Wonder Woman #798 // Review
The gods and the mortals are at war. Ares has chosen a side: his own. War with the gods is bad for business. If the mortals learn to fear the conquering gods, they might forget to make war with each other, which would be decidedly bad for a god of war. Diana has to make up her mind whether or not to trust him in Wonder Woman #798. Writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad continue to bring their run with Diana to a close in an issue brought to the page by artist Amancay Nahuelpan and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. Then Mary Marvel finds herself dealing with a rather drastic and sudden change in a follow-up story by writer Josie Campbell, artist Caitlin Yarsky, and colorist Jordie Bellaire.
Wonder Woman’s allies are uneasy about accepting the aid of the god of war, but they can use all the help they can get. When the enemy arrives, it’s Hera, Hermes, and a few other Olympians. Diana knows that things could get ugly. She challenges Hera to one-on-one combat. No one else will attack until one of them falls. Hera accepts. Wonder Woman has gained tremendous power, but it might not be enough. To truly defeat Hera, Diana might just require a gift from an ally. That gift prompts another major change in the life of Mary Marvel as she is drawn against one of the most powerful creatures of ancient Greek myth.
Cloonan and Conrad are bringing their time with Diana to an end in a way that feels like a very powerful high point. There’s a tremendous amount that’s been done with Wonder Woman over the past 80 years. With this latest turn, it feels like they’re doing something quite new with Diana. The change isn’t going to last, but it IS a major event in Diana’s life that signals a turning point that will likely echo into Tom King’s upcoming run in July or September. Campbell’s continuation of the adventures of Mary Marvel also seems like a very natural and compelling progression for a character who really deserves her own ongoing title.
Nahuelpan has been handed the challenge of a major clash between gods. It’s always difficult to bring the kind of intensity to this sort of conflict that really FEELS big and epic on the comics page. With the aid of some beautiful chromatic radiance by Bonvillain, the clash between Diana and Hera is every bit as powerful as it should be. Yarsky follows the main feature with visual renderings of Mary Marvel and Wonder Woman that appear crushingly emotional...flecked with delicate bits of nuance. The deeply reflective mood of Campbell’s story is given added mood and gravity by the graceful color of Bellaire.
The storyline draws to a close in next week’s Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4. The “Revenge of the Gods” storyline has been one of those rare instances in which a big crossover event actually turns out to be kind of good. The writers working on the series have done an impressive job with it. With any luck, the big conclusion next week will give the storyline a solid landing.
