The Year One storyline in Wonder Woman is, at least to me, the most exciting part of Greg Rucka's return to the character. Sure, her origin has been told many times --- in fact Renae De Liz and Grant Morrison have both rewritten it just in the past year. But this take is important for two reasons: First, even though he's had a previous run on the book and is beloved by most Wonder Woman fans, this is the first time Greg Rucka has covered this ground. And secondly, this comes at a time when the ground needs to be covered.

The New 52 take on the character reimagined aspects of her origin in a much harsher light, which took Wonder Woman farther from the character she was created to be. So in this DC Rebirth moment, the question of how Diana of Themyscira came to be, as well as what sort of a place she's from, was going to weigh on fans' minds whether it was addressed or not. Letting someone who knows and loves the character take that on is the perfect choice.

Year One is running in the even numbered issues of the new Wonder Woman series, while modern day stories fill the odd issues, so this fourth issue is the second chapter of the story. Steve Trevor has crashed onto the shores of Themyscira. His fellow Navy SEALs, including his best friend, died in the crash. Diana's taking care of him, but they don't yet share a language. Meanwhile Hippolyta and her council are meeting to decide what this arrival means.

Nicola Scott's art continues to suit this story perfectly. The Amazons' reaction to firearms is exactly what it ought to be, and I also enjoy their attempts to decipher the symbolism of an American military insignia, drawing as it does on the imagery of the classical gods that these women know so well. Also, for those like me who are invested in the queerness of the Amazons, Hippolyta refers to Philippus as "My love." This is not the first time they've been a couple, but as with everything else going on in this story, it's nice to have it established as current canon.

 

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Variant Cover by Frank Cho
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