Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1

Nice art, very similar to Adam Hughes. Story is bland and nothing new. Same old Paradise Island origin story with a bunch of PC elements thrown in to seem hip and edgy. Morrison doesn't add anything worthwhile here. So basically art is nice, story and concept is boring and trite. This seems more like a throwaway run by a fill in creative crew for the monthly series, not a graphic trade edition.

Grant Morrison is a luminary in the comic book industry. He has earned every bit of adulation he has acquired over the years. He is incredibly imaginative and fearless. Frankly, though, I’ve always found him to be better at big ideas than actual execution. In past books I’ve read, the concept is always amazing, yet the dialogue and pacing tend to fizzle out near the midway point and lose focus for the remainder of the story.

Wonder Woman: Earth One struck me as odd, consequently, because it suffered from the exact opposite issue.

Before we begin, though, it may be helpful to note that Earth One is a dimension within the DC Multiverse that essentially takes place in the wold as we know it. Thus far, only Superman, Batman, and the Teen Titans have appeared on Earth One. It is generally a place where the plots are a little more gritty and the heroes a little more flawed.

So I assumed Morrison would go bonkers with all of Greek mythology at his disposal. I figured he’d take an entirely new angle and regale us with a Wonder Woman never before seen. He would blow our minds with Greek power cosmic and postmodernist the storeian idealism.

In fact, none of that happened. He shook up the status quo a bit by making Steve Trevor black. This ultimately had no real bearing on the character. He also unequivocally identified the the stores as lesbians, which, if you think about it long enough, would seem to make total sense. He assigned a new father to Wonder Woman as a driving force of the plot, but, frankly, it wasn’t quite as notable as what Brian Azzarello already did with Wonder Woman’s regular DC title. In other words, it’s fairly bland by Morrison’s standards. Structurally, it stands up well. The beginning, middle, and end all work well together with no instances of rambling or wandering.

With all that being said, it’s not a bad story. It’s just not as original, thought-provoking, or creative as I expected from Grant Morrison.

The bright spot of the book is certainly Yanick Paquette’s beautiful drawings. His art is streamlined and graceful. He delivers an the store society that is both classical and technologically innovative. His the storeian women are powerful and elegant. Like Cliff Chang, Paquette’s Wonder Woman is a regal warrior brimming with intelligence, confidence, and compassion. It’s all right there, on her face.

But the star, the single person who makes Wonder Woman: Earth One a true work of art, is Nathan Fairbairn. I’ve often said that a bad colorist can ruin a well drawn book, and a good colorist can make a poorly rendered book look amazing. Fairbairn takes a wonderfully drawn book and amplifies it by tenfold. His colors are bold without being distracting. They make the drawings pop off the page. They are an absolute pleasure to perceive. I won’t pretend to understand the technical aspects of coloring, but I know great colors when I see them. Fairbairn executed his craft masterfully in this book.

If you’re a Wonder Woman fan, I think you’ll find things to appreciate in this book — certainly the art and colors are worth the price tag alone. It’s not the most bombastic of Morrison’s work, but it is one of his most direct and concisely delivered.

Grant Morrison has written some of my all-time favorite Superhero comics. Unfortunately, for all his trying, Wonder Woman: Earth One comes far short of even his most mediocre work.

Let's start with the positive: the art and the pacing. The pencils are beautiful, the inking spectacular, and the colors just pop. It's the best work Paquette has done since Swamp Thing. I especially love when he drew the large vistas and architecture of Themysciera. As for pacing, I for one enjoyed not having a huge conflict. The simple plot and pace allowed Morrison to focus on character and motivation.

That is where the good ends because, unfortunately, the characters are ultimately a bore. There is no real character development and even the conflict presents little drama. The the storeians are so one note that it becomes almost a joke. Hardly a page goes by where someone doesn't mention how evil men are. Unfortunately, the idea is never really expounded on or justified. Men are just evil. Period. The closest we come to a reason is that men are lustful.

And that brings us to my biggest critique. If the main reason men are evil is because they objectify women, then this book has a serious problem. The whole book seems to try and present a feminist excoriation of men but instead becomes a prime example of the misogyny it decries. The degree with which the the storeians are over-sexualized is absurd. The whole of Themyscira is presented as a juvenile male fantasy of orgies, action games, and lesbian bondage. I half expected to find the characters mud wrestling with every turn of the page. The art, while beautifully drawn, is distracted with all the body parts that teenage boys want to see. The facial work, while precise and realistic, only seems to express one emotion: lingerie photoshoot sexy (yeah, I know that isn't really an "emotion" but open the book and tell me I'm wrong) Aside from one panel where Diana is about to cry, I can't think of another where she wasn't adopting her "sexy" face.

All this adds up to a book that tries real hard but doesn't really give us anything to hold on to. If you're here for the art, you have to wade through the objectification of its characters. If you're here for the characters you're not going to be disappointed. If you want a thoughtful discussion of modern feminism and misogyny​, run away. This book destroys its own arguments as fast as it can present them.

So skip this one. If you want a good Wonder Woman read go catch Brian Azzarello's New 52 run. It is infinitely better in almost every way.

Grant Morrison (Batman and Robin) ushers Diana into the Earth One universe in this graphic novel from 2016.
When the the store Princess of Themyscira discovers a man who has crashed on the shores of her home, it awakens a desire to visit the world of men. Her hope is to be a harbinger of peace between her homeland and the outside world. But what Diana witnesses chills her to the very core. Angered by her daughter's rebellious nature, Queen Hippolyta orders some of her best warriors to bring Diana back to Themyscira to be judged. Can what the American media has dubbed the 'Wonder Woman' win her freedom with the testimony of her new friends Steve Trevor and Etta Candy or will her sins be found punishable by death?
This is the third Earth One introductory volume I have read. Superman's story along with Batman were interesting retools of the characters to appeal to a new generation of readers. The whole Earth One project has been like Marvel's Ultimate line, only on a much smaller scale. However, Wonder Woman's story doesn't seem that different from what's already been established for the last 75 years.
Yes- Diana's World War II ties have been erased. Yes, Etta Candy is a hip sorority sister whose libido would give Captain Jack Harkness a run for his money. And yes, the technology of Themyscira is more streamlined than based on ancient Greek and Roman myths. But the elements that Grant Morrison tries to use to make this version of Wonder Woman more shocking and daring, such as lesbianism, women's lib, and sexual dominance, aren't new to the Wonder Woman mythos.
What I am trying to say is that I feel like I've read this story before: everytime Wonder Woman is rebooted like in 1968-69, 1986-87, and 2014.
Now there was one element to this Earth One volume that was completely new and edgy AND it worked really well too: the art. Swamp Thing's Yanick Paquette does an amazing job with provocative new designs of Diana, Themyscira, and even Etta. Another element I loved were the unique panels he would render of chains, flowers, and gilded statues to evoke the atmosphere of each scene. It ranks up there with Mark Buckingham's mise en place for every page of Fables. I loved it.
A good story that I don't think goes far enough to create a new mythos of a pop culture legend. If I am going to read a story that is suppose to re-invent a timeless character for a 21st century audience, it needs to actually change the character. It doesn't happen with Wonder Woman: Earth One. I'm not sure if the master of DC reboots, Grant Morrison either tried too hard or didn't try enough. I know one thing Morrison's attempt to modernize Diana of Themyscira did do: it validated the old adage: "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

From the masterful minds of Grant Morrison (FINAL CRISIS, THE MULTIVERSITY) and Yanick Paquette (SWAMP THING, BATMAN, INC.) comes the most provocative origin of Wonder Woman you’ve ever seen—a wholly unique retelling that still honors her origins.

For millennia, the the stores of Paradise Island have created a thriving society away from the blight of man. One resident, however, is not satisfied with this secluded life—Diana, Princess of the the stores, knows there is more in this world and wants to explore, only to be frustrated by her protective mother, Hippolyta. Diana finds her escape when Air Force pilot Steve Trevor, the first man she has ever seen, crashes onto their shores. With his life hanging in the balance, Diana ventures into the long forbidden world of men. The the stores chase after her and bring her back to Paradise Island in chains to face trial for breaking their oldest law—staying separated from the world that wronged them.
a really nice change to the wonder woman story had me wanting more

Of all the Wonder Woman stories circling around the last few years, Morrison's Earth One is the most controversial. An 'orgin' story set in an alternate earth not meant to be the actual canon Wonder Woman gave Morrison a good deal of creative freedom, and he changed a number of things about Diana's origin story. Anyone who expects absolute adherence to canon is not going to like it. That said, I enjoyed this take on Diana.

The entire comic takes place over just a few days after Diana leaves Paradise Island, and coming back to stand trial for betraying her sisters by leaving. Morrison devotes a lot of time to what life is like on the island, and really, this is the make or break segment of the book. The trial itself dominates the narrative, creating a story that digs into the characters but leaves little room for action. While I thought the middle section of the story was rushed, I loved how they showed Diana as an intelligent diplomat, instead of just having her punch her way out of problems.

And can I just say, the artwork is phenomonal? Yanick's use of great art to replace normal panel gutters worked wonders on this story. That alone made reading worth it.

Grant Morrison's writing is often very hit or miss for me, mainly I feel because he sometimes writes as if he's a kid super excited to tell you a story about their day but while rushing to do so leaves out major pieces. He's always committed to his material but I often read his works and imagine I missed something majorly important. Having not yet read the other Earth One books I was excited to dive into this one when it showed up at my library, only to be rather letdown. The artwork is absolutely stunning as is the costume design, but the overall book doesn't add much to the classic story of Wonder Woman. Morrison's work pales in comparison to the iconic Gods and Monsters origin from George Perez but neither does it provide an intriguing new take like Brian Azzarello did with his New 52 run. It is just another retelling of Diana's leaving the the stores to inspire the world of men. There are a few amusing bondage jokes that poke fun at the original, BDSM-quirky Wonder Woman stories but overall the book is just a lot of fan service shots. Overall not one of Morrison's better efforts.

Grant Morrison is a name every comic book reader should know. He's the subversive, metaphysical scribe behind JLA, Final Crisis, Multiversity, Batman, Inc., and a host of other works. When he's on his game, he's the best writer there is. When he's off, he's closer to unreadable. Here, with Wonder Woman: Earth One, he's so far off it's shocking. Morrison tries to pen a loving ode (in the guise of yet ANOTHER origin story retelling) to the classic Silver Age and Golden Age Wonder Woman stories. But the problem is the tone is way off, and his every choice seems to backfire. He brings back the unwelcome chain bondage of the original Marston stories. His Diana is not so much an emissary of peace as she is a petulant child, and now also a lesbian. Because, why? His version of Etta Candy is "Beth" Candy, she is back to her Golden Age plus-size figure and also seems to be a lesbian. And Steve Trevor is now black. There's no real reasoning behind any of this other than it's an Earth One book and Morrison could do what he wanted. And honestly, the worst part is, the great subtleties and intricate details found in most of Morrison's best works are missing here. The story is rudimentary at best, the action-lite, the pages talk-heavy, and everything ends up extraordinarily dull and forgettable. The only redeeming feature here is Yanick Paquette's beautiful artwork, which alone keeps this book from a 1-star rating. If you want great Grant Morrison books look almost anywhere else. If you want great Earth One books try Geoff John's twin Batman volumes. If you want great Wonder Woman books try George Perez classic 80's run, Greg Rucka's work, or Brian Azzarello's take-it-or-leave-it, but fairly interesting New 52 reboot. This book is sadly a near-total failure. Thank the gods it's a thin volume and won't cost you more than an hour's time.

I was disappointed, especially after having read both Batman and Superman Earth One books.

I get that by reinventing Wonder Woman with a modern edginess, a strong feminist theme is unavoidable cause -well duh- its the stores, but just like everything else that's taken to a extreme level, it risks getting kinda ridiculous. Granted, super-heroes/heroine stories are supposed to be over the top.

Maybe its just me, but making hyper-feminism such a heavy plot element, it just made this one kinda boring. Yeah its probably me(plus I always freakin' hated that dang invisible jet)
The artwork was pretty cool though.

I bought this book sight unseen because I watched a video discussing it from Comic Pop on YouTube. Their description of some of the things this story was doing intrigued me.
Without spoiling anything, this is Diana's origin to "man's world" after 3000 years living on Paradise Island. It's a tale of self discovery of a rather rebellious and somewhat brash Diana, which I hadn't really seen in all honesty. It's there in most of her origin stories but not to this degree I feel here.
If you're wanting a WW story of her fighting monsters, parading with other heroes, or swinging a sword around, this isn't for you. This is a much quieter, sharply focused story on Diana stumbling through the rest of the world and trying to understand it. It feels very much that seeds are planted for future chapters in the Earth One line and I couldn't be happier. Unlike the Batman or Superman books in the Earth One line, Wonder Woman takes its time and feels organic and natural. There's some trademark Morrisonisms in dialogue and concepts, so they're somewhat fantastical, but it doesn't distract and benefits the story greatly. Most of the choices made on terms of tweaking/updating the story are (mostly) wonderful, from the MINOR SPOILERS introduction of Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, and (finally) acknowledging that an island of Greek goddesses living together for 3000 years would result in same gender relationships (including Diana, which I've always assumed that she was AT LEAST bit). All are handled well and feel natural and not exploitative or forced.
Yanick Paquette's art is SUPERB and is the prime reason I bought this book. It's streamlined and modern but retains a retro feel of Diana's 1940s origins. Yes, there's some cheesecake but it never feels gratuitous. Hints of 40s glamour ideas, not graphic or over the top sex that certain artists think is appropriate.
ALL THAT BEING SAID...there is a lot of possible criticism and controversy in this because of the overt bondage, sexuality, and really questionable character choices. At best, this is a good place to spark conversation and dialogue. Grant Morrison's writing is always open to multiple interpretations, and that may be problematic for this story. It can be seen as simultaneously anti feminist and pro feminist, depending on what you bring into this book. I can see the criticisms of it and as a feminist, a lot of this is problematic and uncomfortable as it feels we're regressing. On the flip side, is Morrison taking those expectations and showing us how ridiculous this idealized version of women is? Or is it making fun of feminism? Or is he...? Let the analysis begin.

I recommend this to anyone wanting a modern Wonder Woman tale of some uniqueness and who want to actually have a dialogue and discussion about comics, women, and the interaction of both.

Terrible read. I love Wonder Woman, and am so disappointed in Grant Morrison's take on this iconic character. His writing of her character is dull, and then his personal male viewpoint comes through her, which is unsettling to the point I actually put the book down and had a "wtf" moment. And let me tell you, this is highly unusual for me. Most times when I'm reading I don't even hear people talking to me!
If you're looking for a well written version of Wonder Woman, I recommend Azzarello. Or watch the movie.

I enjoyed this alternate world Wonder Woman story. As a fan of Morrison's writing style this book did not disappoint. From the opening couple pages I was intrigued as a new spin was put on Hercules with incredibly vivid art. My only issue is the gratuitous hyper-sexualization (sic) of the Character via the art. Wonder Woman can be busty, but this is ridiculous. I do appreciate the Black Steve Trevor though. That was cool.

The story was 'good' but the art was breathtaking. While I admit this isn't one of Grant Morrisons more complex stories, it's definitely a good jump start into this reimagined Wonder Woman. There are quite a few interesting characters that I'd like to see further fleshed out, plus the ending seems to imply there's a lot more fun to come. As a jumping off point, this is a good one. I'll see how things go with volume two.

I agree with some of the other reviews, this comic looks great, however the story leaves a lot to be desired. Which is the same problem with a lot of the other Earth One comics. I don't know why it took 3000 years for wonder women to object and decide to leave the Island. But if you are looking to catch up on the Earth One Series then Wonder Women is something that you will need to read. If you are looking for a story of the stores that have been around for 3000 years but are content to not ever grow as characters then you will love this.

This is pretty good. Like the other volume ones of the Earth One series, this is a new origin story for Wonder Woman and Morrison goes back to WW's 1940s beginnings and gives us a grown-up version of the story we are most familiar with. Steve Trevor crashes on Paradise Island and Diana leaves with him to the "Mans World". I'm not too keen on the feminism and lesbianism but they're not too heavy-handed and I did appreciate the nod to Wonder Woman's illustrated history with bondage. Overall, it's a decent origin story and I like Diana's character: the spoiled Princess turning into a person who cares about the world she's been protected from. It will be interesting to see how it continues from here when she meets the other superheroes.

Honestly this returns to the wonderment of the Golden age...BUT updated as only Grant Morrison could do. The the stores arent fodder for death, they are opinionated and super strong and intelliegently powerful...and the land is sci fi fantastique. Diana is curious, sexual...I LOVED IT!!!! Make this an animated movie DC!!

Absolute crap. Morrison at his most masterbatory. Stupid hackneyed women's empowerment philosophizing with a crap storyline. I once read a good article online about how a series finale that is a trial seems like a good idea because you can test your characters ideas and beliefs, but it leads to disasters like the x-files finale and the Seinfeld finale. This shows its a terrible idea for a series beginning as well. Wonder Woman should fight villains and save the world not be an object for a writer to wank off about how awesome women are. Show how awesome she is. The trial is perfect for Morrison to spout off pseudophilosophy but horrible to allow Wonder Woman to have an entertaining adventure.

Just finally got around to reading "Wonder Woman: Earth One" by Grant Morrison. I think it's probably my favorite version of the Wonder Woman origin story that I've ever read. I love how it is faithful to the original 40's run of WW (when it was at its most popular) and to creator Moulton's original concepts (still unorthodox even today). And I like that Morrison could do some things in a modern version of this story that Moulton could never have gotten away with in the 40's. Great stuff, I hope they continue this series!

There are two types of Morrison books. Ambitious successes and ambitious failures. This qualifies as the latter.

[spoilers]

The story is familiar. the stores on an island have rejected men. A young woman, the only the store who was 'born' there is curious about 'man's world'. Steve Trevor crash-lands and she uses this as an opportunity to escape. Unlike Perez who sanded down the sexual and radical politics of the the stores or Azzarello who deconstructed them, Morrison embraces them. Diana does not argue for equality but feminine supremacy. Paradise island is a fetishist dream, complete with furries and sapphic orgies. Herein lies the problem, nothing really happens. There is allot of talking, pretty pictures, and some very big gaps in logic. Conflicts are resolved by talking. Diana never faces any tests and is perfect at everything. Her ideology is never confronted or facd with any serious opposition. The book ends with Diana leaving paradise island to convert the world.

While Morrison delivers a rehash of Marston's origin, Yannick digs deep. The art is gorgeous. There isn't an ugly panel in the book. The redesign of the costumes are functional. Panel layouts are imaginative with iconography woven in. You could dump every word Morrison wrote and the book would still be attractive to look at.

But a GN cannot just be pretty art or words, but the blending of both, and while the art is bold and beautiful nothing Morrison does here is really revolutionary other than the lack of a proper climax. The book doesn't earn its resolution and for that reason I give it 2 stars, because even though it falls flat it does so because it tried to launch off of the empire state building. Don't give to kids only pick this book up knowing what you are getting into.

DC Comics' Wonder Woman Earth One graphic novel by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette, and Nathan Fairbairn was an okay read with great art. The story was the weakest link for me here and the shifting in and out of flashbacks confused me a couple of times.

The only real positive here is the artwork, besides that Wonder Woman earth one is a terrible graphic novel that focuses on boasting feminism and gay pride. Now these are not bad things at all and i support these viewpoints, but it overwhelms the story and just results in a cringy story with no real focus or action. If you're looking for a good wonder woman story, look elsewhere.

This is a beautifully illustrated tribute to Wonder Woman as she was originally conceived by William Moulton Marston. In recent decades writers have tried to bury her Golden Age roots, as if they were embarrassed by what they represented, and replaced her with a character that has long suffered a deficiency in identity or purpose. Morrison rejects this revisionist history, instead tackling the spirit of Marston's Wonder Woman head on with a deft and mature script. This is an engaging, heart-felt story that isn't afraid to grapple with the meaning of feminism or the role of womanhood in today's world.

The response to this book has been overwhelmingly divisive, as should be expected from any Morrison title. I've mentioned before, I'm a firm Morrison-ite, but Wonder Woman Earth One is not a big aha-moment title like a lot of Grant's other work for the company. Instead, it is a tender, bold re-visitation of Diana's real life origins. Marsten's themes of bondage, feminism and the truth all permeate through this graphic novel, soaking every page into what is either a love-letter to Marsten's work, or a firm stroking of Morrison's ever educated ego. Either way, the completed work is a colorful, compelling read, and a fine re-imagining of WW's origin.

The cultural landscape in which we now live is going to massacre this book for a lot of people. I've read handfuls of reviews and articles calling out certain scenes as sexist, racist, and dim, with others highlighting the same exact scenes for being progressive and feminist. It would be one hell of a thought experiment to put Marsten's original works against Earth One, and truly challenge everyone's collective stance on the issue. Regardless, as a story, this book is solid, interesting, and from my privileged perspective, an incredibly self-aware, progressive re-work of DC's most criminally neglected property.

And of course, Paquette delivers in every regard, with gorgeous line-work, and always beautiful, but never cluttered panel layouts. I would pay for this book just to see the man's heavy-lidded Diana, his culturally crafted buildings and vehicles, and his scholarly attention to comic book page layout.

I can easily recommend this book. It's not the most powerful of Morrison's work, but it is a much needed nod to Diana's origins as she re-enters the pop-culture periphery.

Well, it's official: the only active, mainstream, comic book writer I had any respect for anymore has completely sold out in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.

This book seems like it was written by Jason Aaron or Dan Slott, complete with all their SJW nonsense: long monologues on third wave feminism, lectures for fat shaming, race swapping, character assassination...it's just dreadful; and the worst part is it's completely lacking in any complexity and imagination, which was always the saving grace for Morrison when he got too political (though he's never been this political).

I want to give him the benefit of the doubt here, and try to think that he was just doing this to present a book that's radical, like Marston did in the 40's...but this crap ain't radical! It's, sadly, the norm now in American comics; he's just parroting what all the other idiots in the industry now are doing: turning escapist fantasy heroes into preachy, condescending mouth pieces for an uptight social agenda...I think I'm going to cancel my Heavy Metal subscription...

Never could get in to reading comics. I usually prefer to read books, but after reading this, I may have found a new love. Wanted to try and read up on WW after watching Batman v Superman. The comic was digestible, fun and worth the read. I'm hooked now and heading to the next Volume....

Would somebody please tell me what the purpose of this book is? I understand that DC wanted to create reimagined origin stories for a new generation but all we have here is a pallid, boring , mush mash of poor Greek mythology, confused storytelling and somehow turning Diana from strong the store princess into petulant whiny the store child. Even her sexual orientation is confusing as Diana drops all interest in her presumed the store partner for a man the minute Steve Trevor, inexplicably African American, is discovered. This is not the reimagining we were all waiting for. That said, the art work is absolutely gorgeous and the sole reason for the extra star. As much as I like the character, that's how disappointing this was.

I had been looking forward to this for some time. I'm not the biggest Morrison fan though I acknowledge his greatness in the medium, but I loved Yanick Paquette's art in Swamp Thing so I had to check this out!

Story: Grant Morrison has crafted a new origin tale for the Amazing the store in the Earth One continuity, and it's fantastic! Some of the dialogue was a bit confusing with the three women who I think are the Fates, but overall the story is pretty straightforward and easy to follow. Morrison's characters are interesting. I really liked what he did with Steve Trevor, especially at the end! Some longtime fans of Wonder Woman might not like this take as Morrison shakes things up a bit with a (slightly) new origin for Diana. There's a seriously big plot twist at the end which I honestly didn't see coming. Morrison gives no clues, but I'm so satisfied when comics can surprise me because a lot of comics are predictable. There's no central villain in this book like Ares, Hades, or the Cheetah. It more so tells the origin of Themyscira, the the stores, Diana's rebellious attitude toward her over protective mother, Diana's encounter with Steve Trevor, and Diana's first foray into "mans' world". This book really establishes Diana as an ambassador seeking to unite Paradise Island with "mans' world" through peace, but it also sets up volume 2 where I'm sure we'll see Diana fight one of her classic villains. I understand Morrison is known at times to write stories with "high concepts" which require more than just a little intelligence to comprehend, but this story is pretty easy to follow. Overall, I found it to be entertaining and c'mon, we love origin tales, and this one is gold!

Art: I'm sure if you've read that most people are in love with Paquette's art. I absolutely loved the art and it is quite possibly Paquette's best work yet, which is seriously saying something considering his art on Swamp Thing was gorgeous. After finishing the book, I am certain that DC made a great choice in giving Paquette this gig. I love some of the artistic expressions. Paquette's Paradise Island looks AMAZING and is rendered expertly. I don't really think it changes anything story wise, but I like that DC and Paquette changed Steve Trevor to an African American man. Paquette really draws a handsome and masculine Trevor, a man who looks like he's good for the strong Wonder Woman. I would like to say though that as far as appearance goes I also like Trevor as he appears in the Justice League: Throne of Atlantis movie. Back to the graphic novel, one of my favorite artistic impressions is the way Paquette drew the invisible plane (and I also love how it's introduced in the story). Lastly, one thing of particular note which always catches my eye is when a comic artist like Paquette changes up the format of panel separations. I really like when artists really get "artsy" with the page format and realize that the pictures don't just have to fall in static, outlined boxes, but rather that the whole page can be art including how images come together and how they're separated. Paquette (and Francis Manapul) are fantastic at this! After seeing his work on Swamp Thing and then here, Paquette is on the fast track to becoming one of my favorite artists in the medium. I think he'd be amazing on The Flash!

This is my first Wonder Woman comic ever. I've got the Wonder Woman by George Perez Omnibus, but I haven't read it yet. This story was a very interesting origin tale for WW and it beautifully sets up volume 2 where I hope to see Diana fight Ares, or Cheetah! I'd recommend this graphic novel for any Wonder Woman or DC fan as long as you go into it with an open mind. I think you'll find it just swell!

Grant Morrison has once again taken a convoluted continuity and transmuted it down to the essential core of the character. He does it by including and paying homage to all the phases of origin. In the case of Wonder Woman, this includes not only mythology, but lesbianism, bondage and almost yet not quite feminism, because Steve Trevor. I don't think I would've gotten all of the subtexts had I not read Morrison's chapter on the history of Wonder Woman in his book Supergods. It is a handling of the character which nearly stands shoulder to shoulder with the writers's own All-Star Superman and Batman RIP, as well as Geoff John's work on Green Lantern and the Flash. It fails to reach that high watermark or that of the superb superhero books Flex Mentallo, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA and Multiversity. For those who don't get it, there 're plenty of straightforward comics out there.
The pencils are awesome too. They don't match Paquette' s work on Swamp Thing or J. H. Williams III recent crossover between Batwoman and W. W. but nonetheless they're great.
As for Beth Candy, I was taken aback a little by her treatment in the story until I realized, she loves herself as she is, so does Diana, and that's really the point after all. I have edited this review just slightly. Thank you.

Good ol’ Wonder Woman. One of the most iconic icons in popular culture has had 75 years of ups and downs in her publication history, hypocritical changes to her powers and viewership (like flying around in an invisible jet and yet, she can fly by herself), and just the fact her comic reading fan base is nowhere near as popular as her other Trinity partners, Batman and Superman.

But with her recent exposure in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”, I think everyone who saw the movie (which in itself is a massive love-it/hate-it affair from critics and audiences) can mostly agree Gal Gadot’s minor portrayal of Wonder Woman was one of the highlights of the film. Now with here first feature length film coming out next year, the excitement for Wonder Woman is at an all-time high. What better way to cash in on the success than the positive Earth One series.

DC's Earth One books were designed to be the companies' attempt at making stories in graphic novels for their respected characters, as opposed to making individual comics. These stories exist outside of the main continuity as to let writers have more leeway in writing about aspects that haven't been written about before, without interfering with overlapping details. It all started with 2010's Superman: Earth One, which has a total of three books now. And addition, Batman and Teen Titans have their own Earth One books out (with Aquaman and Flash books coming this year). After 4 years of working on it, Wonder Woman by Grant Morrison has been released. Is it perfect? No, but it’s still an enjoyable starting point for the lady the store.

Wonder Woman: Earth One starts off with a young Queen Hippolyta fighting off Hercules and the Greeks from slavery and their reasoning to creating Paradise Island away from “Man’s Worlds”. Jump forward 3000 years in modern day, the current story tells of Diana on trial for breaking the storeia’s laws in coming to Steve Trevor’s aid after accidently crashing into Paradise Island, with the triple goddess of maiden and Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta as judges. The focus of the story is on overlapping witness testimony delivered by Diana and a few others, filling in the events of what happened that lead to the current situation.

When Morrison is at the helm, you never quite know what level of high concept story he’s going to weave. He’s had stuff that is pretty straight forward for anyone to understand like JOE THE BARBARIAN and BATMAN: GOTHIC, to the complete meta-heavy works like BATMAN RIP, FINAL CRISIS, and the current NAMELESS are insanely difficult for most readers to comprehend. For WONDER WOMAN EARTH ONE, I can safely say this is pretty reasonably straight forward read from Morrison, so don’t get antsy about meta-talk or random aspects to confuse you. Morrison has said numerous times, writing this story has been one of his most difficult to do because of the character’s vast history which borders on too many contradictions. Thankfully, Morrison keeps most of Diana’s history for casual readers, while working some winks and nods for fans to not bog things down.

As for the story itself, Morrison stays true to the classic origin tale set forth by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton-Marston: Diana is a young educated warrior outcast of her people who wishes to see the outside world and challenge the conventions of the stores and “Man’s World”. Diana is brave, beautiful, a feminist, naïve, a warrior, somewhat mischievous, and overall well-rounded individual under her over protective mother. Much of the story is between Diana and Hippolyta that feels authentic and explains quite a bit of the main narrative here as Diana is the rebellious daughter who wants to explore the world and Hippolyta trying in all her power to keep Diana away from Men (even sending a powerful creature after her). The accumulation of the plot comes to ahead where we do find a fresh origin and explanation that does a good job to balance all aspects of Wonder Woman’s heritage for readers that will be something to look forward to in volume 2.

Overall though, beyond the general plot, Morrison adds little aspects under the Earth One banner to give a little more modern touches and cultural norms some answers. Steve Trevor is African American who doesn’t do a lot but take in awe of what happens and Elizabeth Candy is one of the best new additions here. She’s a plucky and outgoing college cheer large girl that is easily likable. She’s reminds me so much of Valiant’s Faith. So much fun from this character alone, while having a fair share of action and humor (especially from Diana being a fish-out-of-water in the world’s perspective), and character development to appease fans.

In terms of appealing to source material, historians to this very day still are not clear on William Moulton-Marston’s depiction of bondage, feminism, and sexuality have on Wonder Woman, leading to host of various opinions on what he meant. Morrison clearly explains Marston’s deep writing with bondage and repression that makes reasonable sense without denying the original depiction; while there is still plenty of metaphors under Morrison’s script here to really dig into further readings, but also nothing to make your head spin.

If there is any reason to love this book even if you hate Morrison’s writing style is simply Yannick Paquette’s lush art. Truly lush two-page spreads of Paradise Island, the greek-futuristic design of the island, the various ethnic races, a classic mythical beast, to insane layout designs of the golden lasso, Greek scriptures and paintings, reptile panels, and even the classic Linda Carter stars found here and there. Paquette’s art is at the top of his game and makes this book one of the best looking comics on the market. Paquette sells the book even more on all the subtle character expressions and metaphors under Morrison’s script. The scenes of bondage, to the the stores being lesbians, to Diana grabbing Steve’s crouch are just mere examples of adult material done in ways that are subtle to not distract or change the source material, and gives decent answers to those who wondered what Marston possibly meant. Hands down, 5-star rating for art alone.

As for extras, there’s about 16 pages of sketches, designs, layouts, and variant covers to take in. I personally would have loved the first cover design, but all of them are great.

So as much as I did love this book and rating it near 5 stars, my score is around 4 1/2 stars as there are a few reasons. The overall story is nothing new to Wonder Woman fans, as it’s pretty much what you already know. This makes the book reasonably safe in terms standard DC continuity. Another aspect in playing it safe is Morrison himself. I know many people love him or hate for his work, but for those who love a different/high concept take on Wonder Woman, they might be disappointed. This is very streamlined and meant for casual readers, not Morrison fanatics who want meta-textual material. And the last thing because volume 1 does play it safe, most of this book is setup for later volumes. There is no central antagonist or heaps of action here, but mostly a lot of talk, character building and origins are put forth, where just when the book ends where things really look like they’ll take a whole different path

Like I mentioned, I loved WONDER WOMAN EARTH ONE VOL.1 by Grant Morrison for trying to nail such a contradictory character and make it appealing to casual readers within the guidelines of the Earth One line. I think he greatly succeeds in all respects to the original version created by William Moulton-Marston, while clearing up some needed answers; with art profusely handled by Yanick Paquette that is utterly gorgeous and worth the price of the book alone. The only thing that might not sit well with readers is the basic tale done 75 years ago isn’t radically altered, not high-concept, and predominantly setup for future volumes. I am giving this book a solid 4 ½ star rating, but I did love the simple and intricate notion of everything Morrison did without going crazy or too deep and I'm rounding up to 5 stars.

Well I can honestly say I am excited for this series and hope volume 2 can come a lot closer in the future around the Justice League films.

Just awful! Who at DC approved publishing this book and why? I can't believe with all the excitement coming out about the new WW movie DC would allow something like this to taint the WW brand so badly. Defiantly a swing and a miss by Morrison.

Throwing out the "made from clay" origin and giving Diana and true birth father, a bad ass father at that and using her upbringing as a tool for vengeance on mans world is refreshing. Nothing is held back as the the stores are portrayed as realistic as they can be, even giving them advanced technology that reflects their culture. The book also brings back Marstons bondage themes that debuted in the original Wonder Woman comics. This graphic novel will upset the politically correct crowds and please those who are not so easily offended by lesbian themes, bondage, and a story about women setting their own mark in this world on thier own terms without the help of men.

This is the absolute worst trash Wonder Woman story ever. Grant Morrison has always been one of my favorite writers of Comics and this was a complete shambles. The story is so basic and utterly stupid that it could have been written by a Jr high schooler. With having Wonder Woman being a lesbian to Steve Trevor being black, he's trying to be controversial for the reason of being controversial. If he wanted to make a new character that's a lesbian, fine can invent gay charaters. If he wants to make a new character that's black, that's great, not enough really cool black characters in Comics. But, this is rediculous. One of the other parts that really ticked me off is you had all of the the stores body shaming the Etta Candy character. Even though she lashed back at them, again, junior high school behavior. The art was good but really inconsistent. It would take Wonder Woman from looking like a super model to looking like nothing close. I finish by saying I'm so disappointed in this as I've come to expect so much more from Grant Morrison.

This is Grant Morrison writing a Wonder Woman comic, and bluntly put, it's exactly what you'd expect a Grant Morrison Wonder Woman comic to be like.

I don't mean this as a criticism however, quite the reverse. The book is at its heart a retelling of Wonder Woman's origin but updated for a modern audience. Overall this book does quite a good job of that. This means we get all of the wonderfully whimsical ideas that were found in the Marston and Peters comics of the 1940s such as giant kangaroos that can be rode like horses, purple healing rays and invisible jets. At the same time though, Morrison isn't afraid to alter Wonder Woman's mythology. Wonder Woman's trip to an American hospital and the changes to Etta Candy (now called Beth Candy who has some fantastically funny scenes in the book) and Steve Trevor were all nice touches. In many respects then, Morrison is doing to Wonder Woman what he did with Superman in All-Star Superman.

With regards to the art, all I can say is "wow". Prior to reading this book, I was not familiar with the work of Yanick Paquette but once I had a flick through I was in love with his work instantly. The technology and architecture of Paradise Island (Wonder Woman's home island) look great. The the stores look fab too with all of them looking genuinely beautiful without going into the gratuitous sexualization that so many mainstream superhero books nowadays go into. Nathan Fairbairn also deserves credit in terms of how the book looks. He provides a crisp, bright color pallet that brings the story to life. The work of Fairbairn and Paquette means that this is one of the nicest looking books that has been released by DC for a long time.

That said, there are some issues with the book however. I would have liked Morrison to have spent more time focusing on the concept of "loving authority". It is a concept that makes Wonder Woman a bit different from most superheroes (especially in the Marston and Peters comics) but is not detailed in any substantial way except for the odd mention here and there. Likewise the early scenes of Wonder Woman bickering with her mother are somewhat awkwardly written and tiresome.

That said though, there's a lot of genuine fun to be had within these pages. Morrison and Paquette have created a fun, sexy and up-beat superhero story. It doesn't necessarily push the boundaries of the comics medium or go into brave new directions, but if you want to put a smile on your face a few days you would be wise to read this. To quote Beth Candy addressing Wonder Woman:

"You're from a paradise island of science fiction lesbians? With a side of bondage? Honey, I'll drink to that! Woo Woo!"

Woo woo. Woo woo indeed.

Excellent modern day re-telling of the origins of Wonder Woman.

Grant Morrison is a master of researching and weaving together various mythologies for characters and making it work. Here he weaves various iterations of Wonder Woman into one story to give her an Earth-One origin. It's as good as the other 1st Earth One stories, and definitely is a good book for those looking to get into Wonder Woman without getting bogged down in continuity.

First of all, a woman should have written this book. This rehashing by a man of the origin story of Wonder Woman does not bring anything new and at points it is plain silly. Body shaming between women? Purple healing ray? Wonder Woman's dad is Hercules?

This is definitely one of the more provocative takes on the the store Princess that I've ever read. I always find Grant Morrison to be hit or miss. Sometimes I find his ideas too far our there, however, this was a beautiful story with beautiful artwork by Yannick Paquette. In my opinion, the best Earth One original thus far.

Morrison really tried here.. he clearly liked some parts of Marsten and tried hard to bring them out and there are some good bits early on.. Then everything goes kind of south. He over uses the "loving submission" line to the point it becomes a joke. The characters, who are suppose to be submitted to with love, are not remotely likeable. Add the overt and self-aware S&M bondage themes, the fact Morrison HAD to make the the stores all lesbians (because.. straight men want lesbians and we need to fetishize lesbianism for straight guys)..
The bondage theme gets.. old and gets to be a tad too softcore porn (especially since Diana is bound in chains while wearing panties and a corset for much of the issue). Not the subtle wink/nod of Marsten era. Add a preachy and boring Steve Trevor, a Kardashian inspired Etta Candy, and just nasty, petty and vile the stores.. and the story quickly tanks. All the early fun moments are washed away in a tide of really bad writing, which honestly is typical of Grant Morrison. He tries to be too clever and tries to show how smart he is.. while he openly tells you the themes... because you needed to be told them to figure them out because.. he's just that much smarter than you, don't you know?

What Morrison gets right, he does well. The first half of the story was fun and worked.. what he gets wrong, botches everything up and the story takes a quick nose dive.. This could have been great.. sadly, it's not. Legends of Wonder Woman manages to do everything this tried to do.. and failed and does it so much better, more deftly and more beautifully.. oh and it doesn't go out of it's way to objectify the characters all for that fan base (and the writer's/artist's own perverse pleasure).

This is honestly one of the worst, most ignorant, most insulting story that I have ever read. The people who made the positive reviews must've lot their crazy pills, or been high on shrooms while watching this, considering what a pile of excrement this comic is.

The writing is so freaking terrible in its attempts to sound epic-old-timey that it becomes utterly nonsensical. Hercules is twisted and contorted in this book, turned from a well-meaning, heroic, self-sacrificial, justice-seeking GOOD MAN (who, admittedly, slept around a lot) into a tyrant who cages women into tight cages and rapes them. This is something taken from the Golden Age stories, however all of that had been retconned out of existence because of how utterly stupid it was.

Every member of the the stores are so irrationally man-hating that their instincts are to kill on sight, they release a GORGON into the world of man to murder one guy who happened to accidentally land on their island.

They put Diana on trial for the heinous crime of... showing compassion and care for an injured, innocent man (Steve Trevor).

The book also seems to be under the confusing impression that only men can treat men, or that only men can be doctors. And when Wonder Woman sees some sick women in a hospital and screams about how women shouldn't be allowed to suffer and die... because I guess only women get sick and die in hospitals???!!!??!!

Luckily, Wondie in the book is not all 'kill all men' in the story (for the most part) luckily, but she is really... just... bizarre in how much she irrationally despises most men, with the out-of-nowhere exception of Steve Trevor, who she falls in love with immediately. However, her mother actually created Wonder Woman through artificial insemination of Hercules' sperm. And her plan was to invade "Man's world" and murder every single male human on the face of the earth. All this as revenge against Hercules--WHO SHE MURDERED (stupidly easily) IN THE FIRST SCENE OF THE BOOK.

This book reads like the mad ramblings of a mentally insane 14-year-old, bottom-of-the-barrel Tumblr Social Justice Feminazi. I am not the type to throw any of those terms around either, I am friends with a lot of feminists, and I despise the usual suspects who tout the phrase "feminazi" at everything, so the fact that I'M slapping that label onto THIS book should tell you something.

But to me, the worst part of the book is the revelation of Wondie's origins. Towards the end of the book, Wondie brings up the origin of her being formed from clay and being given powers by the Gods, and then immediately Hippolyta says it's been a lie told to her since she was a baby. Hippolyte killed Hercules, took his semen, created an artificial baby from that and her eggs, then raised Diana with the intention of creating an army to go to the world of man, and murder every single male person on the entire planet as revenge for what Hercules did. Because sure, that sure is a way of respecting a classic character like Hyppolite...

Also that was a completely pointless revelation that lead to nothing and came from nowhere. Wonder Woman's moulding from clay had not even been mentioned at that point, meaning it was a plot twist that had a build-up of roughly... a panel and a half. Sounds worth it, right??

Let this book's sales DIE HERE, people. Don't believe anyone who claims this to be some fine piece of literature, it's trash and deserves to be treated as such.

Great book. The art is perfect and the story compelling. Morrison and Paquette work well together. I understand the 'Controversy' in this book but that is very over hyped. Please don't let that get in the way of you getting this wonderful book

This comic opens with Wonder Woman, Diana, in chains being brought before her mother Hippolyta on Paradise Island after being away for a period of time, which is, of course, unheard of. She has requested a trial by the Fates: Clotho, Atropos, and Lachesis.

It then goes back in time to when things began to go wrong. Diana is trying to heal a deer with the purple ray machine which speeds up healing. She is the best at working the machine among the the storeians. Also, everyone is getting geared up for the games. Hippolyta won't let Diana compete in the games as she is a Princess and much stronger than the others. Her mother tells her she made her out of the clay of the ground. The others have been around for 3,000 years since they ousted Hercules off the island when he tried to subjugate them. They allow no men on the island because men are beasts who want to control women. Hippolyta has a mirror that lets her see what is going on in the world and she sees that nothing much has changed over the years, but Diana who is desperately curious about what she sees in the mirror wonders if there is something that can be done to help others.

A Steve Trevor crash lands on the island and Diana tries to heal him with her ray, but it doesn't work. Now she knows that she must find a way to get him off the island, but that will mean going against her mother and the other the storeians. Can Diana afford to risk everything for not just a stranger, but a male one at that?

This is yet another origin story but it is very well done. It's a modern time discovery of Paradise Island rather than World War II like the original. The artwork and paneling are stellar with some of the paneling marked off with a golden lasso when someone is being questioned by it. It's quite creative. I cannot wait to read volume two to learn what happens next.