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WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette (graphic novel review)

Review by Clay N Ferno
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Yanick Paquette
Published by DC Comics
Released on April 6, 2016
ISBN-10: 1401229786 / ISBN-13: 978-1401229788
Price: $22.99

DC Comics gave us a sneak peak into Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1 hardcover coming out in April of next year. It may be a few months before you can lasso this hefty treat into your hands, so we thought we would give you a sneak peak.

The Earth-One series, for comic fans, delivers what the title implies. This self-contained universe allows creators to take on DC heroes under an umbrella imprint that is easy for mainstream audiences to pick up at the local chain bookstore. I’ve been enjoying these Earth One with stories from writers Geoff Johns, J. Michael Straczynski, Jeff Lemire and art by heavy hitters Shane Davis, Gary Frank and Terry Dodson.

Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1 showcases one of our favorite Grant Morrison Batman, Inc. artists, the versatile and award winning Yanick Paquette. With Morrison’s plan for icons and superheroes laid out in his book Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero (2011), the Scottish writer’s twirling take on his remaining hero of the DC Trinity, Wonder Woman, is highly anticipated.

Wonder Woman has one of the strangest creation stories in all of comics, the history on psychologist William Moulton Marston, his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston and live in lover Olive Byrne alone is fascinating. This tryst formulated some if not all of the bondage imagery, ropes and chains often associated with the character.

No bat, no alien rocketship, just good old fashioned bondage and submission bore the child that is the Amazonian princess we know today starting with the character’s inception back in 1941.
 

As can be expected, there is more to Grant Morrison’s writings that you can catch on the first read through. Obviously, we get the re-writing and re-imagining of her origin in Earth One, but the major elements are there. The mythology, our pilot hero Steve Trevor, an invisible plane are all there but the best part of this story (besides the jaw-dropping art) is the reset button.

It gets to be cliche as origins are retold and new characters are cast in live action entertainment, but a master like Morrison is exactly the kind of creator to take on someone as larger-than-life as Wonder Woman. His All-Star Superman with Frank Quietly and his epic and longtime relationship with Batman across many books prove that he is thinking of Classic DC with as much reverence as ancient cultures worshiped multiple gods. One could say it is about time he is tackling Wonder Woman as a stand alone property, and presumably he would take work his way down the JLA roster from the big three if he were so inclined.

This is a hip, modern, body positive, woman-friendly comic with as much reverence to DC history as it needs to have without beating anyone over the head with it. I would go so far as to say some of my friends that find Morrison’s work incomprehensible would have no problems with this book. Wonder Woman: Earth One is very much a Volume One introduction book. 


Steve Trevor is Black (oh no), you could spend hours psychoanalyzing the women on women relationships including the key mother daughter one herein and the sexuality of ladies on an island of all women (guess what — lesbians and bondage, my stars) and plenty of bloggers will attack that, good or bad when the book comes out. Good. I’ll be reading all of those posts but won’t go into any more detail myself, I don’t care enough or feel qualified to get into it.

What I will say is this is another amazing volume of Earth One stories. Of the current Earth One books, there was one that I didn’t think was so hot, but overall this is an intriguing imprint. I get excited on books being announced in the series because continuity isn’t the main deal for this world.

Perhaps these heroes will meet up, much like the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, but that is when it can start to go a bit off the rails for me (and my primary problem with Teen Titans: Earth One).

Paquette can certainly tell a story with good cartooning and storytelling, his clean lines, strong beautiful ladies (and ladies dressed as fawns!) and how adept he is at interpreting Morrison’s style of writing is incredible. His in framed-out page layouts mimic that of what we were enjoying in J.H.Williams III Batwoman run and seems to pop up in New 52 pages if a newer artist is feeling spicy. Of course, colors by Nathan Fairbairn and master letterer Todd Klein are the string and horn sections to the already complex and beautiful symphony we are getting on these pages.

I have no idea if these books are selling, even to huge Geoff Johns, JMS or Morrison fans, or if they are selling to a blanket of the population that us Wednesday Warriors aren’t even aware of, being recognizable characters in the mainstream book market. I do hope they are giving these books a chance.

Something this great is key to having on the shelf for teenagers up to adults (Lynda Carter fans?) especially when Diana is on the big screen next year.

I’m fully endorsing Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1, not only as a fan of Morrison, but as someone that tries to get people to read Grant Morrison on a regular basis. This is an easier pill to swallow, and one that you won’t gag on unless you are forced to by your master!

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