Justice League: Gods and Monsters - Wonder Woman #1 (2015) Review

A Brand New Genesis

Written by: J.M. DeMatteis and Bruce Timm
Art by: Rick Leonardi and Allen Passalaqua
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: July 7, 2015

I've finally made it to the Wonder Woman origin of Gods and Monsters and to me, J.M. DeMatteis and Bruce Timm have left the best for last.  I love Wonder Woman and while I enjoyed both of the Superman and Batman origins that started this series off, I've seen so many elseworld's types of stories with these two characters.  Not so much Wonder Woman, hence my excitement.  Now that I've read this first issue, am I still excited?  Let's find out...


The first thing that intrigued me about this Wonder Woman's origin is that it takes place in 1962.  It's pretty fitting for the character and awesome for the reader.  We don't get to see her being made of clay or even as a little girl.  The first we see of this Wonder Woman is her falling out of a Boom Tube while fighting a dinosaur monster.  Talk about entrances!

DeMatteis gets right to business this issue and tells us through Wonder Woman's own narration that she is Bekka of New Genesis.  She is the granddaughter of Highfather which again, is so fitting for the character and again awesome.  After being nursed to health, Bekka heads out into her new world to see what's what.  Her journey is set against the Cold War and then the Civil Rights movement and is full of beauty, horror and a lot of grey areas in between.  While she started out acting like a time traveler in a movie (don't step on an insect!), what she sees inspires her to take a more active approach.

Unfortunately, that leads to a pretty horrible scene.  It's one of those times when you think that everything is going to work out alright just before it all goes to hell.  It's a really good cliffhanger that left me wondering if Bekka will change going forward.  I sure hope not because after Batman and Superman's issues, I want someone in this group to have a good attitude.  That being said, I think this book is about to get dark again.

I really enjoyed this issue.  DeMatteis and Timm picked a great Wonder Woman.  While we still have to learn more about her, her background is similar enough to our Wonder Woman's to make it that much better.  That being said, this issue is heavy on setup, but as the first issue of an origin story, I can overlook that a bit because I enjoyed it so much.

Rick Leonardi makes it three for three in the art department for this series.  He has a little more of a cartoony style than the first two artists, but it fits the story so well.  His art, along with Allen Passalaqua's vibrant colors, give everything a lighter tone and I loved it.

Bits and Pieces:

While this issue is a bunch of setups, DeMatteis and Timm have done the most important thing...given the reader a great Wonder Woman.  Bekka's origin is a great amalgam of our Wonder Woman's and I loved seeing the start of her journey.  While I was happy with the lighter tone at the beginning of the issue, this is Gods and Monsters which means it's going to get darker.

8.5/10