Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 offers five remarkable Wonder Woman stories, living up to the high expectations set for the DC series’ debut issue.
Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 is the first installment in DC’s new six-part anthology series celebrating Wonder Woman’s 80th anniversary. Featuring five striking short stories, each from a different creative team, Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 includes a well-curated mix of stories that each shine a light onto a different facet of Wonder Woman’s enduring legacy as a character and hero. From battling mythical beasts to hanging out with Mom, Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 is sure to have something for everyone to enjoy.
The anthology series’ debut issue includes five chapters. Written by AJ Mendez with art by Ming Doyle, “Mother’s Daughter” tells the story of Diana and her mother, Hippolyta, spending quality mother-daughter time together. “What Doesn’t Kill You,” written by Nadia Shammas and with artwork by Morgan Beem, attempts to reconcile Wonder Woman’s anger alongside her passion for justice. In “I’m Ageless,” John Arcudi and Ryan Sook beautifully break down Diana’s worldview and the source of her iconic compassion. Written and drawn by Amy Reeder, “Golden Age” is a stunningly illustrated love letter to the world of comics Diana was born into whereas Becky Cloonan’s “The Wager” brings Wonder Woman back to the present, offering a sleek, stylish origin story for one of her most iconic tools, the Lasso of Truth.
The stories collected in Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 approach Diana’s character from vastly different perspectives. And, as any anthology issue should, the book showcases an impressively wide range of Diana’s history and personality. “Mother’s Daughter” gives a rare, relaxed look at a Wonder Woman with her guard down, which makes it perhaps the most unique chapter within the issue. “What Doesn’t Kill You” and “I’m Ageless” present vastly different versions of Wonder Woman, but both give genuine and honest accounts of how Diana views the world around her and her own place within that world. “Golden Age” lacks the narrative depth of the rest of the chapters but makes up for it with simply stunning artwork. Finally, “The Wager” gives a hard-boiled account of why Wonder Woman has remained one of DC’s most intimidating and powerful presences over the last eight decades.
Visually, Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 is equal parts engaging and magnificent. The artistic styles combined within the issue contrast in just the right ways while holding together perfectly. From Ryan Sook and Becky Cloonan’s intense and elegant shadows-filled panels to Morgan Beem’s wonderfully colorful, offbeat illustrations in “What Doesn’t Kill You,” the anthology issue brings together completely distinct art styles into one remarkable final product. Ming Doyle’s illustrations on “Mother’s Daughter” illuminate the laid-back affinity within the story, and presents a middle ground between the modern and the unconventional. However, Amy Reeder’s illustrations on “Golden Age” take the cake. With an electric, eye-catching style that pays perfect homage to Diana’s genesis, Reeder’s pages are the cherry on top of an already beautiful visual sundae.
With so many narratives and artistic styles gracing the first issue of Wonder Woman: Black and Gold, consistency and common ground may sound impossible to tease out between such wildly contrasting stories. However, the shared color scheme between the chapters adds a distinct uniformity among the stories. And instead of five unrelated chapters, Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 reads as a unified collection of stories that all, in their own way, try to show the audience something unique and powerful about Princess Diana.
Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1 is recommended for all comic book fans and especially fans of Wonder Woman. The issue offers a well-rounded mixture of stories, clearly written and illustrated with immense love and respect for an iconic character that has stood at the forefront of comic books for 80 years and shows no signs of slowing down.
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