Best products from r/WonderWoman

I posted this a long while ago:

Ahem

Perez > Rucka > Heinberg > Simone.

George Perez - I suggest starting with George Perez's run because this reboot lays all the groundwork for everything Diana is leading up to (and I'd argue including) the New 52 reboot. He sets up everything. He reintroduces/recreates her villains into the modern versions most people are familiar with. We see Diana truly grow from a somewhat scared, naive young woman into the amazing hero we know her as. There are some phenomenal stories in Perez's run, and very little filler.

George Perez wrote the book starting with 1987's Wonder Woman v2 issue 01 through issue 62. Not all of it is in trades, and not all of it is important. I'd honestly say that as long as you read his first two years on the book (issues 01-24 and Annual 01), you're good to go. You can always continue reading if you really enjoy his work, or come back to it later to see what he does after those two years.

Only issues 01-24 and Annual 01 are collected in trades, and volumes 01 and 02 are getting rarer and harder to find. My local library has them, so I'd suggest checking your library. If they don't have it, try Inter-Library Loans to see if they can get it from another library for you [Check here for a list of Perez's trades]. Or, find other means. The issues aren't usually hard to find.

There is a hardcover omnibus of issues 01-24 and Annual 01 coming out next summer.

Greg Rucka - George Perez does amazing work establishing the character; Greg Rucka does an amazing job of expanding the character and making her seem both more human and more superhuman at the same time. Generally considered to be one of the greatest runs on Wonder Woman, Rucka crafts some truly wonderful stories. He started with a graphic novel titled The Hiketeia and then wrote the main Wonder Woman title from issue 195 to its end at issue 226.

Once again, most of these trades are out of print, but a lot of them are still readily available at comic stores for normal prices [Here's a list of those trades]. Again, check your library if you can't find it elsewhere.

Allen Heinberg - Allen Heinberg was only on the series for five issues (four issues and an annual). And while his collection is far from amazing, it does set up a good bit of status quo for the book following the end of Rucka's run. One trade titled Who is Wonder Woman, collecting issues 01-04 and Annual 01 of Wonder Woman v3. Still readily available, and worth a read.

Gail Simone - I think Gail Simone's run is second only to Greg Rucka's run, and I really wish she had been on the series longer. She took over on Wonder Woman v3 at issue 14 and stayed until it ended at issue 44. Her run is great, with some really interesting story arcs, some fantastic new characters (both good and bad), and some of my absolute favorite issues of Wonder Woman.

It's collected in five trades, and only one of them is out of print. Unfortunately, that one is my favorite of her run. But, again, libraries, or local comic shops may still have copies for regular price.

***

At this point in your reading, you will have a deep and varied understanding of Diana as a person, as a superhero, and as a comic book character. At this point, you can pick up any Wonder Woman story from any era and pretty much understand what's going on.

I know this skips a lot, and there are some other good runs (Phil Jimenez's is okay, but feels like George Perez-lite; William Messner-Loebs has some interesting stories, but nothing amazing). And there's also a ton of great pre-Crisis stuff if you're into comics from the 1940s-1980s.

And please, if you ever have any questions or want more suggestions, please feel free to ask. I'm always excited to help people get into Wonder Woman.

I'll try to help clear up some terms for you. Lol the golden age of comics is basically any comic made in the 1930s-50s. The silver age is any comics made from 1955-1970. The new 52 started in 2011. It is when DC ditched all of its old titles and started over with 52 new running comics. The new 52 recently ended this year and they started new again and called it rebirth. Trades are collections of comics bound into a book so that they are easier to collect and less expensive typically.

The book you're asking about could be a good place to start because you might read a story in there you enjoy and then you can find which comic it came from and expand on it but you wouldn't get exposure to anything current.

Personally, I would start by reading Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman run. It has beautiful illustrations. It has a lot of really cool ties to Greek mythology and the mythology of Wonder Woman herself. The story is her fighting her personal demons and how she came to be. It really makes you understand why she is Wonder Woman, her emotions and what makes her tick. The way he portrays Wonder Woman is perfect. She is honest, brave and so morally sound. It's a great read.

Also, the sensation comics that came out in 2014 are super cool. Each comics is a collection of short stories by different writers about Wonder Woman. Most of them are super upbeat and sometimes funny. And the art is always awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/Sensation-Comics-Featuring-Wonder-Woman/dp/140125344X

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/140123562X/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_of_9?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RS38640PTRA9SK6981WW

Good on you for starting with Perez!

Which Rucka are we talking about? Because both runs are absolutely fantastic, but his second run (Rebirth) is utterly fantastic, and definitely the closest to the Wonder Woman seen in the film.

I'd also strongly recommend:

– The Legend of Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Origins - A fantastic reimagining of Wonder Woman's classic origin.

– [Wonder Woman: The Golden Age, Vol. 1] (https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Golden-Age-Vol/dp/1401274447/) - 40's Wonder Woman.

– Wonder Woman: Earth One, Vol. 1 - Superstar writer Grant Morrison's take on the character.

– [Wonder Woman '77, Vol. 1] (https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-77-Vol-1/dp/1401263283/) - If you like the campier elements of Wonder Woman.

A few people in these replies are recommending Greg Rucka's stories. I agree, but I'd like to give some clarification on his two different runs and how they are collected.

Pre-new 52:

• His run begins with the graphic novel The Hiketeia (2002), then continues into Wonder Woman vol. 2 #195–226 (2003-2006).
  
• Easiest way to get this run is via these volumes: Vol1 (includes The Hiketeia), Vol2, Vol3 - the last collection was only published less than a month ago!
  
• The Hiketeia is good, and it has Batman in it, but personally I think Rucka's main run on the numbered comic issues - with all his embassy supporting cast - is better.
  
  Then after the New 52 launch (with Azarello's run), he returned for the Rebirth issues:
  
  
• Wonder Woman vol. 5 #1-25; Annual #1 (2016-2017)
  
• These have a weird structure where the odd-numbered issues tell stories in the present day ("The Truth" followed by "The Lies") and the even-numbered issues are an origin story ("Year One" and "Godwatch").
  
  Or if you don't want to navigate runs of that length, and just want a nice straightforward story told in a single book: just go and read JLA: A League of One!

The Hiketeia is included in Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka Vol. 1 and that is also one of my favorite collections because I just love Rucka’s WW so much. He writes her so well.

I'd say pick up the volumes of Wonder Woman by X (IMO the best runs being Rucka's and Perez's)

I second the Greg Rucka suggestion.
[This is the volume I started with.] (https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Greg-Rucka-Vol/dp/1401263321/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496175713&sr=1-15&keywords=wonder+woman) It's really lovely.

Not counting the "Diana Prince" collections where she was de-powered the whole time (and not really recognizably Wonder Woman), the only trade collecting WW comics from that era (I believe) is "The Twelve Labors".

But if you're just starting, you really want to do yourself a favor and read the Perez run. It starts here.