Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #39 Review

Written by: Carla Speed McNeil
Art by: Carla Speed McNeil
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: June 18, 2015

Lion Around Town 

It's been quite some time since I've picked up, read and reviewed an issue of Sensation Comics.  It wasn't the quality of the book that turned me away, rather a large review pile and my undying laziness.  While I can't control what books come out when, I can change my lazy habits and this is my first step in that direction.  Much to my luck, this week's Sensation Comics is a one-shot story written and drawn by Carla Speed McNeil so I could  jump right back in.  Was this issue a nice welcome back to the series or should I have just laid around and done nothing as usual?  Let's find out...



The issue starts with a cold open showing a guy desperately trying to get help over the phone.  It has the feel of a backwoods horror movie and the tension only increases when you see more of the guys front yard featuring a huge chain attached to an old tree.  The former occupant of said chain is gone and the guy doesn't seem too happy about that.

This is not what I usually associate with a Wonder Woman comic.  Like I said, it really had the feel of a scary story and while that has never been my cup of tea, this one had me intrigued.  Who was the guy calling...the police?  Wonder Woman?  The Ghost Busters?  All of those would have been better than the truth.

We finally get to see both Wonder Woman and the thing that was formally tied up with that chain.  It was a huge lion and Wonder Woman is lying on him, using him as a pillow.  It seems that the guy owns Rommel (or Hot-Breath-Hot-Blood as Wonder Woman calls him) and while the relationship started out great, things have soured to the point of abuse.  And this begins one of the strangest stories of pet ownership I have ever read.

I really don't know what to say about this guy.  Who the hell keeps a lion as a pet?  Is that even legal? Flashbacks show how much he loved Rommel...playing with him and walking him around town on a leash.  Where are the police in this town?  Nobody seems to mind that he is walking a man eating lion around and in fact, the ladies in town seem quite impressed.  Very odd.

The oddness continues as Diana tells him a heavy handed story about when she met some lions as a little girl.  While the story was laughable, the fact that the art and story don't jive is annoying since McNeil did both.  Here's what I learned...if a lion sinks his teeth into your arm, don't get upset because you won't bleed and then you will become life long friends with the lion.  I will never let any of my children read this issue before going to the Zoo.

The issue ends with the guy learning his lesson and being nice to his lion again.  However, we learn that the phone call in the beginning was to some horrible, lion killing jerk offs, but have no fear, Diana's lion friends take care of them.  Hmmm...

I don't know what McNeil was after here.  If the story was against animal abuse, just having a grown lion as a pet felt off and the guy just tells Wonder Woman he's changed and everything is okay. Really?  The worst thing is that it wasn't a good Wonder Woman story, either.  Why was she even at this guys house?  To make maters worse, it seemed as if McNeil had no idea about the character of Wonder Woman.

Bits and Pieces:

Carla Speed McNeil gives fans of Wonder Woman one of the most bizarre and unusual tales I've ever read.  That's not a good thing since I was left wondering why this issue was even written.  The characterization was off, but it's the story of lion pet ownership that still has me scratching my head.
Wonder Woman fans (and comic fans in general) should pass on this one.

2.0/10