Wonder Woman #752 – Steve Orlando, Writer; Max Raynor, Artist; Romulo Fajardo Jr., Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Steve Orlando seems to have a very good grasp on Diana’s character, even as it’s still unclear in Wonder Woman #752 what the overall master plan for his run is.
When we last left off, a new character named Valda had arrived in Boston and turned a bar fight deadly with a sword. Seems like she was in the middle of a battle, wound up here, and then some jerk decided to pick a fight with her so she ran him through. As you do. [Corrina’s note: Valda continues Orlando’s tradition of reaching way into the grab bag of DC history, as she was a supporting character in Arak, Son of Thunder.
Diana quickly winds up in battle with this implacable warrior who seems to answer every minor affront with a stab. She reminds me a lot of Conan or Red Sonja and how things seem to go horribly wrong every time they wind up in the present day, but Diana’s smart enough to answer violence with compassion and defuse the situation. It’s not clear who she is or where she comes from, but a real threat is following her and Diana may have successfully turned an enemy to an ally – but not before some epic swordplay.
I wasn’t quite as thrilled with the second half of the story in Wonder Woman #752, which focuses on Paula von Gunther and her ally Devastation. Orlando is smart enough to make her less of a Nazi than she usually is, instead making her part of a clan of ancient warriors with ties to the Valkyries who have been at war with the Amazons for centuries. The dalliance with the Nazis is just another step in that larger battle, as is working with a sadistic little demigoddess to wage war on Wonder Woman.
Von Gunther and her fellow horsemen seem to be set up as the big bads of this run, but given Von Gunther’s introduction, it seems likely there’s more to her character than a straight villain. Guest artist Max Raynor does a strong job with this issue, particularly in the last page as the biggest threat of the story is revealed. There are a lot of hints towards bigger storylines here, but right now this is a strong character spotlight more than anything.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
