Diana is casually hanging out with shark off the coast of New England when she gets a call from her mother. It’s no casual call. There’s a serious danger that has arisen due to dark fates as writer Steve Orlando ushers Diana through Wonder Woman Annual #4. Artist Jack Herbert brings the story to the page with the aid of colorist Gabe Eltaeb. The story is a clear and articulate adventure pitting a warrior of peace against denizens of a dark dimension that serves as one of Orlando’s best contributions to the world of Wonder Woman even if it’s not a profoundly memorable story. 

Diana has been summoned to the Amazons’ palatial floating embassy. Evidently, there has been a disturbance in Brazil. A small oceanside city has suddenly appeared ensconced in an energy field the distorts all reality around it. The people in the city are suffering for reasons that aren’t entirely comprehensible from the outside. Wonder Woman is sent inside to investigate. Once inside, she finds herself face to face with dark fates that have been displaced. The very substance of lies and chaos, those dark fates stranded on earth, find it difficult to live in a world of humanity, and so they must distort reality. In order to confront those fates, Wonder Woman must dive into the heart of their chaos. 

Orlando’s recent work on the Wonder Woman title has been a bit of a slog in comparison to the two recent issues written by new author Mariko Tamaki. This issue seems to be a high point in Orlando’s work with Diana. She is given the opportunity to face beings that might as well be more or less the substance of pure evil and offer them a hand in coming to terms with their own displacement. Much of the issue is a magical conflict between a champion for humanity and demons from a dark dimension. This is territory that has been covered pretty extensively in comics over the decades. Still, here it manages to feel fresh nonetheless as the conflict at the heart of this annual is tackled in a way that is very distinct to Diana.

Herbert’s art feels a bit stiff in both dramatic and action scenes. The sense of wonder crackles around the edges of the issue, though. Occasionally it truly overcomes the narrative as witnessed in the majesty of the Amazon Embassy and Wonder Woman’s direct assault on the dark fates. Eltaeb lends depth and radiance to the action with colors that amplify the intensity of the drama. Some of the visuals have a striking impact. Of particular note is a moment where Wonder Woman crosses over the magical barrier into the Brazilian city and is confronted by traumatic visions of the past drawn from imagery of intense moments in the character’s history. 

Current author Mariko Tamaki may be taking Diana in a whole new direction with the series. Still, Orlando seems to have a solid enough grasp on the best elements of his run on the series to make for one satisfying annual. From Annual #4 on, Wonder Woman’s primary direction is moved solidly in the direction that is firmly guiding it away from more magical and mythological concerns to more mainstream superhero territory.

Grade: B+