Wonder Girl #5 Review

The choice between eternal slavery and death

 Written By: Joëlle Jones

Art By: Adriana Melo, Jordie Bellaire & Pat Brosseau

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 30, 2021

Wonder Girl #5 is do-or-die time for Yara Flor when she must drink the Elixir of Life to become Hera's champion forever or refuse the "offer" and risk making Hera very unhappy. Meanwhile, Cassie learns that the Amazonian tribes of Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall are not the only warrior tribes in town.

Was It Good?

What a disappointing mess this is turning out to be. I was especially vocal in proclaiming Jones' Yara Flor was one of the best things (maybe the only good thing) to come out of Future State, so expectations were high that DC had a breakout character on their hands. Now through 5 issues of Yara's solo series, the story is a convoluted jumble of ideas and concepts loosely connected to an over-arching plot with little clarity or explanation.

When last we left Yara, she was training on Mt. Olympus to become Hera's champion. Once she's up to godly standards, she would drink the Elixir of Life to gain immortality and become Hera's champion-in-servitude forever. The "servitude for forever" part turns out to be a deal breaker in this issue, and Yara flees. Hera, of course, is displeased and Yara must fight through the armies of Hephaestus to escape Mt. Olympus.

In a single paragraph like the above, it sounds very clean and clear. However, you have to wade through a plethora of minor plot hole questions to sort it all out. Didn't Yara know what she was getting into when she was escorted to Mt. Olympus? Did she bother to ask? Why did Eros slice himself with his own arrow when they first met? Why did Yara's arrival in Brazil trigger a worldwide alert among the magical races? The more you think about it, the more questions come flooding in with nary a satisfying answer in sight.

Meanwhile, Cassie and Hermes are hanging out in Brazil for no particular reason at all. None. Cassie is simply talking about her encounter with Artemis while Hermes impatiently half-listens before he makes up an excuse to leave. Why was this scene here at all?

Later, Cassie catches up with Potira and the two discuss their previous fight when they decide to make peace for the sake of being potential allies in the future. Cassie is somehow surprised at the concept of being allies with Potira and her "tribe", not realizing there was another Amazonian tribe besides Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall. Where did Cassie think these strangely dressed Amazons came from? Cassie can be ditzy but her reactions here and the way the entire scene plays out lead you to believe Cassie suffers from some mental deficiency.

Potira takes Cassie back to her tribe's home, and we end where we started. Random things happening, too many of the wrong kinds of questions being asked, and a story that's going nowhere.

A key selling point of this series is Jones' art. In this issue, Jones is fully off art duties in favor of Melo, and it's a step-down. Melo has a strong style (not as strong as Jones) but the down point in this issue is the lack of consistency. Some panels are thoroughly detailed and look great. Others look half-finished and rushed. Melo is not as good as Jones, but it would have been a passable change if the art was consistent all the way through.

Bits and Pieces

Wonder Girl #5 is quickly devolving into a nothing series with nothing to say and no direction. Random events are happening, whole scenes are inserted that serve no purpose, and the hand-off of art duties proves to be a downgrade in art quality.

6/10