Wonder Woman #60 // Review
The new creative team finally hits its groove, in Wonder Woman #60, written by G. Willow Wilson, with pencils by Cary Nord, inks by Mick Gray, and colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr. Can they stay the course, and deliver a classic run, though? Previously, Ares died in his prison on Themyscira, only to be reborn with a new purpose: champion of justice. Unfortunately, his version of justice is a bit skewed, and he went and got himself involved in the small country of Durovnia’s civil war. Coincidentally(?), Wonder Woman’s longtime beau, Steve Trevor, was also sent to Durovnia on a military mission to protect the prime minister from insurgents. He disappeared, prompting Diana to get involved. Now, she has been sucked into a confrontation with Ares, who has chosen a side to back in the war, and started killing people in the name of justice. Can she show him what true justice is, or will she be forced to fight him to stop his murderous rampage?
Wilson’s Wonder Woman has been a little out of whack since her first issue, being quick to violence, and a little hot-headed. This issue turned that around, as she’s seen talking Ares down, preaching peace over war, and even protecting people who had attacked her, just to stop more lives from from being taken. This is Wonder Woman in a nutshell, and she really shines in this issue. Diana is a character that should rarely lose her cool, and always want to talk things out before being pushed to violence, or making rash decisions. She’s the diplomat of the DC universe, and Wilson finally seems to be understanding that.
As much as Diana returns to her proper character form, Ares sees major change in this issue. He came into this arc gungho to be an agent of justice, and so sure of his himself. Then, Wonder Woman made him see that his methods cost the lives of innocents, and he swerved the other way, deciding not to be involved at all. With Ares, Wilson shows she is capable of constructing a complicated character that is neither good, nor bad, but simply trying to figure out how to be a better person. He wants to do good, but as a God of War, he’s only ever known conflict, destruction, and death. Sadly, the life he has chosen may not be within his nature, or capabilities. Either way, it makes for a great read.
Nord seems to have also found his way in the third issue of this arc, because his pencils have definitely tightened up. Minus a few scenes of Diana’s face looking a little wonky, he does an amazing job at storytelling, and an even better job with the action scenes. Gray’s inks are a little heavy for Nord, so hopefully they’ll even out over time, as he adjusts to the penciler’s style. Fajardo, though, is an old pro on this book, and delivers a unique, but perfectly shaded palette of color that you’ll only find in this series.
Overall, this issue was an improvement over the previous two introductory issues for this creative team. It seems like they’ve ironed out their initial problems, so hopefully, the story only keeps getting better. If this chapter is any indication, the readers should be excited about the future of Wonder Woman.
Grade A-
