Sensational Wonder Woman #1 Review

Next, On A Very Special Afternoon Episode of Wonder Woman...

Written by: Paula Sevenbergen, Scott, Kolins, Stephanie Phillips
Art by: Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, Scott Kolins, Alitha Martinez, Dexter Vines, Vicente Cifuentes
Colors by: Adriano Lucas, Scott Kolins, Wendy Broome, Carrie Strachan,
Letters by: Pat Brosseau, Ryan Christy, Becca Carey
Cover art by: Belen Ortega (cover A)
Cover price: $9.99
Release Date: March 29. 2022
 
Sensational Wonder Woman #1 delivers three tales of heroics from the world's greatest Amazon as she foils an ice villain attack, battles a threat of Lovecraftian proportions, and gets her version of Freaky Friday.

Was It Good?

I'm going to be generous with this review because I believe most creators behind this book had a sincere intention of collecting stories meant to inspire. If this were any other monthly comic, it would barely pass muster. However, bonus points are earned for sincerity.
Sensational Wonder Woman #1 is a 3-story anthology from many creators. Some you may know, others you may not. We'll cover each story separately and touch on what worked and didn't.

Hell Hath No Flurry

Will, a youngster attending a comic con dressed as Wonder Woman, gets picked on by the local bully for dressing up "like a girl." Suddenly, the entire city is besieged by Blue Snowman, and it's Wonder Woman to the rescue... with a bit of help from Will.
This one reads most like a Very Special Afternoon PSA of the three stories. The entire conflict between Blue Snowman and Wonder Woman, eventually resolved with Will's help, turns into an incredibly heavy-handed statement about trans kids and being who you feel you are on the inside. There's no criticism about the message, but the heavy-handed execution made this story feel like a pamphlet you give out at a social worker's office. Plus, the action elements regularly didn't make sense (When a giant ice wave is heading right for you, why would a girl on a swing argue to keep swinging?!?)  On the flip side, the art by Pelletier and Lucas is stellar in this first story.

The Threnn of Doom

A group of research scientists recovers a powerful crystal from the ocean floor. As they study the crystal's magical properties, magically-attuned heroes around the Earth are suddenly assailed by visions of Armageddon. Wonder Woman is called in to save the day with a guest appearance by Dr. Fate.

Of the three stories, this solo outing by Scott Kolins put the most into elevating Wonder Woman as a top-tier hero. The threat is cataclysmic, Wonder Woman's efforts are easily thwarted until a solution can be found, and plenty of creativity went into developing a plot with a twist. Bonus points go to Kolins for solid art.

The dialog was regularly clunky with exclamations from bit characters that added nothing to the story. The second down point is Christy's lettering choice to put the thin yellow font on harsh red backgrounds for most of the captions. It looks cool, but it's horrible to read. An editor should have caught that mistake.

Swapped

A school field trip to the Hall of Justice goes wrong when Circe arrives to steal a dreamstone and uses a Freaky Friday spell to get Wonder Woman out of the way, swapping bodies with one of the teenaged students. It's up to Wonder Woman and a teenager to figure out how to work together, no matter what body they're in, to foil Circe's plans.

Yes, it's Freaky Friday, so there's nothing original about the plot. There are a few amusing moments when student Wonder Woman schools a History teacher on real history, and a dodgeball game is played with Amazonian intensity. However, the plot argues against itself when Wonder Woman harps on the teenagers to get ready for Circe's return, but there's no sense of urgency at all from the supporting characters. Phillips skipped inserting any contrivance that would justify Wonder Woman attending High School in a teenager's body rather than simply calling out sick or calling for help from other magical heroes within the Justice League. In concept, the story is a neat idea. In execution, it's riddled with plot holes.
The art is fairly good in this story, and the action in the dodgeball match alone may be enough to amuse you.

Bits and Pieces

Sensational Wonder Woman #1 projects a sincere attempt at telling stories that inspire hope from Wonder Woman. While the sincerity is ever-present, the execution is frequently clunky or incomplete. Overall, the art is good, so there are plenty of visuals to warrant the cover price if you're a Wonder Woman completest.

7/10