Wonder Woman: Love and Murder

Finished October 26
Wonder Woman: Love and Murder written by Jodi Picoult; drawing by Drew Johnson, Ray Snyder, Rodney Ramos, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, and Paco Diaz; Colorists: Alex Sinclair, Lee Loughridge, and Dave McCaig; Letterers: Rob Leigh and Travis Lanham

This graphic novel consists of five chapters, and begins with an introduction to what happened previously to set up the action.
I loved the kitschy Wonder Woman TV show when I was young, and picked this up with interest to see what was up with her now. I found the storyline a bit disjointed and felt that more introduction was needed to some of the characters that suddenly appeared. The flow between chapters wasn't smooth, but the story did continue through the entire novel.
I found the depiction of Wonder Woman in her Diana guise to be dumbed down to an alarming degree, not something I ever pictured her as. Other characters seemed rather slow on the uptake or easily fooled as well, not the strong females I was expecting.
The drawings were great, and showed continuity despite different artists for different chapters.

Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest Reflection

Finished October 24
Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest Reflection written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Ardian Syaf, inked by Vincente Cifuentes

This graphic novel starts as Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, moves out of her father's house into a shared apartment. She saves a couple from a random house invasion, but soon finds there is a new enemy out there who draws on his own grief to inflict the fate of death on others.
As she grapples with this enemy, she encounters another who also draws on her own painful past as she launches her own crimes. There are appearances by both Nightwing (formerly Robin) and Batman. Barbara is still recovering from the injury that lost her the use of her legs, and she has fought to regain her independence and strength. When someone from her own past reappears, she doesn't know how to deal with it, and this volume doesn't resolve that conflict.
Delving into both the inner woman, and the larger, more dangerous world around her, this volume gives Batgirl a voice, showing her discovering herself as she tackles the world.