Wonder Woman ‘77 Vol. 1 is out today and I had the awesome opportunity to read a copy before it was released. The comic book series is based on the live action TV show that starred Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and originally aired from 1975 to 1979.
While there were a lot of cool things that I liked about the book, here are 5 of my favorite things from Wonder Woman '77.
1. Top notch writing and artwork.
The entire volume was scripted by Marc Andreyko and was illustrated by artists Drew Johnson, Matt Haley, Richard Ortiz, Jason Badower, and Cat Staggs. Romulo Rajardo Jr. and Brett Smith were the colorists, Wes Abbott was the letterer, and Nicola Scott (who's one of the artists on the upcoming DC Rebirth Wonder Woman comic) with Annette Kwok were the collection cover artists.
A good script combined with beautifully artwork make for an excellent book and this volume was no exception. The creative team on this book did an fantastic job, capturing the feel and setting of the 70's show.
2. Great use of Wonder Woman’s powers, abilities, and weapons.
In each story, the creative team did a great job in showing Wondy using her powers, abilities and weapons. Whether it was her lasso of truth, the tiara, her bulletproof bracelets, anytime time Wonder Woman used these items, it was in unique ways. In addition, our heroine's skill set was always on display to advance the story.
One example is in the story "The Cat Came Back" where Diana is battling Cheetah and Cheetah has the upper hand until the tide turns thanks to an ability that Wonder Woman has, one that I didn't even know about until I read the story!
3. The Villains.
Let's face it, its well known that Wonder Woman doesn't have a great rogue gallery, but with a good creative team, these villains can be turned into ones that are challenging for any hero!
Such is the case in this volume.
Three of Wondy's rogues make an appearance in the book. I mentioned one already Cheetah, and the others are Dr. Psycho and Silver Swan. All three make strong appearances in the stories they're featured in, and are tough challengers for Diana who give her a run for her money. The rest of Wonder Woman's foes are not from her rogue gallery, they still cause a lot of trouble. In the end though Wonder Woman always comes through and saves the day.
4. The focus on real life issues.
Some of the stories in the volume focused on real life issues and that made the book relatable. There's a story dealing with the life-changing results of a man-made environmental disaster and another dealing with domestic violence. The latter was one of my favorite stories from the volume and I'll expand a little more on that in my last point.
5. Surprise cameos.
There are surprise cameos featured in the book. A few appear in the story “Who Is Wonder Woman?” and features cameos, from both the TV show and the comics that will jog readers' memories. One notable one is the blonde haired Wonder Woman as portrayed in the original TV pilot by Cathy Lee Crosby.
As I stated earlier, one of the stories in the volume focuses on domestic violence. It's a powerful story and it also features a surprise cameo from a Batman related character. I won't reveal who it is but I appreciated how the character was used and it didn't feel forced in anyway.
Overall, Wonder Woman Vol. 1 is a great addition to your comic library with its excellent writing and illustrations, great use of Wonder Woman's powers & abilities, strong villains, a good focus on real life issues, and memory jogging surprise cameos.
This is one book fans should definitely pick up.