‘Sensation Comics’ Preview: Baby Phoenixes And Brutal Stabbings

Several contributors to this website have written about the great creative successes that are DC Comics' digital-first anthologies; the out-of-continuity, frequently genre-mashing short stories curated by the publisher's west coast editors and created by diverse and idiosyncratic talents from around the comic book business. While Batman's Legends of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel's Adventures of Superman are sadly no longer with us, Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman has been going strong since its launch earlier this year. Released weekly, the book has been part of the resurgence of Wonder Woman in the greater pop culture along with Gal Gadot's upcoming turn as the feminist icon in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and within DC itself, complimenting the just concluded, critically acclaimed long form series by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang.

Sensation contributors have so far included both mainstream superhero and more independent voices such as Gail Simone, Ethan Van Sciver, Cat Staggs, Gene Ha, Marguerite Sauvage, Dean Haspiel, Adam Hughes, Amy Mebberson, Rob Williams, Adam P. Knave and Phil Jimenez, each recreating Wonder Woman in their own particular vision. With work by indie comics legend Gilbert Hernandez coming up, there's good reason for Wonder Woman fans to keep an eye on Sensation Comics.

This week's creative team is comprised of longtime Warner Bros. Animation talent Michael Jelenic, best known for his work on Teen Titans Go!, Thundercats, and, of course, the animated Wonder Woman feature film. He's joined by veteran comics artists Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder, alumni of the famous Jolly Roger Studio, and colorist Lizzy John, whose work we've seen before in Archaia's line of Jim Henson Company comics and graphic novels. The cover comes courtesy of illustrator Paul Davey, whose contribution here represents his first comic book work, as far as I know.

As you can see in this exclusive preview, the team's story falls along the lines of the traditional adventure story with the kind of mythological, majestical scale to which Wonder Woman lends herself so well. Harkening back to the definitive Wonder Woman work of George Pérez, we see Queen Hippolyta and her warrior companion Philippus partaking in some kind of Amazonian ceremony while Diana pursues a Phoenix egg for reasons we don't quite know, but are doubtlessly righteous and epic.

Assuming Wonder Woman survives being impaled by Cheetah's spear, we'll find out more when this chapter of Sensation Comics, number 12, goes on sale tomorrow via the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store, and iBooks.