There are two things I really dig about Wonder Woman #75. The first is the art. Specifically, Xermanico’s work on the big double-page splashes. You’ll see one in the preview below that DC sent over, but they persist throughout the issue.

Many great Wonder Woman artists have used the technique of illuminating the gutters with ancient Greek-looking artwork. It’s a trick that adds atmosphere to a book, which is so important to the comic reading experience. It’s so easy to go from one-word balloon to the next and not slow down to take in the totality of the story the page is trying to tell. Things like illuminated page gutters or quirky panel flow help pull readers out of that literal reading of a comic to make sure you’re appreciating the full scope of the work.

The second isn’t in the preview. It actually comes a couple of pages after the ones below, but it’s so good that I want to spoil it a little, and I think I can get away with it. As you can see, Grail (Darkseid’s daughter) has captured Themyscira and Hippolyta. Diana and some others are in Dimension Chi, a pocket universe created by Hippolyta, and are preparing to retake her home. Wonder Woman talks with Antiope about her plans, and writer G. Willow Wilson gives us what I kind of see as a brilliant encapsulation of Diana as a character, a sort of Grand Unified Theory of Wonder Woman.

Talking about Grail, she says, “Perhaps we can negotiate a peace…she will see the benefit of avoiding armed conflict.” When Antiope replies basically “Nah, ain’t happening,” Diana tells her, “Then we have no choice but to prepare for battle.”