DCU Comic Book Reviews

Blood Debt

December 2005

Written by Greg Rucka

Pencils by Cliff Richards

Inks by Ray Snyder

Cover by J. G. Jones

Synopsis

On the USS Thomas Jefferson, the US Navy has noted the Amazons have deployed missile batteries and seem ready to go to war.  On Themyscira, the Amazons are preparing for the invasion Callisto foresaw.  While Artemis oversees preparations, Rachel Keast tells her of Wonder Woman’s recent killing of Max Lord and her decision to turn herself in.  In the armory, Phillipus shows Io the same news.  Io agrees to build what they want.  At The Hague, Wonder Woman enters a plea of not guilty, but his confined to the building until the trial.  Watching everything is Barbara Minerva (aka Cheetah).  She kills several guards and makes her way to Diana’s room.  Cheetah tells Diana she is going to kill her and the attacks.  The fight spills out into the courtyard.  Cheetah jumps at Diana, who grabs her by the throat and takes her down, blood spilling all over her fallen body.  Meanwhile on the USS Thomas Jefferson, the US gets word of incoming forces from the opposite direction of Themyscira.  Hundreds of OMACs are flying to Themyscira.

Review

I would like to say too little, too late, but I really enjoyed this issue.  My bone of contention is the prominent role of the Cheetah in the story and essentially the background provided for her character and how she became the Cheetah.  I liked it very much, especially the description of Diana and Cheetah being mirror images of each other.  I am sure Cheetah’s history has been done before, but not during the Greg Rucka run that began in 2 years ago.  The problem, of course, is that they’ve already announced the second series of Wonder Woman will end in several months and thus this characterization really goes nowhere, unless Cheetah is used to effect in the Infinite Crisis.  Assuming, of course, she lives past this issue.  On the second reading, I stared at the final panel and wondered at the implications of Cheetah’s death and how this will affect Diana’s trial and “affirmative defense” and then I realized how good a job Rucka really does to make me wonder like that.  Damn, he’s good.

I liked the inclusion of Etta Trevor in this issue.  She was such an important part when the second series begins that I like bringing her back for the final couple of issues or at the very worst, one or day.  Now all we need is for Steve Trevor to come back.

Before I reached the final page, I was thinking the US army was going to attack because they saw the Amazons preparing for their own attack and that Callisto’s prophecy was going to be self fulfilling.  She tells everyone they will be attacked so they prepare for battle, which the enemy sees and thinks the Amazons are going to attack so they do a preemptive attack.  Alas, it will be the OMACs.  Question is: will the US help the OMACs, the Amazons, or just sit and watch?  And what is the thing they want Io to build?-- MRB