Wonder Woman #66 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Cary Nord, Penciller; Mick Gray, Inker; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9.5/10
Corrina: More Olympians Arrive!
Ray: G. Willow Wilson has managed to pull off an amazing feat with her Wonder Woman run so far – she makes it feel both gigantic in scope and incredibly intimate. After her peacemaking efforts with Veronica Cale last issue, Diana is pulled into another crisis in Wonder Woman #66 – this one dealing with the trio of magical refugees from the previous arc. Where do you hide a minotaur, satyr, and a pegasus? If you’re their human friend from the city, you take them into the nearest national park where they can wander free without prying eyes. There’s just one problem – they’re only there a few minutes when they awake a pair of towering titans, one made of stone and one of wood, who immediately begin doing battle and wrecking the park. Before they get crushed, they call in Diana and Aphrodite. However, as strong as Wonder Woman is she doesn’t have the leverage to topple monsters the size of skyscrapers – and that’s where this issue takes an unexpected and very welcome turn.
Diana has always been a pacifist hero, but Wilson seems to be the first writer interested in actually exploring this. Every arc of this series has been about Wonder Woman finding ways to stop her enemies with minimal violence, from trying to make Ares see the light to empathizing with Cale. To stop the Titans, she needs the help of one of her oldest enemies – Giganta, who is currently in the custody of Amanda Waller. I laughed at Waller saying she can’t force anyone to work with the heroes – yeah right – but Diana’s team-up with Giganta is a joy to read. Giganta is more a work-a-day villain than a fanatic, and her attempts to con money out of Diana are hilarious. The battle segments against the titans are excellent – you need a giant to beat a giant, and the whole thing feels more fantastical than most comics. There are ancient, supernatural beings in the world, and it’s making Diana change up the way she does things. I, for one, can’t wait to read more.
Corrina: I loved everything with Giganta. Have I spotted a little nod to Gail Simone’s Giganta from the Ray Choi Atom run? I think so. Either that or the two writers have the same idea of the character. She’s certainly not a hero but she’s also hiding something very like compassion under the cool exterior, even when pointing out she needs to be paid for risking her life. And I love that Diana is nonplussed by this. To Diana, helping is what one does. But Diana also knows not everyone lives like her, so she takes Giganta’s demand of $500,000 seriously, especially given the reasons behind asking for that much.
It’s just a terrific exchange that says so much about both women.
The other part of the issue, with Wonder Woman tackling (literally) more Olympian refugees, is less interesting though the artwork on the fight between the Titans, Diana, and Giganta is perfect, especially in showing all the size differences. It’s just that it feels a little similar to Wonder Woman dealing with Ares: a refugee arrives, causes havoc, Diana has to stop them. I hope we get to the heart of the issue soon, perhaps with Zeus or Athena appearing or, better yet, the Amazons.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
