WONDER WOMAN ’77 SPECIAL Review #2
Who is Wonder Woman? pt. 1 “Who’s Sleeping in My Bed?” (10 pages)
Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Jason Badower
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $7.99
Diana Prince awakens dazed and confused on the street. A police officer helps her to her feet. Diana asks an elderly passerby the day of the week. The woman tells her “Saturday” and suspects Diana was partying hard. As Ms. Prince walks past a storefront window, she sees a reflection of her true, heroic self. Suddenly, a cry for help is uttered specifically directed at Wonder Woman.
Diana sneaks into an alley and begins to spin. There’s no transformation!! A silhouetted figure is seen flying overhead. It is Wonder Woman, the Cathy Lee Crosby version :0 Even my head went for a loop when I saw that page. The blonde uses her strength to nab the bank robbers.
Diana is even more disturbed than usual. A banner indicates that there is a Wonder Woman Festival the very next day. When she places a call to Steve Trevor, the man on the other end has no such resemblance to the co-star. He is the small screen depiction of the character as portrayed by Kaz Garas. He threatens to charge Diana with pranking a government official, makes a snarky remark about Prince Charles, and irately hangs up.
Finally reaching her refuge, Diana hopes to think things through. Shock follows shock when her mother Hippolyta and her sister Drusilla (Wonder Girl) await her!
Who is Wonder Woman? pt. 2 “My Own Worst Enemy” (10 pages)
Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Matt Haley
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
The women in Diana’s apartment are also false images. They introduce themselves as Dr. Julia Kapatelis and her daughter Vanessa. I can’t believe Diana just blurts her secret ID to these two complete strangers! Granted, she’s enraged and doesn’t realize the extent of the force used on Julia. Diana apologizes and bolts.
Re-enter CLC WW. She addresses Diana as Ms. Troy [that’s Donna, the ‘real’ Wonder Girl for all your hardcore fans!] CLC tries to calm her and urge her to return to the hospital and retake meds. Diana doesn’t fall for it. In fact, she fells CLC with a swift drop kick!! She holds her own extremely well despite her civilian guise. A welcome interruption is made by Steve Trevor who throws a beer bottle at the aggressive blonde. He is a bum/wino!! A mailbox knocks him out.
Diana takes off her specs and gets ready to rumble. The imposter doesn’t give up easily. As she shoves Diana into a car, the costume is seen through the torn clothes. With a determined spin, the real deal emerges. When CLC is tied up with the magic lasso and asked to reveal her identity, a mirror shatters showing WW strapped in a lab. The culprit is astounded and annoyed that his quarry has broken free. It is none other than Dr. Psycho!
Who is Wonder Woman? pt. 3 “Psycho-Therapy” (10 pages)
Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Matt Haley & Richard Ortiz
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
The mini-madman mind-blasts our heroine. A rogues gallery materializes comprised of Chaka, Cheetah, Fausta, Giganta, the imposter WW, Silver Swan, and a Skrill. None of the opponents are a match for the true (red, white, and) blue Wonder Woman!!!
Diana snaps out of the revelry by putting the golden lasso around herself. Once that happens, everything is crystal clear. She snatches the pint-sized profligate. When he attempts to mind-zap her again, the lasso acts as a conductor. With a little tug, Wondy redirects the current to Dr. Psycho putting him out of commission. He gets a taste of his own medicine. He envisions nightmarish versions of his nemesis. WW flies (glides?) with him and returns him to wherever he is interned.
The turmoil ended, Diana makes herself a tea and preps a soothing bubble bath. Steve calls and invites her to A Chorus Line. Diana politely declines by using the oldest cliché in the book. Steve gives up and lets her enjoy the rest of her day off.
Awkward confession!! I jumped the gun by reviewing this last week. I bought the book from Comixology. The issue wasn’t complete. It had the first story “Disco Inferno”. Plus, when reading it, each page was double-spread and counted as twenty. Thus, I assumed exactly that, knowing the full print issue would be 80 pages (with ads). As of today, with the hard copy in my hands, imagine my surprise when I flip through and see that each chapter is only 10 pages. I was in a tizzy with this additional story.
Once again, Mr. Andreyko captures the magic of this beloved series. I laud him for blending the new with the old, the modern with the classic, the two distinct media. He has fully embraced all the elements that make up the Amazing Amazon’s history in such a simple, yet flawless manner. Only the most devout fans would easily pick up on the Easter eggs. The stories are told at a quick pace. The dialogue is brief and concise. That is perfectly fine. The story does not need to be dragged out.
Jason Badower gets three stars for depicting Diana Prince as the demure beauty. How he managed to make her be an exact replica of a bespectacled Lynda Carter is beyond me!! Cathy Lee Crosby’s costume is pretty accurate with minor tweaks.
Matt Haley draws more oblong figures. The women look a little too slender. Cathy Lee Crosby’s version looks much better here. She exudes sex appeal while her body language means business. Wonder Woman looks mighty fine as she awakens from her trance.
Richard Ortiz collaborates with Mr. Haley for the last chapter. Wondy appears to be too minx-y as she lassoes Dr. Psycho but the warped versions of her are downright creepy. That’s a good thing. The diminutive doctor lives up to his namesake when he vehemently attempts to subdue the star-spangled champion.
Romulo Fajardo, Jr. carries through once more. His work on the various villains is spot-on. He keeps the hues and tones simple rather than overwhelming the senses.
To say that this has been an absolute pleasure is a gross understatement. I give this second entry 9 stars out of 10.
Additonal Content:
Article by Andy Mangels (6 pages)
Artists’ sketches (6 pages)
