Nubia & the Amazons #6 // Review
One of the single most prominent Amazons has been killed. The quest for justice for the murder could bring the three different uneasy factions together in Nubia & the Amazons #6. Writers Stephanie Williams and Vita Ayala usher the Trial of the Amazons crossover through its second chapter in an issue brought to the page by artist Alitha Martinez, inker Mark Morales, and colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr... A Themysciran funeral is given plenty of room to open an issue of drama and intrigue that capably moves the crossover to its next chapter. Still, as an issue on its own, Nubia’s sixth doesn’t give her nearly enough time in the center of the panel.
The murder comes at a very difficult time for Nubia, who is already challenged by the presence of two other queens. Along with a host of Amazons who could upset a very delicate balance beyond Doom’s Doorway. There is some concern about whether or not to continue with the contest to determine the doorway’s next champion. A murderer is at large, and there’s no telling whether or not there will be another attempt on another life in the midst of it all. Nevertheless, the vote between queens favors continuing the contest amid murder. Anything could happen.
Williams and Ayala allow the first seven pages of the issue for the funeral. It’s a deep moment for the mini-series, but it pushes Nubia out of the center of the chapter. This is particularly frustrating as the murder in question really SHOULD throw the focus on Nubia as queen more than any other character in the issue. The crossover crowds out the issue with way too many other characters to get much of an intimate look at any one reaction to the murder. Which is a bit frustrating in its own way.
Martinez and Morales give the funeral a sense of decorum. It’s a bright day in paradise. Everything is so elegant. The seriousness of the drama seems almost dwarfed by the beauty of a funeral in Themyscira. Drama pours in around the panels, but any sense of danger or tension doesn’t really make it to the page the way it should if there truly is a killer on the loose somewhere in paradise. There’s an exquisite sadness about the visuals that seem to cut any tension that really should be building at this stage in the seven-part story.
Death isn’t really all that permanent in any superhero universe. That being said, the real issue here seems to be with Wonder Woman...who just came back from the dead herself. Granted...it took her a few months to do so. Still, when the single most popular character in the crossover recently escaped death, the hefty weight of murder doesn’t seem quite as important as it should if it’s going to be the central conflict of a seven-part event that spans two months. As a single moment, the issue carries itself quite well. As a part of a larger story, it lacks some intensity, which is really too bad as it IS the final issue of Nubia’s mini-series.
