Wonder Woman/Conan #3 – Gail Simone, Writer; Aaron Lopresti, Penciller; Matt Ryan, Inker; Wendy Broome, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Corrina: Villains Make the Story
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Ray: One of the biggest pieces of news this past week was the announcement that Marvel had regained the Conan license, and speculation immediately began on who would take over the property in 2019. Well, based on Wonder Woman/Conan, the odds-on favorite should probably newly back-at-Marvel writer Gail Simone, because her work on the Cimmerian in this crossover had been among the character’s best work in years.
This penultimate issue had some major twists that throw the entire series for a loop, as in the past Conan grieves for the loss of his beloved “Yanna” – while, in the present, the Amazons discover that Diana has been found. A minion of the Corvidae tries to harass the Amazons and learns exactly why that’s a bad idea. As the Amazons search for Diana, we see the two warriors continue to bond in a fireside scene that shows Simone’s strength with dialogue.
In some ways, most of this issue is fairly low-key for a penultimate issue. There’s little in the way of fighting or danger for a lot of it, but when it starts, it starts in earnest. The Corvidae attack the Amazons, leading to a fantastic splash page. They then hunt down Diana and Conan, holding the Amazons hostage with Diana’s missing lasso, and then present Conan with an impossible choice – the missing “Yanna”, supposedly revealed to be a completely different person than Diana. The Corvidae are creatures of lies, of course, so the entire thing is up in the air, but it’s more than enough to turn Conan against his ally in a tense battle sequence to end the issue. The final issue has a lot of unanswered questions to resolve, but thus far, this series has hit every landing it tried to make. A lot of these recent crossovers have been very good, but this may be the first one to be truly great.
Corrina: I love how Wonder Woman/Conan has teased the Yanna reveal for the entire series and when adult Yanna finally appears, it’s not altogether clear that she is real. (Though, as Ray suggested, if Simone does write Conan in the future, Yanna would make for a great supporting character in that book.)
In this issue, we see the differences between our two warriors made clear: Conan is a creature of battle first, while Diana will always seek another way before she must fight. She especially will not fight when ordered, no matter who commands it. I’m reminded of a quote from Simone’s Wonder Woman run:
“Don’t kill if you can wound, don’t wound if you can subdue, don’t subdue if you can pacify, and don’t raise your hand at all until you’ve first extended it.”
Simone tends to be known for her more lighthearted quotes but her dialogue is so much more than jokes and Diana seems to be a character that brings that out in her. I’m also thrilled that this issue has Diana knowing who she is. That’s the one thing I’ve missed.
I’ll be bummed when this crossover ends, especially since the regular current Wonder Woman comic series is, well, awful.
But at least there is one issue left of Wonder Woman/Conan.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
