Wonder Woman #46 – James Robinson, Writer; Stephen Segovia, Artist; Romulo Fajardo Jr., Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 6/10
Corrina: And Now Time To Mess With the Rucka/Sharp/Scott Run
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Ray: The overarching plot of Darkseid’s invasion is finally resolved – at least for this title – so Robinson is able to focus on a different plot in Wonder Woman #46 That didn’t work out so well with Silver Swan, but hope springs eternal! This issue brings in a whole host of villains – in fact, the entire rogues’ gallery from the Greg Rucka run, and it all starts with Cheetah. Imprisoned until now, she violently attacks her jailers while ranting about the rise of dark Gods, and it’s revealed that she had been kidnapped by Veronica Cale and was being experimented on. Ever since Rucka’s run, Barbara Minerva has been one of my favorite villains, but here she’s little more than a ranting monster who has lost most of her past characterization. The issue also brings in Doctor Cyber and Doctor Poison, who look great with Stephen Segovia’s art, but the title does very little besides remind us briefly of who they are and let them monologue.
One thing you can say about this issue – it’s definitely not decompressed. Four villains in one issue are going to necessitate some fast-paced storytelling, and it’s probably the most exciting issue of the series in a while.
Unfortunately, it then stops dead in its tracks for a few pages so we can catch up with Jason and his long-lost foster father Glaucus. Jason’s origin issue showed Jason grew up with a loving father figure, which made his betrayal and resentment all the more inexplicable. I do think that the scenes in this issue were probably the best Jason has gotten since his introduction, but he really needs to go off with his father and leave this title already. The scope of the threat this issue isn’t fully explained, but it’s clear that something big is going on in terms of old Gods returning. The end of the issue drops a crazed Supergirl into the story to fight Wonder Woman, seemingly under the influence of Rao. There are a few interesting ideas in this issue, but the execution is still lacking overall.
Corrina: Finally, we have a quiet moment for our main character and…oops, sorry, that belongs to Jason too. Better luck next time, Diana.
But Diana is busy dealing with all her villains, who were complex and interesting during the previous run but are reduced to one-note monsters this time.
It’s bad when I’m reduced to hoping for fill-in issues.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
