DC presents another collection of flash fiction stories for one of its greatest heroes in a stylish format with Wonder Woman Black and Gold #3. Rarely-explored areas of Diana’s identity and personality are given fresh light alongside more traditional perspectives in a collection of five standalone tales that are brought to the page in gold, black, white, and shades of grey. Writers for the third issue include Janet Harvey, Robert Venditti, Paula Sevenbergen, Nnedi Okorafor, and Aimee Garcia. Artists giving life to the stories range from the simple linework of Megan Levens to the stylish Steve Epting to the amplified fantasy of Inaki Miranda.

Wonder Woman has been many things at many times in many ways for the past 80 years. The third installment of Black and Gold has Diana in a range of different roles from defender to lover to educator and more. More so than in previous installments of the series, the third issue has a little bit of nearly every end of Wonder Woman’s personality in it. It’s a remarkably well-rounded issue that manages some powerful visuals along the way. 

The issue opens with a Diana/Steve Trevor romance overview that engages in some resonant thematic poetry by Janet Harvey. Paula Severbergen gives Wonder Woman the kind of strength rarely allowed to her as she stands up to Apollo himself in an awe-inspiring cosmic-level story. By far the most impressively written story has to be Venditti’s “Espionage,” which explores Wonder Woman’s 1970s Diana Rigg-style super-spy era in a way far more clean, concise and inspiring than creator Denny O’Neil ever managed. Eight pages go a long way towards making up for one of the least-loved eras in Diana’s long and winding history. 

“Espionage” is sharply brought to the page by artist Steve Epting, who delivers some of the strongest visuals in the issue. Diana’s 1970s martial arts prowess is given impact and precision in a series of well-executed panels. Once again, the black and gold of the format dazzle in a few choice moments. The contrast between the black and gold looks positively gorgeous in artist Jack T. Cole’s spacewalk with Diana in “Do No Harm,” which delicately echoes 2001: A Space Odyssey shades. The gold highlighting is given added impact in “The Stolen Lasso of Truth,” in which Sebastian Fiumara drawing an earthbound Chicago punctuated by the golden magic of the Lasso of Truth. 

The series is already halfway finished, and it feels like it’s just getting going. They are endless possibilities in 7-8 page standalone stories that haven’t really had much of a chance to develop. It’s nice to see DC giving them a home in series like Wonder Woman Black and Gold, but mini-series feel far too limited to really explore the depth and breadth of storytelling possible in short-shorts. The multi-faceted nature of Wonder Woman makes her a perfect fit for an anthology like Black and Gold.

Grade: A