Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Tony S. Daniel, Batt, and Tomeu Morey
Published by: DC Comics
Reviewed by: Ryan “Irish Rican” McLelland
Superman and Wonder Woman. Together! In one comic! Before opening this book up I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. I was hoping for perhaps the two on a date in some decent Metropolis restaurant playing footsies under the table. That’s because I’m lame and have no imagination. Luckily DC hired Charles Soule to write this book and not me. I do think 23 pages of footsies would rock, but I digress.
Superman/Wonder Woman #1 is broken up into two interweaving stories. The first deals with Superman and Wonder Woman in the present as they fly into a storm. They end up helping a plane and pondering to each other how weird it is that there is a storm this time of year. As you read you can’t help feeling that you have two of the most powerful people on the planet in the same exact place and their actions (hanging out near a storm?!?!) might be a bit beneath them. Not that saving a bunch of people in a plane heading into a huge storm is a bad thing but you’d think there would be a better way to spend their time together.
Wonder Woman goes to save the plane. Superman flies into a whirlpool that leads to the depths of the ocean. He comes back flying through the air but not of his own accord. Something has hit him. It being Superman something BIG must have hit him. And that something is…
Let me stop as I’ll get to the second part of the story. The flashback part. Here we see Wonder Woman and Superman in their “civilian worlds.” Clark hangs out with Cat Grant at a bar which hopefully means that Kent is finally playing it a bit loose as he sips on a Jack and Coke. It’s the drink I imagine Superman drinking, I’m not sure why.
As Superman gets his drink on in Metropolis, Wonder Woman is in London. Diana and Hessia are practicing their fight moves as they discuss the relationship between Diana and Clark. She’s a bit miffed that their relationship is a secret. I just wonder if there’s better things to talk about in-between punches. I do like the fact that Wonder Woman is acting a bit like a 16 year old high school student in love with the quarterback. I guess that’s what you get when you land the strongest and dreamiest guy on the planet.
The comic wraps up with Clark and Diana hanging on a balcony. There’s flowers for a girl. A sharp sword for a boy. I guess that’s flirting. It also reveals the mystery villain that attacked Superman in the present. Of course it also bothers me that this villain was hanging out exactly where this storm hit which is exactly where Superman and Wonder Woman were, but I think I nitpick too much. Without the setup there’s no story and there would be no comic book.
Overall Superman/Wonder Woman #1 is a very quick read that basically sets you up for the second issue. It’s a decent read but because there’s no real substance to the story you feel quite empty after reading it. Everything that happens in the story, including a subplot about someone who knows that Superman and Wonder Woman are “into” each other, is simply preparing you for the next chapter.
The book does suck you right in. It’s not like you don’t want to read the next issue so it does its job in making you want more. Tony Daniel’s artwork is simply stunning and he does a great job illustrating Soule’s script. The book looks damn pretty so that is one major plus.
Thinking about picking this book up? You won’t call it the best book of the week but you’ll have a fun time while it lasts. The reveal of the mystery villain will have me picking up issue 2 based on his appearance alone. I would like to see more playing of footsies between our two heroes so if you are reading this Charles Soule you can start making some edits now.
OVERALL: 7/10
