I’ve figured it out.

Wonder Woman is the “fajitas” of comics.

Bear with me here.

You see, as good as fajitas are, they can be kind of a pain if you aren’t ready for them. They come out sizzling (still cooking) on a skillet, accompanied by a plate of tortillas and fixings. All the ingredients of a great meal are there, but you have to do a little bit of work to put it all together.

Same deal with Wonder Woman. Azzarello and Chiang’s story feels like it just came off the fire, still sizzling and maybe too hot to consume right away. Featuring an unlabeled flashback and dialogue that spans panels, it’s a style that requires more than the usual amount of effort from the reader.

But just like with fajitas, you get back what you put in, and that extra effort on your part totally pays off in the form of a very tasty meal.