Wonder Woman 2021 Annual // Review
The first big Themysciran crossover event in a very long time makes its big debut in Wonder Woman 2021 Annual. Writers Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan set up the coming conflict in a museum. Artist Andy MacDonald and colorist Nick Filardi bring the initial encounter to the page with depth and nuance in a mixture of subtle drama and aggressive action that opens The Trial of the Amazons crossover event. The flow of the story holds an evenly-executed weight in composition, both in art and story. Conrad and Cloonan seem to have found a novel approach to an alien invasion story with somewhat complex political overtones.
He looks a bit like Elric. Pale albino skin. Blood red eyes. He's dressed like a businessman or a politician, though. No black sword. (He doesn't need it.) His name is Altuum. He comes from a craft that has rested under the ocean just north of Themyscira. He has arrived in Washington D.C. to warn Wonder Woman that his people are ready to attack to claim the island. Words become inadequate as civility breaks down. His warning becomes a fight in an exhibit honoring Themyscira at the Museum of Art and History.
Conrad and Cloonan open the issue with a classic superhero scene as Wonder Woman confronts a few bank robbers on her way out to meet with Etta Candy. The issue closes on the battle between Diana and Altuum in a Smithsonian-style museum in Washington D.C. It's a nice mix of action and drama. The dialogue between Diana and Altuum is interesting. At first glance, it appears that Diana is being a bit more aggressive than she would be with a total stranger. Still, Conrad and Cloonan put just enough microaggression into Altuum's words and actions to clarify that Diana is merely thinking several steps ahead. With the wisdom of Athena...she knows where this is going. She's ready for it when it happens.
There's a spacious feel about the Museum of Art and History. The very modern-looking exhibit serves as a beautifully poignant backdrop for a terse conversation between a pair of warriors from another era. The cold malice in the face of Altuum is mirrored in the alert caution in the face of Wonder Woman. It's all very well-executed in atmosphere and tension. The action feels a little bit stiff in places. Still, for the most part, Diana's distinctive fighting style comes across beautifully in a very satisfying annual.
In a remarkably concise three-act story, Conrad and Cloonan have done an outstanding job of getting Wonder Woman back into classic superhero mode just in time for her next big crossover between this annual and the first issue of Nubia and the Amazons. DC is putting together the foundations of a crossover event that just might be a bit more thought-out and cleverly constructed than most. Conrad and Cloonan give this particular incarnation of Wonder Woman a firm grounding that feels well-integrated with everything else she's been through over the course of the past couple of years.
