WONDER WOMAN #37

Warkiller, Part 2 of 4:  Of Two Minds

December 2009

Written by Gail Simone

Pencils by Bernard Chang

Inks by Bernard Chang

Cover by Aaron Lopresti

Synopsis

Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) is visited by Ares, who tells her that despite being killed by her, he is not finished.  He will make her suffer.  And someone will betray her.  On Themyscira, Hippolyta visits one of the pregnant Amazons.  Hippolyta then learns of the return of the Bana-Mighdall.  Elsehwere, Achilles and his betrothed Akylone spar.  Akylone suggests that Achilles hurt Wonder Woman by killing her ape companions to demonstrated the strength of Achilles.  Later, Diana visits Achilles and tells him she is taking Hippolyta off the island.  Suddenly, Donna Troy attacks.  Diana recognizes that Donna is enthralled, so Diana decides to prove how much Donna means to her.  It is enough to stop the fight.  However, Hippolyta doesn’t want to go.  No matter what happens to her, if it keeps the Amazons together, it will be worth it.  Besides, Akylone is now the queen of the Amazons.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

There are some interesting ideas that can be found in this issue and the overall story, but a lot if it is lost in a story that lacks structure.  Individual scenes are good, but when placed within the context of the rest of the story and you have to wonder.   The perfect example is the opening pages with Ares.  I like the scene and I like the conversation between the two.  Ares is defiantly right.  Diana is a warrior for peace, she belongs to him, but it is her ties to peace (to the innocents) that prevents her from being all that she can be.  And I like the way it strengthened Diana’s resolve to reclaim what belongs to her.  But it doesn’t quite flow with the story.  It comes after the capture of Hippolyta.  It may come a month after the last issue, but still you would want to learn about Hippolyta being a prisoner than a dream sequence with Ares.  Worse, the next sequence doesn’t even show Hippolyta as a prisoner.  The next couple of pages are confusing. 

Is Hippolyta a prisoner or not?  The end of last issue showed her a prisoner, of Achilles, but in the earlier scene of this issue when she is visiting the pregnant woman, she is not bound by her shackles and she is being guarded and/or escorted by an ally.  Yet, later in the issue she is shown shackled. 

Are the gorillas guarding Hippolyta or not?  When Achilles and Akylone are sparring with each other, Akylone stats that Diana withdrew, leaving behind the gorillas.  Yet, in the scene with Hippolyta and the pregnant woman, the gorillas are not seen.  In fact, they are shown sleeping on the couch at Diana’s apartment. 

It is almost as if some of the scenes belonged in a different place in the narrative.  We have Ares, the pregnant Amazons, and the return of Artemis.  So, it takes about 8 pages to return the narrative (somewhat) back to where it ended in the previous issue and even then we only get Achilles and Akylone talking about it rather than seeing it.  And what follows doesn’t seem to jive with everything else that is happening around it, such as the comment about the gorillas.  As I said, good individual scenes that just don’t seem to mesh together the way it should. 

What was the deal with Donna?  I realize that she has been enthralled by Achilles (or someone) for sometime now, but it is a little strange that between issue #xx and now we haven’t seen her.  What has she been doing?  Just flying around waiting for her chance to attack Diana?  Was she taken somewhere and brainwashed?  It feels the writers hand of coincidence in which Gail used her to fit the needs of the plot without thinking about how the character and the development of the character actually fit into the story. 

Comic Connection

The return of the Bana-Mighdall occurred in Secret Six (also written by Gail Simone and featuring a guest appearance by Wonder Woman), beginning with issue #10. 

PREVIOUS ISSUE	Main		Page	NEXT ISSUE