REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me,’ Issue #1

Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1 from DC Comics was originally published in Justice League Giant #3-4 and is written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, with art by Chad Hardin, Alex Sinclair on colors, and Travis Lanham serving as letterer. Already released as a trade and in Justice League Giant #3-4, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1 collects part one and two of the “Come to Me” story.

In it, Wonder Woman fights a roaring wildfire in Montana, hangs out on the beach with her partner Steve Trevor, and ultimately begins Wonder Woman and Etta Candy’s rescue mission after Steve’s test flight is lost somewhere over the Bermuda Triangle. The pair land on a wild island with talking crabs and a dinosaur or two, plus a really attractive giant jaguar-man the size of a kaiju.

That being said, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1’s story feels about as disjointed as that synopsis. The small moments are pulled together into what should be a through-line to Etta and Diana’s search for Steve. But, beyond that, it feels campy and not truly serious even in while Wonder Woman is saving firefighters from death and commanding wildlife – yes, she does that.

However, the dialogue feels stiff with pieces of the humor falling short of eliciting the relationship humor that Conner and Palmiotti are going for with the interactions between Diana and Steve.

The highlight of Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1 for me isn’t Conner and Palmiotti’s story. No, instead it’s buff Wonder Woman drawn by Hardin. She’s gorgeous, muscular, and Sinclair’s colors are as vibrant and sunny as the island Diana and Etta finds themselves on. The art is better than the story but it’s also not perfect.

While I’m in awe with the Amazon’s physique, when she shows up to save the day, the victims of the fire look utterly terrified. While it could be that Hardin was aiming to make the firefighters afraid of the fire, they look terrified of Wonder Woman as she descends on them. Beyond that, their dialogue in the bar after seems less about admiration and gratitude and more about “who the hell was that?”

I can’t say that Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1 scratches my Wonder Woman itch, but it does have some stellar posing shots of our hero that I would gladly frame and hang in my office. Beyond that, it isn’t bad, it’s just there. Whether this is because this is the third printing of this particular story or it’s because of the story, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1 is average in everything but the design of Wonder Woman herself.