Happy Monday! Last week was a big week of releases, especially for DC Comics. Now to begin a new week there were a few additional comic books from my pull list I wanted to highlight. These are the next part in The Eltarian War arc in Power Rangers #13 and the latest DC Elseworld title Wonder Woman: Evolution #1. Both these comics are doing something different with the type of story they are presenting. Let’s see how both Power Rangers #13 and Wonder Woman: Evolution #1 turned out.
In case you missed them, reviews with full spoiler synopsis for Batman #117, Dark Ages #3, Nightwing #86, and Superman: Son Of Kal-El #5 are now live on the website as well.
POWER RANGERS #13
Creative Team
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Francesco Mortarino
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: With Mighty Morphin #13 kick starting The Eltarian War crossover event there really wasn’t much time for the Omega Rangers to assess what is going on over on Earth. That is where the strength of Power Rangers #13 lies. Ryan Parrott waste no time in putting the differences between the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Omega Rangers aside to deal with the serious threat that the Eltarians who have arrived on Earth pose. Its subtle storytelling but this decision does help progress Tommy Oliver as a leader who understands that the situation with the Eltarians is to serious to let personal grudges get in the way of protecting Earth.
It is also pure hype to see both the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Omega Rangers fighting together for the first time since Necessary Evil. It gets over how The Eltarian War really is a big event. It makes how the Eltarians choose to escalate things by bringing in the Empyreals hit the high note it should. It further presents yet another challenge for both Power Rangers team to overcome that will be extremely difficult. Which leads to some intriguing pairings to take place that will drive interest in future chapters of The Eltarian War arc.
Francesco Mortarino really hit the mark of the anime style that has defined the BOOM! Studios Power Ranger comic books. The artwork is all clean and chaotic at the same time. This leads to a lot of dynamic action sequences to show off the teamwork the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Omega Rangers teams have.
The Bad: Nothing.
Overall: Power Ranger #13 is a strong second chapter of The Eltarian War crossover event. Ryan Parrott wasted no time getting the Omega Rangers involved in the conflict with the Eltarians that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are involved in. The sense of escalation works well to further build interest in how things will turn out in the latest Power Rangers event.
WONDER WOMAN: EVOLUTION #1
Creative Team
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Mike Hawthorne
Inker: Adriano Di Benedetto
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Wonder Woman: Evolution #1 was not the opening issue I was expecting we would get to start a new DC Elseworld title. This is much more an introspective look into Wonder Woman’s psyche after she has been a superhero for some time. It is not completely clear how much time has passed since she left Themyscira but Stephanie Phillips does dig into the mental struggle a veteran Wonder Woman is having. Even in saving the day Wonder Woman doesn’t feel like she has done enough.
Which all made the conversation Wonder Woman has with Superman in this issue so intriguing. The disconnect between feeling connected to the world around her and being a God among normal people is something that does seem to weigh on her a lot. Superman is the one hero who can relate to this. Phillips does a wonderful job using how Superman has always grounded himself to help progress the character arc that this issue sets up for Wonder Woman.
The Bad: The ending for Wonder Woman: Evolution #1 is a bit awkward. Maybe the next issue will make the final few pages of this issue with Wonder Woman being teleported somewhere work better when read together. But the entire way it was done as an individual issue just did not work as something to hook you into the mystery Phillips tries to set up to explore in the next issue.
Mike Hawthorne’s artwork in Wonder Woman: Evolution #1 just does not work for me. The way he draws Wonder Woman in particular is just completely off from the rest of this issue. She just does not appear part of this world given how he designs all the other characters in this issue. Especially when she is standing next to Superman, Wonder Woman appears significally aged compared to Superman. Which goes against the the God Among Men tone the scene was trying to get across.
Overall: Wonder Woman: Evolution #1 is a good start for the latest DC Elseworld title. Stephanie Phillips provides a lot of insight into where Wonder Woman when this series begins. That character exploration is enough to get me back to find out the larger conflict that Wonder Woman: Evolution is going develop over the course of its eight issues.
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