Superman has gone missing within the caverns and Wonder Woman and Batman team up and go after him.
Meanwhile Paradise Island is in the throes of a revolution with Donna Troy at the helm. Can Diana continue to balance her responsibilities and of course, is it good?
Wonder Woman #39 (DC Comics)
After a slow, tumultuous, and overly critiqued beginning to their first story arc, the Finches have slowly raised the quality of the series back up to where Azzarello left it (Well not quite, but the trajectory is looking pretty good). Rather than issues filled with dreams or emotional Diana or Amazonian panel meetings, we’re now getting a lot more action that moves the plot forward. I enjoy the inclusion of Batman in this issue because I like the dynamic of the two characters and we haven’t seen a lot of them together in the New 52, especially compared to the overwhelming amount of Superman/Wonder Woman material there’s been.
However it isn’t long before they run into Superman and the trio uncover what’s truly been happening to the villages (You know, the whole event where she beat the undeserved crap out of Swamp Thing). While this issue still lingers on an emotional Diana, I feel like it’s more justified given these circumstances and it also leads to a great conversation with Batman where she pulls a “Mic-Drop” worthy slight at the Dark Knight (Hey look I rhymed!). I think that page is my favorite page of the Finches Wonder Woman thus far. This issue also debuts the first interaction with Donna Troy which has been overdue since the last two issues she’s just stood there.
While this issue definitely made significant improvements to the series as a whole, it doesn’t come without its flaws. Unfortunately this week I’m looking at you David Finch. Batman looks good. Superman looks like a metro-sexual runway model. He’s very small framed and almost the same size as Diana. The other problem I had was the way the issue ended. It actually caused me physical pain because it ends so abruptly. The final panel doesn’t include a “To be continued” and it’s opposite an ad so it makes it seem like it isn’t over. I flipped the page and instead of finding more panels I found an ad for Batgirl’s Endgame issue. I flip it once more and there are just more ads. I felt literally blue-balled (yes, I’m coining that phrase).
Is It Good?
I’m happily surprised at how well this issue went and it rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the series as a whole. The last two issues have really brought the quality of the series back up to where it should be. Next month is the penultimate issue of the story arc and it looks like it’ll start with a showdown between Donna and Diana. This series is back on an upward trend.
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