In Praise of Wonder Woman

Sonia Harris does just that on Comic Book Resource.

From the piece...

It might seem cheesy now to say that I like this comic book because it is moral and has a positive message, but that is who I see Wonder Woman as; a profoundly moral character. Someone almost on the level of Superman, but with more proverbial teeth, and a little less of the Boy Scout about her (and I mean that in the old school be-prepared or very-helpful sense of the words, not in the current ways that are so unfortunately in the news). It’s a big, bleak world out there and to my mind, what we need is a LOT more of the Perez-type of Wonder Woman.

So the story is hopeful and positive, but what of the book? How is so much packed in and why did it take me more than twice as long to read than a current trade paperback would? When I began looking at the pages, I realized that while most contemporary comic book pages are generally broken up into 4 or 5 panels (sometimes more, sometimes less), most of Perez’ pages comprise of 10 or more panels. It is absolutely insane that he not only packs in more sequential story telling, but he also doesn’t skimp on detail, nor does he EVER make the story feel crowded or squeezed. Somehow, I’m able to very happily read a page with 14 panels and not feel in the least bit confused about where my eye needs to go next, nor do I feel confused or overwhelmed by content. In fact, my early consumption of so many of Perez’ stories could explain why nowadays, I often feel so cheated by the lack of content in comic books – I was spoiled!