If you read my review of Wonder Woman #17, you know that I didn’t particularly care for the issue. In the midst of critiquing all of the problematic writing and art decisions, I mentioned a panel that really got on my nerves only in passing. It was this slap of encouragement from Orion:
Not classy.
But while Wonder Woman was busy getting her ass slapped and then not doing much of anything else in her own book (except talking and walking), she also appeared in several other titles in a suitably kick ass fashion with some other great DC heroines.
In Batwoman #17, the “World’s Finest” arc wrapped up with Batwoman and Wonder Woman teaming up to take down Medusa and this huge monster that was terrorizing Gotham:
The issue was gorgeously drawn by J.H. Williams III, and featured our heroines (along with two other gals, Hawkfire and Maggie Sawyer) taking down bad guys and saving the day. There was no ass slapping whatsoever, just good old superheroics.
Over in Supergirl #17, Wonder Woman tried to talk some sense into Supergirl, who had teamed up with the villainous H’el to try to go back in time and save Krypton. Initially, Supergirl wouldn’t listen to reason and so they resorted to fisticuffs:
It was an epic fight, beautifully illustrated by the criminally underrated Mahmud Asrar, and ultimately Wonder Woman got the better of Supergirl AND showed her the error of her ways.
Finally, over in Justice League #17, Wonder Woman was part of the team that defeated the Atlantean attack on Boston. Usually, Wonder Woman is the only gal in the league, but check out all of the ladies in the Justice League reserves:
In this spread, we have Element Woman, Black Canary, Zatanna, and Vixen, and a female Atom shows up later on. Plus Mera was in the thick of things too. We went from one woman to seven!!
So while Wonder Woman might not have done much in her own book, she nonetheless had a great week elsewhere and saved Gotham City, Supergirl/the entire Earth, and Boston. All without ass slaps. This week, Wonder Woman was your worst Wonder Woman option, really. Luckily, there were a lot of other fun choices!!
TIM HANLEY 
WW must be the only character written much better in other books than in her actual one, its disgraceful.
I thought her team-up with Kate Kane in Batwoman was really rather well-done…these two could actually make a good ongoing occasional best-friend partnership, in the same vein as Black Canary/Oracle,Misty Knight/Colleen, Spider-Woman/Ms.Marvel or Phantom Girl/Shadow Lass.
Diana’s guest app in Supergirl was well done also, tho the overall effect is spoilt for me by Kara’s dreadfully designed ‘Lady GaGa having a breakdown’ costume.
Yesterday I had a spare 45 minutes and decided to read the last six issues of the current WW book…it was like watching a US sitcom with multiple characters, of which Diana was only one. I can honestly say it didnt feel like I was reading WW at all…
I’d love to see more Wonder Woman/Batwoman team-ups in the future, and I totally agree that there’s a great potential friendship there. I hope DC develops that. As for Supergirl’s costume, I actually like it. The crotch area is a little weird, but I love the cape design and the weird boots have grown on me. I think it’s a look that could be really cool with a couple little tweaks.
So Wonder Woman’s not written “well” unless she’s punching someone/something? There’s a lot more to her than that.
Honestly, though, I’ve had all I can take of the N52 and I’m ready for the old DCU to come back.
It’s not that she has to punch something so much as DO something. She didn’t do much of anything in her own book except get talked at, ass slapped, and follow Ares around, but she accomplished quite a bit in the other three she appeared in. And in different ways too. Batwoman showed her prowess in a magical situation, in Supergirl it was a defensive sort of fight to help out Supergirl, and in Justice League it was a more strategic battle with a whole team. They were all fight-centric, but they each showcased a different side of WW. So yes, I definitely agree that there’s much more to WW than punching. But I’ll take punching over her sitting around and getting an earful any day 🙂
Fair enough. Since the zero issue, I think Azz has put a lot of emphasis on showcasing her compassionate side — such as her encounters with Siracca and Milan and her friendship with Zola. I agree that he does need to mix it up a little. 🙂
It was stated that its been ten years since she and Ares last spoke and IIRC, she was 14 in the zero issue. So a year has gone by?
Btw, who’s your favorite WW writer of all time?