Wonder Woman #16 Review

• Written by: Tom King

• Art by: Bruno Redondo, Caio Felipe

• Colors by: Adriano Lucas

• Letters by: Clayton Cowles

• Cover art by: Daniel Sampere, Tomeu Morey (cover A)

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: December 18, 2024

Wonder Woman #16, by DC Comics on 12/18/24, puts Detective Chimp on the case to solve Steve Trevor's murder by making the Sovereign "bananas" with questions.

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Is Wonder Woman #16 Good?

First Impressions

If you're a Wonder Woman fan, you'll probably have mixed feelings about the second issue in a row where Wonder Woman is nothing more than a presence in the background. Writer Tom King gives Detective Chimp the spotlight for the next round of takedowns against the Sovereign in a tale that has a certain charm but misses the mark on character work. Your mileage may vary.

Recap

When last we left Diana in Wonder Woman #15, she gently nurtured her "newborn" child while the assorted Wonder Girls spread out across the world to cripple the Sovereign's financial caches. Cassie Sandsmark sank an autonomous battleship containing untold riches. Yara Flor robbed a number of North American banks to withdraw the Sovereign's deposits. Donna Troy ripped a precious jewel from the still-living body of Solomon Grundy, and Cheetah shredded a lonely accountant who held the keys to Sovereign's online accounts.

Plot Synopsis

In Wonder Woman #16, Detective Chimp arrives on the Sovereign's doorstep to ask a few trivial questions related to his investigation into Steve Trevor's murder.

At first, the Sovereign humors Det. Chimp by answering his questions with vague answers that would satisfy the average investigator. Det. Chimp is not the average investigator.

Detective Chimp revisits the Sovereign several times over the course of weeks, catching the villain in lies, and then forcing the Soveriegn to concoct bigger lies to cover the previous lies. Eventually, the Soveriegn lies about a piece of evidence he doesn't have, so he sends Circe to break into Steve Trevor's office to steal what he needs. However, the Sovereign doesn't realize that he sent Circe into a trap that gives Detective Chimp and the Spectre the hostile witness they need to uncover the Sovereign's history. 

The issue ends with the Sovereign's reputation being exposed, thanks to an illuminating news report by Clark Kent.

Backup Story

Jimmy Olsen live streams a series of TikTok-ish videos reacting to Clark Kent's story about the Sovereign.

What’s great about Wonder Woman #16?

For good or bad, it's a net positive to see Detective Chimp act like a detective and get the job done. It's strange to think a character who pops up in so many titles rarely gets a chance to show off his talents. Here, Detective Chimp is literally the star of the show.

What’s not great about Wonder Woman #16?

Making Detective Chimp the star of the show means this is the second issue in a row where Wonder Woman lingers in the background with her new child. When a series about a character doesn't star that character, that's just bad form. Marvel is learning that lesson the hard way right now with Ultimate Spider-Man.

Further, Tom King seems to be under the impression that Detective Chimp is a DC analog for the famous TV detective Columbo, which is not at all in line with his character. It's almost a given that Tom King either can't or won't do his character research, but it's still a disappointing shock every time you see how far off the mark King goes.

Further still, how was Detective Chimp able to casually get an audience with the "King of America" without immediately getting swarmed by security or being assassinated to prevent further intrusion? Chimp's detective skills may be admirable, but the plot only works if the Sovereign is suddenly nerfed well below his introduction.

Last but not least, the Sovereign's narration is painfully slow and not at all additive to the plot. You'd think that the same criticism, levied over and over, would prompt King to tighten up the Sovereign's voice, but it seems not. 

How’s the Art?

Bruno Redondo steps in as the guest artist, and the net result is pretty okay. In the interests of full disclosure, I was not a fan of Redondo's bland work on Nightwing. He fares better here, probably due to the coloring from Adriano Lucas, but the art doesn't reach Daniel Sampere's level.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Wonder Woman #16 sends Detective Chimp to tear down the Sovereign's reputation, one lie at a time. Tom King's oddball script has a certain charm, thanks to Detective Chimp's weird impersonation of TV detective Columbo. That said, another Wonder Woman comic without Wonder Woman is just bad form, and the guest artist's output is solid but not as good as regular artist Daniel Sampere.

6.5/10

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