Wonder Woman #782 Review

 

Deadman Fix All Tales

Writer: Becky Cloonan, and Michael Conrad

Artist: Marcio Takara

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 14, 2021

I haven't loved the Wonder Woman book in quite some time.  There have been a few bright spots, but it's been years since fans have had a solid run.  I have had the feeling for a long time that DC Comics has just handed out the book as an assignment than finding someone with a story they were passionate about telling.  Because of that, we keep falling back on the same tropes and cliches that might seem reasonable to new readers but have grown tiresome to long-time readers.  This run is no exception and throws in many weird things besides.  Cloonan and Conrad somehow think that the Phantom Zone (and some other odd things) is a part of the Multiverse and that Deadman can possess a dead man.  I get the joke there, but it isn't what the character does.  Oh well, let's see what is going on in this issue.

The issue picks up right where the last one left off.  Wonder Woman and Deadman are on a plane being attacked by a doppelganger Wonder Women army.  I'll stop again to point out again that Deadman is possessing a dead man, which isn't what he does, but also... how a dead guy could even get on a commercial flight!  That might come up at some point, maybe?  Also, the food Deadman is eating is just going to sit in that cadaver's stomach and rot.  Deadman doesn't raise the dead!   He also shouldn't talk, walk or do anything a corpse can't do, but you get the point.  I guess I have to go with it, but does he also have to work schtick?!?

Back to the story, Wonder Woman has duplicates (where did we see that recently) that attack the plane and cause all sorts of mayhem but don't.  The whole scene plays out with no tension at all, and I guess if Deadman can take over a dead man, a plane's door can be ripped open in-flight, and a bunch of shattering glass Wonder Women ain't no thang for the passengers.

Afterward, Conrad and Cloonan continue making Deadman the solution to every problem by saying he mind-wiped the entire plane full of people.  First off, Deadman doesn't do that.  Second, why would Wonder Woman, who is so into "THE TRUTH" let him do it????  She even praises him for it!  BULLSHIT!!!  All the mind control talk leads them to speculate that Dr. Psycho is involved.  Wait a minute!  The only mind control going on here is from Deadman.  You just got attacked by glass-like versions of yourself.  Where the f*** is the mind control there?!?

Deadman continues eating up a storm (where is the food going?), and Dr. Psycho up to his usual nonsense.  Doctor Psycho is the one bright spot lately, and I am interested in what he has going on.  The big thing here, though, is that one of the passengers has released a cellphone video of what happened on the plane.  Oh boy, people and those cell phones, am I right?

Continuing with the "Deadman has Powers just because," Boston talks about sensing the traces the dead leave behind as they make their way to Siggy's resting place.  Diana does get to return the sword, though I am sure some rando will grab it if they pass by before getting word of more dupes back home.  On the way, Diana ditches Deadman's corpse body so that Deadman can just be himself as they fly back to the states.  What?!?  So why did any of this corpse shit even happen???  Please, someone needs to make a rule that Cloonan and Conrad are never allowed to write Deadman ever again!!!

The issue ends with a cliffhanger with an obscure villain (from Wonder Woman #134) that might be cool, but we shall see.  After the debacle that is Deadman, I can only be worried.  I thought the art was great in this issue, but that's about it!

Make sure to listen to our Weekly DC Comics Recap and Review Podcast to hear us talk more about this book.  Just look up "Weird Science DC Comics" anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to rate, review, and subscribe!

Bits and Pieces:

Wonder Woman #782 is a mess of an issue that shows that Conrad and Cloonan have no idea how to write Deadman, but worse than that, plot an interesting issue.  Everything is forced forward in a convoluted way to get to a cliffhanger which feels like an attempt to be clever but will leave most readers scratching their heads.

4.0/10