DC Wonder Woman Wonder Woman #6 Review

Wonder Woman #6 Review Kate Fatale http://www.o-r-c.co.uk/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/400x400s/88/aa/2b/_wonderwoman6-cover-1334258562.jpg

Written by Kate Fatale     April 12, 2012    
 
2.7
 
0.0 (0)
548   0   1   0   0   0
 

Info

Issue Number
Art (pencils)
Art (Colours)
Cover Artist

"Thrones"

Diana's confrontation with Poseidon continues. Hades and Lennox stand around. Hera reappears. All in all, it's an issue that will read much better when collected into a trade rather than a single issue, because it's more a placeholder scene than anything else.

Plot Synopsis:

Diana is attacked by Poseidon's tentacles as she tries to offer a possible solution to the problem of who's going to rule in Zeus's stead. She actually defends Hera's claim to the throne, which is surprising considering that Hera recently attacked Hippolyta. But everyone seems to have forgotten about that little incident, so perhaps we shouldn't hold it against Diana too much. (Who am I kidding? Diana's defense of Hera reeks of the loss of righteous anger Diana used to possess.)

Down in the sewer, Lennox and Hades discuss... not much of anything.

Meanwhile, seeing that Zola and a group of random people are under attack from Hera's centaurs, Diana temporarily leaves Poseidon to do battle. She saves Zola from certain death, but instead of going back to finish the centaurs off, she takes her down to the docks by riding on part of Poseidon. Diana voices hope that Lennox is "farin better" than she is when it comes to the bargain for Olympus's throne, and we're quickly assured that he sort-of-kind-of-maybe is, since once again, nothing actually happens between him and Hades in the sewer, except that Hermes comes to join them. 

Out on the docks, Diana proposes that Zeus's brothers co-rule Olympus with Hera, which no one agrees to... including Hera herself, who shows up to balk at the idea. Taking a candle from Hades's head and Hermes's cadeuces, Diana opens a portal to Olympus, through which she transports herself and Hera. She threatens Hera and returns to London. Poseidon leaves. 

Zola thinks she sees her own mother coming out of the sewer, but it's only a glamour, presumably caused by Hades, who manifests again as a burning face in a wall of water. Hades threatens Diana. 

That's it.

Editor review

Story: 1/5

This issue may as not have happened. It seems obvious that it's only a separate issue because they couldn't fit the bargain into the previous one. However, I can't help but think that it would have been better to increase the size of #5 than to release this one as its own issue.

Nothing happens. Even when something appears to happen, the action fizzles out quietly or just stops. Diana leaves Poseidon to go save Zola and other civilians from the centaurs, but then carries Zola back to Poseidon, leaving at least one centaur to continue its rampage. she does kill one centaur in a burst of blood and that moment is the best part of the entire issue, but even Diana lifting a car while her arms are still dripping centaur blood isn't strong enough to make up for the weak plotting here.

Why all the scene changes? Considering that nothing really happens, why do we jump from Diana to Lennox and Hades and back? Why does Hermes just randomly wander through? Why make such a big deal about Hera arriving in London if Diana's going to send her back to Olympus a few seconds later? Why do such a great reveal of the behemoth that is Poseidon if he's just going to flutter his tentacles and swim off in a huff? It all just seems like filler to make this story long enough to count as a full issue.

I'll admit that my opinion might be a bit clouded by the fact that I'm a fan of Hippolyta, but I feel that she may as well have not even showed up in the title's first arc. Sure, Diana's mad at her for lying to her, but nonetheless, Hippolyta is both her mother and queen of the Amazons, and her conversion into stone/death should have more of an effect on Diana as a character, not to mention the story as a whole. But the title is focused on the war amongst brothers, and Diana has to mitigate that. She doesn't have time to think about her mother or her people or to exact revenge.

And that's the problem with the title. Wonder Woman, as longtime fans know, has always been problematic, and this reboot isn't helping matters. The story isn't about Wonder Woman; it's about Zeus disappearing and his brothers and children (except Diana) warring for his throne. Diana's just furniture for their war. Where's the fierce warrior who can physically contend with Superman? Where's the regal demigoddess who made Batman kneel before her? She might be in the Justice League series, but she's definitely not here. She's not in her own title. Azzarello, a very talented writer whose other work I've loved, seems to have the same issue with Diana that others have had before him: he doesn't seem to know what to do with her, so he moves her to the sidelines, and makes her a prop in her own story.

Wonder Woman is never going to sell if she doesn't exist in her own story. When I heard that Azzarello was going to be writing the new Wonder Woman, I expected to see the Amazon warrior carrying around the severed heads of her enemies, not acting as moderator to an Olympian version of Jerry Springer. I don't know what's going on with this title, nor do I know why Azzarello's writing has lost the courage of his previous work, but at the moment, it's making worse what could have been the best improvement Wonder Woman has seen in ages.


Art: 3/5

Not bad, but not particularly impressive either. The colors seem a bit too cartoony at times, as do several characters' facial expressions. Cartoony can be fine in a comic book, but when combined with such a lackluster plot, it just emphasizes what a mess the title is. The artists are clearly talented, but the style they're currently working in is a problem. The new Wonder Woman was advertised as being quite dark, but it's going to be impossible to achieve a dark tone if the art has a bright and almost whimsical style.

Best art: when Diana lifts the car off of Zola. Her facial expression is awkward, but the rest of the panel is great.

Cover: 4/5

Diana uses her superhuman strength to force open the jaws of Cerberus. Too bad Cerberus didn't actually try to eat her in the issue; that would have--God forbid--been interesting.
Overall rating 
 
2.7
Art 
 
3.0
Covers 
 
4.0
Story 
 
1.0
Kate Fatale Reviewed by Kate Fatale April 12, 2012
Top 50 Reviewer  -   View all my reviews (20)

Wonder Woman #7 Review

Story: 1/5

This issue may as not have happened. It seems obvious that it's only a separate issue because they couldn't fit the bargain into the previous one. However, I can't help but think that it would have been better to increase the size of #5 than to release this one as its own issue.

Nothing happens. Even when something appears to happen, the action fizzles out quietly or just stops. Diana leaves Poseidon to go save Zola and other civilians from the centaurs, but then carries Zola back to Poseidon, leaving at least one centaur to continue its rampage. she does kill one centaur in a burst of blood and that moment is the best part of the entire issue, but even Diana lifting a car while her arms are still dripping centaur blood isn't strong enough to make up for the weak plotting here.

Why all the scene changes? Considering that nothing really happens, why do we jump from Diana to Lennox and Hades and back? Why does Hermes just randomly wander through? Why make such a big deal about Hera arriving in London if Diana's going to send her back to Olympus a few seconds later? Why do such a great reveal of the behemoth that is Poseidon if he's just going to flutter his tentacles and swim off in a huff? It all just seems like filler to make this story long enough to count as a full issue.

I'll admit that my opinion might be a bit clouded by the fact that I'm a fan of Hippolyta, but I feel that she may as well have not even showed up in the title's first arc. Sure, Diana's mad at her for lying to her, but nonetheless, Hippolyta is both her mother and queen of the Amazons, and her conversion into stone/death should have more of an effect on Diana as a character, not to mention the story as a whole. But the title is focused on the war amongst brothers, and Diana has to mitigate that. She doesn't have time to think about her mother or her people or to exact revenge.

And that's the problem with the title. Wonder Woman, as longtime fans know, has always been problematic, and this reboot isn't helping matters. The story isn't about Wonder Woman; it's about Zeus disappearing and his brothers and children (except Diana) warring for his throne. Diana's just furniture for their war. Where's the fierce warrior who can physically contend with Superman? Where's the regal demigoddess who made Batman kneel before her? She might be in the Justice League series, but she's definitely not here. She's not in her own title. Azzarello, a very talented writer whose other work I've loved, seems to have the same issue with Diana that others have had before him: he doesn't seem to know what to do with her, so he moves her to the sidelines, and makes her a prop in her own story.

Wonder Woman is never going to sell if she doesn't exist in her own story. When I heard that Azzarello was going to be writing the new Wonder Woman, I expected to see the Amazon warrior carrying around the severed heads of her enemies, not acting as moderator to an Olympian version of Jerry Springer. I don't know what's going on with this title, nor do I know why Azzarello's writing has lost the courage of his previous work, but at the moment, it's making worse what could have been the best improvement Wonder Woman has seen in ages.


Art: 3/5

Not bad, but not particularly impressive either. The colors seem a bit too cartoony at times, as do several characters' facial expressions. Cartoony can be fine in a comic book, but when combined with such a lackluster plot, it just emphasizes what a mess the title is. The artists are clearly talented, but the style they're currently working in is a problem. The new Wonder Woman was advertised as being quite dark, but it's going to be impossible to achieve a dark tone if the art has a bright and almost whimsical style.

Best art: when Diana lifts the car off of Zola. Her facial expression is awkward, but the rest of the panel is great.

Cover: 4/5

Diana uses her superhuman strength to force open the jaws of Cerberus. Too bad Cerberus didn't actually try to eat her in the issue; that would have--God forbid--been interesting.

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Posted: 1 year 1 month ago by CaptainDarling #6155
CaptainDarling's Avatar
I agree, this issue was pretty dull. I also didn't like Hades design. Did he always look like that in the DCU?