Wonder Woman #762 – Mariko Tamaki, Writer; Carlo Barberi, Penciller; Matt Santorelli, Inker; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: While Mariko Tamaki’s run hasn’t dealt much with the Amazons yet, this issue opens with a spectacular double-page spread of Themyscira. The bulk of the story, though, is firmly grounded in the modern day as Liar Liar’s reign of terror continues to escalate. The scariest part about Max Lord’s daughter is the way her attacks can take any form. A man can be bewitched to set his own apartment building on fire, or shoot up a restaurant, or just throw himself in front of the train. With no way to predict where she’ll strike next, Diana and Max Lord are just left to do damage control—something that’s harder when civilians wind up taking matters into their own hands, often making matters worse. I think there’s some pointed commentary about the young man who tries to play vigilante in the middle of a shooting and nearly destroys the progress Diana made in de-escalating the situation.
Diana and Max Lord aren’t exactly allies, but they do seem to be working together better than last issue. Part of this is the revelation Max had in recent events, with him seeing all the versions of him through the multiverse. That includes a short Justice League International flashback, which just serves to remind us of how funny the character used to be before he became a major villain. Thankfully, this take is more nuanced than other stories where he was just a one-note villain, but he’s still got a cruel streak that Diana doesn’t agree with. The addition of his daughter to the mythos is intriguing, and makes me wonder exactly what went on between them years before this story that set her on a quest for revenge against her father. Despite some strong action scenes, this arc is very deliberately paced, but the ending of this issue sets up a compelling showdown in the next issue.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
