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Okay, about-face. I disliked issue 5 of this series so much (because of the way the Greek pantheon was being portrayed) that I skipped issue 6. With artist Cliff Chiang returning for this one, I decided to give it another chance, and I liked it much better. The focus is on Hephaestus, the Greek weapon-maker, and his portrayal is much more appealing to me than some of the other recent introductions. I always felt bad for Hephaestus, he seemed to get a lot of mockery from the other gods and storytellers both, but here he’s shown as a workman who knows his tools, his workers, and has lots of insight into Diana as well, perhaps more than she does. An Amazon mystery is revealed: how exactly are new Amazons conceived, and what happens to male Amazon babies? Brian Azzarello’s answer is clever and feels appropriate, and Diana’s reaction is quite interesting as well.

Cliff Chiang’s art is still top notch in my book, and it’s great to see him back. Some of the other Greek gods and godlings (if that’s the right word. Sub-gods?) I still don’t like so much, but in general this issue got me back into the story and looking forward to the next issue.

Recommended.