Wonder Woman #756 – Steve Orlando, Writer; Jesus Merino, Penciller; Vicente Cifuentes, Inker; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: As Steve Orlando winds down his run on Wonder Woman, he’s setting up a compelling showdown between Diana and her own personal Injustice League. Led by Paula Von Gunther, this alliance has cornered both Diana and Donna Troy to try to force Diana’s hand into letting Warmaster invade Themyscira. The roots of this conflict are far deeper than just Diana’s lie to a young Paula about her parents—they may go back to the beginning of the Amazon’s island—but there’s a deeply personal stake to this conflict. We’ve often seen Diana praised for her compassion and determination to solve conflicts without violence, but that may be her biggest weakness in this conflict. Her desire to avoid having a hard conversation with a young girl led to a reveal decades later that created an implacable enemy. Even now, Diana still tries to reach her former friend without success.
Donna’s part of the story isn’t quite as compelling, mostly because so much of her story is tied into some of the worst WW stories in recent memories. We’d all like to forget that weird part where she was created as a killing machine in the New 52, but this story is heavily rooted in that period and seems to be a test for her if she can overcome her roots. I’m not sure what the conflict between her and Diana is besides that Diana hasn’t been there for her, but it’s good to see Donna finally overcome her guilt over her past to win a battle of wills with the villains, and the next issue promises a big finale that has the two Wonders against an army of villains for the fate of Themyscira. It’s the kind of story that delivers big superhero action, but with Orlando’s run seemingly getting cut short, it hasn’t had the time to develop the emotional stakes a climactic battle like this needs.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
