Wonder Woman '77 #5 Review

Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Matt Haley
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: April 9, 2015

Time to Di(ana)

I can't tell you how much I loved last week's issue of Wonder Woman '77.  Worlds collided as Diana came face-to-face with the Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman from the '74 pilot.  While it was so good for fans, it wasn't a dream come true for Diana.  In fact, it was a nightmare.  The issue ended with Diana trying to get her wits about her by finding her mother.  Was this issue as good as the last?  Let's find out...




The first thing that I noticed opening this issue is that Jason Badower was not on art.  Matt Haley does a good enough  job here, but after last week, I am a huge Badower fan.  I hope he's back soon.

Anyway, the issue opens with Diana confused as to why her Mother and Drusilla are in town. The confusion mounts when the women tell her they are in fact Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis.  Marc Andreyko is just flinging the reference around and I couldn't be happier.  Diana isn't so happy and ends up on the street where she runs right into...Wonder Woman!

Things really get crazy when the pilot Wonder Woman calls Diana "Donna Troy" and tells her they need to get her back to the mental hospital.  It's like one of those horror movies where the lead is sane, but the rest of the world is bat shit crazy, but then you start questioning everything and get all confused and...my head hurts.  Thankfully, we don't have to think too long because both Wonder Women start beating each other up.

The two fight through the streets and into an alley where Diana sees her Steve Trevor.  At this point the issue suddenly felt like an episode of the Twilight Zone...until Steve gets squashed by a flying mailbox.  Maybe it felt more like one, then.

Diana was really getting the worse of the beating, but as her bruises increased, the amount of clothes on her decreased.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for that, but this was better.  Why?  Because you could see her Wonder Woman costume underneath.  Before you could sing "Wonder Woman!", she had her lasso around the wannabe Wonder Woman and we finally got some answers.  I won't spoil it here, but it's another great shout out to long time WW fans.

I hate to use the cliched, "this is a love letter to fans...", but this is a love letter to fans of Wonder Woman.  While I was hoping that Diana would stay in this dream world a bit longer, Marc Andreyko's writing and pacing was spot on.  Did I mention this was a love letter to fans...  Now if we can get Linda Harrison in next week's issue, I'll die a happy man.

Like I said earlier, Matt Halley does a good job, but nothing stood out.  After last week, that was a disappointment.  He handles the characters and action okay, but everything just felt middle of the road.

Bits and Pieces:

With one chapter left in this Who is Wonder Woman? story, it is already a favorite of mine.  Marc Andreyko is writing this for true fans of the television show in particular  and Wonder Woman fans in general.  If you have any interest in either, pick this series up and thank me later.  I promise that when you get to this arc,  you will have a huge smile on your face.

8.9/10