I love coffee table books. And you all know I love comics. That said, I was happy to look at Bob Greenberger’s Wonder Woman: Amazon. Hero. Icon.
The book takes a widescreen look at arguably the most important female super hero in the history of comics.
The book is filled with large prints of Wonder Woman artwork and comics pages, both of which are the hallmark of a good coffee table book. But if you’re looking to find out why Wonder Woman is so important, this book doesn’t necessarily share that.
Don’t get me wrong. Greenberger’s research on the topic is well done. The early chapters which chronicle the life of William Moulton Marston are fascinating and worth a read for them alone. The problem with this book is the subject itself; Wonder Woman just isn’t that interesting.
And it really pains me to say that. I mean, I did enjoy reading it and learned some new things. The art was beautiful. But what it made me realize that Wonder Woman hasn’t really had that many poignant or memorable stories over the years. She just kind of happens to be along for the ride in the DC Universe. It’s a shame that such an important and strong character has been perpetually the second–and usually third–fiddle.
Before you all pull the “well you just don’t like lady super hero card” let me remind you that this is someone who has an extensive collection of Dazzler, Spider-Woman and Power Girl comics. Don’t go there. You won’t win.
It left me with the feeling that the most important thing about Wonder Woman isn’t so much the character itself but what it symbolizes: strong, independent women everywhere. It just annoys me that there isn’t this great legacy of strong material, which should be fitting for such a good character.
If there is, please let me know what I’ve been missing out on.
Ridiculously Awesome 