WONDER WOMAN COME BACK TO ME #5, releasing this Wednesday from DC Comics, brings us back to the crazy adventure Diana and her friends have gotten themselves into. And it has gotten even more chaotic than before, which is saying something.
***SPOILER WARNING***
A friendly reminder, before we begin: Wonder Woman Come Back to Me has been published once before, during a run in Justice League Giants. This collection is really just for fans that missed that, or for the collectors out there.
So far, each issue of Wonder Woman Come Back to Me has been split into two parts. And yet, Wonder Woman Come Back to Me #5 felt like it wasn’t broken up at all, as it flowed from one part to the next in rapid succession. It made for a fast-paced issue, one with a surprise twist.
In this chaotic plot, Wonder Woman went off after the lost love of her life, only to find herself (and her allies) in a strange world. Things only got weirder from that point, culminating with everyone getting pulled aboard an alien space ship. Only, it doesn’t actually end there.
To say that this is a wild plot would be an understatement. It seems like every page brings about a new danger or surprise for Diana to deal with. And thus, the readers are kept entertained as the plot bounces from one thing to the next.
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti did an excellent job of moving the plot forward while keeping it surprising and unpredictable. This may be the most out-there plot that Diana has had to experience. But it certainly is a memorable one.
Wonder Woman Come Back to Me #5 boasted one major plot twist. But it also went a long way in explaining some of the dissonances that has come up before now. There are still a whole lot of questions that need to be answered. But at least we’re getting closer to the truth.
Wonder Woman Come Back to Me #5 has artwork that matches the chaotic and fast-paced plot. The battles are bright and dynamic, with Cheetah’s enjoyment of the brutality being clear to everyone. While sometimes the expressions of other characters can seem a little bit off, on the whole, everything is carefully thought out. And some of the expressions were perfect (especially every shot that showed Cheetah’s delight).
Tom Derenick (pencils and inks), Alex Sinclair, and Hi-Fi (colors) and Travis Lanham (letters) worked together to bring us this issue. And they did an exciting job with what they were given. The book is vibrant and brightly lit, making it very pleasing to the eyes.
There’s little doubt that the highlight of this issue came from the battles shown. They were intense and dramatic, all while displaying an excellent understanding of movement. There were some apparent juxtapositions made between Wonder Woman’s fighting style and the alien Princess’ savagery in combat. But that was smart, as it was the first hint towards something untoward.
The other satisfying part of the battles shown was that they had a real sense of impact. It was hard not to wince whenever Diana took or delt a blow, as the artists made them feel so real. In many ways, those fight scenes carried more weight than the threat of unnamed guards and electric weapons.
Wonder Woman Come Back to Me #5 has brought us a lot closer to getting the answers that we’ve been desperately seeking. And at least now we finally have a face for the person behind everything – even if we don’t understand the why just yet.
It was an exciting issue, on the whole, with one major twist about halfway through. In hindsight, it’s something we probably should have seen coming. But the transition was nicely done. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects everyone’s plans to get back home.
