Wonder Woman #782 – Becky Cloonan/Michael W. Conrad, Vita Ayala, Writers; Marcio Takara, Skylar Partridge, Artists; Tamra Bonvillain, Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorists
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Diana’s strange journey back to life continues this issue, as she encounters high-flying duplicates trying to take down her plane. She and Deadman continue to make an unlikely team-up, with Deadman (riding a dead body) being oddball comic relief much of the time. Ultimately, the main plot involving these doubles doesn’t quite land as it’s just the heroine fighting some disposable villains. However, the quieter moments work very well, especially the subplot involving Diana’s quest to Sigfried’s gravesite so she can fulfill his last wish. Superhero comics deliver some odd character moments—where else can you see someone quietly mourning a man she met centuries after he died? The main plot seems to point towards Dr. Psycho—now rebranded as a dangerous fake guru—but there’s an unexpected twist at the end. Solid, but not remarkable as it feels like we’re between main stories at the moment.
The backup by Vita Ayala and Skylar Partridge continues to point us towards Trial of the Amazons, as conflict rises in the Bana-Mighdall. Queen Faruka and the mysterious warrior Atalanta have very different ways of dealing with the new arrivals, especially once a mysterious Chimera-beast from Tartarus arrives out of a portal. It’s Artemis who steps up to lead the charge, leading to a spectacular battle segment that delivers a gorgeous splash page and a surprising amount of gore. The main story is a little thin and moves fast, but it delivers the best visuals of the issue. More importantly, it has a last-page reveal that asks a lot of very interesting questions about the history of the Amazons. It seems Themyscira might have more to answer for than expected in a lot of ways. The backup was probably a little more satisfying than the main story this issue and has me more interested to follow the narrative.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
