Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #18 Review

Written by: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
Art by: Gabriel Hardman
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: December 11, 2014

Sister Act

I enjoyed the first two issues of Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman's "Dig for Fire" arc.  Wonder Woman on Apokolips is good enough, but the potential of a Darkseid versus Diana battle had me anticipating this finale.  Like Eric found out recently on his birthday, you don't always get what you wish for.  He got a sweatshirt instead of the Robin and Robin Cycle Imaginext figures and I didn't get a knock down, drag out brawl between two of my favorite characters.  Even sadder was that this issue was the weakest of the story arc.



Last issue ended with Wonder Woman rescuing her two Amazon sisters and running from Darkseid and hi minions.  It's an action packed chase scene through the underworld of Apokolips.  When they finally shake their pursuers, they end up back with the everyman workers that Wonder Woman met previously.  I hoped that this story didn't devolve into an "oppressed workers rise against the powers that be" fable and I'm glad to say it didn't.  Nope, it turned into something different.

If you have been reading this arc, I'm sure you remember the odd bit where Wonder Woman found a Lexcorps container. You didn't think that was just going to disappear, did you? It all comes back here when Wonder Woman finds out what it is, who brought it to Apokolips and why.  All I have to say is, Darkseid was right.  The issue and arc ends with Wonder Woman realizing that being a sister doesn't mean as much as she once thought and the enemy of your friend is a friend...oh the hell with it, Wonder Woman saves Apokolips.  She also does a pretty mean Slim Pickens impersonation.

This finale let me down a bit.  It wasn't that it was bad, because it wasn't.  It I just didn't like the twist and what it meant to the overall story.  Wonder Woman went to Apokolips with a noble purpose, but ended up having to mop up the crap of her sisters to save the day.  It just left me with a bad taste in my mouth.  Crap will do that.

Gabriel Hardman's art was as good as usual.  The gritty, pencil heavy style fit the story well.  This story introduced me to Hardman and I've become a fan.

Bits and Pieces:

While this issue was a bit of a let down after the first two, it ended the story with a bang.  Wonder Woman found out the danger of blind trust and I found out I really like Corinna Bechko's writing and Gabriel Hardman's art.  I guess we're all winners.

7.0/10