Wonder Woman #26 – Tom King, Writer; Daniel Sampere, Artist; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: For the last few issues, Diana has been stuck in one of the most disturbing locations in the DCU – the island of Mouse Man, a cult-like environment where everyone speaks only a few words and lives in constant fear of a D-list supervillain who now terrorizes everyone with man-sized carnivorous mice. Trying to rescue a young girl stuck there, Diana has violated Justice League protocols and infiltrated the island – along with her baby daughter on her back. Now, for the first time, we get a look back into how this all began, with an old man named Mr. Pye trying to create a refuge from the constant stream of superhero action that endangers ordinary people. He was joined by a mysterious young man who swore his masked days were behind him – but brought several mice with him in a cage, as he was ready to move on from his early attempts at winning power through brute-force.
This is a great issue, because it takes a concept that’s absurd on the face – a D-list villain creating a cult out of mice – and makes it genuinely terrifying. We see how Mouse-Man’s initial attempts to gain control are part of the existing power structure, only to turn on the leadership – who viewed him as a friend – as soon as he needs to. We see how the terror of his reign extends into every corner of the society, even within people’s private homes. It’s very reminiscent of some of the stories that came out of North Korea, depicting an intensely cult-like atmosphere driven by fear and paranoia. And whatever he’s done, it worked – because he’s a far bigger threat to Wonder Woman than he ever was before, giving him power and leverage over her in a way that she won’t be able to look away from. This is a very different arc than the one focusing on the Sovereign, but no less excellent.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
