Can We Keep This Version of Diana?
The first issue of Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the furies. And it is good.
The Good
What isn't good about this issue? It kept me at the edge of my seat at the turn of every page. If you're unfamiliar with Wonder Woman, or never really had an interest in her character, this is still a good book for you to pick up. This isn't the Wonder Woman we are all familiar with; this, like many of DC's Flashpoint characters, is a completely different take on Wonder Woman's character- and it is awesome.
The creative team sets her up to be a powerful and independent character from the get-go when they establish that she voluntarily embarks on an adventure to see the world outside of Themyscira. That means no Steve Trevor landing on the island, which really makes more sense for an origin story anyway. This incarnation of Diana is adventurous and hard headed, but later we see her more diplomatic side. She's full of spunk and character- and it's interesting. One issue in and I feel like here, Diana has a distinct identity; something I feel many writers struggle with when writing Wonder Woman.
The Bad
The art is something I wasn't too crazy about. A lot of the panels are aesthetically pleasing. I like the way Wonder Woman looks, I thinks she's pretty. At the same time, I feel like in some panels the artist took a random backdrop and pasted her image over it in photoshop. The art definitely was finished in photoshop, which you can tell based on the number of duplicate layers that were used in the backgrounds of the majority of the panels. This is really evident in more crowded scenes of Diana on the island. In that sense, the art doesn't feel uniform. It doesn't look like someone spent a lot of time actually drawing the issue.
The Verdict
While you probably don't need Wonder Woman and the Furies in order to understand the basis of Flashpoint, I think this is an issue all fans will want to read because the story is really good. It's interesting, and its a new take on the famous DC character- what's not to like?
