Trial of the Amazons #2 Review

Writers Meeting Required

Written by: Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Vita Ayala, Stephanie Williams, Joëlle Jones

Art by: Elena Casagrande, Laura Braga, Skylar Partridge, Adriana Melo, Joëlle Jones

Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr., Jordie Bellaire

Letters by: Pat Brosseau 

Cover art by: Jim Cheung, Jay David Ramos

Cover price: $4.99

Release date: April 28, 2022

The Trial of the Amazons #2 concludes the titular event with a multi-tribe battle against Chaos and a decision about who will be the new Queen of the Amazons.

Was It Good?

This is the big finale to wrap up this event, and the big questions finally get resolved... or do they? No, they do not.

Whenever we review a finale issue in an event or series, we look at the quality of the issue in isolation and the event as a whole.

In isolation, this issue is a mess. But, focusing specifically on the art, it's typically a red flag when you see a small squad of pencilers and inkers on a single issue because that's a warning to expect inconsistent art. Here, the warning is deserved. In fairness, no one page or panel looks terrible. However, the quality goes up and down depending on who's doing the drawing.

If you cross your eyes and squint real hard, the art isn't all bad. However, it's hard to get past the nonsensical writing.

We pick up in the middle of a multi-tribe battle against the Chaos. A fight we never see begin in any of the previous issues. Doom's Doorway emerged from the ground at the end of the last issue, and now we're in the middle of a big battle against Chaos. In short, the comic is already off to a nonsense start in the very first panel. It's as if the writers didn't bother to speak with each other to figure out where one comic begins and the other ends.

And then they fight. The battles are fine, but the developments that happen during the battles make little sense. Cassie is seen at the beginning of the issue, standing with her fellow Amazons, ready to fight. Then, suddenly, she's flying in the air carrying Magala to meet with Nubia and show everyone a secret stash of weapons. Is this a flashback? How could Cassie be in two places at once? When did Cassie meet up with Magala?

Magala shows the Amazons a secret vault of unique weapons to use against Chaos, while Cassie sneaks off to free Artemis so she can join the fight. Artemis was revealed in the last issue to be Hippolyta's killer, but when did they imprison her? How was Artemis detained in another room of this secret vault that nobody but Magala knows about?

And then they fight some more, eventually defeating Chaos in a way that makes sense (no spoilers here). Now, this entire scenario takes you up to about page 19. Then the remaining 10 pages are almost entirely spent on speeches about how Amazons are always there for each other, quippy personal conversations between Yara and Diana about how inappropriate it is to give Yara the title of Wonder "Girl" big hugs plus validations for page after page.

 

The one part that is incredibly remarkable about this finale is how much it doesn't do. The reasoning behind Hippolyta's murder by Artemis is never addressed. There is no trial to determine the next guardian of Doom's Doorway. And, the "bet" to choose the next Queen of the Amazons is simply ignored as everyone declares Nubia the Queen because she's the best.

With all this focus on the finale issue in isolation, it encapsulates the series as a whole. The art is inconsistent. The bevy of writers either never talked to each other or never listened to each other. The Trial never happened. Hippolyta's murder mystery turned out to be inconsequential to the event. And in the end, everyone is right back to where they started leaving more questions and plot points unfinished than answered. In short, this event was poorly executed and pointless.

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Bits and Pieces:

 

Trial of the Amazons #2 finishes the event the way the event started - with a big, old mess. None of the major plot points are addressed (i.e., why Artemis killed Hippolyta), and the Trial to determine who guards Doom's Doorway never happens. Likewise, the contest to name the new Queen never happens. This event should be remembered as a complete failure by DC Editorial.

4/10