Wonder Woman #65 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Jesus Merino, Penciller; Andy Owens, Inker; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Corrina: Iconic Diana
Ray: G. Willow Wilson’s run on Wonder Woman has veered from very good to excellent, and it seems like every few issues I find a minor problem with the narrative – only for her to immediately dovetail and resolve my issues. That’s the case with this issue, which picks up in the aftermath of Diana suffering a major PR blow. After coming to blows with the ancient goddess of grudges, Nemesis, Wonder Woman discovered that Nemesis was in the employ of her long-time rival Veronica Cale – and that Cale intended to sue her for attacking her employee and damaging her property. It was a clever new type of villain tactic, albeit one I associate more with Marvel, and I found it hard to buy that the DCU would turn against its heroes so easily. Diana is in a bad place as the issue starts, and heads home to seek counsel from Aphrodite and Steve Trevor. With the fate of Themyscira still up in the air, she decided to track down Nemesis and try to guide her away from Cale’s manipulations.
The segment pitting Diana against Nemesis is much more tense than their fight last issue, taking place in the depths of Nemesis’ cave-like lair. Filled with remnants of the lives Nemesis has ruined since her arrival, the cave is the perfect sight for the insectoid monster to ambush Diana, seeking to infect her with her poisonous bite. The bite inflames any bad feelings a person may have, curdling them into a full-fledged grudge. And that sets up the issue’s most clever twist – Cale isn’t controlling Nemesis, it’s the other way around. This lets Diana show again how she’s the most compassionate of DC’s heroes, reaching out to her rival – and also indicates that Nemesis and the Gods on Earth may be the biggest threat of Wilson’s run. So far we’ve seen Ares and Aphrodite serve mostly as wild cards, but Nemesis has much darker plans and makes the search for Themyscira much more urgent. I was glad to see the lawsuit plot run its course quickly, because everything else surrounding it is much more fascinating.
Corrina: I wrote a whole thing last month that Cale had moved to villain territory for good and after this issue, I’ll be removing my foot from my mouth for a little while. 🙂
But in a delightful way, because I love to be surprised by a plot twist, especially one that draws on the essence of the character. Years from now, people will be pulling the scans from these pages of Diana hugging Cale and promising to find her daughter to show everyone exactly how Diana should be written.
Nemesis is truly a frightening villain but not, it seems, the ultimate villain. One to watch and be wary of, yes, but the greater problem is the loss of the Amazons and the whereabouts of the other Greek gods. Aphrodite seems like she’ll be an ally but so many of them are morally grey and others are outright villains, like Nemesis, that Diana will have a great deal to do.
All the while mourning her home.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
