I can't help but love female comic book characters. Huntress, Power Girl, Supergirl, Batgirl, Batwoman, She-Hulk, Hellcat, Black Cat, Vixen, and so on. Ever since I first started buying comics back in 1979 (I was 10 years old at the time - do the math, and you can figure out my age!), I have been drawn to the female-led comics. It should came as no surprise, therefore, that the Wonder Woman title was one of my first comics headlined by a female superhero. I watched her television show on TV (c'mon! who didn't see Lynda Carter and think that she WAS Wonder Woman!?!?!), and I had seen her on the Super Friends cartoon for years. So, the transition to comic book form was not much of a jump.
Flash-forward 40-ish years.
Wonder Woman is STILL being published, which for a female comic book character is a major accomplishment. Sadly, DC does not give her the star billing she deserves - Batman gets a plethora of books every month, and Superman gets a minimum of two; but Wonder Woman? She has a single title that is nearing its 700th issue. But, occasionally, DC offers up a mini-series starring the amazing Amazon, some good, some not-so-good, and some truly exceptional. The most recent take on the star-spangled super-hero puts Diana in a post-apocalyptic setting where she must find her way again.
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth was written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson. It is a four-issue mini-series published under DC's "Black Label" ... uh, label ... which pretty much means that the series is darker than the standard DC comics and is not necessarily in continuity with the DC Universe proper. Basically, it allows the creators free reign with the characters, and Mr. Johnson definitely takes Wonder Woman on an uncertain and frightening journey into a future she could have never expected.
Johnson opens the first issue with a brief glimpse into Diana's past - her mother showing her of the power and hope that she has to bring to the world. But very quickly things change, when a nuclear holocaust forever changes the landscape of the Earth. Flash-forward, and a group of scavengers are out searching for food. They stumble across a hidden cave, where they accidentally crack open a glass-enclosed chamber. Just as a horrific spider-like creature is about to attack them, a dark-haired woman of immense power jumps out of the chamber and saves them (most of them, anyway). She is confused, and although she knows who she is, she is unsure where she is or what has happened to her. But she recognizes the cave. And heading topside, she recognizes the skeleton in the bat costume leaning back on the couch in the crumbling mansion. Gathering an outfit, the bat belt, and some needed supplies, she joins this group of scavengers to see what this new world holds for her...
The one thing I can say about
Dead Earth is: expect the unexpected. As with any post-apocalyptic world, no one seems to trust one another, and those in power are quick to lord it over those beneath them. Deadly monsters abound everywhere, and there does not seem to be any superheroes anywhere to be found. The truth about what happened to the Earth seems to be shrouded in mystery, long forgotten by the people who now populate it. Diana sets about to not only create a better way of life for these survivors, but to find out the truth about what happened to all of her friends and to the world itself. What she finds out, however, will shock the readers pretty much as it does Diana herself!
Johnson holds back no punches with this story, and not even Diana herself is 100% purely good. There is no guarantee for anyone to survive in this story, and when the truth is finally revealed, Diana must make a choice that no one should ever have to make. While I am not one to like all of the dark, gritty worlds that exist in comic books today (wishing for the days when comic stories were more light-hearted, more good vs. bad with little gray areas, and more fun!), I have to admit that the world Johnson has created within these four issues intrigues me. I like the characters, I like this totally different take on Diana, and I would definitely like to see some more stories in this universe at some point in the future. Not sure whether DC will revisit it or not, but we can certainly hope so!
Darren Warren Johnson is a newcomer to me. I've never seen his name on any comics I've read in the past, but he definitely knows how to write a good tale. His art reminds me somewhat of Keith Giffen's work on the Legion of Super Heroes back in the day, but it definitely fits the mood and tone of this story very well. This is a frightening world and his art definitely portrays it as such. This is one mini-series I would definitely recommend to Wonder Woman fans and just comic fans in general if you want a good, self-contained story to read.
RATING: 10 robot Superman out of 10 for showing the world just why Wonder Woman truly is the most powerful superhero in the DC Universe (and why she deserves a second ongoing title!).
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