The Legend of Wonder Woman #3 (2015) Review

Into the Darkness

Written by: Renae De Liz
Art by: Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: November 24, 2015

To say that I am enjoying The Legend of Wonder Woman is a gross understatement.  You may already know that I am a huge sucker for the Digital First line and this book is a great example why. Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon are allowed to tell the Wonder Woman story they want to without the constraints of current and past continuity and so far, the results have been great.  Unfortunately, they also seem to be going forward with little to no support from DC themselves and it upsets me to no end when I talk to someone about this book and get a confused look and a "I didn't know that was out" kind of comment.  Of course, this might all change when the chapters are collected for the print edition, but why does DC even have a Digital First line if they are going to act like they are embarrassed by it?  I guess I'm going to have to climb up on my old soapbox each week until things change, but since that's probably never happening, I can at least tell you about this week's chapter of The Legend of Wonder Woman.  We are just getting to the point where Diana goes from being the cute, little princess of Themyscira to the cute, little warrior princess of Themyscira.  Last issue, Hippolyta told Diana to know her role, but when our little heroine slipped out of the city gates, it was obvious that it fell on deaf ears.  While the island is home to many wonders, there is still the growing darkness eating at it...a darkness that Diana can feel in her soul.  It has read like a fairy tale, but fairy tales can get pretty dark before the happy ending.  Is that the case here?  And does it continue being great despite DC's cold shoulder (sorry, I still very upset)?  Let's find out...




Last issue ended with Diana discovering the beauty and awesomeness of sharing an island with the Olympian gods.  We pick up right there this issue and I'll tell you, I wish I was there with her.  As a young boy, Greek Mythology fired my imagination and I dreamt of finding a place with Hyperborean Giants, Hippogriffs and a Charybdis, but it gets even better.  Diana actually gets to look upon Olympus itself and then has a one-on-one with Pegasus.  Talk about a greatest hits!

Renae De Liz shows just how good a person Diana is when instead of being overwhelmed by it all, she asks Pegasus what is wrong with the island.  I don't know if the winged horse could or would have told her because out of nowhere a dark mist rolls in and scares him off.  I knew it was going to get scary eventually!

The next part shows just how great an art team De Liz and Ray Dillon are, but it also showed me how much I've grown attached to Diana.  I was on the edge of my seat as she came face-to-face with the gruesome Manticore and sighed a large breath of relief when she was saved by Alcippe.  Luckily, she was outside the city gates and heard Diana's screams.

De Liz continues making me love Diana when she tries over and over to force Alcippe to train her. Alcippe just tells her to go home until Diana mentions the suffering of the island and it stops her in her tracks.  Alcippe has felt it as well and the issue ends with her agreeing to train her.  I can't wait.

If it isn't obvious from what I've written, I love this issue.  It's all about the character of Diana and the awesome art.  They go hand in hand (of course), because I fell in love with her the minute I saw De Liz's version of her.  The story and her feisty attitude has just increased it and I genuinely was afraid she would get hurt in this issue.  Just thinking of how hard headed she will be when Alcippe trains her is already making me laugh.  I can't wait.

Bits and Pieces:

The Legends of Wonder Woman continues being a treat for Wonder Woman and comic fans in general.  This issue continues showing how a feisty little girl continues her journey towards being a hero.  The art and story combine to form a fairy tale like experience that looks and reads like a classic Disney film and I love it.  Please, don't read into DC Comics lack of support as anything but a huge faux pas on their part...this book is great.

9.8/10