[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tim Seeley
Art: Felipe Watanabe & Jonas Trinidade
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Travis Lanham
Summary
This second issue of Justice League of America Giant, available exclusively at Walmart, features a new stand alone Wonder Woman tale, “Mother’s Day.” The issue issue is fleshed out with some great reprints from “The New 52,” the stories from Justice League #2, The Flash #2 and Aquaman #2.
Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor find themselves up against some crazy looking monsters as Diana has attempted to return to the waters around Themiscyra in order to visit a pod of whales that would sing and make her mother remember her daughter on her mother’s birthday. Diana is drawn onto the island, despite having been forbidden to return and Steve follows. Along the way they run into a number of wild creatures that Diana knows are the offspring of Echidna. It turns out that Hippolyta has been captured by Echidna and Diana attempts to rescue her.
Despite some badassery by the Amazing Amazon, it is the bond between mothers that causes Echidna to call off her children and allow Hippolyta to go. Despite Diana’s attempt at rescue, her mother is still angry that Diana has returned to Themiscyra. However, she does silently recognize the determination and stubbornness in her daughter that is also in herself.
Positives
This is a very smart story by Tim Seeley. While it may not be of great page length, there’s a real understanding of parenthood exhibited in Hippolyta’s reaction and a real humanity expressed in Echidna’s view of a Hippolyta as a mother just like herself. It’s very easy to relate to the characters as everyone is either a parent, child or both. And, if the reader is not yet a parent, it may give some insight to parenthood.
Diana and Steve have a great chemistry. It is very satisfying that their relationship is portrayed in the same manner as it is depicted in the monthly Wonder Woman. This is one of the highlights of Wonder Woman in the Rebirth era.
The best of the reprints is the Aquaman story. This run is one of the highlights from the original launch of “The New 52” and it loses none of it’s quality here. The Flash story is interesting, even if Barry’s status quo seems a little off. The Justice League reprint is the foundation for the contemporary DC Universe. The arc is very decompressed, but readers should find a lot of synergy with last year’s Justice League feature film, even though the incidentals are markedly different.
Negatives
The only real negative is that the short stand alone story may seem unfamiliar and truncated to the modern comic book reader. At one time, these types of stories were the norm. Now, in the era of multi-issue arcs and decompressed storytelling, a 12 page one-off seems strange.
Verdict
While the new Wonder Woman story is an intelligent examination of motherhood, it may not be worth $5 on it’s own. But, for five bucks, it’s tough to find a better comic book value. This format is an echo of days gone by, yet it is a real treat to see on the stands. The whole initiative is a fantastic move by DC Comics to reach a wider and younger audience. The potential is limitless and will hopefully be expanded upon in the future. Having read all the reprints in their original runs, it is still a fun read. Perhaps, that’s the biggest upside to this book – FUN!
