Wonder Woman: Blood (Comics) | Review

The amazing Amazon gets dragged through absolute hell in the New 52 reboot and everything you thought you knew about Diana Prince shatters like brittle clay. Blood collects issues 1-6 and throws Diana into the deadliest family drama imaginable in Greek mythology.

Writer Brian Azzarello (Hellblazer: Hard Time, Superman: For Tomorrow) and artist Cliff Chiang (Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre, Green Arrow/Black Canary) strip away superhero convention to rebuild Wonder Woman as brutal Greek tragedy where gods scheme, mortals suffer and family means nothing when power hangs in the balance.

Zeus has vanished from Mount Olympus, leaving behind pregnant mortal Zola as target of Hera's jealousy. Diana protects her, unaware this costs everything. Strife reveals the truth: Wonder Woman wasn't sculpted from clay. She's Zeus's daughter and Hera wants her dead.

The story opens with Hermes visiting Virginia farm girl Zola, warning her of imminent danger before centaurs attack. He throws her a magical key that teleports her to Wonder Woman's London apartment, dragging Diana into divine politics. Hermes explains Zola carries Zeus's child and Hera will stop at nothing to destroy them both.

Diana takes Zola and wounded Hermes to Paradise Island seeking sanctuary among the Amazons. The homecoming celebration sours when Strife arrives, goddess of discord. Using the Lasso of Truth against Diana, Strife drops the bomb: she's not clay brought to life by divine gifts.

Hippolyta confesses she lied to protect Diana from Hera's wrath. The Amazon Queen had a passionate affair with Zeus and Diana resulted from that union. The clay story was fiction meant to shield her daughter from Hera's jealousy. Diana's childhood tormentors who called her Clay were closer to truth than anyone realized.

The revelation breaks something fundamental in Diana. She punches out her sparring partner when challenged, then announces she's leaving Paradise forever. Hippolyta's deception feels like ultimate betrayal, severing Diana's connection to the only family and home she knew.

Diana tries drowning her grief at a London nightclub with Hermes and Zola. Strife shows up offering twisted sisterhood, suggesting they terminate Zola's pregnancy to solve everyone's problems. Diana smashes a wine glass into Strife's hand, making clear the baby stays under her protection regardless of divine family politics.

Hera descends on Paradise Island while Diana parties in London. The scorned goddess confronts Hippolyta about Zeus' affair. Despite Amazons raising weapons in defense, Hippolyta accepts responsibility. Hera transforms every Amazon into snakes and turns Hippolyta into lifeless clay.

Diana returns to Paradise Island hoping to make peace with her mother. Instead she finds devastation and her mother frozen as the clay she claimed Diana was born from. Hera's revenge is complete and permanent, leaving Diana with no family, no home, only Zola.

Apollo appears in Singapore consulting makeshift oracles about Zeus's disappearance. They predict a child of Zeus will kill another to seize power, which sends Apollo hunting for potential threats. He burns the oracles alive after getting his information. Apollo approaches his brother Ares seeking alliance to take Zeus's vacant throne.

Wonder Woman recruits allies outside the pantheon. Lennox, another son of Zeus, explains the power vacuum on Olympus and warns every god wants the throne. Diana confronts Poseidon announcing she's protecting Zola. The sea god refuses to recognize her as a kin.

Diana negotiates with Hades and Poseidon, proposing they share heaven by ruling alternately with one queen. Hera interrupts exactly as Diana planned, allowing her to use Hermes's staff to teleport to Mount Olympus. She warns Hera will regret what happened to Hippolyta, only to discover Hades kidnapped Zola during her absence.

Hades holds Zola hostage in the underworld, demanding Diana fulfill her bargain or the child dies. Every god has an agenda and Diana's caught in ancient schemes. The pantheon treats mortals as disposable pawns, leaving Diana fighting where heroism accomplishes nothing.

Cliff Chiang's artwork divides readers. His designs give each god distinct personality evoking Greek pottery. Strife looks mischievous and dangerous, Hera radiates cold fury, Apollo shows arrogance. However, the style leans cartoonish and lacks detailed pencil work found in other New 52 launches like Batman or Justice League.

Action sequences hit with visceral impact. Diana fighting centaurs, Paradise Island tournaments and divine confrontations crackle with energy. Chiang uses precise panel work guiding your eye through violence with clarity. Tony Akins contributes on select issues, maintaining consistency.

Azzarello's writing strips super-heroics, treating this as Greek mythology with a DC character dropped into chaos. Dialogue feels natural without exposition dumps. Gods speak with casual cruelty about mortal lives and Hippolyta's confession lands with devastating weight because Azzarello trusts the audience to understand betrayal.

Pacing stumbles juggling divine subplots. Apollo's schemes, Poseidon's ambitions and Hades's manipulation compete alongside Diana's journey. Some readers found abandoning traditional Wonder Woman elements jarring but Azzarello commits fully to mythology-driven horror.

Blood succeeds as bold reinvention prioritizing character depth. Azzarello understands Diana works best stripped of easy answers and forced to navigate impossible choices between protecting innocents and honoring divine politics. Zola's pregnancy drives the plot but Diana's shattered identity elevates this beyond god-punching.

The minimalist artwork won't appeal to everyone expecting visual density of New 52 titles. Chiang's cartoonish style feels rough compared to contemporaries but serves the mythological tone. Azzarello's writing makes artistic choices worthwhile despite dividing opinions.

Blood connects to Flashpoint that birthed the New 52 timeline. The volume sets up Azzarello's run spanning seven volumes, establishing threads about Zeus's disappearance, the power vacuum on Olympus and Diana's new family of exiled gods paying off through War.

Essential for fans wanting Wonder Woman treating Greek mythology seriously rather than window dressing. Azzarello leans into horror elements, brutal family dynamics and moral complexity. The clay origin retcon remains controversial but execution justifies changes. Diana caught between divine schemes and compassion.

You can read Wonder Woman: Blood story arc in physical form as the trade paperback and hardcover, collecting issues #1-6 of the New 52 run. For digital reading, the title is offered on Amazon Kindle, ComiXology and DC Universe Infinite services.