The Classics - Wonder Woman #329

   The "New 52" brought a lot of attention to DC because it was a new beginning to all its characters - but it's not the first time the company has undertaken a reboot.

   In 1985 the company was rocked by Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the result was that some characters were rebooted - while others were not.

   That kept the event from being completely successful, but it did lead to some interesting moments.

   For example, two major characters - Superman and Wonder Woman - had their never-ending stories reach an end. Honest!

   This was the final issue for Diana (not counting a mini-series that followed), marking the dividing line between the Silver Age heroine and the new version crafted by writer / artist George Perez. (Interesting to note that the letters page promotes the new series being written by Greg Potter.)

   Writer Gerry Conway took advantage of the final story and crafted a big story with a clash of gods, battles between massive armies and the culmination of a decades-long love affair.

   Providing the art was Don Heck, the much-maligned artist who turns in impressive work here. The poor printing doesn't help his cause, but he still turns in a strong effort, with sprawling splash pages and a cast of hundreds. He was well-matched with Wonder Woman thanks to his skill at depicting beautiful women.

   The comic rambles a bit (and has an odd turn here and there), but it manages to bring the long-running story of this version of the Amazon Princess to an actual conclusion - and perhaps no one should be surprised that it is, for the moment at least, a happy and touching finale.

   It wouldn't last, as this version of Wonder Woman faced her final fate a month later in the last issue of Infinite Crisis, but seeing an ongoing series conclude is a rare event in comics - it's best to enjoy it when we get the chance!

Grade: B

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