Sensational Comics #1: A Roundabout Review

Sensational Comics #1

By Gail Simone

And Ethan Van Sciver 

I tried out SuperMan and Wonder Woman #1 for the possibility of DC producing a romance book in the world of super heroes. It's been a long time since comic titles like Young Romance and Young Love have been around. Of course, it is 2014 and Image is producing a vast array of comic books in separate genres, so why not DC. Unfortunately, the chance I gave that title has been squandered. 

Going though my LCS had me pick up a few goodies on an above average week, but not enough where I couldn't try something new. I picked Sensation Comics #1, written by Gail Simone, who has proven herself in an industry still dominated by men; and this title be her was to be my latest #1. Her name alone will make me look at a book, and in this case, a second look. The original Sensation Comics ended in 1952 and was given a once-over in a one shot back in 1999. DC apparently thought it was time again.

Ethan Van Sciver created a cover that makes you wonder aloud, "How long is Wonder Woman's lasso?". His interiors are also appealing to the eye, but thrown off by page 12 alone, considering it's by another artist, Marcelo Di Chiara. 

Gail Simone pits Diana against Batman's foes. Wonder Woman's imagination may be the only true way to deal with Batman's enemies and four panels on a single page halfway through the story had me thinking that a universe where dead means dead might be intriguing. The second half of the book was left unread, a separate story altogether. If Gail disappointed me, what chance did Amanda Deibert have? 

The book was fun for just one moment, but it left me with a sense of distaste. The story takes place outside the "New 52", which has me take pause, asking myself that if stories are still being told withdrawn from current universe, then what was the point of starting over in the first place? Both stories state "The End" on their final page. I'm left wondering, will the stories continue or will it be a decade before another Sensation Comics is produced? And if a number two isn't published, is that really a bad thing? If you want to try a new number one, skip this and pick up Grant Morrison's Multiversity. 

One out of Five stars