Book Review: Wonder Woman, Vol. 2: Year One

WONDER WOMAN, VOL. 2: YEAR ONE | Greg Rucka
DC Comics | 05.08.2017
Rating: 5/5 stars

This second volume of Greg Rucka’s run of Wonder Woman brings us to her home, Themyscira, where Diana has grown bored with the island and yearns to know what is beyond. At the same time Steve Trevor is getting ready to set out with his team in search of a lab believed to belong to the terrorist group known as the Sear Group. Steve’s mission goes awry and his plane crashes on Themyscira, leaving him as a sole survivor. The Amazons save Steve and eventually decide to hold a competition on the island to see who will go back with him, although all know that Diana will win.

Diana and Steve soon set out for America where they quickly discover just what Diana is capable of and the powers she holds. During a terrorist attack by the Sear Group on a local mall, Diana is introduced to the world, saving countless lives and wrangling up the attackers. Interrogation of the group leads to the truth, that Ares, the God of War, is behind this deadly group and Diana must now face her purpose and take him down.

Greg Rucka compiles a great backstory for Wonder Woman in volume two, allowing for a mix of Diana’s time on Themyscira, how she ends up teamed with Steve Trevor, and her discovery of her place in the world as a superhero. Despite this volume being a collection of issues 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 in the series, the story has a seamless flow. While reading the first volume in this collection I felt disjointed and disappointed by the material, the opposite is true of this volume. Volume two is a solid journey in to Wonder Woman, which I would recommend to anyone new to her comic book world.