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After continued delays in the publishing schedule DC Comics finally had to admit defeat. With no guarantee when Heinberg could finish the final part of his five issue story line, it was announced that the story would be wrapped up later in the year as part of a special Wonder Woman Annual. Instead, issue five would launch straight into a new story line by acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult. Her story was tied in very closely with a four issue mini series starting in March called “Amazons Attack!“, in which the Amazons return intent on waging war against America. As a result, DC could not afford for her run to start out of sync, especially as Heinberg’s own incessant lateness had already undermined continuity in other books within the DC Universe.

Originally, Heinberg had planned to tease fans with his “Who is Wonder Woman?” story line so that they were never really sure whether Diana would return to her rightful place as the Amazon Champion, or if instead Donna Troy would continue taking up the mantle. However, any suspense regarding the eventual outcome of this story was all but ruined within a couple of months as Diana made her appearance in the new “Justice League of America” book. Now fans knew exactly how things would work out and any clever plot devices Heinberg might have intended to use in order to draw out the uncertainty were all but made redundant!

This issue finally reveals where Heinberg had been leading fans as he makes his case for why Diana is the true Wonder Woman, depicting her outsmarting her foes with tact and guile – and all without her much vaunted powers. Once again, the Dodsons provide some stunning art. Of particular noteworthiness are a couple of splash pages – one depicting Diana performing the “Wonder” spin to transform into her costume and the final panel showing Diana confronted by her entire, revamped rogues gallery who are determined to take her down once and for all!

Anyway, back to Jodi Picoult. Apart from the “Wonder Woman Annual” #2 back in 1989, which featured stories all written by female authors, and a one shot story by Trina Robbins called “Wonder Woman: The Once and Future Story” written in 1998 together with her four part “Legend of Wonder Woman” mini series that ran between the end of Volume One and the start of Volume Two, one of the most iconic heroines in the world had surprisingly never actually been written by a woman in her own regular book.

Setting aside the obvious frustrations of Diana’s undisputed botched launch by DC, fans were intrigued to see how this respected female author would interpret Wonder Woman and build upon the shaky start made by Heinberg…