Diana has returned from the dead. No one really expected her to be gone forever, but that doesn’t mean that her return isn’t a cause for celebration in Wonder Woman #780. Writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad take Diana through the motions in celebrating her return to the realm of the living in an issue brought to the page by artists Travis Moore and Steve Pugh. Color highlights the drama courtesy of Tamra Bonvillain. It’s rare that a hero’s triumphant return is allowed to dominate a full issue of a major title. Conrad and Cloonan conjure all the right emotion in an issue that feels suitably momentous. 

The first place she goes is Justice League headquarters. Martian Manhunter is sitting down to a couple of cookies when she suddenly appears out of nowhere. Clark and Bruce happen to be slouching about at the time, so she’s got some high-profile guys to hang out with while she’s there. She’s got a meeting with Fate...Doctor Fate. Before she can get to that, though, she’s going to talk to her mom and then save a few refugees on her way to Themyscira. She’s been away a while, so there’s a hell of a lot to do.

There was never any question that Wonder Woman was going to return to life beyond the afterlife. Nevertheless, Conrad and Cloonan do an impressive job of applying all the right dramatic pressures in all the right places to make her return seem celebratory. The deeper concerns of how the afterlife might have changed her linger moodily in the background of an issue featuring a little bit of everything and a whole lot of drama. Having returned from an epic heroic quest, Diana is given an opportunity to reflect on the complexities of her life. 

Moore handles the bulk of the art in the issue. With so many people happy to see her back, Diana gets a lot of hugs and handshakes...(practically one every other page early on.) Moore manages to make each embrace seem distinct and unique. Even the handshake with Bruce seems to carry a certain distinctive familiarity to it. Moore delicately delivers the subtle nuances in Diana’s emotional posture from person to person. This variation gives Diana’s supporting cast quite a bit of subtle emotional depth. The scene with the boat and the refugees allows for a bit of action to provide a powerful visual counterpoint to an otherwise largely social issue.

The changing of paths for a major hero can be really, really tricky to frame...especially for someone who has been around for 80 years like. Diana has been a nurse, a government agent, a private detective, a defense attorney for a dog, a slave, a space pirate, an employee at a taco restaurant, and so much more over 80 years. What’s one more change? How the hell is she supposed to define herself in the face of all that history? Conrad and Cloonan do an outstanding job of making this particular transitional moment feel unique and important..

Grade: A