Rucka and Sharp both departing Wonder Woman with issue #25

In a post on his Tumblr, writer Greg Rucka announced he would be leaving Wonder Woman with issue #25 since the bimonthly pace had become too taxing for him. In a separate but subsequent FB post, artist Liam Sharp announced he too would be leaving the book, but ” not straying too far.” He also too kthe occasion to post some of his attractive art for the title.

Rucka came back to Wonder Woman with much fanfare when the Rebirth relaunch began, last year, writing two parallel storylines on the book. noe, drawn by Nicola Scott, had been planned as an origin story for young Diana  before Rucka quit DC under some controversy.

The second storyline was drawn by Sharp and presented a modern day “Who is Diana Prince” type plot. The entire run was met with general acclaim (along with some criticism of course), and Rucka’s handling of Wonder Woman over the years is seen as one of the better runs on the book.

Also: If DC does not hire a female writer to work on the book now, watch out for the social media fire storm!

Here’s part of Rucka’s statement:

Before we get to rampant speculation, this is my decision. I just can’t maintain the pace on the title while also fulfilling my commitments to my other collaborators. It is, genuinely, as simple as that.

Writing Diana again has been an amazing experience, on the level of a dream-come-true. All any of us who’ve worked on the book this last year have wanted is to serve her well, to illuminate what we so absolutely believe makes Wonder Woman such a remarkable and unique and timeless and important character. To have had that opportunity is something that I doubted I would ever get again. Most of us don’t get a single bite at the apple, let alone two, you know? To get that opportunity at a time when Diana is rising to such (long-overdue) prominence makes that apple all the sweeter. That she’s turned 75 during the course of our run is–to ruin the analogy–icing on the cake.

We started Rebirth with a specific, though fairly broad, mandate from DC. “Bring her back to her core,” was what Geoff Johns told me. How we did it was up to us. Our success in doing so is measured, of course, by you. Wonder Woman 23 sees the end of our “primary” storyline, “The Lies/The Truth,” and Wonder Woman 24 serves as something of an epilogue to that tale. Wonder Woman 25 will, I hope, set a table for who is to follow, and provide for them as much room to work and explore and grow. Diana’s future is bright, that’s what I’m saying.

Comics don’t get made in a vaccuum. Everything that we’ve done this past year is the result of so many people, of so much effort on their parts. Good editors are hard to find anywhere, but Mark Doyle has assembeld an amazing team with Chris Conroy and Rebecca Taylor and David Wielgosz. They are unbelievably good at their jobs. We wouldn’t have managed one issue, let alone 26 (I’m counting the Rebirth issue, too!) without them.

And Sharp’s post.

These two made some good comics together…and reading between the lines of Rucka’s praise for Sharp…maybe the not too far means a reunion for them on another title?