Wonder Woman #9 – Tom King, Writer; Daniel Sampere, Belen Ortega, Artists; Tomeu Morey, Alejandro Sanchez, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: When we last left Wonder Woman, she had shattered the Sovereign’s lasso—but she hadn’t escaped, leaving her at the mercy of a villain who had pushed her further than any other in history. The question was what he had planned for her next—and the answer was, nothing. He instead attempted to break her by placing her in isolation indefinitely, and what takes place this issue is almost entirely within her mind. Fair warning—this issue is deeply triggering in a lot of ways, delving deep into the psychological impact of isolation and imprisonment. It’s also brilliant, as King takes us deep inside Diana’s psyche and explores her coping mechanisms through a single voice—Steve Trevor’s.
Or rather, through Diana’s perception of Steve Trevor. Steve is obviously nowhere near her and has had to take a hands-off approach due to his role in the military, but he looms large in Diana’s mind, and so she calls him forth and visualizes him in scenes that he could never actually be in. It’s a fascinating look at why their relationship works and what makes him so important to Diana, but the horror creeps in occasionally as we see just how far she’s being pushed and broken. There are a few lines here that fall a little flat—Diana has been beaten and even died, but I’m not surprised no one remembers those old stories—but it’s another stunning done-in-one issue that pushes King’s intense narrative to its next chapter.
And them, after that ordeal, we’re rewarded with a Trinity story that somehow manages to be the lightest yet. Damian and Jon have fought alongside Trinity against Circe—and they’re alive, they’re just Corgis. Jon still has his superpowers, too, and Zatanna isn’t sure when the spell will wear off. So it’s up to Lizzie to wrangle Super-Corgi and Bat-Corgi, to train them to be heroes in their new forms (with very mixed results) and to experience a little bit of role reversal. This is hilarious, and Ortega’s art on the World’s Fuzziest is perfect.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
