Wonder Woman: Evolution #4 – Stephanie Phillips, Writer; Mike Hawthorne, Penciller; Adriano Di Benedetto, Inker; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: A mysterious ancient entity has put Wonder Woman on trial for the fate of all humanity, but one of the most interesting things about this miniseries has been that it’s not even clear what the trial is. The aliens have been as opaque about the tasks as anything, and mostly seem interesting in pushing Diana to her limit and seeing how she reacts. Last issue, they brought her former friend turned rival Silver Swan to the planet and set them against each other, seemingly ending in Vanessa’s death. As Diana grapples with this loss, she’s visited by a specter of her child self who asks some probing questions about death and the meaning behind her rituals. It seems to work to rattle Diana, but she stays focused—until the battlefield changes, and she winds up back on Earth with the Justice League. And this time she’s facing a task that’s much more ethical than physical.
The recreation is realistic enough that she’s not even sure if it’s real or not, but the League has captured a wanted terrorist alien and the empire she escaped from is stating they’ll destroy Earth if she’s not turned over. The League believes they should respect another planet’s laws and not endanger those living on Earth—but after Diana interrogates the alien, she discovers that she’s a rebel fighting against the pollution of the waters she lives in. While it becomes clear this is an illusion as soon as the League immediately turns on Diana and attacks her when she resists, it’s still a great fight scene that shows just how dangerous Diana is when she’s truly unleashed in the service of something she believes in. We’ve seen her fight the League before, and it’s usually proven that while she’s not the strongest, she’s absolutely the best fighter. We’re only at the halfway point, so the odds are there are still some bizarre trials to come.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
