The Sovereign has captured Wonder Woman. Now, he intends to break her. Better villains have tried… Your Major Spoilers review of Wonder Woman #9 from DC Comics awaits!
WONDER WOMAN #9
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Daniel Sampere/Belen Ortega
Colorist: Tomeu Morey/Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Chris Rosa/Brittany Holzherr
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Previously in Wonder Woman: As Sovereign’s grip on Wonder Woman’s psyche tightens, she retreats into the arms of Steve Trevor. Will their love for the ages prove victorious over the web of Amazon lies weaved in Man’s World?
NO SQUEALIN’
We open with a romantic dinner, as Steve Trevor and Diana Prince (wait, is she Diana Prince anymore?) enjoy each other’s company, with a bit of confusion. Steve’s dialogue makes it clear that the scene isn’t real, then we get a sudden change of venue. Each page of story takes place in its own reality, ranging from Paradise Island to Paris to deep space. Steve continues to press Wonder Woman on what’s going on, what he means to her, and what she is trying to accomplish with each bit of non-sequential fantasy. “If I go mad,” she says to him, “it might as well be with my eyes open.” Steve reminds her that she’s not Superman, who was killed. Nor is she Batman, who was broken. Those references, as well as clear allusions to the murder of Maxwell Lord, the kung-fu Wonder Woman of 1970, and other bits of continuity, make it clear that this is a Wonder Woman who has experienced her entire 80-year history in comics. Diana realizes that she is being held by The Sovereign, that her cell has a rat, and that she is nearing her breaking point.
AND REMEMBER (THAT IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD)
For those keeping count, this is the second consecutive issue consisting ENTIRELY of the physical and psychological torture of the title hero, and frankly, I do not care for it. There’s less of the overt misogyny of last issue, with The Sovereign belittling the Amazing Amazon, pouring wine over her head, and forcing her to kneel, but our hero once again spends the whole issue trussed up, left to starve in a dungeon. King’s writing can be powerful, but in this issue, that power is completely negated by Diana and her imaginary Steve talking every single moment into the ground. Sampere makes the visuals compelling, and the “acting” of Wonder Woman and Trevor is very well done. I especially appreciate a page where she’s brushing her pet roo and explaining how the beast was temperamental, moody, and unable to follow the simplest command, all the while showing great affection for the beast. Sadly, even that sequence becomes an exercise in loquaciousness, wrapped in a story that is little more than a vehicle for more torture.
BOTTOM LINE: MISSES THE MARK
The thing about Wonder Woman #9 that is most distressing, especially as someone who has enjoyed King’s writing, is the blunt-force application of the writer’s pet theme of trauma and its aftermath, making for page after page of beautiful comics that beats the metaphorical dead horse of Wonder Woman’s imprisonment in the broadest, most obvious, and talkiest manner possible, earning 2.5 out of 5 stars overall. I’d really love to have some context for what’s happening, because right now it just feels like a story of Wonder Woman getting hurt, but knowing that it’s all gonna be okay, because she has a boyfriend waiting somewhere, which… doesn’t feel very Wonder Woman to me.
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WONDER WOMAN #9
There is something incredibly creepy about this story, but Sampere's art keeps it all above water as the seemingly endless dialogue makes its point with the subtlety of a sledge hammer.
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Writing3
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Art7
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Coloring6
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