Wonder Woman’s Just War Concludes Here!
Wonder Woman is caught in a civil war while searching for Steve Trevor. It turns out he found safety in the presence of a reincarnation of Aphrodite. She has grown tired of love, seeing as the emotion has lead to violence all across history. Steve corrects her thinking and convinces her to help Wonder Woman, who is meeting with the Prime Minister of Durovnia. The rebels agree to speak to the Prime Minister to find common ground at a sacred site to both sides. He decides to go, under the protection of Diana, Steve, and Aphrodite. Before the heroes can get the leader to the location, one obstacle stands in their path: Ares. Will this war end in peace or bloodshed?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
The Prime Minister tells Wonder Woman to stand down so he can face Ares. He explains it’s his duty to confront this threat as an elected official. Ares exposits how mortals pick monsters as their leaders as they understand them. As he prepares to kill the supposed monster, Diana intervenes to fight. Ares quickly disarms Wonder Woman of her Lasso, but the Amazon reminds him that she is the master. Before the fight gets too bad, however, Aphrodite steps in to subdue the God of War. With the battle, over and done with, the Prime Minister speaks to the rebels about a ceasefire.
I feel like this conclusion could have been good if the opening was better. Throughout the story, Ares seeks a Just War, yet we don’t know what that means. From what I gather, it’s supposed to include men who are willing to put faith in the enemy to help find peace in the end. Wonder Woman assures this about the ceasefire will help as Ares looks upon the war-torn nation. Again, this is just my guess. There are probably others who are much more qualified who could analyze this. As a common comic reader, however, it wasn’t very fulfilling. Hopefully, in the next arc, Wilson will be able to tell a much smoother narrative.
Art:
I love Xermanico’s illustrations. Each character looks fantastic; full of expression and emotion. The previous artist’s designs are given a new life thanks to the out of this world art. There is a panel at the end of the story that is just breathtaking. It’s the perfect way to end the story. I wish we could keep Xermanico, but the solicitations for the coming issues say otherwise. I’m going to miss this team, and I hope to see them real soon.
Conclusion:
There are glimmers of a good story here, but doesn’t quite hit the mark. The action and art are good, but the flaws of the story weigh it down. If we had a stronger start, it might have been better. I don’t regret reading it, but we need a stronger opening in the next arc.
