While the start of the newest Wonder Woman story captures the scope of the threat, it still has a few missteps.
The last few arcs of the Wonder Woman series have been rough, to say the least, in terms of storytelling. Every story presented has shown such great promise but falls apart by the end. Diana finds her brother, Jason, but we get little interaction as we read issues of flashbacks. She faced a villain she inadvertently created but was oblivious to why. Then there was what happened the last arc with a lackluster war between Darkseid and Themyscira. A battle that was ended by the literal power of familial love against Darkseid. Now we face a threat to the world, and I’m left asking the same question as before: Will this idea be executed better than the last arc?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
All across the world, people are going insane with visions of god-like beings heading to Earth. One such person is The Cheetah, who has broken out of her cell to try and make a sacrifice. The target ends up being Veronica Cale, the villain of Greg Rucka’s Rebirth arcs, but Wonder Woman intervenes. Meanwhile, Jason has been on his path, which will lead to the origin of his armor and his long-lost adopted father.
The biggest problem in the issue is one that’s been a consistent one throughout this creative run: lack of focus. For a comic that is about the mighty Amazon, Wonder Woman appears the least in the issue. We’d have more attention dedicated to Jason and Cheetah than her. That being said, it’s also this broad view that makes the story interesting. You see how this new threat is actually changing these people. Cheetah has been brought back into the story and is more of a threat in this issue alone than Darkseid was in his whole arc. I presume, as the story goes on, the focus will be brought in as Wonder Woman and Jason face these Dark Gods. This could be the arc that makes this creative run memorable, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Art:
Stephen Segovia is on illustrations for this issue, and it honestly has its highs and lows. There are some fantastic designs in the book, such as the AI Adrianna and Wonder Woman herself, but then we have the weird things. Weird facial expressions or movements that kind of push you out of the moment. It’s not terrible, but when you notice it, it’s hard to forget. Romulo Fajardo Jr returns to coloring duty and, to no surprise, continues to rock it. It ranges from dark and dreary to bright and colorful, bringing the book to life.
Conclusion:
This issue holds great promise for not just the arc but the series as a whole. The stakes feel heavy as old and new enemies rise, even if Diana isn’t there to fight all the time. The art does a decent job capturing the world and making it feel alive. Overall, this Wonder Woman arc might redeem the run if it stays its current course.
