Wonder Woman #16
Wonder Woman is a book that has definitely benefited from DC’s line-wide relaunch. Writer Brian Azzarello has breathed new life into the amazing Amazon, updating her parentage and effectively turning the series into a family drama. That family just so happens to be the Greek pantheon. Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t live up to the example of its predecessors.
Wonder Woman #16 picks right up where the previous issue left off – Wonder Woman and her demigod sibling Lennox are searching for Hermes, who has stolen their friend Zola’s child. In the course of their search they meet Milan, another demigod, and Orion (who may or may not be from New Genesis and may or may not be a New God). As frequently happens when heroes meet for the first time, Diana and Orion fight each other. Cooler heads eventually prevail in the form of Milan unleashing a swarm of flies on them. Ultimately Diana and Orion determine that they’re after the same thing, with Orion believing that Zola’s child, a “new god,” may bring about the end of The Source – and the end of time.
There are other threads in this issue as well. Zola and a now-mortal Hera go out on the town in New York, but are interrupted by Ares and Dionysus. In Antarctica the First Born – the very first child of Zeus – fights a group of ice giants and retrieves his armor from beneath the ice. But the main thrust of the issue is around Diana and Orion’s intersecting journeys.
Wonder Woman #16 doesn’t bring a lot of enthusiasm with the latest installment. Sure, things happen, but at the same time the status quo at the end of the issue is more or less the same as it is in the beginning. It’s hard to tell where things are going. Diana and Orion have a clear objective, but the story with the First Born has been going on for four issues now and they’re still in Antarctica with no real forward movement or momentum. Zola and Hera’s story could take a turn for the better now that Ares has inserted himself into the situation, but for the most part it’s just been the two of them sniping at each other. Entertaining, sure, but not very substantial. Even Chiang’s art feels less energetic than usual here. There is some action in the First Born scenes, but the other scenes are just characters either sitting or standing around and talking. The whole thing feels like filler before the real action begins.
As a brief diversion from everyday life, Wonder Woman #16 is a perfectly average comic. Compared to previous entries of the series, though, this issue falls flat. There’s nothing bad about it, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy, either. It would be less of a disappointment if Azzarello and Chiang hadn’t already proven that they can do better.
