Wonder Woman #31 Review
Written by James Robinson
Pencils by Carlo Pagulayan
Inks by Sean Parsons, Jason Paz and Scott Hana
Colours by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Reviewed by Lorna Maltman (maltmanlorna@gmail.com)
Change can be scary and uncertain sometimes. Growing up, I was a major creature of habit and, when I was roughly ten, my mum moved the place where the family Christmas tree stood; I was so upset I refused to come downstairs on Christmas morning. This issue marks a change in the creative team of Wonder Woman, but, in this issue, Robinson has set up an epic tale that propels Diana into clashes with villains that previously fought the justice league single-handedly.
Apart from looking like Henry Cavill’s identical twin, this new character, Paul, if you had not guessed or realised is the brother of Wonder Woman. This was a mystery a year and a half in the making, back in John’s Darkseid War arc in Justice League. Robinson also brings back Darkseid’s daughter, Grail, and angles her as the antagonist for Diana. In this issue, Wonder Woman has just finished a battle Giganta and recoups with Steve, with Robinson doing well to showcase her experience and wisdom.
The reveal of Paul, Diana’s brother, is expertly done and for those worried that he would undercut Diana in her own book, I would not worry, as it is clear that Paul will be a jumping off point to expand on Wonder Woman as a character as well as answer questions from John’s run on Justice League and to set up what looks to be an interesting story arc.
Pagulayan’s pencils are a rung above the DC house style, bringing grace and power to Diana. They endear you to Paul in the short amount of time he is in the comic, even if at times the characters seem a little stiff. At the start, the inks are a little heavy, but it is meant to be the night.
Verdict:
Worth checking out. If you have not read John’s Darkseid war arc you might be a little confused, but this is a good starting point and a promising start to Robinson’s Wonder Woman.
