Wonder Woman #797 – Becky Cloonan/Michael W. Conrad, Josie Campbell, Writers; Amancay Nahuelpan, Caitlin Yarsky, Artists; Tamra Bonvillain, Jordie Bellaire, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Tying in to the ongoing Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods miniseries, this is also the final arc of the Cloonan/Conrad run as we get ready to shift to the Tom King era. That sets the stakes high—for both the creators and the characters. When we last left off, Diana, had cut a bargain with her nemesis Hera to ascend to Godhood—only to be betrayed and find herself in a typical torture environment of the Greek Gods, bound by her own lasso and guarded by an army of ancient beasts. She’s only saved from a horrible fate by the arrival of the mysterious Stranger, a cloaked man who seems to know a lot about the Gods yet seems to be completely uninterested in explaining anything about himself.
From there, Diana makes a daring escape from Olympus and heads back to Themyscira, where she finds the Amazons under attack from an undead army. It’s a lot of fun, although a little too much of the issue is devoted to whether Diana should stay put and help the Amazons, or head back to Man’s World to fight there. We know what the answer will be, so it doesn’t necessarily feel like there’s much forward motion. The identity of the mystery man is the biggest dangling plot thread here, but so far the character is mostly a cipher. Overall, the main story is fun and has some great visuals, particularly on the giant monsters they encounter, but it feels a bit like a side story compared to the main mini.
On the other hand, the backup by Josie Campbell and Caitlin Yarsky is worth the price of admission on its own. Continuing the tale of Mary Marvel as the (now co-) bearer of the power of Shazam, it’s a fast-paced blast as Mary encounters the Amazons in the middle of a massive crisis and can’t quite keep her fangirl glee under control. It’s great to see the Amazons fight side by side with a hero who is very different, and Mary continues to be a ball of energy who really deserved more than a four-issue mini to spotlight her time as Shazam.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
