At last, after years of exile: Wonder Woman returns to Themyscira! But in the wake of Ares’ escape from his prison, the island is no longer the paradise she remembers”¦ and the Amazons are no longer a united people! Disaster has forced Hippolyta’s warriors to choose a deadly new ally, and Wonder Woman is powerless to convince them to turn back to the light! Who among the Amazons could possibly change the course of history? Only one: Diana’s long-lost aunt, Antiope! A major figure of the Wonder Woman mythos returns in this extra-sized anniversary issue! Plus, Lex Luthor visits fellow Legion of Doom member Cheetah. He comes bearing gifts: a mythical weapon, one rumored to be able to kill anything—even a god. Or, in Wonder Woman’s case, a demi-god.
Positives
The cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson is pretty cool. The colors pop in a nice way. And it’s a badass image.
Once the action kicks in, the interior art is pretty good for the most part. There’s an incredible double page spread of Wonder Woman and Grail charging at each other; I would love it as a poster. The action in this issue is a lot of fun. It’s big and it feels appropriate since this is an oversized comic. The team takes the space to make this a fun pay off.
Part of what makes this a nice payoff is Diana reuniting with Hippolyta which is something we haven’t seen since the revelations made in Rebirth about Themyscira. It’s an effective moment and one of the highlights of the issue.
Even though this is a tie in to Year of the Villain, this issue keeps that element as minor as possible. It’s in there but G. Willow Wilson was allowed to focus on her story rather than it stopping dead in its tracks for the sake of this other thing.
Negatives
It’s very noticeable that there are three different artists. The changes between them are fairly drastic which is a little distracting. Additionally, I don’t love the art that takes up the initial part of the book and comes back a couple more times throughout. There’s a lack of detail that, stylistically, doesn’t work for me. And it’s made worse when it’s contrasted with art that does appeal to me.
I was surprised the Hippolyta of Dimension Chi wasn’t dealt with. Wilson may be saving that for a future issue but that did feel like a lingering thread from last issue.
Verdict
This is a really good issue. The action is a lot of fun. It’s cool to see Wonder Woman fight Grail again and I always love seeing the Amazons in action. My only real complaint is the inconsistency in the art although I understand it was probably necessary to get it out on time. I’m still not a huge fan of Xermanico’s art but it doesn’t detract too much from the issue which I think is really enjoyable.
I am currently a senior at Wichita State University studying communications. I started reading comics in 2013 because of how much I loved Man of Steel and season one of Arrow. My favorite hero is the Green Arrow and my favorite villain is the Joker.
