[Comic Book Review] The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins by Renae De Liz & Ray Dillon

The Legend of Wonder Woman is the origins of Diana's life. From her mother's past, how Diana was born, and how she became the infamous Wonder Woman we all know and love. With help from Steve Trevor and Etta Candy, Diana becomes Wonder Woman as she has to defeat the Duke of Deception.

4 STARS 

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. The story was really fun and immersive. I loved the beginning with young Diana and how fiery she was at such a young age. I loved her relationship with Etta (who by far is my favorite character, although Diana is pretty great) once they met.

I appreciated that the story itself was packed with information and a full story. I forgot how much more reading superhero comics and graphic novels entail versus a non-superhero story. I think the story itself is really well done, and I loved the humor that was sprinkled into the dialogue. I didn't know how adorable Diana was (her love for popcorn!) but at the same time how incredibly strong and selfless she could be. I really liked seeing how much she cared for Earth, even if she was from a totally different world. I also loved Etta Candy, I was worried that she was going to be a stereotypical fat sidekick, and I am so happy I was proven wrong. She was such a great character, I loved her big heart. She just wanted to be friends with Diana, she opened up her home to her almost instantly, she helps her form the persona of Wonder Woman, and she sticks by her friend's side through thick and thin. I am so happy with Etta's character. I would have liked more personality from Steve, especially since he's Diana's love interest and it's just the start of their friendship.

There are a couple things I that I wasn't the biggest fan of, which is why I couldn't give this five stars. One of those things is something that typically isn't a problem, which is the font color choice. The orange caption boxes were really hard for met to read most of the time. The orange was so light that it blended into the art most of the time and it made it really hard to focus my eyes on to read. Gratefully, they don't happen as often as the speech bubbles (which were perfectly fine) so it wasn't the biggest deal. I just found myself skimming a lot of the orange boxes because my eyes hurt to strain them. The other thing I had an issue with is that the pacing was a bit off. The story does drag at times, and although I think it is worth the read and it's worth pushing through the slower bits, it did slow me down as a whole when it came to reading. Especially if I paused during one of the slower moments, it made it hard to be motivated to pick it back up because I knew I'd have some pushing to get to the more exciting parts.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and there are so many pieces and pages I want framed and hung on my wall. I couldn't help but take photos of the art and show everyone who I knew would appreciate it. I loved how colorful it all was, and even during the darker pages it was still so striking. I cannot recommend the art of this book enough.

Unfortunately, I read that the second book of this series got cancelled because of some conflict between DC and the artists working on the book. Which really makes me sad because although the story has a completed arc, the end opens up the next story line they would have done next. I would have loved to read more, but I definitely plan on keeping an eye on the artists and what they make next.

Overall, I highly recommend this volume. The artwork alone is worth it, so its just a bonus that the story itself is so much fun. However, I would remember that it can drag a bit, but the artwork and story's end game make it worth the read. I cannot wait to watch the movie, especially now that I have a bit of backstory of who both Wonder Woman/Diana are as characters. I didn't know much about her before this comic book collection.

Thanks for reading! 

Have you read any Wonder Woman comics? Do you plan on seeing the movie?