Wonder Woman #764 Review

 What a Beach!

Writer: Mariko Tamaki

Artist: Steve Pugh

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 14, 2020

Now that her Liar Liar story is over, I'm hoping that Mariko Tamaki can give Wonder Woman fans a big story with Diana and Maxwell Lord.  He knows Wonder Woman snapped his neck, and I can't wait to see that uncomfortable conversation.  We do get that, right?  What?!?!?!  Oh well, let's get into it...

Maxwell Lord is a badass, right?  I mean, Wonder Woman had no choice but to snap his neck in Infinite Crisis because of what he was doing to Superman.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen!  We open up this issue with Maxwell giving a woman the whammy so that she can only think of her fiance in socks and sandals.  The wedding is off (or course), but seeing Lord's nose bleeding for this nonsense just made me shake my head.  When Tamaki announced Maxwell Lord would be in her run, I expected a bit more.

To be fair, there is more.  There is a running gag that Maxwell looks just like Darren Hindor from the Miami Bust television show, but without any sort of reference point, it falls flat.  Maybe put him in a Hawaiian shirt and give him a Magnum P.I. mustache and have people mistake him for Bruce Wayne!  That's funny and some shade throwing all rolled up into one!

As far as the story goes, Diana and Maxwell are in Miami to meet up with a client about exchanging some stolen Lord Industries tech.  However, it takes way too long to set up such a simple premise because Tamaki is more worried about setting up unfunny jokes about drinks and blending in.  

The tech guy turns out to be a double-cross that uses cell phones (again with the cell phones) to create cyborgs... maybe.  It's hard to follow because Tamaki provides no setup and little insight on what is happening.  Wonder Woman does do her best Aquaman to take care of the threat while Maxwell sneaks some mind control to find out how he might be able to use this tech for himself.

The issue ends with Wonder Woman not trusting Lord (still) and Maxwell making a bellhop believe he is scum.  Oh yea, we find out that Liar Liar will remain in prison exactly how we left her last issue.  Oh goody.  Boy, I am so glad Maxwell Lord is doing his best Ashton Kucher and punking people instead of, I don't know, confronting Diana about snapping his neck, or really, anything worthwhile at all!!!!!

This issue was pretty damn awful.  Even if you look at it as a cooldown issue (like we needed one already?!?), the "jokes" fall flat, the character work is terrible and/or non-existent, and the story is forgettable WHILE you're reading it.  I liked the art, but Mariko Tamaki keeps making this book feel smaller and smaller, and I still have no feel for her Wonder Woman.  

Bits and Pieces:

Wonder Woman #764 could have been a fun enough issue, but instead, Mariko Tamaki wastes the reader's time and money.  After her work of X-23, I was worried about Wonder Woman, but I think I wasn't concerned enough.  Skip this one.

3.5/10