112
Wonder Woman: Paradise Found (Edition 2023)
Screenwriter and Lead Penciller: Phil Jimenez
Additional crayons: Travis Moore, Brandon Badeaux
Inkers: Andy Lanning, Lary Stucker, Marlo Alquiza, Kevin Conrad, Jose Marzan Jr.
Colorist artists: Patricia Mulvihill and Tom McCraw with Heroic Age
Letterer: comics
Reviewed by Steve J. Ray
Published by DC Comics – ISBN Published by DC Comics – ISBN 9781779524379
Available from Penguin Random House
Summary
Last month I had the good fortune and privilege to review the brand new version of lost paradisenow the wonderful folks at Penguin Random House have been kind enough to send me the equally amazing follow-up collection, Wonder Woman: Paradise Found (Edition 2023).
Much like its predecessor, this great book collects a seminal arc from Phil Jimenez. It tells one of the greatest Wonder Woman sagas of all time, as well as being one of the inspirations for the next lost paradise Warner Bros. television project.
Here is the synopsis of the book from the Penguin Random House website:
Good points
Above all, it is a book written and drawn by Phil Jimenez. This is an extreme positive point, in itself. The rest is pure sauce. We also have guest pencils from Brandon Badeaux and a very young Travis Moore. Now everyone who knows me knows how much I love Travis’ work. In my opinion he is one of the best artists working in comics today. Seeing his early work here was wonderful. Although he was clearly new to the game at this point, you could already see the makings of a great performer in these early pages.
It’s a comic book to get your teeth into. Most comics today give you next to nothing to read, while this book is pretty heavy on words, by comparison. For me, that’s a plus because I feel like I’m getting more entertainment for my money. Don’t worry, though. This ain’t 90s/90s Claremont x-menbut there’s even more text here than you’re used to.
Comic book fans know that every now and then a grand cosmic event arises that takes over the stories that unfold in your favorite books. At times, this can be a nightmare, as ongoing plot threads and character arcs are sometimes sidelined or even ignored altogether for the sake of the event.
Late 2002 and early 2003 saw DC release the alien invasion epic, “Our Worlds at War,” and, of course, as one of the publisher’s signature characters, Wonder Woman was to be involved. Phil Jimenez, rather than ignoring the incredible work leading up to the book and which would follow after the crossover, deftly weaved his narrative and that of the saga together, almost seamlessly. You won’t need to find the many OWaW collections to understand or like this book. In fact, if I hadn’t mentioned it, you might never even have noticed.
That means in this epic graphic novel, we get gods, aliens, war, terror, death, tragedy, and more action than a summer of blockbusters. This book clearly inspired the now-legendary Snyder cut of Justice League, but there’s so much Amazon Lore, DC characterization, history, and world-building that every fan, old or new, will choose a book that will delight and entertain. them from start to finish.
Think about it! A new Cheetah, the second Silver Swan (what a shock!), Imperiex, Darkseid, Circe, The Joker and Lex Luthor are the villains of the play. Then we get stellar appearances from Superman, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, Cassie (Wonder Girl) Sandsmark, Tempest, Jade, Donna Troy, Artemis, The Titans… and the list goes on.
negatives
Are you kidding me? Reading this book was a total blast. Yes, I was watching it through nostalgia-tinted sunglasses, but I’ve reread more recent stories that have aged far worse than these. It’s vintage comic entertainment and the most fun you can legally get for $20.
Verdict
Historically, this saga clearly shows when Phil Jimenez stepped out of George Pérez’s shadow and proved that he was now as complete and brilliant a creative talent as his mentor could have hoped. That’s about the highest praise I can give.
The only thing that could be better than buying yourself a copy of this magnificent new edition of Wonder Woman: Paradise Found would be to get it at the same time you pick up lost paradise. This is high-octane vintage comic book entertainment; but with heart, soul, character, tragedy and true depth. We see Superman cry, get a tribute to the 9/11 dead, and a true reminder of the power of the comics.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Images courtesy of DC Entertainment. Review copy courtesy of Penguin Random House.