WONDER WOMAN #16

The Circle, Part Three of Four:  Wellspring Of All Vengeance

March 2008

Written by Gail Simone

Pencils by Terry Dodson and Ron Randall

Inks by Rachel Dodson and Ron Randall

Cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson

Synopsis

Then...Queen Hippolyta’s royal guards fiercely protect their charge while at the same time protecting Themyscira.  When they learn Hippolyta would make a daughter, they realize they would need to kill the baby to protect the Amazons.  Present day...Nazis invade Themyscira and find the Queen’s honor guard locked in prison.  They also encounter Hippolyta, who systematically kills the Nazis as they arrive on shore.  Wonder Woman also appears on shore with her new Gorillas finds as her allies.  Elsewhere, when Lt. Col. Etta Candy learns Diana Prince misses work, she decides to investigate her home.  There she finds someone waiting for her.  Meanwhile, Wonder Woman continues to fight the Nazis when she finally finds her mother, who has been shot and is badly injured and near death. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I don’t really want to repeat the lame joke from my review of the last issue, but I do really need to add that this issue was just more GOODNESS.  I realize that Simone and I may be the only people who love the inclusion of the Gorillas, but even that little tidbit aside, there is a lot of good stuff going on in this issue.  There may not be much going on and Simone spend much of this issue setting up the finale to the story, but I liked the battle scenes (and I loved the arrow in the grenade maneuver) and the ending was handled well enough that I wasn’t too annoyed because I know Hippolyta is still alive (because of the events in Countdown to Final Crisis). 

The new dynamic to Wonder Woman’s birth and origin manages to maintain on what has already been established, yet at the same time expand and delve deeper into those issues.  It is a fantastic feat.  Simone doesn’t really change Diana’s origin; it is still the same as Diana is molded from clay and then blessed by the Gods.  But the inclusion of the honor guard and the pain and suffering from being unable to have children puts Diana’s birth in a new light.  The origin isn’t different or new, but it feels that way simply due to seeing the events from a different perspective. 

There is a part of me that really hopes that when this storyline concludes next issue, the friction and the conflict between Diana and the royal guard remains.  The foursome would make a great addition to the Rogues Gallery for Wonder Woman.  But I get the feeling that somehow the royal guard will realize their mistake and embrace Diana.  The clash between them and the queen has been great stuff, with gray areas of honor and trust and duty as they are bound to honor their queen as well as their people but are in conflict with both as well as their own maternal instinct.  I think there is a lot to explore with these characters and to keep them against Wonder Woman would give Diana some much needed villains to contend with. 

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