Or – “Something Is Rotten In The State Of Denmark Themiscyra…”
My first impression of the Olympian? His helmet looksl like Peacemaker’s. I wonder if it’s filled with plastic explosive?
Previously, on Wonder Woman: Diana’s bad day got even that much worse, as her boss proved to be insane (under the control of Doctor Psycho), her old enemy the Cheetah proved to be manipulating events in her life, and somehow an even greater menace was created from spit, baling wire, and her stolen magic lasso (the latter being sewn into the creature’s body by the new Crime Doctor.) The villains who created the monster (called Genocide) were even themselves victims of it’s madness, while one of her Olympian patron deities went a little nuts himself, killing the Hawaiian gawd from whom Diana had been drawing extra power in some sort of plan to create his own distaff Wonder Woman… I think. Either way, badness is in the offing, and it’s pretty much all Zeus’s fault again.
This issue actually opens with a reunion, as Colonel Steve Trevor arrives just in time to find Diana in a panic, knowing that her weapon is being used for evil, that the woman she calls “the best friend I’ve ever known” is captured. Trevor tells her that he’s taken over operations of the Department of Metahuman Affairs, and asks her to go and find her friend, his wife Etta. Etta, for her part, is being repeatedly strangled by the creature in it’s attempt to gain intelligence on Wonder Woman. “I’ll talk,” croaks Etta through a bruised throat. “My… name is Lieutenant Colonel Etta Marie Candy, United States Air Force. And you can go straight to hell, you ugly freak.” Etta’s moment doesn’t last, though, as Genocide begins throttling her again. Ironically, Wonder Woman does virtually the same thing, interrogating the Cheetah about Genocide. “Do you know who Maxwell Lord was?” asks Wonder Woman ominously, but Cheetah laughs it off… until her face is slashed by Wonder Woman’s thrown tiara. Diana threatens to skin the Cheetah alive for information, just as Genocide realizes that Steve Trevor is Diana’s weakness. War… huh. What is it good for?
Somewhere near Greece, and not that far from Looney Toony La La Land, Zeus greets his returning Olympians, who have brought him a trophy: a nuclear weapon. He takes a moment to create a godly avatar, a male counterpart to Wonder Woman, a warrior for peace. “Behold Achilles, King of the Olympians!” We cut again to Themyscira, wher Hippolyta greets her lost Amazon sisters, who were gone for almost a whole year this time. This makes the fourth return of the Amazons in recent memory, although this time they’re naked, so they go that going for them. Which is nice. Wonder Woman apparently gets enough information from the Cheetah to tack down the local cell of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, where she takes down Frag, intimidates Felix Faust, threatens T.O. Morrow, and finds the origins of her nemesis. She also finds the brutally beaten form of Etta Candy, and goes biblical on the villains. “I’m shutting you down. As of this moment, your “Society” no longer exists… There will be no further warnings.” She then proceeds to destroy THE ENTIRE BUILDING with her bare hands. Standing in the wreckage, she finds T.O. Morrow, who offers to help. “How do I kill it?” asks Wonder Woman…
Hmm… I’m torn. I love Gail Simone, and there are a couple of badass Wonder Woman moments in this issue that really bear out Gail’s skills with dialogue and plotting. The art, by Aaron Lopresti, is quite nice, and his Wonder Woman never seems anything less than awe-inspiring. The torture scenes were offputting, and Diana’s bringing down the house was a powerful moment, but her unilateral decision to disband the Society rang false. I enjoy what Genocide represents for Wonder Woman, but the character herself isn’t really as interesting as her backstory, her PLACE in Wonder Woman’s story would have her be. The Zeus subplot is strange, and seems out of place, and I’m still uncertain of what all is really going on here. Due to some confusion on my part, and a slight dissatisfaction with the overall pacing of this issue, Wonder Woman #30 earns 2 out of 5 stars overall. I have faith in Gail, and I’m cerainly not leaving the title, but I’m just not feeling this issue…
5 Comments
This has me intrigued. For too long the WW title has been pretty dull. I’ve picked up and dropped this title countless times, and until now I’ve never really bought/understood why Diana is part of the Big Three; it’s always felt like she was just thrown in there because they needed a girl, and she’s the most well-known of the DC ladies. Finally, she seems to be involved in something exciting. I haven’t read this one, but the last two issues have got me more interested in her future…
“just as Genocide realizes that Steve Trevor is Diana’s weakness” Not what I got out of that scene.
That scene gave me the feeling that Genocide is learning how to use the lasso and found the one thing she could use to hurt Etta, her inseturities concerning Steve’s love of her, or rather that he may still love Diana.
So far the Olympian subplot is weird and has no real place in any of this, plus from what we see in previews it’s gonna wrap up at the same time that the Genocide arc does.
Mmm… It’s a good point. And I wasn’t specific in how Genny figured it out, but I should have been. She found the truth with the lasso itself.
First, Let me say that my favorite 2 words right now are “going biblical” and I have you to thank for it.
About Genocide, she falls as flat as Doomsday does for a character. Feels like she’ll be as forgotten D-Day is afterward.
For some reason though, I think Genocide and Doomsday should date, get married and have evil spawn children. Am I weird for thinking this?
This is a 5-star story, from writing to art. So far, everything Gail’s touched regarding Wonder Woman has been gold and this story is no exception.
When each part of this tale merges there’s gonna be some major crap hitting the fan. If this storyline doesn’t getting readers ready for a second WW book each month, nothing will.
Brilliant!