Wonder Woman 2021 Annual #1 – Becky Cloonan/Michael W. Conrad, Writers; Andy MacDonald, Artist; Nick Filardi, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The first major Wonder Woman event in decades is coming to DC in 2022, but who exactly is on trial in “Trial of the Amazons”? We may be getting our first hints in the oversized annual this month. Etta and Diana have a friend-date planned to visit an exhibition about the history of Themyscira at the museum, but Diana’s been held up by a particularly brutal band of bank robbers. While she’s occupied, Etta is met by a mysterious tourist named Altuum whose language skills seem to be rather alien. His comments are odd and he seems oddly menacing, but leaves without trouble—at least for now. While Diana and Etta do meet up, Etta is called into work and Diana attends the exhibit solo. That’s where Altuum makes his move, as the pale-skinned man with red eyes stalks her before eventually cornering her—and sharing a tale that shakes everything Diana knows about her homeland to the core.
With a character like this who is obviously the villain, it’s hard to take everything he says at face value. What he reveals is that the Amazons are not the original inhabitants of Themyscira. Rather, they displaced an ancient race of primordial people who were presumed extinct—but have actually been biding their time ever since and are almost ready to move. Turning the Amazons into colonialists and their legacy into an original sin is a bold move, and one that’s highly unlikely to go over without controversy among fans. But it’s also a fascinating idea that could be done really well if handled deftly. This issue is very dialogue-heavy as Diana grapples with the knowledge that’s being dropped on her. The few battle sequences there are in the issue are nicely tense, but this issue is sort of a refreshing change of pace from the plot-heavy, packed issues of the afterlife run. This run continues to surprise.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
