DCU Comic Book Reviews

BLACKEST NIGHT:  Wonder Woman #3

Part Two

March 2010

Written by Greg Rucka

Pencils by Nicola Scott and Eduardo Pansica

Inks by Jonathon Glapion and Eber Ferreira

Covers by Greg Horn and Ryan Sook

Synopsis

Black Lantern Wonder Woman fights against Queen Mera of Atlantis.  Diana tries her best to rebel against the urges of the black power ring, but can’t quite do it.  She stabs Mera with the Queen’s trident.  Diana then runs away, unwilling to kill her.  She tries to remove the ring, but she can’t.  She then encounters Cassie Sandsmark (aka Wonder Girl) and Black Lantern Donna Troy, who mocks Cassie as a member of the Wonder Team.  Diana literally takes the heart of Wonder Girl, killing her.  She then literally slices Donna in half.  Diana is then confronted by her mother, Queen Hippolyta.  As they fight, she is hit by batarang.  Batman tells her to stop it.  She attacks.  He grabs her and kisses her.  Suddenly, a violet power ring appears.  Diana has great lover in heart.  She becomes a member of the Star Sapphires. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

The events in this issue take place between the pages (or panels) of events from Blackest Night, issue #6.   

This is a fractured issue and it shows somewhat in the transitions from scene to scene, but the individual pieces are thoroughly engaging and entertaining and overall it works.  The key to this issue, I think, is the way Rucka works in the thought process of a Black Lantern and how he contrasts the repeated pleas for “flesh” against Diana’s own thoughts to not succumb to those urges.  The inner turmoil she is feeling and the way she fights against herself provides great insight to what some of the Black Lanterns must be feeling.  It is a great bit of characterization and it gives the fight scene, which runs a little bit longer than I expected, a lot of depth.  The fight scene also helps to characterize Mera, to really show her anger and in some ways explains why she became a Red Lantern in Blackest Night, issue #6.  It is remarkable what Rucka achieves.  Luckily the fight doesn’t take over the entire book, although that does leave a number of odd scenes.  I am not quite sure why Diana attacked Donna.  Have Black Lanterns done that before.  The death of Cassie was shocking, but the arrival of Hippolyta amounted to very little.  As I said, a little fractured and not quite cohesive, but it still works due to the internal conflict Diana feels.  Add in the ending with the Star Sapphire and it paints the picture of a character not in charge of who she is.  It is a great characterization from Rucka and this was a very good issue. 

Was that Dick Grayson as Batman who appeared or was that a vision of Bruce Wayne, perhaps brought on by the arrival of the violet power ring?  I found it interesting that Batman was used in that scene, rather than say her former boyfriend Tom Tresser.  Granted, she and Batman almost pursued a relationship previously and, of course, Batman was instrumental in turning Diana a Black Lantern in Blackest Night #5, but in terms of love, wouldn’t Tom be a better pick?

The death of Cassie surprised me somewhat.  I certainly wasn’t expecting it. There wasn’t much of a prelude.  It just kind happened and I reacted with an “ooh, wow.”  Then I realized that the ending of Blackest Night will probably return all dead characters back to life, so Cassie (along with Donna and Diana) will remain as part of the DC universe.  Then it hit me.  I am surprised that more characters haven’t died.  It is the perfect opportunity to kill off whomever you want without having to deal with it the long-term consequences. 

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