Wonder Woman #776 Review

 

Side Quests and Lucky Charms

Writer: Jordie Bellaire, Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad

Artist: Paulina Ganucheau, Jill Thompson

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 27, 2021

I love Wonder Woman, and while she has had more downs than ups in her solo books the last bunch of years, I keep reading and keep hoping for better.  Unfortunately, since Future State ended, this book has gotten worse and worse with each issue, and I am seriously thinking of bailing on it entirely for the first time in over a decade.  Let's see if this issue changes my mind...

We kick things off with Diana and Ratatosk, wondering what realm they are in and what is going on.  They are in Elfhame, the Fairy Lands, and while that might sound cool, it doesn't matter in the long run.  Things do happen... Ratatosk gets turned into a boy, Siegfried shows up, and Diana talks to Deadman, but this is only a quick detour to getting closer to Janus.

The problem is, we spend way too much time playing catchup, and most of the exciting stuff in the issue happens in a narration-heavy montage.  By the end, it feels like Cloonan and Conrad just needed our heroes to get to Earth and didn't care if they had a good way of getting them there.

Seriously, everything that happens in Elfhame is inconsequential to the overall story and is a complete slog to get through.  The characters feel off, and everything just falls flat.  That becomes so obvious when the problems of Elfhame are "solved" without much effort and in a convoluted and confusing way.  Seriously, things happen for little reason, and even then, things feel so small and even a bit confusing.

In the end, though, Wonder Woman gets to Earth and is on the hunt for Janus...still.  This issue could be skipped without any problem as we advance, but I suggest skipping the series itself for now!  I wouldn't say I liked the art, though it attempts to fit the fairytale aspect of Elfhame.  I'm sure others will love it, but it's a style that has never been my cup of tea.

Bits and Pieces:

Wonder Woman continues to be the biggest disappointment coming out of Future State.  This issue feels like a side quest in a series full of them and can be skipped entirely.  I keep hoping things will get better, but unfortunately, they keep doing the opposite.

3.9/10