Comic Book Journal

To Will Pfeifer: Will, please, STOP!

Why must another major city suffer every time you pick up the pen? What did Washington DC ever do to you? Okay, bad example but still . . . first half of San Diego falls into the ocean and then an enraged army of Amazons beseige our nation’s capital? Do I sense a pattern developing?

“Amazons Attack” is not only Will Pfeifer’s latest foray in the world of Wonder Woman, but also the latest in DC’s many attempts to revitalize Wonder Woman, and this one starts out with a bang!

During Infinite Crisis, Wonder Woman faced a moral one - stop mind-altering villain Max Lord from killing Batman with Superman - which she did, by killing Max Lord. This leads Wonder Woman to be wanted by and eventually imprisoned and tortured by the US government, under the direction of a shapeshifter masquarading as Sarge Steel. Too bad enchantress Circe, one of Wonder Woman’s most persistant foes, gets wind of this and somehow ressurects Wonder Woman’s mother, Hipployta (the first WW), who, under Circe’s influence, leads her sisters in a massive invasion of Washington DC.

Amazons Attack #1 is good, but there’s a lot happening. The Amazons are killing every male they come across in DC - including civilians and children. Fighter jets are circling ahead as monument after monument is cut down by the Amazon invasion, the aforementioned shapeshifter is still up to no good. The page ends on (naturally) a cliffhanger, as Wonder Woman faces her resurrected mother for the first time.

As you can see, its a look to take in, and this is really the part that weakens the issue as whole. No mentions of Hippolyta’s past as a hero is given - its one thing to see an Amazon attack Washington, but quite another to see a former member of the JSA behead the Lincoln Memorial. Pfeifer makes it all sharp and suspenseful, but the diverse array of action from scene to scene is somewhat disorienting.

Overall, while this particular issue might not warrant a purchase, keep an eye on mini-issues - because future issues certainly will. The solitictations show a bold new plotline in the span of this six issue storyline, and with Will Pfeifer at the helm, you can expect plenty more surprises where that came from.