and power, Wonder Woman is still "just a woman," and the worst part is he manages to break her.
Then, just as the story starts to show some promise, it ends. I hate leaving stories unfinished, but I definitely have to consider if I want to spend any money on the next book. In both volumes, this incarnation of Wonder Woman acts more like a free love hippy guru than a champion of justice. I definitely would not recommend this book.
To be honest, I really do not understand what the point of this story was. I have to say it is probably the most boring Wonder Woman books I have read. The main bad guy seems to set out to prove that for all of her strength and power, Wonder Woman is still "just a woman," and the worst part is he manages to break her.
Then, just as the story starts to show some promise, it ends. I hate leaving stories unfinished, but I definitely have to consider if I want to spend any money on the next book. In both volumes, this incarnation of Wonder Woman acts more like a free love hippy guru than a champion of justice. I definitely would not recommend this book.
September 16, 2018
I feel like Kevin Sorbo yelling out stage directions: DISAPPOINTED!
Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is your run-of-the-mill Wonder Woman/superhero story: a Nazi superwoman threatens Paradise Island – Diana’s mom gotta punch her; Doctor Psycho’s up to no good – Diana’s gotta punch him. Hmm…
The story really is that generic and uninspired. Amid all that blandness Grant Morrison continues setting out his submitting-to-love thing that Wonder Woman’s creator was into way back in the ‘40s. Fine, but we saw all that in the first book. She saves oppressed girls, shows up some men – she’s the boringly unstoppable hero. Maxwell Lord is introduced, foreshadowing the conflict for the third and final book in the trilogy, but that’s by the by.
Yanick Paquette’s art continues to be glorious and he definitely draws the best representation of Doctor Psycho I’ve seen yet (not sure why he looks like Nick Cave though??).
I usually enjoy Grant Morrison’s comics but he didn’t bring anything special to the table with this one. Love will save the world… uh huh… snore… Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 proves that sometimes love isn’t all you need.
Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is your run-of-the-mill Wonder Woman/superhero story: a Nazi superwoman threatens Paradise Island – Diana’s mom gotta punch her; Doctor Psycho’s up to no good – Diana’s gotta punch him. Hmm…
The story really is that generic and uninspired. Amid all that blandness Grant Morrison continues setting out his submitting-to-love thing that Wonder Woman’s creator was into way back in the ‘40s. Fine, but we saw all that in the first book. She saves oppressed girls, shows up some men – she’s the boringly unstoppable hero. Maxwell Lord is introduced, foreshadowing the conflict for the third and final book in the trilogy, but that’s by the by.
Yanick Paquette’s art continues to be glorious and he definitely draws the best representation of Doctor Psycho I’ve seen yet (not sure why he looks like Nick Cave though??).
I usually enjoy Grant Morrison’s comics but he didn’t bring anything special to the table with this one. Love will save the world… uh huh… snore… Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 proves that sometimes love isn’t all you need.
March 28, 2021
Wonder Woman: Earth One is the worst comic book Grant Morrison‘s ever written, no joke — and I am a huge and hopeless fan of theirs. The first volume was awful, and the second one follows suit. This entire series comes out of Morrison’s affection for cheesy Golden Age comics coupled with an old person’s understanding of modern society and issues such as feminism and gender equality. The result is a fascinating train wreck, and it’s so clear that Morrison means well, they just don’t have a deep enough understanding of the issues they try to address, and end up writing a book that’s offensive to pretty much everyone involved.
And I could at least partially forgive all that if the main story was any good, but it just isn’t — some Nick Cave lookalike tries to mind-control Diana, meanwhile a chesty nazi lady is up to some chesty nazi lady shenanigans over at Themyscira. There’s zero character development here just like in volume 1, and zero tension and excitement in the story. Once again Grant Morrison proves to be entirely unable to tell an interesting Wonder Woman story, and that’s fine, considering they have such a deep understanding of pretty much every other DC character. Just let it go, Grant. Diana is just not for you.
Yanick Paquette’s artwork keeps being pervy as hell, and nullifies this book’s every pathetic attempt at being feminist. He never misses a chance to draw women in suggestive poses with half-opened mouths and horny smiles, doesn’t matter if the character is playing a sport, fighting a bad guy or just walking down the street. There are several naked shots of Hippolyta taking a sexy shower, as well as numerous panels devoted entirely to Diana’s butt and breasts.
Overall, the second volume of Morrison’s Wonder Woman: Earth One is just as bad as the first one. I just don’t see the value in Morrison’s take on the character. If anything, it comes off as degrading and ill-advised. Then again, sometimes it feels like the entire Earth One line was created for the most degrading and ill-advised takes on otherwise great characters.
And I could at least partially forgive all that if the main story was any good, but it just isn’t — some Nick Cave lookalike tries to mind-control Diana, meanwhile a chesty nazi lady is up to some chesty nazi lady shenanigans over at Themyscira. There’s zero character development here just like in volume 1, and zero tension and excitement in the story. Once again Grant Morrison proves to be entirely unable to tell an interesting Wonder Woman story, and that’s fine, considering they have such a deep understanding of pretty much every other DC character. Just let it go, Grant. Diana is just not for you.
Yanick Paquette’s artwork keeps being pervy as hell, and nullifies this book’s every pathetic attempt at being feminist. He never misses a chance to draw women in suggestive poses with half-opened mouths and horny smiles, doesn’t matter if the character is playing a sport, fighting a bad guy or just walking down the street. There are several naked shots of Hippolyta taking a sexy shower, as well as numerous panels devoted entirely to Diana’s butt and breasts.
Overall, the second volume of Morrison’s Wonder Woman: Earth One is just as bad as the first one. I just don’t see the value in Morrison’s take on the character. If anything, it comes off as degrading and ill-advised. Then again, sometimes it feels like the entire Earth One line was created for the most degrading and ill-advised takes on otherwise great characters.
April 15, 2019
I'm reduced to cut-and-pasting a line from my earlier review for WW's Earth One, Vol. 1 for the follow-up edition -- "A disappointment . . . there was just too much weirdness and mood whiplash."
About the only good thing I can mention about Earth One, Vol. 2 is the colorful artwork by Maquette and Fairbairn. There are lots of great-looking panels and pages in the book, such as a collage where WW is gracing magazine covers. Too bad the jerky, disjointed story-line just isn't on the same level.
Actually, there was a scene that made me laugh. Late in the story - after Dr. Psycho (of course he's a villain with that name, right?) has improperly influenced Wonder Woman's thoughts - WW is speaking at an outdoor Women Power assembly in Washington, D.C. After being introduced by a Gloria Steinem lookalike - though she's not identified as such - our title character launches into an unexpectedly harsh, anarchic speech. Two reaction shots - Steinem looks shocked, and a police officer performing crowd control glances around nervously while women cheer - are priceless.
About the only good thing I can mention about Earth One, Vol. 2 is the colorful artwork by Maquette and Fairbairn. There are lots of great-looking panels and pages in the book, such as a collage where WW is gracing magazine covers. Too bad the jerky, disjointed story-line just isn't on the same level.
Actually, there was a scene that made me laugh. Late in the story - after Dr. Psycho (of course he's a villain with that name, right?) has improperly influenced Wonder Woman's thoughts - WW is speaking at an outdoor Women Power assembly in Washington, D.C. After being introduced by a Gloria Steinem lookalike - though she's not identified as such - our title character launches into an unexpectedly harsh, anarchic speech. Two reaction shots - Steinem looks shocked, and a police officer performing crowd control glances around nervously while women cheer - are priceless.
December 5, 2018
While I did enjoy this more than I did volume 1, this story doesn't stand on its own. It's all prologue for volume 3 which we won't get for another year. I did like Morrison's take on Dr. Psycho, turning him into a more cerebral character who is actually psychoanalyzing Wonder Woman and manipulating her instead of just a dude with psychic powers. Morrison's obsession with the bondage aspect of William Moulton Marston's real life is still off-putting and strange to me. Yanick Paquette's cheescake art while very good leaves you with something of an ick factor.
October 11, 2018
My thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment/DC Comics for an eARC copy of this to read and review.
I love Wonder Woman, really love that character, so I read this with high hopes.
They were dashed. Badly.
SPOILERS beyond this point.
1) Nazis as bad guys. The entire book world has been SATURATED with the whole Nazis as the bad guys thing. From now on, unless the book is STELLAR, I am deducting one star whenever the Big Bad is the Nazis. Stop already, we get it, Nazis bad, everyone against them good. Move on.
2) The artist can't draw hands to save their life. Wonder Woman has the WORST man/old lady/talon hands and it is really off putting and hard to not see once it is noticed. Ruined all of the rest of the decent art. Everyone else has badly drawn hands too, but hers were the worst.
3) Also, the Big Bad Dude was FUGLY. Not sure how he was supposed to be this amazing woman seducer. His mental powers weren't exactly wowing me. And I'm sorry, but we are shown exactly ONE scene between the Big Bad Dude and Wonder Woman and we are supposed to believe that he was able to mentally get into her head with rather poor conversation in that one time? So much so that when her friends were like, "He's a bad dude, can control the mind of people, specifically women," she IGNORES her trusted friends and is all like, "you're WRONG about him". No, nope nope nope-ity nope. Not MY Wonder Woman. She wouldn't have fallen for that poo in ONE conversation.
4) Back to the beginning re: Nazis attempting to invade the Amazon island paradise. We are told towards the end of this that NO ONE has made it to the island and left again to tell anyone about it (this is before WW leaves), so HOW IN THE HECK is the German Frau Hitler Super-Human saying to herself, "Ah yes, as our intelligence indicated, they speak Ancient Greek, they should be able to understand me when I speak this...." If NO ONE left the island once they found it, how is there ANY intelligence on this place and it's inhabitants??
5) Also, I just LOVE how this story and the art were all done by men, and the view of the Amazon women only paradise and how they dealt with men is NOT what I would think would be a paradise thought of by women.
The Amazons have these pink/purple rays that they shoot at the men that at first cause pain, but then seem to cause EXTREME pleasure. ("AAAHHHs become OH YEEEESSSS"). Then the men are sent to Aphrodite via some sort of transporter where the men are given the pleasure that they crave. Ew. That is SO not what I think a female paradise is all about. And of course all of the Amazonian chicks are into one another. Again, not all females would think that is paradise. Some would and more power to them, but not all. So not a paradise for all women. Sounds like a paradise for women thought up by a dude.
What happens to the Nazi chick? She is forced to put on the "Venus Girdle" to bring her mind back to her female self, which also has some sort of "pleasure" giving dopamine.
6) Oh, and did you notice that I said the men were sent to Aphrodite, but she is wearing a girdle named after Venus.
WHAT THE ABSOLUTE WHUT?!?!? Aphrodite is Greek, VENUS IS ROMAN. WHY ARE YOU MIXING TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS?!? Yes, Aphrodite and Venus are the same concept of love goddess, but different names from different cultures and didn't we establish with the Frau Hitler that the Amazon warrioresses speak GREEK?!?!
7) Oh yeah, and did I mention the Wonder hajib? It was ugly and gaudy and not sure why WW would have worn it. I get she was saving women in a Middle Eastern country, where that is traditional dress, but there is no WAY she was passing as a native in that get-up. So why wear it at all? It seemed kind of rude to me, but I am not from that area of the world, so maybe it is ok? They did get outside thoughts on the design of it, from a woman no less, so they did try to be thoughtful, but I think it missed the mark, at least it did with me. And her hands looked REALLY talon-like in these scenes. So distracting.
8) Also, men versus women trope. Men are fearful and want to maintain power, women are easily fooled by a smooth talking man. Can we PLEASE can the stereotypes? This just perpetuates the man vs. woman antagonism. It's not helping and may very well be hurting any attempt to actually bring about healing and peace where there is already a LOT of discord. Do we REALLY need another book of man vs woman? I'm done with all of that. Can't we just all get along? How hard can that be? Maybe the next volume shows world peace, BUT since the end of this is leading into a war between the Amazons and "men" (America's military, which is something else that irks me. At least it's not the Nazis though, so that's a plus. Sort of.) I somehow doubt we're going to get to peace, unless the Amazons have a HUGE pink/purple ray that they can engulf the world in. I doubt it, too easy a resolution.
So, in short, (too late), this particular graphic novel was rather horrendous to this particular reader. YMMV, but I will not be recommending it to anyone. 1, very sad, star.
I love Wonder Woman, really love that character, so I read this with high hopes.
They were dashed. Badly.
SPOILERS beyond this point.
1) Nazis as bad guys. The entire book world has been SATURATED with the whole Nazis as the bad guys thing. From now on, unless the book is STELLAR, I am deducting one star whenever the Big Bad is the Nazis. Stop already, we get it, Nazis bad, everyone against them good. Move on.
2) The artist can't draw hands to save their life. Wonder Woman has the WORST man/old lady/talon hands and it is really off putting and hard to not see once it is noticed. Ruined all of the rest of the decent art. Everyone else has badly drawn hands too, but hers were the worst.
3) Also, the Big Bad Dude was FUGLY. Not sure how he was supposed to be this amazing woman seducer. His mental powers weren't exactly wowing me. And I'm sorry, but we are shown exactly ONE scene between the Big Bad Dude and Wonder Woman and we are supposed to believe that he was able to mentally get into her head with rather poor conversation in that one time? So much so that when her friends were like, "He's a bad dude, can control the mind of people, specifically women," she IGNORES her trusted friends and is all like, "you're WRONG about him". No, nope nope nope-ity nope. Not MY Wonder Woman. She wouldn't have fallen for that poo in ONE conversation.
4) Back to the beginning re: Nazis attempting to invade the Amazon island paradise. We are told towards the end of this that NO ONE has made it to the island and left again to tell anyone about it (this is before WW leaves), so HOW IN THE HECK is the German Frau Hitler Super-Human saying to herself, "Ah yes, as our intelligence indicated, they speak Ancient Greek, they should be able to understand me when I speak this...." If NO ONE left the island once they found it, how is there ANY intelligence on this place and it's inhabitants??
5) Also, I just LOVE how this story and the art were all done by men, and the view of the Amazon women only paradise and how they dealt with men is NOT what I would think would be a paradise thought of by women.
The Amazons have these pink/purple rays that they shoot at the men that at first cause pain, but then seem to cause EXTREME pleasure. ("AAAHHHs become OH YEEEESSSS"). Then the men are sent to Aphrodite via some sort of transporter where the men are given the pleasure that they crave. Ew. That is SO not what I think a female paradise is all about. And of course all of the Amazonian chicks are into one another. Again, not all females would think that is paradise. Some would and more power to them, but not all. So not a paradise for all women. Sounds like a paradise for women thought up by a dude.
What happens to the Nazi chick? She is forced to put on the "Venus Girdle" to bring her mind back to her female self, which also has some sort of "pleasure" giving dopamine.
6) Oh, and did you notice that I said the men were sent to Aphrodite, but she is wearing a girdle named after Venus.
WHAT THE ABSOLUTE WHUT?!?!? Aphrodite is Greek, VENUS IS ROMAN. WHY ARE YOU MIXING TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS?!? Yes, Aphrodite and Venus are the same concept of love goddess, but different names from different cultures and didn't we establish with the Frau Hitler that the Amazon warrioresses speak GREEK?!?!
7) Oh yeah, and did I mention the Wonder hajib? It was ugly and gaudy and not sure why WW would have worn it. I get she was saving women in a Middle Eastern country, where that is traditional dress, but there is no WAY she was passing as a native in that get-up. So why wear it at all? It seemed kind of rude to me, but I am not from that area of the world, so maybe it is ok? They did get outside thoughts on the design of it, from a woman no less, so they did try to be thoughtful, but I think it missed the mark, at least it did with me. And her hands looked REALLY talon-like in these scenes. So distracting.
8) Also, men versus women trope. Men are fearful and want to maintain power, women are easily fooled by a smooth talking man. Can we PLEASE can the stereotypes? This just perpetuates the man vs. woman antagonism. It's not helping and may very well be hurting any attempt to actually bring about healing and peace where there is already a LOT of discord. Do we REALLY need another book of man vs woman? I'm done with all of that. Can't we just all get along? How hard can that be? Maybe the next volume shows world peace, BUT since the end of this is leading into a war between the Amazons and "men" (America's military, which is something else that irks me. At least it's not the Nazis though, so that's a plus. Sort of.) I somehow doubt we're going to get to peace, unless the Amazons have a HUGE pink/purple ray that they can engulf the world in. I doubt it, too easy a resolution.
So, in short, (too late), this particular graphic novel was rather horrendous to this particular reader. YMMV, but I will not be recommending it to anyone. 1, very sad, star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2025
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
After what was certainly the most disappointing story by Grant Morrison yet, we finally return to the provocative retelling of Wonder Woman’s origin story in this second volume of DC Comics’ Earth One graphic novel line-up. It’s safe to say that the return of the same creative team to work on this second book of the trilogy is a reassuring thought as the sudden shift in artwork style wouldn’t have played a positive role on what is already a controversial story arc for Diana Prince. With the foundation of this story set in a discourse on feminism, patriarchy and everything that shines bright in the news nowadays, there’s definitely a mystery behind Morrison’s direction and where he wishes to bring this series in terms of story-telling. It’s safe to say that Grant Morrison’s take on the character is one that won’t please the mass unanimously, but it does have the potential to trigger some much-needed reflection on issues we blatantly discuss in our everyday lives today.
Following the events in the first volume, this graphic novel shows us Wonder Woman trying to change the world outside Paradise Island with her own vision of society melded through love and peace. While slowly becoming an icon for women, she also encounters several different oppositions in various forms, and notably, the American government and it’s men-filled structure. With threats that flourishes in their old ways in Man’s World, nothing Diana Prince wishes to accomplish is easy and everything comes at a price. Putting behind his nonlinear story-telling ways, Grant Morrison looks to further develop his clash of ideals through multiple perspectives while still keeping this retelling as shocking as possible. Will voicing your ideas be enough to convince the world for change or will Wonder Woman need to reinforce her words with action to get things done?
While this Earth One series hasn’t been too successful in my books, it is quite courageous of Grant Morrison to stay loyal to Wonder Woman’s character roots and deliver such a story for fans of the hero to indulge. The second volume of this series continues to stay loyal to its predecessor, but actually builds up an intrigue that relentlessly tries to keep you hooked, even if it doesn’t always connect with the reader. The story still shoehorns a lot of social issues into play, with transsexualism and terrorism being some examples of ideas being integrated and questioned on a philosophical level. While interesting, they always felt like side dishes forced onto the reader to gulp up quickly without ever having the time to savour them. It was still fun, to some extent, to see how Wonder Woman deals with these issues that she has never seen on Paradise Island and how she strongly believes that they are inevitably the cause of men.
The artwork is still pretty solid and continues to highlight Diana Prince’s confidence and charisma through her posture and smile. What Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn achieve is definitely gorgeous to the naked eye and makes it easy to breeze through their combined craft without second-guessing their designs. It sometimes even brought me to gaze at some of their designs for their mere creativity, such as the Wonder Niqab. While some might call it culture appropriation, the context made it slightly more appropriate and worth wondering how much Wonder Woman needs to do to adapt to international conflicts if she wants to get her beliefs through. The vibrant colours and the large panels—which in fact aren’t traditional square panels—also make it a lot easier to follow what’s going on without being lost in the narrative.
It’s not easy to indulge a Wonder Woman that believes that men should kneel to feminism if they want to see world peace, but when you’ve grown on an isolated island with only women and have not known any form of war, it’s definitely easy to understand why Diana Prince is confident in her ways. But what is to come in the next story arc will surely shed more light on her understanding on Man’s World and its focus on cultural diversity and differences.
After what was certainly the most disappointing story by Grant Morrison yet, we finally return to the provocative retelling of Wonder Woman’s origin story in this second volume of DC Comics’ Earth One graphic novel line-up. It’s safe to say that the return of the same creative team to work on this second book of the trilogy is a reassuring thought as the sudden shift in artwork style wouldn’t have played a positive role on what is already a controversial story arc for Diana Prince. With the foundation of this story set in a discourse on feminism, patriarchy and everything that shines bright in the news nowadays, there’s definitely a mystery behind Morrison’s direction and where he wishes to bring this series in terms of story-telling. It’s safe to say that Grant Morrison’s take on the character is one that won’t please the mass unanimously, but it does have the potential to trigger some much-needed reflection on issues we blatantly discuss in our everyday lives today.
Following the events in the first volume, this graphic novel shows us Wonder Woman trying to change the world outside Paradise Island with her own vision of society melded through love and peace. While slowly becoming an icon for women, she also encounters several different oppositions in various forms, and notably, the American government and it’s men-filled structure. With threats that flourishes in their old ways in Man’s World, nothing Diana Prince wishes to accomplish is easy and everything comes at a price. Putting behind his nonlinear story-telling ways, Grant Morrison looks to further develop his clash of ideals through multiple perspectives while still keeping this retelling as shocking as possible. Will voicing your ideas be enough to convince the world for change or will Wonder Woman need to reinforce her words with action to get things done?
While this Earth One series hasn’t been too successful in my books, it is quite courageous of Grant Morrison to stay loyal to Wonder Woman’s character roots and deliver such a story for fans of the hero to indulge. The second volume of this series continues to stay loyal to its predecessor, but actually builds up an intrigue that relentlessly tries to keep you hooked, even if it doesn’t always connect with the reader. The story still shoehorns a lot of social issues into play, with transsexualism and terrorism being some examples of ideas being integrated and questioned on a philosophical level. While interesting, they always felt like side dishes forced onto the reader to gulp up quickly without ever having the time to savour them. It was still fun, to some extent, to see how Wonder Woman deals with these issues that she has never seen on Paradise Island and how she strongly believes that they are inevitably the cause of men.
The artwork is still pretty solid and continues to highlight Diana Prince’s confidence and charisma through her posture and smile. What Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn achieve is definitely gorgeous to the naked eye and makes it easy to breeze through their combined craft without second-guessing their designs. It sometimes even brought me to gaze at some of their designs for their mere creativity, such as the Wonder Niqab. While some might call it culture appropriation, the context made it slightly more appropriate and worth wondering how much Wonder Woman needs to do to adapt to international conflicts if she wants to get her beliefs through. The vibrant colours and the large panels—which in fact aren’t traditional square panels—also make it a lot easier to follow what’s going on without being lost in the narrative.
It’s not easy to indulge a Wonder Woman that believes that men should kneel to feminism if they want to see world peace, but when you’ve grown on an isolated island with only women and have not known any form of war, it’s definitely easy to understand why Diana Prince is confident in her ways. But what is to come in the next story arc will surely shed more light on her understanding on Man’s World and its focus on cultural diversity and differences.
June 11, 2019
This Morrison's Earth One Elseworld/Golden Age Wonder Woman homage storyline is just not as good as Paquette's colourful and awesome artworks, but It's still a funny read if you take it not too much seriously (that Uber Fraulein pin-up? Oh good grief...).
And a few provocative touches like the Wonder Burka and the hilarious Dr. Psycho with Nick Cave's features were really good ones for me.
December 15, 2018
WHAT IN THE EVERLIVING FUCK DID I JUST READ
Edit: Okay, to expand. What is it that makes Wonder Woman: Earth One so deeply objectionable?
The supposed conceit of this trilogy is that it critically engages with Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston's ideas and reimagines them for the modern era. This... does not even happen in the slightest.
Grant Morrison's approach to deconstructing Golden Age Wonder Woman is to rip Marston's kookiest concepts directly from their 1940s context - dragging them from an era in which they were radical and progressive into one in which they are backward and out-of-step with current feminist discourse - and then to point smugly and declare, "See? It doesn't hold up."
I mean, my gosh, what a searing insight, Grant. You mean to say that it wouldn't be feasible or realistic to replace all world governments with a global matriarchy?!
Morrison's not interested in understanding Marston and his writing in the context of their time and environment. He doesn't look beyond the superficial weirdness of the Golden Age comics to unpack the ways in which the stories were radical and progressive for their time - in telling children that women were men's equals (and even superiors!) in every way, in telling young girls they could do anything they set their minds to, in promoting a message of love and friendship over violence and rehabilitation over retribution. He doesn't bother to reimagine any of those ideas or sentiments through a lens of modern society and feminism.
Because Morrison doesn't really want to deconstruct Marston. He just wants to write a story about kinky bondage warrior ladies who speak in dactylic hexameter and fly vagina planes, because that's what he considers subversive. My god, the smugness is palpable.
Beyond that, all the failings of the first volume persist. The gender politics are ugly. The Amazons are irredeemable monsters. Diana remains a deeply unlikeable, reactionary protagonist who spends most of the book farting around and wondering whether she should give up trying to teach people and just force them all to submit to mind control instead. The story itself is half-baked and poorly paced, the result of Morrison trying to cram far too many ideas and characters into too few pages.
The reimagining of Doctor Psycho, apparently conceived as a criticism for pickup artists and other online misogynist communities, is so poorly executed that the text actually ends up giving a weird legitimacy to these communities' vile, rubbish, pseudoscientific ideas.
Yannick Paquette's art is still beautiful, and he deserves props for his stunning page layouts and fabulous wardrobe of costume designs for Diana. But it remains uncomfortably male-gazey, with a tendency towards portraying women's bodies in bizarrely contorted positions with weird pornfaces.
Oh, and the series is still being edited by noted serial sexual harasser Eddie Berganza. HASHTAG FEMINISM!
Edit: Okay, to expand. What is it that makes Wonder Woman: Earth One so deeply objectionable?
The supposed conceit of this trilogy is that it critically engages with Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston's ideas and reimagines them for the modern era. This... does not even happen in the slightest.
Grant Morrison's approach to deconstructing Golden Age Wonder Woman is to rip Marston's kookiest concepts directly from their 1940s context - dragging them from an era in which they were radical and progressive into one in which they are backward and out-of-step with current feminist discourse - and then to point smugly and declare, "See? It doesn't hold up."
I mean, my gosh, what a searing insight, Grant. You mean to say that it wouldn't be feasible or realistic to replace all world governments with a global matriarchy?!
Morrison's not interested in understanding Marston and his writing in the context of their time and environment. He doesn't look beyond the superficial weirdness of the Golden Age comics to unpack the ways in which the stories were radical and progressive for their time - in telling children that women were men's equals (and even superiors!) in every way, in telling young girls they could do anything they set their minds to, in promoting a message of love and friendship over violence and rehabilitation over retribution. He doesn't bother to reimagine any of those ideas or sentiments through a lens of modern society and feminism.
Because Morrison doesn't really want to deconstruct Marston. He just wants to write a story about kinky bondage warrior ladies who speak in dactylic hexameter and fly vagina planes, because that's what he considers subversive. My god, the smugness is palpable.
Beyond that, all the failings of the first volume persist. The gender politics are ugly. The Amazons are irredeemable monsters. Diana remains a deeply unlikeable, reactionary protagonist who spends most of the book farting around and wondering whether she should give up trying to teach people and just force them all to submit to mind control instead. The story itself is half-baked and poorly paced, the result of Morrison trying to cram far too many ideas and characters into too few pages.
The reimagining of Doctor Psycho, apparently conceived as a criticism for pickup artists and other online misogynist communities, is so poorly executed that the text actually ends up giving a weird legitimacy to these communities' vile, rubbish, pseudoscientific ideas.
Yannick Paquette's art is still beautiful, and he deserves props for his stunning page layouts and fabulous wardrobe of costume designs for Diana. But it remains uncomfortably male-gazey, with a tendency towards portraying women's bodies in bizarrely contorted positions with weird pornfaces.
Oh, and the series is still being edited by noted serial sexual harasser Eddie Berganza. HASHTAG FEMINISM!
July 26, 2022
Morrison has completely dropped the ball with this one. It lacks creativity, direction, and a coherent plot, instead serving up a complete disaster of a comic. Some plot points feel extremely out of place, leaving the reader questioning what they just read. Furthermore, Morrison's take manages to make every character unlikeable, even Diana who usually shines on the page. Unfortunately, this might be the weakest Wonder Woman run that I've had the displeasure to read.
September 28, 2019
Wonderful artwork with a half-baked execution in plotting.
Traditional readers may be turned off by the liberal focus.
I liked the first volume a bit more than this one. It is likely I will read volume 3 to see if the series has improved.
MY GRADE: B minus.
Traditional readers may be turned off by the liberal focus.
I liked the first volume a bit more than this one. It is likely I will read volume 3 to see if the series has improved.
MY GRADE: B minus.
October 16, 2018
This was a very pleasant surprise. The first volume bordered on bad, to total misfire for me (and I usually like Morrison's work). Now the reason this installment in the proposed trilogy worked for me, well it could be something I'm misinterpreting.
Because at some point around the 1/2-3/4 mark I really think Morrison was doing a satire. And, by today's standards he would probably be vilified for it (unless you're me). What do I think he was satirizing? The #MeToo, polyamory, pansexualism and similar movements. Even if satire wasn't his intent, it came across that way to me, someone who's Twitter feed is quite liberal, at times find some of my friends have become knee jerk SJW liberals (I'm purposely using over broad general strokes here). So a little skewing here of that type of person, fine by me (personally I appreciate more those who can avoid knee jerk reactions).
So if the above offends you, you should skip this piece, and frankly some might be critical of how Diana finally deals with Paula Van Gunther and Dr. Psycho (even though this version of Psycho actually is sleazier and more of a threat than the original). I liked Morrison's supporting character portrayals (Trevor, Etta and the Holiday Girls).
The question is can Morrison provide a good conclusion to his story.
Because at some point around the 1/2-3/4 mark I really think Morrison was doing a satire. And, by today's standards he would probably be vilified for it (unless you're me). What do I think he was satirizing? The #MeToo, polyamory, pansexualism and similar movements. Even if satire wasn't his intent, it came across that way to me, someone who's Twitter feed is quite liberal, at times find some of my friends have become knee jerk SJW liberals (I'm purposely using over broad general strokes here). So a little skewing here of that type of person, fine by me (personally I appreciate more those who can avoid knee jerk reactions).
So if the above offends you, you should skip this piece, and frankly some might be critical of how Diana finally deals with Paula Van Gunther and Dr. Psycho (even though this version of Psycho actually is sleazier and more of a threat than the original). I liked Morrison's supporting character portrayals (Trevor, Etta and the Holiday Girls).
The question is can Morrison provide a good conclusion to his story.
December 4, 2018
Not sure what I just read here. The story jumped around so much it was difficult to follow. There was so much left untold that it didn't make sense. It had some good moments and some nice art but not enough to make it enjoyable. Fortunately this was a library book and I didn't waste $25 on this!
February 20, 2023
An amazing modern interpretation of Golden Age Wonder Woman. While reading it I am continually delighted and surprised by the references to the original material. Very much looking forward to volume 3.
October 20, 2018
Suffers greatly from being the middle part of a trilogy. I don't think Grant knows what the hell he's talking about.
July 7, 2024
Wonder Woman fights Nazis and a scummy pickup artist that looks like Nick Cave. What's not to like?
October 13, 2018
Really enjoyed this issue! Liked the story a lot, and the ending was really good. Can't wait to see where the next volumes ends (since it's the last one, I believe). I think the more Morrison I read, I realize I either really love it, or don't care for it much at all. I read this in the DMV today and I felt a little nervous because there is a Nazi character in this book and so there were Nazi symbols in it and I didn't want any stranger walking by me to get the wrong idea lol
I did see one review where someone didn't like how Morrison handled feminism/modern social issues, and I guess maybe if they were expecting some long Tumblresque thought piece then I can understand, but otherwise I thought Morrison did a good job. He didn't really go too deep into it, but he also didn't make a joke out of it either. I thought it was handled well enough. And Dr. Psycho was a total scumbag, but I like how his character play into this.
I did see one review where someone didn't like how Morrison handled feminism/modern social issues, and I guess maybe if they were expecting some long Tumblresque thought piece then I can understand, but otherwise I thought Morrison did a good job. He didn't really go too deep into it, but he also didn't make a joke out of it either. I thought it was handled well enough. And Dr. Psycho was a total scumbag, but I like how his character play into this.
January 16, 2022
There isn't much to say sadly, that the negative comments before me haven't already said.
For me this is a Diana I didn't recognize at all, sure she looked like Wonder Woman, but that's about it. I thought too much effort was put into making her "PC". Yes we understand that she is a representation of what all woman can rise to. In this story she went throughout the whole story saying "Hola", I am Spanish and even I don't go around saying "Hola" at every opportunity.
Another thing I thought wasn't productive was the open lesbianism. Through the comic book history of Wonder Woman in a society of progressive, aggressive, strong willed women, whom believe man to be an inferior being, it was always clear that same sex activity was implied. The revelation here seemed more like sensationalism then a meaningful plot line.
The large ornate boarders around each panel had the effect of making each page look (at least to me) like a decorated Greek vase, not pleasing at all. Although there were a few pictures where the picture/artwork was stunning.
The story revolved around an agent sent to mentally break down Diana. An agent who specialized in the reading and manipulating of a woman's personality (a bit sexist, I thought) and only to end up facing the same fate himself.
There was also a very hardcore message in this issue, I have never felt in a Wonder Woman story before, a kind of "we will save man's world or shove it up their ass" mentality that just didn't appeal to me.
No where near a likable Wonder Woman TPB for me and not one I would recommend.
For me this is a Diana I didn't recognize at all, sure she looked like Wonder Woman, but that's about it. I thought too much effort was put into making her "PC". Yes we understand that she is a representation of what all woman can rise to. In this story she went throughout the whole story saying "Hola", I am Spanish and even I don't go around saying "Hola" at every opportunity.
Another thing I thought wasn't productive was the open lesbianism. Through the comic book history of Wonder Woman in a society of progressive, aggressive, strong willed women, whom believe man to be an inferior being, it was always clear that same sex activity was implied. The revelation here seemed more like sensationalism then a meaningful plot line.
The large ornate boarders around each panel had the effect of making each page look (at least to me) like a decorated Greek vase, not pleasing at all. Although there were a few pictures where the picture/artwork was stunning.
The story revolved around an agent sent to mentally break down Diana. An agent who specialized in the reading and manipulating of a woman's personality (a bit sexist, I thought) and only to end up facing the same fate himself.
There was also a very hardcore message in this issue, I have never felt in a Wonder Woman story before, a kind of "we will save man's world or shove it up their ass" mentality that just didn't appeal to me.
No where near a likable Wonder Woman TPB for me and not one I would recommend.
December 2, 2018
Eagerly awaited, quickly devoured. Not GM's best work, to say the least, but interesting enough.
Gets a little preachy at times.
Does not end on a cliffhanger, exactly, but is building up to an as yet unwritten volume three.
Gets a little preachy at times.
Does not end on a cliffhanger, exactly, but is building up to an as yet unwritten volume three.
October 15, 2018
Though I am not really a fan of the majority of Grant Morrison's work (stellar concepts, poor execution), I am enjoying his take on Wonder Woman in the Earth One graphic novel trilogy. Though totally contemporary in theme and art, there are more than a few nods to the Moulton-Marston/Peter-era -- I loved the appearance of Jumpa, Diana's pet kanga -- that provide evidence of Morrison's dedication to get to the heart of the characters. And Yanick Paquette's art is the perfect accompaniment for Morrison's script. His women are truly beautiful -- his Baroness Paula von Gunther brings to mind the art of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez if it were distilled through the likes of Terry Dodson -- absolutely gorgeous!
Can hardly wait for the announcement of Volume 3. Highly recommended.
Can hardly wait for the announcement of Volume 3. Highly recommended.
Read
March 5, 2019Grant Morrison's reworking of Wonder Woman had been talked about for so long that when the first book finally came out, I was straight there. This second volume, I didn't even know had been released until I saw it in the Comixology sale, and then took another three months to get around to reading. You can blame that on the novelty-obsession of comics sites, along with the rest of the Internet; or on the problems with shifting a comics audience of singles-readers to a graphic novel footing; or on the fact that somehow, I have even less faith in DC now than I did in 2016. Or maybe it's just a response to the wonkiness of the first volume, which was undoubtedly the most faithful attempt yet to adapt William Moulton Marston's original creation for the modern market, but which thus served largely to prove what a strange idea Wonder Woman had always been. Alas, those problems have not been resolved on this second attempt. On top of which, this has the further problems which can inhere in being the second volume of a trilogy; leaving the protagonist on the back foot, and not having much of an ending, is par for the course, but can't help looking unfortunate when she's an avatar of female empowerment, and the book's coming out in dark times. Then too, there's the sequel disease of chucking in too many villains and as such not giving any of them enough room to breathe. Reinventing sleazy mind-controller Dr Psycho as a pick-up artist is a great move, but the new take on Ares is left mainly as hints which don't quite cohere. Nazi superwoman Paula von Gunther is in there too, and also Maxwell Lord, which was always going to tick me off simply by referencing the outright villain of his tedious later years, rather than the far more interesting and ambivalent figure of his original appearances. Sure, on one level the intent is clearly to show the array of forces against which Diana must strive: possessive male lust, unchecked aggression, femininity turned toxic by man's world, and the techno-capitalist status quo. But too many of them get wins too easily against the Amazons, without any clear sense either of why they managed to get the upper hand, or of why some of them are subsequently defeated. Meaning that even as a simple adventure yarn, much less an enactment of a philosophical position, the story feels oddly flimsy and unsatisfactory – and that's exactly the sort of thing Morrison used to be able to do in his sleep.
Not that Paquette's art necessarily helps. Yes, the art nouveau panel borders and avoidance of straight lines establish a unified look and a feel for the Amazon world, but the faces are even more prone than in the first volume to tipping over into mere porniness, and some of the fights look unhappily weightless. In particular, there's one scene of a fractured statue where I don't think it's even going in the right direction for the impact, on top of which it's just hanging in mid-air in exactly the way a brick famously doesn't. I can't help wondering what might have been possible had Morrison and DC been prepared to get in a less straightforwardly superhero artist for the project – and perhaps a woman, to better allay any fears of the sensuality tipping over into male gaze. Politically, Melinda Gebbie was never likely to be an option, but imagine what Tula Lotay or Mirka Andolfo could have brought to this!
I don't want to give the impression that this is an outright disaster. It has scenes which sing, and characters who fizz, even if none of them get quite enough space. It's a big and increasingly cowardly comics company using one of their top characters to tell a story about how fragile and toxic masculinity hurts everyone; it has leads who are openly queer and kinky and polyamorous; it even makes (admittedly slightly clunky) efforts to emphasise the intersectionality of Diana's feminism. But ultimately it can't resolve the paradoxes intrinsic to an ambassador of peace who generally ends up fighting, an enemy of the patriarchy created by a pervy patriarch. And then on top of that, it falls into the sort of traps one generally expects from bad superhero films written by committee, rather than the writer responsible for some of the genre's highest points. Doubtless I will still read the conclusion to the trilogy – but again, only once it hits the library or the sales.
Not that Paquette's art necessarily helps. Yes, the art nouveau panel borders and avoidance of straight lines establish a unified look and a feel for the Amazon world, but the faces are even more prone than in the first volume to tipping over into mere porniness, and some of the fights look unhappily weightless. In particular, there's one scene of a fractured statue where I don't think it's even going in the right direction for the impact, on top of which it's just hanging in mid-air in exactly the way a brick famously doesn't. I can't help wondering what might have been possible had Morrison and DC been prepared to get in a less straightforwardly superhero artist for the project – and perhaps a woman, to better allay any fears of the sensuality tipping over into male gaze. Politically, Melinda Gebbie was never likely to be an option, but imagine what Tula Lotay or Mirka Andolfo could have brought to this!
I don't want to give the impression that this is an outright disaster. It has scenes which sing, and characters who fizz, even if none of them get quite enough space. It's a big and increasingly cowardly comics company using one of their top characters to tell a story about how fragile and toxic masculinity hurts everyone; it has leads who are openly queer and kinky and polyamorous; it even makes (admittedly slightly clunky) efforts to emphasise the intersectionality of Diana's feminism. But ultimately it can't resolve the paradoxes intrinsic to an ambassador of peace who generally ends up fighting, an enemy of the patriarchy created by a pervy patriarch. And then on top of that, it falls into the sort of traps one generally expects from bad superhero films written by committee, rather than the writer responsible for some of the genre's highest points. Doubtless I will still read the conclusion to the trilogy – but again, only once it hits the library or the sales.
December 20, 2018
Golden Age Wonder Woman Reimagined In Modern Times Where She Promotes … Fascism?
I enjoyed the interesting and modern take on Wonder Woman this book presented, in particular on some of Diana’s most iconic villains. Dr Leon Zeiko (Dr Psycho) in particular was a very interesting and clever choice, presented more as a reality-based, troll sharing his hatred of women and his manipulation to an online audience (and as a military weapon, of course) than an actual supervillain.
The Amazon ideology is presented differently in Earth One than the more contemporary interpretations that, for me personally, have replaced it in canon – in line with Morrison’s intention to bring a literal light to William Marston’s original Wonder Woman and the ideas surrounding her. The words ‘loving submission to a benevolent authority’ are bandied around a lot and sent shudders down my spine every time. The scenes in Themyscira just come off so backward, from the forced submission and ‘reprogramming’ of Paula von Gunther to Hippolyta’s implied harem of Amazonian lovers.
I didn’t know the inspiration behind the book before reading it and so my reactions were generally negative (as they should). I feel knowing the thought process behind the story makes the world of difference for a reader’s experience.
Whilst I can holistically respect and even enjoy what Grant Morrison has written from a story-telling and character perspective, I don’t know why exactly it needed to be written? But then, at the end of the day, I didn’t really need this book to teach me that the subjugation of someone’s free will is wrong, or that anyone, no matter how brave or strong can be manipulated and controlled by the right (or indeed, the wrong) person, but maybe other people do.
There were some issues in terms of pacing and though a key part of Zeiko’s arc was to isolate Diana from her loved ones I never felt like we saw enough of them or they were fleshed out enough for me to notice.
Due to this general approach to the book, it could really fall into either Powerful or Problematic Content territory depending on what the reader takes away from it.
One example that immediately springs to mind is a scene where Wonder Woman dons a ‘Wonder Niqab’ inspired costume when visiting a middle eastern country. I’m viewing this in the light of paying respect to another country’s religious customs as opposed to cultural appropriation, however, an argument could be made.
The artwork is amazing, and the design of Diana’s costumes alone is just awe-inspiring. I don’t think anyone has ever looked that good in red, white and blue (sorry, Steve Rogers). From her trouser suits (that I want) to her variety of combat costumes, the attention to detail can’t be missed. This is reflected in character-specific panel borders and individually detailed crowd members in the background.
I think everyone who’s heard of Wonder Woman (so, everyone, give or take) could jump straight into this book but I feel going into it, or reading up after it, knowing the approach the creators took will alter, if not add to, the reading experience.
I have a strange relationship with Wonder Woman, as she is a character I’m very much in love with the idea of but, aside from the recent movie adaption, have yet to read the story that secures that ideal. I had heard great things about Grant Morrison on Wonder Woman specifically, and I think I may go back to read Vol. 1 but despite the book clearly being very clever and generally well-written, I don’t think this is a Wonder Woman I can rock with.
I can only say with certainty that ...
To see my full review, visit my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
I enjoyed the interesting and modern take on Wonder Woman this book presented, in particular on some of Diana’s most iconic villains. Dr Leon Zeiko (Dr Psycho) in particular was a very interesting and clever choice, presented more as a reality-based, troll sharing his hatred of women and his manipulation to an online audience (and as a military weapon, of course) than an actual supervillain.
The Amazon ideology is presented differently in Earth One than the more contemporary interpretations that, for me personally, have replaced it in canon – in line with Morrison’s intention to bring a literal light to William Marston’s original Wonder Woman and the ideas surrounding her. The words ‘loving submission to a benevolent authority’ are bandied around a lot and sent shudders down my spine every time. The scenes in Themyscira just come off so backward, from the forced submission and ‘reprogramming’ of Paula von Gunther to Hippolyta’s implied harem of Amazonian lovers.
I didn’t know the inspiration behind the book before reading it and so my reactions were generally negative (as they should). I feel knowing the thought process behind the story makes the world of difference for a reader’s experience.
Whilst I can holistically respect and even enjoy what Grant Morrison has written from a story-telling and character perspective, I don’t know why exactly it needed to be written? But then, at the end of the day, I didn’t really need this book to teach me that the subjugation of someone’s free will is wrong, or that anyone, no matter how brave or strong can be manipulated and controlled by the right (or indeed, the wrong) person, but maybe other people do.
There were some issues in terms of pacing and though a key part of Zeiko’s arc was to isolate Diana from her loved ones I never felt like we saw enough of them or they were fleshed out enough for me to notice.
Due to this general approach to the book, it could really fall into either Powerful or Problematic Content territory depending on what the reader takes away from it.
One example that immediately springs to mind is a scene where Wonder Woman dons a ‘Wonder Niqab’ inspired costume when visiting a middle eastern country. I’m viewing this in the light of paying respect to another country’s religious customs as opposed to cultural appropriation, however, an argument could be made.
The artwork is amazing, and the design of Diana’s costumes alone is just awe-inspiring. I don’t think anyone has ever looked that good in red, white and blue (sorry, Steve Rogers). From her trouser suits (that I want) to her variety of combat costumes, the attention to detail can’t be missed. This is reflected in character-specific panel borders and individually detailed crowd members in the background.
I think everyone who’s heard of Wonder Woman (so, everyone, give or take) could jump straight into this book but I feel going into it, or reading up after it, knowing the approach the creators took will alter, if not add to, the reading experience.
I have a strange relationship with Wonder Woman, as she is a character I’m very much in love with the idea of but, aside from the recent movie adaption, have yet to read the story that secures that ideal. I had heard great things about Grant Morrison on Wonder Woman specifically, and I think I may go back to read Vol. 1 but despite the book clearly being very clever and generally well-written, I don’t think this is a Wonder Woman I can rock with.
I can only say with certainty that ...
To see my full review, visit my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
December 19, 2018
When it was first announced that Grant Morrison would be writing Wonder woman in DC’s Earth One series of books, I definitely took notice. Some of the most complex, engaging, and truly original takes on DC’s superheroes have been from Morrison. Giving him the opportunity to completely build and structure a new mythology for my favorite DC character sounded exciting. And of course, once initial art from Yanick Paquette started to show up, I was even more excited. But this isn’t about Volume 1, this is about Volume 2, the follow up, and very obviously, middle chapter to a longer epic. That said, if you are already familiar with the basics of Wonder Woman, Volume 1 didn’t feel necessary for hopping into Volume 2. A lot of the familiar structures are there: Themiscyra, Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, Man’s World, and if you have a basic understanding of those, Volume 2 just picks up from that point.
One of the places that Morrison really shines here is placing that Wonder Woman mythology in more modern settings and having her villains reflect more modern versions of misogyny and female oppression. The reimagining of Dr. Pyscho from a a diminutive, mentally unstable, hypnotists to a suave, government backed pick up artist/red pill reddit poster in particular hits true. The sprinkling of his online posts and, “tips” for entrapping and dominating women through panels where he is having conversations or interactions with Wonder Woman are a great touch. His Etta Candy is also absolutely fabulous. We only got a bit of a glimpse of her in Volume 1, and I was all in for her. Though we still don’t get enough for my taste in Volume 2, it is great to have her and her not-taking-anyone’s-BS attitude.
Paquette's art is, once again, an absolute treat here. From the action sequences to the more quite and subtle conversation sequences, the art and backgrounds are lush and immersive. Which is definitely helped by Nathan Fairbairn’s colors. It is also nice to see a Wonder Woman that is drawn and treated like a warrior. Paquette and Fairbairn also do the work in making the world of Earth One feel like our world. The women in this book aren’t all supermodel rail thin or bleached white as can be. The world of this book is populated by people of all different body types and skin tones. If nothing else, this book is a constant pleasure to look at.
My only major issue with this book is that I definitely wanted more. Yes, more as in I want Volume 3, but also more as in depth. It often felt like we had only just scratched the surface of an idea or narrative direction. Admittedly, the format of the Earth One comics may have something to do with it. In reading Morrisons All-Star Superman, his epic run on Batman, or even The Invisibles, it felt like every narrative road we could travel, we went to the inevitable end, and every piece of story or character would eventually play itself out. I found myself feeling rushed through a few plot points that I wanted to be explored more. When you have villains and heroes this good, you really want to get inside their stories more.
Now, maybe all of this will be wrapped up in the next one, or will feel more complete when the whole story is available, but if we are going to put Morrison on the last of the DC Trinity, I kind of expect it to be a very deep dive.
Thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
One of the places that Morrison really shines here is placing that Wonder Woman mythology in more modern settings and having her villains reflect more modern versions of misogyny and female oppression. The reimagining of Dr. Pyscho from a a diminutive, mentally unstable, hypnotists to a suave, government backed pick up artist/red pill reddit poster in particular hits true. The sprinkling of his online posts and, “tips” for entrapping and dominating women through panels where he is having conversations or interactions with Wonder Woman are a great touch. His Etta Candy is also absolutely fabulous. We only got a bit of a glimpse of her in Volume 1, and I was all in for her. Though we still don’t get enough for my taste in Volume 2, it is great to have her and her not-taking-anyone’s-BS attitude.
Paquette's art is, once again, an absolute treat here. From the action sequences to the more quite and subtle conversation sequences, the art and backgrounds are lush and immersive. Which is definitely helped by Nathan Fairbairn’s colors. It is also nice to see a Wonder Woman that is drawn and treated like a warrior. Paquette and Fairbairn also do the work in making the world of Earth One feel like our world. The women in this book aren’t all supermodel rail thin or bleached white as can be. The world of this book is populated by people of all different body types and skin tones. If nothing else, this book is a constant pleasure to look at.
My only major issue with this book is that I definitely wanted more. Yes, more as in I want Volume 3, but also more as in depth. It often felt like we had only just scratched the surface of an idea or narrative direction. Admittedly, the format of the Earth One comics may have something to do with it. In reading Morrisons All-Star Superman, his epic run on Batman, or even The Invisibles, it felt like every narrative road we could travel, we went to the inevitable end, and every piece of story or character would eventually play itself out. I found myself feeling rushed through a few plot points that I wanted to be explored more. When you have villains and heroes this good, you really want to get inside their stories more.
Now, maybe all of this will be wrapped up in the next one, or will feel more complete when the whole story is available, but if we are going to put Morrison on the last of the DC Trinity, I kind of expect it to be a very deep dive.
Thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
December 9, 2021
Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is a graphic novel penned by Grant Morrison and penciled by Yanick Paquette. It is a continuation to the modernization and re-imagining of Wonder Woman origin series in a new universe.
Diana has become an icon in Man's World, but a secret Council inside the Pentagon, with information taken from the Nazis on Paradise Island, plot to conquer the island and harness their advanced technology. They bring in Dr. Leon Zeiko (Dr. Psycho) to do the job.
Meanwhile, Diana holds an assembly, praising her Amazonian home and their ways compared to "Man's World", but her audience only offer criticism, leaving Diana questioning her mission as ambassador of Paradise Island.
Zeiko meets Diana a couple of times and manage not only to deceive her, but mind control her as well. In his control, he makes Diana speak at a Women’s March and forces her to speak about the horrors of men onto women, and declares that the Amazons will come to "man's world" now to bring men to their knees, declaring war.
The council hears the news, just as Maxwell Lord comes in and takes over to prepare her invasion, and reveals the trigger to control the one person to kill Wonder Woman: Paula von Gunther, who just killed Hippolyta. With the A.R.E.S. battle suits, Maxwell Lord prepares for battle, as Diana, back in Paradise Island, believes Ares the God of War is behind the conflicts of "man's world", and assumes her place as the new Queen of the Amazons.
Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is written and somewhat satisfactorily. Morrison's narrative had promise, but suffered from the graphic novel form as there was not enough space to explore all he wanted to write. Furthermore, it definitively clear that this is a transitional installment as this is just a prequel to the finale. Lastly, there were too many villains to explore fully, but their re-imagined was done rather well – especially Doctor Psycho as Dr. Leon Zeiko, a pickup artist and master manipulator who has weaponized his gifts in service of the US government.
Paquette's penciling is done rather well. His penciling is a winning combination of gorgeous characters and larger-than-life fantasy imagery. Diana and her fellow Amazons have a statuesque quality, while the architecture is full of retro-futuristic weirdness. However, his approach to background figures is a tad odd. The crowd shots are crammed with hyper-detailed faces that appear to be the result of painstaking photo-reference, which makes them have a static, unnatural quality that proves distracting, but that the only quibble found.
All in all, Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is a mediocre continuation graphic novel of a modernization of the Wonder Woman mythos.
Diana has become an icon in Man's World, but a secret Council inside the Pentagon, with information taken from the Nazis on Paradise Island, plot to conquer the island and harness their advanced technology. They bring in Dr. Leon Zeiko (Dr. Psycho) to do the job.
Meanwhile, Diana holds an assembly, praising her Amazonian home and their ways compared to "Man's World", but her audience only offer criticism, leaving Diana questioning her mission as ambassador of Paradise Island.
Zeiko meets Diana a couple of times and manage not only to deceive her, but mind control her as well. In his control, he makes Diana speak at a Women’s March and forces her to speak about the horrors of men onto women, and declares that the Amazons will come to "man's world" now to bring men to their knees, declaring war.
The council hears the news, just as Maxwell Lord comes in and takes over to prepare her invasion, and reveals the trigger to control the one person to kill Wonder Woman: Paula von Gunther, who just killed Hippolyta. With the A.R.E.S. battle suits, Maxwell Lord prepares for battle, as Diana, back in Paradise Island, believes Ares the God of War is behind the conflicts of "man's world", and assumes her place as the new Queen of the Amazons.
Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is written and somewhat satisfactorily. Morrison's narrative had promise, but suffered from the graphic novel form as there was not enough space to explore all he wanted to write. Furthermore, it definitively clear that this is a transitional installment as this is just a prequel to the finale. Lastly, there were too many villains to explore fully, but their re-imagined was done rather well – especially Doctor Psycho as Dr. Leon Zeiko, a pickup artist and master manipulator who has weaponized his gifts in service of the US government.
Paquette's penciling is done rather well. His penciling is a winning combination of gorgeous characters and larger-than-life fantasy imagery. Diana and her fellow Amazons have a statuesque quality, while the architecture is full of retro-futuristic weirdness. However, his approach to background figures is a tad odd. The crowd shots are crammed with hyper-detailed faces that appear to be the result of painstaking photo-reference, which makes them have a static, unnatural quality that proves distracting, but that the only quibble found.
All in all, Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 2 is a mediocre continuation graphic novel of a modernization of the Wonder Woman mythos.
September 20, 2022
Bizdeki adıyla Wonder Woman Yeni Dünya Cilt 2 serinin ilk cildinin hatalarını sürdürmeye devam ediyor.
Öncelikle iyi şeylerden bahsetmek istiyorum çünkü sayısı epey az. Çizim ve renklendirme bence bu kitapta da bir öncekinde olduğu gibi çok güzel. Canlılık ve detay seviyesi gerçekten etkileyici. Karakterlerin yüzlerine takılanlar olmuş. Biraz pornografik bulanlar mevcut. Bakar bakmaz aklıma gelen ilk şey bu olmadı açıkçası. Belki de biraz okuyucuların bakış açısıyla alakalıdır.
Kötü şeylere değinecek olursak bu taraf sanırım hikayenin görsel olmayan tüm kısımlarından ibaret denebilir. Hikayenin birçok kusuru var. Öncelikle hikayemiz çok kopuk ilerliyor. Bazı kısımlar fazla hızlı geçiliyor. Diana ile Doctor Psycho'nun ilişkisi çok çabuk aşama kaydediyor. Psycho'nun güçleri de hiç anlaşılır değil. Oldu bittiye gelen bir akış var bu kısımda.
Kitaba dair asıl değinmek istediğim bir konu var ki okurken aklıma hakaret ediliyor gibi hissettirdi. Kadınların ve erkeklerin birbirlerine karşı söylemleri çok çirkin. Adamlar diyor ki; bunlar sadece kadın, hepsi aynı, ezeriz geçeriz ne ki bunlar. Kadınlar diyor ki; erkeklerin iğrenç dünyası, zavallı erkeklerin şunları bunları, onları köleleştirip hüküm sürelim. Okurken yeter dedirtiyor. Bu mu yani Amazonları kullanma biçimi? Erkekler kadınlara karşı? İlk ciltten beri amazonların işlenişi sıkıntılı zaten de artık iyice sıkıyor burada. Amazonların cinsel yaşamını sadece sansasyon olsun diye göstermekten de geri kalamıyor yine sevgili yazarımız. Bunu bize aktarmasının ardında hiçbir şey yok. Ne hikayeye bir şey katıyor, ne bize bir şey öğretiyor. Anladık hepsi birbirine aşık, hepsi açık ilişki içerisinde. Gizlileri saklıları yok. Bence gerçekçilik adına ensest ilişki de içerebilirmiş ama tabi bu kitapları yazarken yaratıcılık belirli bir noktaya kadar serbest.
Son olarak da hala kötü nazi bir karakterimiz var. Yaklaşık beş yıl önce çıkmış bir kitapta hala bunların kullanılması gülünç bana kalırsa. Bu kötü kadın karakterimiz de erkekler tarafından kandırılmış meğer ama nihayetinde Amazonlar ona doğru yolu gösteriyor. Bu kitaptan hiç ummayacağınız bir cesaret örneği değil mi?
Öncelikle iyi şeylerden bahsetmek istiyorum çünkü sayısı epey az. Çizim ve renklendirme bence bu kitapta da bir öncekinde olduğu gibi çok güzel. Canlılık ve detay seviyesi gerçekten etkileyici. Karakterlerin yüzlerine takılanlar olmuş. Biraz pornografik bulanlar mevcut. Bakar bakmaz aklıma gelen ilk şey bu olmadı açıkçası. Belki de biraz okuyucuların bakış açısıyla alakalıdır.
Kötü şeylere değinecek olursak bu taraf sanırım hikayenin görsel olmayan tüm kısımlarından ibaret denebilir. Hikayenin birçok kusuru var. Öncelikle hikayemiz çok kopuk ilerliyor. Bazı kısımlar fazla hızlı geçiliyor. Diana ile Doctor Psycho'nun ilişkisi çok çabuk aşama kaydediyor. Psycho'nun güçleri de hiç anlaşılır değil. Oldu bittiye gelen bir akış var bu kısımda.
Kitaba dair asıl değinmek istediğim bir konu var ki okurken aklıma hakaret ediliyor gibi hissettirdi. Kadınların ve erkeklerin birbirlerine karşı söylemleri çok çirkin. Adamlar diyor ki; bunlar sadece kadın, hepsi aynı, ezeriz geçeriz ne ki bunlar. Kadınlar diyor ki; erkeklerin iğrenç dünyası, zavallı erkeklerin şunları bunları, onları köleleştirip hüküm sürelim. Okurken yeter dedirtiyor. Bu mu yani Amazonları kullanma biçimi? Erkekler kadınlara karşı? İlk ciltten beri amazonların işlenişi sıkıntılı zaten de artık iyice sıkıyor burada. Amazonların cinsel yaşamını sadece sansasyon olsun diye göstermekten de geri kalamıyor yine sevgili yazarımız. Bunu bize aktarmasının ardında hiçbir şey yok. Ne hikayeye bir şey katıyor, ne bize bir şey öğretiyor. Anladık hepsi birbirine aşık, hepsi açık ilişki içerisinde. Gizlileri saklıları yok. Bence gerçekçilik adına ensest ilişki de içerebilirmiş ama tabi bu kitapları yazarken yaratıcılık belirli bir noktaya kadar serbest.
Son olarak da hala kötü nazi bir karakterimiz var. Yaklaşık beş yıl önce çıkmış bir kitapta hala bunların kullanılması gülünç bana kalırsa. Bu kötü kadın karakterimiz de erkekler tarafından kandırılmış meğer ama nihayetinde Amazonlar ona doğru yolu gösteriyor. Bu kitaptan hiç ummayacağınız bir cesaret örneği değil mi?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2020
Existem quadrinhos em que muitas vezes o destaque é o enredo das histórias, mas desta vez, o mérito maior é da arte de Yannick Paquette se superando tanto no arrojo das ilustrações como na narrativa e nos layouts que ele impõe para este Mulher-Maravilha: Terra Um Vol. 2. Já o roteirista, Grant Morrison, por sua vez, parece que está bastante apagado, principalmente se formos comparar a atuação dos dois no primeiro volume de Mulher-Maravilha Terra Um. Uma coisa que preciso atestar neste segundo volume é que o ritmo vai mais lento, formando um ataque de três fronts sobre Diana Princesa de Themyscira. São Paula Gunther, uma espiã nazista que atacou a Ilha Paraíso durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, o Doutor Psycho, repaginado para esta realidade de histórias e, claro, as conspirações do governo dos Estados Unidos! A história demora pra pegar o ritmo e é construída de modo diferente pelo autor, o que pode deixar os leitores um pouco confusos. De qualquer forma, o universo Terra Um da Mulher-Maravilha ainda é, para mim, a melhor tentativa de reapresentar os heróis da DC Comics até então, superando Superman e Batman.
June 24, 2022
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that Grant Morrison wrote his Wonder Woman Earth One books as an over-arching story instead of three separate entries, but it honestly works so well. Another solid entry to this series, one I think stands a step above the first one.
Yanick Paquette’s art is just so great. It reminds me of Adam Hughes in a way, and I love the way he artfully draws the panels, too, and not just the characters occupying them.
I can understand why some people dislike this. The politics are handled pretty roughly, something that may have been better had a woman written or co-written this instead. On the surface, though, this is a Golden Age story being told and that is definitely not going to be for everyone.
Morrison is setting up a huge showdown between Maxwell Lord and Wonder Woman for the final chapter and I couldn’t be more excited.
Yanick Paquette’s art is just so great. It reminds me of Adam Hughes in a way, and I love the way he artfully draws the panels, too, and not just the characters occupying them.
I can understand why some people dislike this. The politics are handled pretty roughly, something that may have been better had a woman written or co-written this instead. On the surface, though, this is a Golden Age story being told and that is definitely not going to be for everyone.
Morrison is setting up a huge showdown between Maxwell Lord and Wonder Woman for the final chapter and I couldn’t be more excited.
November 30, 2018
This is my favorite of the Earth One books, and I had no idea it was so divisive. Morrison and Paquette craft a truly unique Wonder Woman tale here, blending the modern political landscape with WW's roots in BDSM and feminism. It's a wild animal, and something so daring can only happen in the funny books. We do have a bit of that, middle of a trilogy slump, but the action and art is so immersive and gorgeous, I was never struggling to move forward. It's sort of incredible and sad how using a Nazi as our primary antagonist rings true with both WW's origins and the modern political twist of Earth One. These guys know what they're doing, and are creating exactly what they're set out to make.
Also, fuck Nazis.
Also, fuck Nazis.
October 10, 2018
"Wonder Woman Earth 2" continues with Diana beginning her mission in "Man's World" in earnest. As I had hoped, volume 2 shows us a Wonder Woman with more of her characteristic compassion and idealism than we saw in the previous volume, while remaining a version of the character that is clearly the product of an alien culture with values that conflict with our own. After all, isn't William Moulton Marston's original vision of a gynocentric culture with superior technology and a harsh warrior ethic the very definition of the feared "Feminazi" caricature of feminism that haunts the internet? When that specter is granted real political and military power, is becomes a real threat for dark forces in the US government who begin to engineer Diana's downfall.
Morrison writes Diana as an almost tragic character, blind to the polarizing nature of the philosophy she pushes, unacquainted with concerns of privilege or personal autonomy outside of "loving submission" to a benign authority, and too excited by the possibilities of her newfound celebrity to sense any danger inherent in living a public life. While other writers have tried to take Wonder Woman's politics and blend them neatly with whatever ideas of gender are palatable or popular at the time, Morrison's Wonder Woman wants us and our world to change in uncomfortable and unwelcome ways.
Morrison draws from Wonder Woman's Golden Age stories, reinventing characters, abandoned aspects of the mythology, and classic villains such as Nazi Baroness Paula von Gunter and Doctor Psycho. The prologue depicting a German invasion of Paradise Island reads like a lost issue by Marston himself.
Yanick Paquette's art is beautiful as always, with strong, confident line work developing ornamental elements enhancing many double page spreads while never compromising his expressive character work and storytelling. A worthy continuation of his work on volume 1, this is a book you will want to revisit again and again.
Many contemporary superhero comics have attempted a realistic depiction of how a superhero would contend with our antagonistic mass media and identity politics. Morrison goes a step further, giving us a version of Diana and her mission that will polarize even her most dedicated readers.
Morrison writes Diana as an almost tragic character, blind to the polarizing nature of the philosophy she pushes, unacquainted with concerns of privilege or personal autonomy outside of "loving submission" to a benign authority, and too excited by the possibilities of her newfound celebrity to sense any danger inherent in living a public life. While other writers have tried to take Wonder Woman's politics and blend them neatly with whatever ideas of gender are palatable or popular at the time, Morrison's Wonder Woman wants us and our world to change in uncomfortable and unwelcome ways.
Morrison draws from Wonder Woman's Golden Age stories, reinventing characters, abandoned aspects of the mythology, and classic villains such as Nazi Baroness Paula von Gunter and Doctor Psycho. The prologue depicting a German invasion of Paradise Island reads like a lost issue by Marston himself.
Yanick Paquette's art is beautiful as always, with strong, confident line work developing ornamental elements enhancing many double page spreads while never compromising his expressive character work and storytelling. A worthy continuation of his work on volume 1, this is a book you will want to revisit again and again.
Many contemporary superhero comics have attempted a realistic depiction of how a superhero would contend with our antagonistic mass media and identity politics. Morrison goes a step further, giving us a version of Diana and her mission that will polarize even her most dedicated readers.
November 1, 2018
I didn't like the story in Wonder Woman Earth One Vol 1 very much. I may have to revisit that now as I found Vol 2 to be pretty good! A lot of fun, with two villains for Diana. The artwork by Yanick Paquette is gorgeously detailed, as was the first volume. The story ends on a surprising note and there is already a Vol 3 in the works.
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