Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #5 – Peter J. Tomasi, Sanya Anwar, Kurt Busiek, Josie Campbell, Trung Le Nguyen, Writers; Christian Alamy, Sanya Anwar, Benjamin Dewey, Carlos D’Anda, Trung Le Nguyen, Artists; John Kalisz, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Some heavyweights in the latest installment of this anthology series, including two legendary superhero writers and one of the top cartoonists working today. What are the stories waiting for us?
We start with “Hellzapoppin,” by Peter J. Tomasi and Christian Alamy. This is a no-holds-barred action tale that begins when Hephaestus is captured by Hades and dragged down to the underworld to make weapons for him. Diana descends below to take on any comers and rescue her friend. While the depiction of the underworld resembles the Christian hell much more than it does Greek myth, with twisted demons and tortured souls, the art is absolutely stunning and shockingly detailed—some of the best we’ve seen in this run.
Sanya Anwar goes solo on “Beyond the Horizon,” a nautical tale of Themyscira. When a group of Amazons comes under attack by a massive mer-ghost with tentacles that tear ships apart, Diana goes searching for its origins. She dives into the deep, encounters the ghost and the wreckage where it died, and uncovers its origin. The story behind it is dark, almost shockingly so, but the ending demonstrates Diana’s compassion beautifully and the art is perfectly suited for the high-seas tale.
Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey take over for the long-titled “How the Wonder Woman was Brought Low by a Mouse but Captured the Stars.” Dedicated to John Paul Leon, this story calls back to Diana’s early days at Holliday College. When she and Steve Trevor are captured by Dr. Cyber and a duo of Diana’s dumbest and earliest enemies, it falls to the teenagers of the college to help save the day. This is a retro story, with a silly edge that makes it a great refresher after the tragedy of the last one, and it looks great if a bit photorealistic.
“Feet of Clay,” by Josie Campbell and Carlos D’Anda, turns back the clock even further and focuses on Hippolyta and Antiope. Antiope is ready to retire as General and leave Themyscira, and is puzzled by Hippolyta’s scheme to create a daughter. But when young Diana enters the picture and seeks out Antiope for training, the jaded general might find a new purpose. It’s an interesting look both at a character we haven’t seen enough of, and some added context for Diana’s early years. A solid read, even if it hews pretty close to a lot of stories about gruff mentors.
Finally, Trung Le Nguyen goes solo on “Memories of Hator.” This reinvents the obscure Wonder Woman villain Badra as a child alien refugee who fights Wonder Woman out of anger and grief when she first arrives. Now an old woman working as a curator of alien artifacts, she and Diana catch up as Diana gives her old enemy, now old friend, a priceless gift. This story is gorgeous and led me to do a deep dive into WW’s Golden Age history, which I don’t think is very well-known. Nguyen’s art is stunning as always, and he manages to find the humanity in strange situations and obscure comic book lore.
The stories here are all strong, but it’s the last one that really makes this a must-read issue.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
