The truth comes out that if Hephaestus didn't save them, the Amazons would have drowned them simply for being male. It's a harrowing moment for Diana as she has to come to terms with the fact that her people murder innocents on a regular basis. By the final panel, Diana is weeping into her hands. It's a solemn end and a dramatic set-up for next month's journey into Hell. Read Full Review

Cliff Chiang's clean, soft linework is, as always, stunning, and I'm pleased to find the more soothing tones of his work don't affect his ability to deliver monstrous, even grotesque character designs. His inhuman visions of the Olympian gods never fail to impress. His take on Hephaestus reminds me of cover artist Dave Johnson's simple but dark style. Chiang also deserves credit for conveying the immense scope of the underground workshop of the god of the forge. at first, the artist impresses us with the urban Italian backdrop, enticing the reader with its architectural beauty, and then he transports us from a figurative fantasy land to a literal one. Read Full Review

As beautiful as the tale of Eros conducting us through postwar postmodernism, down to artisanal under-Firenze, down to mythic under-under-Firenze is, this is simply set dressing. The real story here in this issue is the body-blow after body-blow that Diana's personal outlook takes. The real story is the skill and the genius, and the courage with which Brian is able to craft a character as psychologically "secure" as Wonder Woman into a greater arc of neonoir. The real story isn't even the truth she learns"it's the truth she learns about herself, about her refusal to accept the gift of a whip from the Smith, and about what her lasso really means, and how its power is effected in her arsenal and in herself. Read Full Review

Azzarello's run on Wonder Woman has only just begun, and with the established themes in this story so far I can't see her not coming face to face with the Amazons again and experiencing some sort of closure as to why they would hide so much from her. We don't know exactly where the creative team will be taking the character, or what the end that's being worked towards will be, but as far as we've seen so far we can count on it being filled with emotional revelations, interesting characterizations, and something completely new and original for the character. This issue was just one more amazing stepping stone towards whatever is to come in unforeseen future. Read Full Review

But for those of us old enough to handle it, highly recommended! Read Full Review

Azzarello and Chiang continue to successfully build the mythology of Wonder Woman and her origin in the New 52 DCU. I find it hard to find any substantial faults with the direction Azzarello is taking Wonder Woman and her world. It's fresh, it's exciting and it's entertaining. As I've said time and time again, Wonder Woman is a series you should be reading. Read Full Review

This is by no means a bad issue. There are a lot of changes made to cannon, (which left me uneasy) but it is a good, solid, well written, beautifully illustrated story. In addition, thechanges made to the Amazon's aren't really that far out. Infanticide and infant abandonment is said to have been commonplace in Ancient Greece, and practiced by Greek city-states like Sparta, for example. If Azzarello used the Spartans as an example for his story (a city-state built on the warrior mentality) does that make sense? Do the changes made to the Amazons make them more closely line up with some ancient hellenistic traditions and practices? Something to think about. Read Full Review

It's understandable that the shock factor of Wonder Woman #7 might further alienate fans who remain attached to Wonder Woman's pre-relaunch background, especially following the headline news that Zeus is her father. But speaking as a longtime fan of the character, I think Azzarello's risk-taking has paid off. Read Full Review

Azzarello has done a first rate job introducing a ton of juicy plotlines; now he needs to concentrate on weaving them together and using them to make Wonder Woman, the character, as compelling and easy to love as Wonder Woman, the title. Read Full Review

All in all, it was a good first foray into Wonder Woman, and Azzarello and Chiang have intrigued me enough that I will probably return for issue 9. Read Full Review

Art-wise, it's a great cover. Hephaestus's arm lends a grotesque element to a scene of Diana, face grave and resolute, forging a weapon. If the cover were in any way indicative of the storyline, it would undoubtedly have been a great issue. As has happened with the past couple of issues, this one places Diana in a position of strength she never actually attains in the story...ever. However, it's great art. Read Full Review

The net result of all is that Wonder Woman #7, and most of the series, for that matter, hasn't really been a pleasant read. It's been interesting and unique enough to stick with this long, but Diana is trucking in a world that's all ugly underbelly - and she's about to journey into the literal underworld to boot. Read Full Review

R.I.P. Kato: A true friend to one who has so few. Read Full Review

I've dropped far better books when they ceased to entertain me, but I can't bring myself to do it with Wonder Woman. I feel like a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, where I believe that next year things will be different despite all evidence to contrary. But I can't bring myself to quit, as you just never know someday it may come true. Never has my being a fan been such a burden. Read Full Review

As a feminist comics reader, it is tough to find great books starring female characters and I hoped that with such a fantastic creative team as Azzarello and Chiang we had found it in "Wonder Woman," a book and character deserving nothing but the best. However, The Amazons as an idea are not simply one-dimensional monsters -- flawed though they may be (as any fictional character or people should be) -- and presenting them as such sends a horrible message, especially in a medium and genre with so few positive strong female portrayals. At the end of the day, I tend to choose story over all else and if this truly served the story I would agree to come along, but Azzarello just doesn't get us there and as a result the book feels like a huge misstep in what was until now a fantastic run. Read Full Review