The Good
There's no denying that Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang had a great run on this series. The truth is, some of the story elements introduced weren't exactly for everyone. While the previous team would be missed, I looked forward to seeing what a new creative team would bring.
There's an interesting shift in the series. Previously, the series felt almost unattached from the rest of the New 52 universe. That was good and bad. We're seeing more of an integration here, especially with the Justice League's appearance. Continuity shouldn't be forced upon a book at the sake of the story but Diana does point out here how her time is split between different things. It makes sense to see the League since she does devote a lot of her time to their missions. There are reminders of Diana's nature as a warrior, god, and leader of the Amazons. Throughout the story, you can feel the burden weighing heavily upon her. She feels almost distant to the others as a strange tragedy has struck an area.
Along with this, Meredith and David Finch give us a balance of Diana the warrior along with the softer side to her. While it may seem a little gratuitous to start off with a shower scene, there is nothing gratuitous about the imagery and showing Diana washing away blood from what we can assume was a fierce battle was a nice touch. As controlled as she is throughout most of the issue, she does allow her anger to surface an unleashes her anger upon an unsuspecting opponent.
And we get a pretty crazy final page that make sure you come back for more.
The Bad
Allowing Wonder Woman to show some emotion is important but, at times, it almost felt as if she's become too soft. After a violent outburst/attack against poor Swamp Thing, it almost feels as if she's feeling sorry for herself when laying out her problems to Aquaman. Almost all of the League has an inordinate amount of responsibilities and events going on in their lives (except Cyborg, right?). Where as before she exuded confidence and had such a strong presence, here it feels a little diminished.
David Finch always pours in a lot of detail into his art. Unfortunately there were some inconsistencies with Diana's face and expressions. At times, she almost appeared to have a child's face. There might be an aim to soften up the warrior/demi-god portrayal of Wonder Woman but it shouldn't be at a cost of the strong presence she usually commands.
The Verdict
There will be some having difficulties adjusting to the creative change. It is important to go into this new direction with an unbiased outlook. Meredith and David Finch do a fine job setting up the hectic nature of Wonder Woman's life. There are moments where the edge Wonder Woman usually had previously and in other books is diminished. Showing a softer side has its merits but it's a fine line to make sure she doesn't appear to weak or lost. Still, there are some interesting aspects being introduced here to make you come back for more next month.