Secrets of the Amazon
I'm loving the new 52 version of Wonder Woman, despite everything. No matter what you think about the changes, it's definitely restored my interest in a character that has never really been all that important in over 70 years of continuity. That being said, many people are gonna be unhappy about this issue, and I can't really blame them.
The main issue I've seen people complain about in this series so far is that Wonder Woman's origins and people have been changed to one that is much darker and unpleasant than before, and this issue really pushes that. Amazons have been revealed as being like succubi, seducing men so that they may get pregnant, then kill the fathers, and if they bear males, they are given to Hephaestus or else killed. Kinda dark. I can get how many people long time fans will be offended by this, since in the past these people were treated as far more sisterly and communal than savage. Not to mention I can't help but ask myself how Wonder Woman only found this out now, which is kind of a plot hole.
However, in the end you have to ask yourself how important this detail is in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, Wonder Woman is a key character in the DCU because of name recognition, instead of her stories. She's a "popular" character in the sense that people know who she is, but she never has been a top seller or ever been the focus of a influential story-line, at least when compared to just about every other A-list hero. In fact, her origins and setting have constantly been changed, never really holding ground except these past few years post crisis. In the end, the reboot was meant to try and make their characters appeal to a broader audience, and this book certainly accomplishes it. You just have to decide if this is the book for you.
When all is said and done Wondy's appeal comes from her love, compassion, and feminine strength, and in this Brian Azzarello delivers. We see her fight against those who have helped her in order to do what she feels is right, we see her care for her sisters and be hurt from this issues revelations, as well as realizing some of her actions from this issue are wrong. I love the characterization of the gods, and the entire world Azzarello is building up is just the right blend of fantasy and reality, especially the use of greek mythology. The art is great, though sometimes I find the designs of certain characters to be odd, to say the least.
What you have to decide when going into this book is how important the pre-flashpoint origins are to you. Wonder Woman is still the same person, but the setting has been tweaked to give a more interesting story. In my opinion, Wonder Woman's origins never really made much of a difference, so Brian Azzarello's decision to make it the main force behind the plot works for me, and while I can't say I particularly enjoy the change to make the Amazons more brutal, I can see why it's done and it drives a very well told story.
