Wonder Woman #71 Review

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Art: Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 22nd, 2019

Wizard of Oz connections, Colossus, an angry suburban mob, and remembering Pat Benatar all in this week’s WONDER WOMAN #71 by G. Willow Wilson. Let’s dive into this one!

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

SUMMARY

G. Willow Wilson opens the story with the entire town of Summergrove finding Atlantiades ready to take her out and get their revenge. If you remember, this Goddess tricked the entire town to see their deepest desires and act on them. Last issue, we saw relationships and families destroyed. And now, they want Atlantiades’ head. Well, Diana won’t have that. So, Wonder Woman steps in attempting to find a means of fair retribution.  However, Atlantiades shines brighter than the sun with her true God-like power and scares the mob into submission. All appears forgiven until a child comes looking for her parents and opens the Goddess’s eyes to the truth. Atlantiades leads the child to find her parents and finally comes to the realization that giving people their deepest desires will only lead to someone’s pain in the end. The Goddess realizes that it’s very difficult to make everyone in this world happy no matter how hard you try. 

Meanwhile, Maggie and Aphrodite search through Atlantiades’ house to find this black hole that leads them into what appears to be a new realm with a gigantic bullheaded, man-beast called a Colossus standing in their way. Diana connects the dots and realizes that these black holes are connected pathways to and from wherever Olympus is. Maggie worked her way into the portal just like some of the Olympians are working their way out at the same time.  Wonder Woman jumps in at the last minute and saves Maggie. However, the issue ends with the beast getting up for Round Two. We’ll have to wait until next issue to see what happens next.

MORALS AND VALUES

After jumping off WONDER WOMAN since Jason (her brother) left, this reviewer didn’t know what he was walking into. So, I began at the beginning of the arc and tried to get up to speed as quick as possible. So far, the past three issues seem more about driving home a specific theme than about moving a story forward. By that, this reviewer feels this issue was more about love, desire, and sacrifice than it was about Wonder Woman, Olympus, and her adventures. 

A quote straight from the issue was “We do not conquer love. It is love that conquers us.”Boom! That has been the point Wilson has been trying to drive home throughout this issue, as well as the last two. That’s totally fine but it literally smacked readers in the face. Sometimes, it’s nice to leave the theme more open-ended so fans can explore what the issue means to them. However, it’s the plot and story that need to be straightforward in order for readers to know where the author intends the narrative to go while leaving the spirit of the issue open to move the reader. 

Ultimately, following your hearts desires will have consequences and limitations to those around you. Gotcha! But, this reviewer was jumping into the series again to see where Diana is at, what she’s been up to, and where she’s headed. Instead, this fan got what appeared to be a morality lesson about love and desire, which was a great lesson... but not what this reviewer was looking for at the time.

FORCED MOMENTS

Wilson’s story was clear and consist while Xermanico’s art was easy to follow but nothing stood out and really grabbed this reviewers attention. The dialogue itself wasn’t forced but there were moments that appeared pushed like the scene where Maggie named the sword Toto. This reviewer got the feeling that Wilson wanted to slide that in somehow for something clever and interesting. However, it just didn’t seem to fit with the progression of the character or the story. Sure, there is a parallel between two Heroines going to new lands but they are both completely different circumstances with completely different scenarios that just don’t seem to jive or line up.

The other part that didn’t seem to fit within the story was the throwaway line between Wonder Woman and Atlantiades immediately before they were interrupted by Cadmus the flying horse. The tone appeared to be something romantic in nature between the two characters that this reviewer did not feel in any of the prior two issues, as well as this one. If anything, I noticed a tone that showed Diana’s love for Steve Trevor last Issue but nothing between her and Atlantiades. This again seemed forced and artificially placed into the story without anything to back it up. If there was a relationship blossoming between these two characters, this reviewer could get behind it IF there was set up leading to it. However, the prior issue says the opposite.

The story was more of a lesson in love and desire than an issue about Wonder Woman, her current quest, and the direction of the series. Many ideas appeared coerced throughout the issue in order to put ideas that Wilson wanted into the character and the story that this reviewer didn’t notice prior in issues 69 and 70. If you’re reading WONDER WOMAN looking for a good message, this issue is definitely for you. If you’re interested in action, adventure, and something dynamically exciting, it looks like NEXT issue may be for you after the cliffhanger. 

Bits and Pieces:

Ultimately, the best parts of the issue were not the focus of the issue. Hopefully, Wilson will focus more on Toto, Colossus, and the Olympian’s from here on out. That’s what this reviewer wants to see!

5.9/10