For whatever reason, Wonder Woman, one of the most well known characters in comics, has been short-changed.
In terms of name recognition, globally she falls only behind Superman, Batman and probably Spider-Man. But I terms of comic book stories, well, there just aren’t that many that can ben deemed “classic” for the art form. And there are a myriad of reasons for that, which this column won’t get into.
For all the marketing behind collections of The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told or The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told or even The Greatest Joker Stores Ever Told, Wonder Woman doesn’t come close. But the late 1980’s had, for a time, arguable put stories about the Amazon Princess right up with any comic book legend.
Lucky us, here they are collected, under the pen of one of the greatest artists of the medium. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Wonder Woman By George Perez Omnibus Volume 1.
Follow me after the jump for all the heroic news!
Wonder Woman By George Perez Omnibus Vol. #1
Written by: George Perez and others
Illustrated by: George Perez
Published by: DC Comics
Look, we here at Biff Bam Pop! love us some Wonder Woman comics. Glenn Walker wrote a fantastic “On…” column featuring the character earlier this year which you can read right here. Ensley F. Guffey contributed a (pardon the pun) wonderful piece in “The Ten Percent” column here. I myself featured the first issue of the George Perez run on Wonder Woman in a “Tales form the Longbox” column nearly seven years ago, which you can find here. There are other articles about her on this site as well – just type WW’s name in the search field and you’ll find them.
Yes. We love Wonder Woman here at Biff Bam Pop! Those three articles mentioned above are great places to get a handle on the character, her strengths and, unfortunately, her publishing shortcomings.
That said, after the famous mid nineteen-eighties company-wide crossover event, Crisis On Infinite Earths, the Wonder Woman monthly comic book was relaunched to much acclaim via fan favourite artist and writer, George Perez. Here, now, were stories worthy of the Amazon Princess! Stories that delved deep into her Greco-Roman mythology roots, without the encumbrance of decades of conflicting origins and, truth be told, some unworthy storytelling.
It had long been said that Wonder Woman, in her publishing history, didn’t have quintessential and memorable story-lines – but that’s exactly what Perez created during his late eighties tenure on the title. he not only fleshed out Paradise island, home of the Amazons, but really brought home the fact that they were a race of warrior women. he entrenched Wonder Woman i both the real world but also in the pantheon of the Greek gods. Ares would become an unrelenting foe, and villains like the Cheetah would rise to become worthy antagonists. Questions such as her American-styled dress, indeed her culture, would be explained or expanded upon, revelations that would shake the very mythos of the character!
Finally, Wonder Woman had a title befitting the pedestal pop culture placed the character upon – with story and art that fans and critics both championed. Today, we get the first volume of that historic run.
Wonder Woman By George Perez Omnibus Vol. #1 covers the first twenty-four issues and the first annual of the series. At a cover price of $75 (you can find it cheaper at select outlets) the hardcover contains 640 pages of some of the best and most important Wonder Woman stories you’ll read.
Make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick up the Wonder Woman By George Perez Omnibus Vol. #1. See and read one of pop culture’s greatest heroes while at her best!
