Artist Alex Ross & Writer Paul Dini continuue their annual series of oversized Graphic Novels with The Spirit of Hope, and this one is just as good, if not better, than the previous three.
Wonder Woman is, without question, one of the iconic "Big Three" DC characters, alongside Batman and Superman. She also comes in a distant third in terms of high-quality stories. Very few creators have been able to really get a handle on the Amazon Princess. An immensely powerful (and beautiful) Amazon sent to the outside world as an Ambassador of peace, she has often been portrayed (wrongfully) as a butt-kickin' brute.
Well I'm happy to say that Dini & Ross have gotten it right! Spirit of Hope stands right alongside Chris Moeller's amazing Wonder Woman Graphic Novel JLA: A League of One as my all-time favorite Wonder Woman books.
Spirit of Hope doesn't really have a story, per se; more an overlying theme: Wonder Woman questions the way she has been going about her mission of peace. After consulting Clark (Superman) Kent in a wonderfully understated scene (They have coffee together...), she decides to try to accomplish her goals in a more low-key manner: Not as Wonder Woman, but as Diana.
Ross manages to successfully alternate between the bombastic Wonder Woman scenes, filled with double-page spreads, to the quiet scenes of Diana helping in a more Human manner. The pages of Wonder Woman saving a young girl from a tank are amazing! You really feel Wonder Woman's pain and confusion as she is greeted, less than enthusiastically, by the Arab people she is trying to save. Dini and Ross really capture her true essence: A loving, kind woman, who also happens to be able to toss around Tanks! It's also nice to be able to finish a comic and have a warm feeling inside....Good job, guys!