Superman/Wonder Woman #2

Writer Charles Soule Artist Tony Daniel

 

Introduction

 

Superman/Wonder Woman needs to be extremely careful when treading the ground on Wonder Woman’s main title. Her family has not been handled by anyone except by series main writer Brian Azzarello. It seems like it would be a safe assumption to guess that writer Charles Soule has done his homework on that title, and will be treating these characters with the utmost respect. In exploring the dynamics of the Superman and Wonder Woman romantic relationship, the scribe had a very intriguing first issue, exploring the unexplored territory of the New 52. Another great moment, was the fact that Soule was digging into some political intrigue that the couple could evoke from the military. The only aspect of the first chapter that fell slightly short with me, was the art of Tony Daniel. His scratchy Image-esque figures do not click with readers in a story such as this one. Cover images are nice, but overall the sci-fi approach that is uniquely tied to the artwork detaches the audiences from the writing.

 

Writing

 

Soule spends a brief amount of time widening the scope of his title, and giving a real sense of danger to Doomsday, who does not appear that often. The exposure of a villain can make him weaker in subsequent stories, this careful approach from the writer is absolutely necessary, and quite elegant as well. Through the terror of strengthening the dynamics of the relationship given here is the best possible thing you can ask for from a comic book series such as this one. The inclusion of the gods from Wonder Woman are more sparse than the cover would make readers think, but they are used with a deft hand that shows Soule knows what he is doing. In a case like this, less is actually more. Most importantly, the characterization for everyone is mostly spot on here. The scribe also wisely chooses to keep the supporting cast that he established in the first installment intact, this adds some Spider-Man like drama that shakes things up.

 

Art

 

Daniels art fairs slightly better than the first installment in this issue. The opening splash page has some great kinetic energy that moves the story at a sharp pace. The way in which the artist draws Doomsday is also particularly expansive, evoking some really great scope that adds weight to a series that can occasionally be too tame. A splash with the caped crusader touches on some of the great classic elements of the character that have been missing from the publisher as of late. In fact, there are many great splash pages in the issue, showing that Daniel is aware of his shortcomings and exceeding all expectations. This issue is very visually dynamic in a manner that makes complete sense, and adds a great sense of variety. The two characters are jumping throughout the DC Universe with a sense of glee, that Daniels seems to convey with ease. It is interesting that this larger world propels the issue to some greater heights than previously seen with the title.

 

Conclusion

Soule and Daniel continue to thoroughly impress readers on this stellar comic. The book is better than it has any right to be. Enjoy the two creators run swiftly through the DC Universe with a large amount of swagger.