Wonder Woman. How well do you know her? What I love about this new book from Insight Editions is how accessible this great American icon has been made. Writer Matthew K. Manning and illustrator Paul Bulman have explored everything you’ve ever wanted to know and some things you may have thought you knew.
Each and every aspect of Wonder Woman triggers a new story. This book is all about sticking to canon. Manning does this by having Wonder Woman speak for herself in journal entries. For instance, we get a firsthand recollection of her growing up in Themyscira. Just to set the record straight, Wonder Woman explains, that whole thing about her being formed from clay was just a ruse. Her mom was having an affair with another god. Being born from clay sounded like a good idea at the time.
Think of this as a guidebook in a picture book format. There is a level of sophistication here that will appeal to fans of any age. Manning maintains an engaging conversational tone while peppering his narrative with bona fide comics facts, as in describing how Wonder Woman joined the Justice League; as well as integrating Greek mythology as in comparing superhero secret identities with Zeus incognito walking amongst mortals.
The beauty of this book lies within its crisp and concise structure. Add to that Bulman’s dynamic artwork, and you have a truly informative, entertaining, and compelling book. I leave you with one last example. Any fan will appreciate the four-page spread featuring all the gods in Wonder Woman’s orbit from the New 52 DC Comics universe. Very impressive for fans and casual readers alike.
“The World According to Wonder Woman” is published by Insight Editions. This is a hardcover 64-page book in full color priced at $16.95. For more details, visit Insight Editions right here.
Has anyone ever done a collection of Wonder Woman cover art?
I like this on Cover Browser: http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/wonder-woman
Without searching, I can’t think of a book like that but it’s a great idea.
That’s pretty cool. It’s fascinating to watch an evolution of a single character like that. Great link – thanks! 😀
The superhero genre isn’t always given the credit it deserves. So, it’s great to take the time and look back.
I think comic artwork in general is grossly under-appreciated.
Looking at those 350 issues, you can spot shifts in the cultural trends. I wonder which one influenced which more.
It is fascinating to study the changes. As far as influence, my first impression is that mainstream comics react to the culture at large with some exceptions. You think of Superman, for instance, and I think that’s one significant exception.
That does sound neat, yeah.
There’s more in that series too, including Batman and Spider-Man.
Wow, it’s a beauty!
Pretty impressive!