Wonder Woman #19 – Tom King, Writer; Daniel Sampere, Artist; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: After eighteen issues, the final showdown between Diana and the Sovereign is here, with vengeance for Steve Trevor hanging in the balance. Many people thought this arc would wrap the series, but it seems like anything but – this is just the end of act one, and this will likely be King’s longest work besides Batman. In some ways, it’s an incredibly intimate story, with Diana walking her way into the White House, where the Sovereign waits at his desk. At first, he’s full of bravado, thinking he has a way to outplay Diana, but it soon becomes clear that she will not be placated or pacified, and the Sovereign finds all his powers stripped away, along with his dignity and influence, as he’s fully at the mercy of an enraged Amazon. But Diana doesn’t choose to kill him, as we know. Instead, she chooses a method of punishment that may call back to some of her Golden Age stories. I expect this scene to be rather controversial, but it works.
Of course, this is only half the story, as there are a lot of major plots that have faded into the background over the issues. The entire series is narrated by the Sovereign as told to an adult Trinity, and now she’s seeking vengeance for the death of her father – and a whole lot more. The reveal of exactly what the big threat facing the Amazons is comes as a shock, and it ties into another missing plotline – the mysterious Amazon who kicked off this entire arc with a massacre and later turned out to be pregnant. As she gives birth with the help of Etta Candy, she names her daughter and makes a dark prediction – one that seemingly comes true in the future. We’re going to enter some uncharted territory here, and between this book and the upcoming Trinity solo title, I expect Wonder Woman fans will be getting more reading material than we have in a very long time.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
