Wonder Woman fans already know the story of Diana's first meeting with Steve Trevor, but in Wonder Woman #2, writer Greg Rucka and artists Nicola Scott and Romulo Fajardo, Jr. relive that fateful day as Wonder Woman struggles to remember who she is.
Please note that the following contains spoilers for Wonder Woman #2.
DC's Rebirth event left many superheroes in shock as they realized that someone tampered with their lives and memories over the past decade. Wonder Woman is one of those heroes who suddenly has mixed memories of who she is: is she the child made of clay or the half-goddaughter of Zeus?
These questions led Diana into the deepest jungles of Africa to rediscover her roots, which led to a meeting with Cheetah in Wonder Woman #1.
However, in Wonder Woman #2, the story flashes back to perhaps a more important meeting: the day Diana first met Steve Trevor. The story is a familiar one: Steve's plane crash-lands on Themyscira, and the Amazonian princess discovers that there's more to the world than just her peaceful island.
Here, though, the familiar story feels fresh, updated for modern audiences, and that's thanks in part to the great writing by Rucka. The story begins in alternated flashbacks for both Diana and Trevor, showing what life was like for both characters before they met. It's an interesting way to lead up to something that readers already expect to happen and makes the meeting of Diana and Steve impactful and emotional. It also does a good job of keeping old Wonder Woman fans happy, but also fills in new fans who might not know much of the character's origin story.
The artwork does a good job of keeping Diana and Steve's lives separate until that meeting, too, by using different colors and tones between Steve's world and that of Themyscira. The couple don't actually meet until the final panels, but the graphics set up the mood and anticipation for their first touch. It works so well that it's almost unnoticeable, but it adds to the emotions that readers will feel.
With Wonder Woman now a biweekly title, the story will play out differently than how fans expect: although this week is about Wonder Woman's first year as Earth's protector, the next issue will take her back to her meeting with Cheetah and her journey of self-discovery. So far, this new storytelling technique works well in not only explaining the character to new fans and revisiting her origins, but also in telling a new story that weaves into that history.
Wonder Woman #2 is available now on comic book shelves and online.
Story
★★★★★
Art
★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
