Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood (The New 52) (Wonder Woman (DC Comics Hardcover))
Pity the poor superhero writers, eternally obligated to balance comfortable familiarity with fresh reinvention. Azzarello leans toward the latter, counting on the fact that, for the world’s most famous superheroine, relatively little of Wonder Woman’s backstory is widely known. He also jettisons proper superheroing in favor of mythological intrigue, as Princess Diana protects a mortal woman pregnant with the child of Zeus, with the political future of Olympus in the balance. Diana also learns the truth of her own heritage: she was not born of clay but is herself a child of Zeus and a victim of a lifelong lie. Azzarello brings the harder-than-usual-hitting action and razor-sharp dialogue from his tough-as-nails 100 Bullets, establishing his heroine as a fierce protector and a woman in search of community. Chiang, meanwhile, merges modern streamlined figures and gritty combat with a classical sense of beauty for a look that’s distinctive, but not dissonant, within contemporary superhero comics. Among DC’s massive relaunch, the New 52, Wonder Woman stands slightly outside the pack to establish its own mythology and sense of fun. --Jesse Karp