Wonder Woman #61 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Xermanico, Artist; Romulo Fajardo Jr., Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Corrina: What Is a God?
Ray: G. Willow Wilson’s run on Wonder Woman continues to be excellent with Wonder Woman #61, and it seems DC is ready to invest in the talented creator – that’s the only reason I can imagine she’d leave her signature creation Ms. Marvel as recently announced. It’s not hard to see why – in only four issues, she’s managed to impress with a new and inventive take on the Greek Gods. Most runs on the character come back to those mythological figures, but this one seems new and adds a compelling modern twist. The last issue revealed that the mysterious figure commanding the creatures who had captured Steve Trevor was none other than Aphrodite, and as the issue begins her intentions seem anything but nefarious. She heals Steve’s wounds and seems willing to help him find Diana – after all, she is the Goddess of love and seems to believe her new role on Earth is to facilitate it. But in this war-torn country, nothing will be easy.
Diana has been kept busy by the raging civil war that Ares helped to escalate, and her introduction in this issue is a compelling segment where she ferries a pair of children out of a combat zone. Her dauntless push forward reminds me of one of the most iconic scenes from her solo movie, always a good source material to be inspired by when writing this title. She eventually gets the kids back home to their father – the Prime Minister – and after a reunion with Steve and an introduction to Aphrodite, they come up with a risky plan to try to get a peace summit going. But to get there, they’ll have to get through Ares – who is ready to enter the fray himself at the end of the issue. I’m not sure what Ares’ game plan is, and Aphrodite feels almost TOO helpful – like she’s plotting something and all isn’t as it seems. The only thing that’s sure is that it’s great to have an A-level Wonder Woman title again for the first time since Rucka’s run.
Corrina: Fascinating.
I knew, at some point, the Olympians would be brought back, but I never thought it would be like this, in the middle of a civil war, with atrocities on both sides, and with the gods confused about their purpose in life. But, as Ares shows, there’s never anything more dangerous than a confused god who then decides he has all the answers. I hope Aphrodite doesn’t have such an extreme reaction when she finally decides (or not) to believe in love. But perhaps Steve has convinced her, at least a little. (Maybe that’s why he decided he didn’t need a shirt or any battle gear for all to this issue.) Or perhaps Aphrodite will revert to her essential nature, as Ares did. (Which would be a good thing this time. I think. Greek gods are notoriously fickle.)
The goddess I’m most interested in would be Athena. I suspect she’ll show up at some point.
However, I’m a little puzzled about Steve’s talk of a “just war” with armies lined up on each side to fight fair. As a soldier, he should know that “war the right way” is something of a myth throughout history. Some wars are more brutal than others but even, say, World War II had more than its share of atrocities, even if it did have a definitive bad side. (But, then there were the atrocities committed by the Russians on the Eastern front, who were part of the Allies, which is why war is never as simple as Steve paints it.) But I like his reason for fighting: to end the need for it.
Diana saving children is always worth seeing in a comic, as is her quest for peace and, yes, it’s great that this comic does evoke the spirit (and some scenes) from her cinematic universe.
Note about Ray’s’ comment on Wilson and Ms. Marvel: I’ve no idea why Wilson left Ms. Marvel but it could be something as simple as saying all she wanted with a character and leaving before her take became stale. That happens with writers.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
