By: Brian Azzarello (story), Goran Sudžuka (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)
The Story: Diana ruins things for her re-election in the next Amazon election cycle.
The Review: Diana’s call for the Amazons to accept Zeke as one of their own may have been a radically progressive shake-up to a culture that’s stuck to its no-boys-allowed policy for so long, but it really is (almost literally) a baby step. Even though infancy has never stopped the Amazons from their zero tolerance, they owe some degree of respect to their gods, especially now that their entire spiritual underpinnings are coming apart.
Things are looking bad indeed for the Olympians, as two others fall to the First Born, although the consequences are unclear. Even the—spoiler alert—defeat and torture of Hades, allowing the dead to walk among the living, doesn’t seem to register on the world at all, as not a single mortal notices the mischievous, faceless souls around them. The fall of Hermes* has even less impact, except as an emotional blow to our cast. You’d think the deaths of gods would have some profound effect on the DCU at large, but so far, they’re disappointingly contained to this title.
At least the situation drives the remaining Olympians to band together, consolidating their powers on Paradise Island, their only remaining refuge. Diana can use the bad-cop routine from Hera and Artemis, even if both suggest that she’s not as take-charge as she can be, but the arrival of Dio and Hephaestus’ family is likely to only exacerbate tensions with the Amazons.
The only hope for unity among all parties lies in Diana. As queen of the Amazons and goddess of war, she’s the only one fit to lead them all against the First Born, yet her concerns lie elsewhere. “[W]e need to have a society in place that can sustain itself and grow,” she declares, and the end of the issue reveals that she means more than merely adopting Zeke; she wants the Amazons to recognize all their kin, including the boys and men they’ve abandoned for centuries. Now that is a shake-up to Paradise Island. On top of all the other changes Diana calls for, you’re almost inclined to agree with Aleka and even Dessa, most loyal of the Amazons, that this is too much, too soon.
But I say Diana should go for it, every chance she gets. The action may be purely socio-political, but this is the most assertive she has ever been in this series, perhaps the culmination of all the challenges and revelations she’s had to endure since the first arc. Demanding progress and showing compassion even to her detractors place her in a far better light than all speeches, lovely as they are, can do. “It’s time to admit we’re not perfect. And it’s an admission that I, for one, am relieved to make. Because out of perfection…? Nothing can be made.” It’s a metafictional statement, I think. Diana is no longer the pristine paragon of women she used to be, but that Diana was boring; there really is little left to go from such perfection. This Diana is a little unsure of herself, still experimenting with the kind of example she wants to be, and that gives us a much more interesting heroine.
Maybe I’m just getting used to Sudžuka, but this seems like the strongest work he’s done in all the time I’ve seen him on the series. He’s definitely got his curves under control, or found a style of curved linework that pleases him, because now the characters appear fairly consistent from panel to panel, no matter where he places the POV. He’s still a little heavier on the inking than he needs to be, which results in a less elegant product than Cliff Chiang, but this is really admirable work from Sudžuka.
Conclusion: A surprising uptick in the art and some big moves from our heroine prove that Wonder Woman is starting to build up his momentum again.
Grade: B
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: * I deliberately avoid saying anyone’s died, since most of them are defeated off-page and Azzarello keeps purposely vague about it.
Grade
Conclusion