A comiXologist Recommends:
Harris Smith recommends Sensation Comics #1

Wonder Woman has always been kind of the odd girl out in DC’s Big Three.  There’s no denying that she’s a great character, but writers have always seemed to have a hard time figuring out exactly what to do with her.  The immediate appeal of Superman, rooted in his overarching sense of All-American goodness and epic-scale adventures, and Batman, defined by his moody stoicism and hardboiled urban crime milieu, are far easier to pin down than the mythological roots of Wonder Woman, or her conception as a proto-feminist super-heroine by psychologist William Moulton Marston in 1941. 

Over the years, Wonder Woman has gone through many iterations.  In her earliest stories, she frequently aided the US Army against the Axis during World War 2. Later, in the 1960’s, she gave up her superpowers and learned martial arts, running a mod clothing boutique while also working as a spy. In the 80’s, George Perez’s reboot returned to her mythological roots, and largely defined the character through Brian Azzarello’s New 52 reboot.

It stands to reason such an elusive, yet powerful, character would be well-served by an anthology series, something that lets different artists and writers evoke their own visions of who Wonder Woman is and what she does without necessarily being beholden to ongoing continuity.  After the success of their Digital First series Legends of the Dark Knight and Adventures of Superman, DC has wisely chosen this path with their newest Digital First, Sensation Comics.

The first issue kicks things off with a literal bang as Wonder Woman takes on the villains of Gotham City after the Bat-Family is massacred in an explosion.  Penned and illustrated by two of DC’s top creators, Gail Simone (gailsimone) and Ethan Van Sciver, Sensation Comics #1 is full of breathless, exhilarating action.  In just 20 pages, Wonder Woman takes on the Joker, Two-Face, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Penguin and even Man-Bat.  It’s a thrilling start to what promises to be an exciting run of diverse and imaginative takes on a true feminist icon and one of the all-time greats of comic book heroism!

[Read Sensation Comics #1 on comiXology]

For fans of: female leads, superheroes

_{Harris Smith is a Brooklyn-based comics and media professional. In addition to his role as a Senior Production Coordinator at comiXology, he edits several comics anthologies, including Jeans and Felony Comics, under the banner of Negative Pleasure Publications. He’s also the host of the weekly radio show Neagtive Pleasure on Newtown Radio.}