Wonder Woman #34 – Tom King, Writer; Daniel Sampere, Bruno Redondo, Artists; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: It’s the conclusion of the first act of The Wonder War, and let me just say, I did not expect how this would go. Obviously, this run has had its detractors (which has led to some god-awful behavior towards both King and his frequent collaborator Stephanie Williams), but at its core, this is one of the darkest alternate futures we’ve ever seen in the DCU. Wonder Woman has found Steve Trevor again and the family is getting ready to face the Matriach, but this issue explains just how powerful she is. After killing John Stewart as part of her mass killing of heroes, she stole his ring – and essentially broke its will, bonding it to her through sheer determination and pain tolerance. She’s even able to command it to kill a Guardian when he comes to take it back. And that’s the power she’s bearing when Diana comes calling for her with the God-Killer Sword, and the final battle begins.
Tom King’s work has always had a grit to it that’s not too often seen in DC Comics, with battles unfolding with a grinding energy that lets you feel every single turn. The Matriarch remains one of the most twisted, sadistic villains we’ve seen out of DC in some time, using her femininity to deal out violence of the sort favored by her evil predecessors. But that intensity just makes it all the more satisfying when Diana manages to turn the tide, dealing her a critical blow in one of the most brutal scenes of the issue. Of course, we all know this is only part one. And that’s where the most controversial element of this comes into play. I imagine this will be incredibly divisive, but I’m more than willing to see where King wants to take this. It seems pretty clear that this is, like his Batman run, a run that takes place heavily in its own future where he can set stakes that are even higher than we normally see in the DCU.
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